Udine “hole” badly the first game in Campania and does not close the series. We need a reaction immediately, tomorrow there is already race 4
Two to one for the Old Wild West. Udine is still ahead in the play-off semifinal with Scafati and tomorrow he can still close his accounts in Campania without playing game 5 Russian roulette in Friuli. Yes, it is better to start with the good news because, it is true, the Old Wild West lost badly, no badly 93-70, but from tomorrow everything will be reset and we will start again in race 4. It was known that race three would be an obstacle very hard, in the end it went decisamernte worse than expected: Scafati regenerated, from head to tail, including Gaines back in a scarecrow version. Yet in the first quarter, Boniciolli’s band had started off pretty well. A solid team responded to a frenzied Thomas, who started the match with the certainty of those who know that after all life is not played like the opponents: 21-20 Scafati.
Instead things change. Quickly. Scafati plays his (sporting) life with the band of Italians, Cucci and Benvenuti make the difference from below and create a 10-point groove even with a triple from Rossato which, given the balance of the series, already looks like a chasm.
The Old Wild West gets lost, Johnson (3 points at the end of the game) does not find the basket, Boniciolli tries to play for the area and, when Nobile and Foulland inexplicably do not close a two against one on the counterattack, it is understood that it will be tough because then Gaines gives important signs of life with a triple, immediately throwing away the plans of the Trieste coach.
In short, after an encouraging start, now the game is uphill for the APU. Foulland gets nervous, Thomas returns to being a puzzle for a defense that does not have the man to mark him (first of all captain Antonutti), who then is known to be Udine’s Achilles heel, but who doesn’t have any? The public makes themselves heard because 500 fans in those parts are worth 1,500 in other latitudes. Palumbo, who scores from below alone, are the last sign of a quarter that the Old Wild West played too badly not to make a comeback improbable: 47-37 for the Campania region with a 3 out of 15 from three that makes us desperate but also hope for the APU, you can’t do worse than this. For the rest, Scafati dominates in rebound and under the basket.
It is the third race of a balanced series, at least until Friday night, come on, no drama. Even when DJ bounces on his foot in the second half and, while he is desperate, four rowdies insult him from the nearby stands. Come on, that, after all, the lockdown had taken away this ugly part of the sport, but you can’t have everything in life. Not even from basketball.
The APU soon understands this and does not change register.
Energy, they say in America. If you don’t have it, you lose. Example: after a triple by Mian, Palumbo penetrates and makes a mistake, nobody cuts out Benvenuti who remedies. Yes, a lot if not all is a question of energy.
That the guys from the West do not have and the Campanians do, even in defense: three triples by Gaines, who was unthinkable would continue to make an appearance in this series given the talent, and another Sergio torpedo hit the game. Boniciolli tries to calm the team down: nothing to do, the Apu ends up under even 18 points, with pride, thanks to Amato, he tries to go back but at the beginning of the last quarter another triple from Sergio (who was marking him?) Closes the accounts, then the bells spread and rage.
The coach will have less than 48 hours to make it clear to his team that taking Scafati, especially that seen, Wednesday to Game 5 at Carnera would be very dangerous. At the APU they all played badly, long, small, everyone. Just reset and restart. Saying it is easy, doing it less, but in the sling it is always 2-1 Old Wild West. Or not?