Reggio Emilia folds Cremona
Sportal.it
On Legabasket noon, two of the top three forces in our league faced each other with GrissinBon winning 86-77 against Vanoli Cremona, keeping the lead in the standings while waiting for Milan and overturning the first leg basket difference.
The rotation at Menetti’s disposal is finally enough to be able to keep the intensity high on the court and it shows right away, given the sprint start of his especially from the defensive point of view. Cremona suffers the opponent’s intensity and scores only 13 points in the first ten minutes. Vitali comes back in, but he is the special guard by Menetti who tries not to let him play for himself and his teammates, taking advantage on the other side of Kaukenas and Aradori’s desire to get to +10 at the first siren.
As we have repeatedly appreciated (no more than a week ago) Cremona is tough to die and with a grim defense that takes away easy solutions from the opponents, along with a burst of Turner and Cusin brings itself back to -6 forcing Menetti to a timeout right on the turn of the second quarter.
Della Valle comes out of the timeout with an eight-second infraction, Vitali makes it -5, but then a 5-0 run signed Polonara-DellaValle after a technical to Menetti brings Reggio back to +10. Reggio still tried to pull away with another DellaValle triple, but Turner at the buzzer set the score at 41-35 at the long break.
Even in the second half the game is a continuous elastic with Reggio Emilia trying double-digit rips and Cremona recovering. In the third quarter it’s Aradori’s time to place the break and lead his team ahead. It looks like yet another decisive shove for Cremona’s hopes, which has a Vitali in obvious deficit of form, but McGhee with his talent and accuracy from outside sews up the tear, so at the last rest the game is still open with the Reggians ahead by six points.
It is still the home team that comes out of the blocks better in the fourth period with Aradori’s triple and Gentile’s triple. It looks like yet another dejavu of the match with the wide double-digit lead and a Cremona wanting to get back in touch to play the point-to-point fianale, but on this occasion Reggio manages to keep its opponents at a distance, taking advantage of a defense that gives special attention to both McGhee and a Turner capable of big partials.
Despite the struggle and an undoubted honor of arms, Grissin Bon wins and flies momentarily alone at the top of the standings, distancing its direct rivals.
In collaboration with basketissimo.com
