The Herons went 2-0 at the end of a very tight match in which Mestre demonstrated all his value on the field, a strength that allowed Mazzucchelli and his teammates to finish the second and third quarter ahead but which in the long run was not enough to bring home a victory that is nuanced in the details. The home team’s 19 offensive rebounds made the difference in the long run, Mestre put his heart into it, alternating zone defenses of various kinds which were successful for the first three quarters – 1/19 from the arc for the Herons end of the third quarter – but which also caused them to lose a bit of clarity on the offensive level with 20 turnovers overall.
Ciocca starts with Aromando and Caversazio as forwards while the small players in the quintet are Mazzucchelli, Pellicano and Smajlagic, on the other side coach Barsotti confirms the 5 of game 1 with Benitez as playmaker, Chiera as guard and Arrigoni and Natali as wingers and Radunic as pivot. The first quarter shows intense defense, scoring is slow, Montecatini seems to have more, an offensive rebound from Sgobba gives the home +4 (8-4) but we are already almost halfway through the period. Again Sgobba takes the new maximum advantage (13-6) with Ciocca forced to call time, at the restart Lenti finds an and one that brings Mestre closer thanks also to the subsequent basket by Lenti himself served by Perin with the period ending 15-11. In the second quarter Gemini throws all the sand they can into the home gear and does so in a productive way. After the usual offensive rebound which again allows Sgobba to make it 21-14, Gemini comes back to life: bomb from Pellicano and Perin, basket from Aromando for the overtaking with a partial 8-0 Gemini result of an always revved up defense. Mestre hits from the arc, Bocconcelli and Caversazio punish the Tuscans from outside, Aromando from the mid range makes it 27-30, Mazzucchelli at the end of the quarter first from 3 and then from the mid range scratches (33-37), Bocconcelli’s bomb on the siren from beyond half the field seems to be a sign that the evening could be the right one (33-40). In the third quarter the hope of making an impact on the series continues, behind the defense it is always solid but in front it is struggling. Caversazio, practically perfect, keeps Mestre on +4 (39-43) after Arrigoni and Chiera had pushed the Herons, Lenti from below and Caversazio again from the line for an unsportsmanlike call to Natali and a bomb from Mazzucchelli drags Mestre to +8, margin which reaches double figures with a basket from underneath by Lenti while the Herons find the basket blocked with 4’42” at the end of the quarter. In the meantime, however, fouls are mounting in the Mestre home, Benitez recovers an important ball and paves the way for his team on the counterattack, Smajlagic isn’t in the evening and misses 2 bloody free throws while Dell’Uomo and Lorenzetti score important points, Giancarli doesn’t make a mistake from the line and the his 2/2 is worth 53-54, only another shot at the buzzer by Mazzucchelli allows Mestre to reach +4 at the start of the last period.
Caversazio opens the period from the arc after the basket built on yet another offensive rebound by Chiera (55-60). The problem is that now the Herons are starting to find 3 points, after Arrigoni’s basket and Aromando’s failed attempt, Chiera scores the equalizer (60-60) with 8’12”. From here Gemini is no longer able to have the clarity to respond while the Herons, thanks to their physicality, build double possessions resulting from offensive rebounds. Benitez and Dell’Uomo put the Tuscans on +5, Gemini loses Perin due to fouls, Benitez finds a 3-pointer from 8 meters and it becomes a steep climb for Mestre (69-61) with 4’33”. Bocconcelli revives the last hopes from the arc (70-64), a margin that however never narrows again until the siren. In the end one might even think that the Herons won easily, but this was certainly not the case; Friday and, possibly Sunday, this Gemini will try to earn a return ticket to the Palaterme to play Game 5.
Fabo Herons Montecatini – Gemini Mestre 82-73
FABO HERONS: Magrini ne, Benites 15, Carpanzano, Chiera 7, Natali 11, Arrigoni 11, Lorenzetti 5, Giancarli 2, Dell’Uomo 9, Lorenzi ne, Sgobba 14, Radunic 8. Coaches: Barsotti.
GEMINI MESTRE: Smajlagic 4, Bocconcelli 12, Mazzucchelli 12, Pellicano 3, Porcu ne, Perin 5, Lenti 10, Caversazio 14, Sebastianelli, Bizzotto ne, Aromando 13. All.: Ciocca.
NOTES: partials 15-11, 33-40, 53-57. Free throws Herons 13/18 – Gemini 12/18, 3-pointers 5/27 – 11/21, rebounds 49-37. Perin was released for 5 fouls at 5’25” and Chiera at 2’53”.
