Cimberio Handicap Sport Varese defeated by the Italian champions Cantu' with honour
UnipolSai Briantea 84 Cantù-Cimberio Handicap Sport Varese 67-58 (19-12, 27-18, 46-37)
UNIPOLSAI BRIANTEA 84: Stravinskas 4, Schiera, Carossino 11, Molteni, Bell 24, Santorelli 4, Ruiz 5, Sagar 8, Choudhry 11, Crespi, Scopelliti, Nava. All. Abes Malik.
CIMBERIO H.S.: Marinello, Geninazzi 10, Blomquist 22, Damiano 4, Silva, Mazzolini, Lindblom 8, Kim 14, Fiorentini, Roncari. All. Daniele Riva.
Referees: Graziani and Lastella
Note – foul shot: nipolSai 7 su 13, Cimberio 7 su 15.
SEVESO – Saturday night Cimberio Handicap Sport Varese was defeated in Seveso, but in a way that it is (almost) a victory: just nine scores of difference with the Italian Champion Unipolsai Briantea 84 Cantù. This did not grant two points in the placement, but it gave an idea about the improvement registered in this team trained by Daniele Riva. They kept up with the strong team of Cantù until the end of the match. For instance, at 3 minutes from the end of the regular time, Joakim Lindblom (even if he was under his standard level) failed the counterattack for reaching the score “less 2” and, the Cantu team took advantage of this with the finalization of the basket of the “more 6” point. This closed the match practically because the Cantu team was able to manage this advantage.
It was the great night of Joakim Blomquist which scored 22 points (the best of the season for him) with 11/13 from the court; a performance to be reminded which gives evidence of the ongoing progress of Blomquist, which limited the play of Roncari (with a little of discontent).
Cimberio was very good in reacting after a difficult start with a difference of 9 points (9-0); anyway, they reacted and they reached the score 9-8 which enabled them to keep the game open until the final minutes.
Choudhry was limited by the excellent Cimberio defence, even if in the other match he scored 30 points (like Bell); on the other hand, Bell was uncontrollable with 24 scores.
The audience for this match was really huge: over one thousand persons in the Seveso Sport Arena: this gives an idea about the enormous difference between the supporter of Briantea 84 and the rest teams of basketball on armchairs (with the exception of Rome, which is playing in the other round). The Varese team tried to reduce this difference on the court successfully.
Now the championship is stopping for Christmas holidays and it will restart on 10th January next when Cimberio will host in Malnate at 18:00 the PDM Treviso team.
The results (1st game of the return round):PDM Treviso-Montello Bergamo 53-61, Nordest Castelvecchio Gradisca-Millennium Padova 81-60, UnipolSai Briantea 84 Cantù-Cimberio Varese 67-58.
PLACEMENT: UnipolSai Briantea 84 Cantù punti 12; Nordest Castelvecchio Gradisca 8; Cimberio Varese e Montello Bergamo 6; Millennium Padova 4; PDM Treviso 0.
NEXT TURN: (Saturday 10th January 2015, 18:00