by Matteo Occhiuto – Race 1 is of the Real Sebastiani Rieti. The amaranth-celestial ones easily overtake the Viola Reggio Calabria Basketball in the first act of the Serie B championship playoff series. Reatini good at building a large margin between the second and third period, with Balic and partners forced to surrender well in advance.
First half
Duranti scores the first basket of the match, then the hosts break: 6-0 and Rieti’s advantage. Happy from the bow he begins to expand the distance, it is always Bruno Duranti who answers. La Viola momentarily manages to mend towards the end of the first period, before the team of coach Finelli raises the pace, getting back to +7. In the second period the intensity, if possible, increases further: triple flocks to the Palasojourner. Ghersetti and Loschi on one side, the usual Balic and Duranti on the other. You score more and have fun in Rieti: Reggio, however, fails to cling to Real Sebastiani who also wins this quarter by six points, for a total of 13 points ahead: at the long interval it is 41-28.
Second half
The theoretical script would see Viola in offensive projection. The boys from Bolignano, however, struggle tremendously to find the retina, also thanks to Rieti and coach Finelli, good at closing the defensive ranks, this time yes. Protecting your own basket becomes more important than attacking the opponent’s. The benches are also a factor: Rieti manages to score eight elements, the Viola only five. The Lazio players reach a twenty-point advantage even before the last and fourth period. At the dawn of the last ten minutes of the game, Bolignano loses Barrile: sprained ankle for the neroarancio captain. A problem both in view of race 2, and for a final rotation that is further reduced and with a large gap to try to recover. Besozzi takes over from 73 and scores the triple of -15. The Viola tries to the last, but without being able to close the challenge below twenty points of disadvantage: at the siren is 81-60.
Playoffs, quarter-finals, game 1
Real Sebastiani Rieti-Purple Basketball RC 81-60 (19-12, 22-16, 17-12, 23-20)
R. Rieti: Piccin 10, Maganza 6, Loschi 13, Stanic 13, Ndoja 12, Okiljevic 6, Contento 12, Ghersetti 9, Piazza 0.
Free throws 4/4 – Assist 21 (Square 5) – Rebounds 30 (Maganza 7)
Viola RC: Gaetano 10, Ingrosso 11, Duranti 12, Besozzi 3, Barrile 6, Balic 9, Fall 9, Kekovic 0.
Free throws 11/16 – Assist 13 (Balic and Ingrosso 4) – Rebounds 36 (Duranti 8)
