Cantù nets salvation: Varese ko in sprint
Cantù beats Varese and nets salvation: 100 to 96.
Simmediately frantic pace at Paladesio and first sparks after a few seconds between Alviti and Sneed. At halftime Brianzoli were ahead 14-10 but the guests answered mainly with Nkamhoua and at the buzzer it was 20-19. Cheerful defenses at the beginning of the second period but they fight on every ball and the red-and-whites put their heads ahead also because Cantù is once again inaccurate at the free-throw line.
A magic shot by Green at the buzzer allows De Raffaele’s team to go to the long halftime on 46-44.
In the third period Cantù seems to put its hands on the match but Varese, after having swerved fearfully, comes back, and it does so also in the last quarter. The hosts hoisted themselves up to +11 but then squandered their capital and finished down by 4 with two to go. Cantù’s attributes are gigantic, however: Moraschini sounds the charge, Green hits from the arc as does Fevrier. It ends 100-96.
Before the start, the Paladesio paused to pay tribute to Oscar Schmidt, who recently passed away at just 68 years old after a long battle with brain cancer. The white-and-blue fans displayed a touching banner – “Oscar, score from up there” – during the minute of mourning dedicated to the legendary Brazilian, whose greatness is written in indelible characters in the history of Italian basketball: 13,957 points in Serie A, an average of 34.6 per game, and a place in the Basketball Hall of Fame since 2013.
The victory is worth gold for Cantù’s ranking, which rises to 18 points and breathes cleaner air in a still very open salvation struggle. The Brianzoli, who in recent weeks had cashed in a home knockout against leading Virtus Bologna after successes over Trieste and Sassari, now find themselves in a less desperate position. However, Sassari, Treviso, Udine and Napoli also remain in the running, with the schedule still holding two obstacles in store for the White and Blue: the April 25 trip to Udine and the home match against Treviso on May 3.
On the opposite front, defeat complicates Varese’s playoff dreams. Point guard Matteo Librizzi had presented the derby with great determination, stressing that “for both teams a victory would be of fundamental value for their respective ranking goals” and reiterating confidence in the group: “In these months we have shown that we can compete and win against anyone.” Tonight, however, it was not enough.
Finally, it is worth noting the absence in the stands of the visiting fans, who had been banned from traveling by an order of the Prefect of Monza-Brianza. A decision that had aroused the solidarity of the same canturina curve, which had displayed protest banners as a sign of closeness to the red and white cousins. Ironically, Varese supporters would witness a bitter evening.
