Cantù in delirium: it’s Serie A again
After four years in Serie A2, Pallacanestro Cantù is back among the greats of Italian basketball. Acqua San Bernardo, after the first two games won on the road, also imposes itself in game-3 of the final of the playoffs for promotion to Serie A, beating RivieraBanca Basket Rimini at PalaDesio with a score of 85-80.
The Romagna team starts better from the blocks, which after Hogue’s free throw posts a 7-0 lead: parity (12-12) restored only in the 7th minute, thanks to a basket by Basile on the counterattack. Camara and Okeke provoke each other and clash: technical foul for both. Rimini closes ahead 19-18 in a first quarter more of a battle than a beautiful game.
.
The game restarts and Cantù puts its head back ahead with Riismaa, then Camara dunks and Basile finalizes a De Nicolao assist at best, then again Basile hits from long range, before allowing Camara a basket plus free throw: the game picks up. Moraschini forcefully enters the game with 5 points in a few seconds (30-28) but Rimini doesn’t flinch as the match returns to being more hard-fought than stylistically perfect. De Nicolao, from 3, sanctions the maximum white-blue advantage (34-30 two minutes before the long break) before yet another guest reaction. 36-36 at the buzzer.
On returning to the court at the beginning of the third quarter, there is an 8-0 run for the guests, who go to 44-39, and then post another 7-0 run going as high as +12: 59-47, and then 61-48. The third quarter ends 61-51 for the Romagnoli. But in the last ten minutes the Brianzoli completely turn the game upside down: in the first half of the last quarter, from 54-64 partial of 17-0 that brings them to 71-64. It is not over, because Rimni pulls back under and with 56 seconds left the score is 78-77. The final is on the cardiiopalma but the hosts put on the 7-0 partial that brings them to 85-77 and gives them the A Series. made of five free throws scored by Moraschini and two by Riismaa but Cantù’s best scorer and of the match is Grant Basile with 24 points, 7 of 15 from the field and 3 of 6 from three.
