Piero Bucchi: “Unnecessary mistakes against Varese—we need to step up our game”

Openjobmetis Varese defeated Scafati 85-77 at the Beta Ricambi Arena-PalaMangano. For Longobardi, this marks their second consecutive loss following the defeat in Udine.

Scafati, still without Brandon Johnson and with McGruder not at his best, struggled particularly with their offensive execution and shooting percentages. Missed free throws also took their toll in the first half, while poor three-point shooting affected the flow of the game.

The third quarter was particularly decisive, as the home team allowed Varese to score 30 points. Among the Gialloblù, Mascolo and Nevels put in solid performances, while Onyema made a positive contribution before being limited by foul trouble. Offurum stepped up in the second half of the game.

For Varese, Hale was the go-to player, supported by several teammates in key moments. Scafati will take the court again on Sunday in front of their home crowd against Verona, in search of their first win of the season.

“I can’t fault the guys for anything, but we need to adapt quickly to the challenges of the league,” said Piero Bucchi after the game. “Some players are inexperienced, but we need to accelerate our development and learn to read the flow of the game so we can react. To establish a path that will make us competitive. Varese deserves credit. But we need to focus on how to make fewer unforced errors. Commitment and energy alone aren’t enough; the guys need to take a quick step forward in their development to adapt to the league and overcome their inexperience.”