VANOLI CREMONA 89
GERMANY BRESCIA 100
(21-25;20-29;26-31;22-15)
VANOLI CREMONA: Davis 17, Booth 8, Lacey 5, Eboua 11, Owens 6, Willis 24, Poser 7, Zampini 6, Nikolic 5, Conti, De Martin, Zanotto. Coach: Demis Cavina.
GERMANY BRESCIA: Ivanovic 17, Della Valle 15, Rivers 18, Ndour 10, Bilan 11, Burnell 17, Cournooh 8, Dowe 2, Mobio 2, Ferrero, Pollini, Tonelli. Coach: Giuseppe Poeta
REFEREES: Fourth, Bettini, Capotorto
Although there was no time to sit in the stands in front of Owens, who could avoid marking his direct competitor, inaugurating the match with little support on the scoreboard. Germani does not fit and thanks to an excellent and fluid circulation of the ball, with the duo of Bilan and Della Valle, he keeps his head forward. However, the home team, led by Booth and Davis, had an impact on the result, being more reactive and ready for the rebound battle. Coach Giuseppe Poeta threw Burnell and Dowe into the fray, receiving comforting responses, with the two former Sassari players bringing energy, dynamism and defensive pressure, with Brescia reaching an eight-point lead. more, coach Demis Cavina was forced to suspend time, but the blue and white resisted and led to the first siren.
The second quarter opened with two excellent baskets from Burnell, a constant thorn in the side of the Cremonese defense. However, Germani also increased the amount of defense, when Bilan, Cournooh and Dowe fouled the opposing passing lines, inviting the home team to draw uncomfortable conclusions. Brescia continued to press the accelerator pedal, speeding up the field and piercing, in the hands of Ivanovic and Cournooh, their opponents from beyond the arc with coach Demis Cavina asking for a timeout. Back on the floor, Vanoli tried to shake things up with a three-point play by Willis, but Rivers, at the height of a great team effort, scored a triple from the corner. Booth and Davis tried to shake things up, but Germani, with his leaders, went into the long break with a fortune of thirteen lengths.
The third half of the game saw Germani start with high gear on both sides of the pitch. Rivers and Ivanovic continued to hammer the opponent’s basket, setting themselves up offensively and providing a valid scoring alternative to captain Della Valle. Vanoli, however, as expected, had a reaction led by the duo of Booth, accurate and precise with his shots, and Owens, a fountain under the boards. Here, in a moment of slight difficulty, Germani accepted the challenge and fought with a knife between his teeth. Burnell decided to take the lead and was the protagonist of a stellar season and, together with the charisma of Ivanovic, Germani reached an eighteen point lead. A comfortable margin ahead in the final quarter.
Since the dawn of the last episode, the Vanoli, through the initiatives of Willis and the returning Davis, tried to return to the top with courage and determination. A generous unsportsmanlike foul given to Bilan and a bomb from Davis got the home team back on track, eleven points behind. The Germani, however, had the strength and maturity to get their money’s worth and, with character and unity of purpose, conquered Cremona.