Supercoppa derby very tight until the last second. In the end, in front of almost 900 Palafiera fans, it was Unieuro, who only managed to get the better of Rinascita Rimini with two triples by Valentini and Cinciarini in the final. Pending the arrival of Vincent “Vee” Sanford, the hosts managed to assert themselves at the end of an intense, aggressive and thick game, in which the team that wants coach Antimo Martino was revisited.
Martino begins with Valentini, Cinciarini, Pollone, Adrian and Gazzotti. The start of the match is definitely spectacular, with many baskets on both sides: Pollone and Adrian warm up their hands from three points, Meluzzi and Masciadri do the same before Cinciarini’s three-point game (11-9 at 5 ‘). RivieraBanca draws with the free throws of Ogbeide and Meluzzi, but Forlì is dynamic and determined: the players fight and sacrifice themselves and, from Adrian’s dive, a reasoned and constructed attack is born that is worth 16-11 signed by Benvenuti’s hand. At the end of the first quarter a double Scarponi signs the -1 Rimini (18-17).
The hosts open the second quarter with the triples of Radonjic and Munari, Masciadri is not there and with 5 stitches he forces Martino’s timeout (24-24 at 14 ‘). The triples of Pollone and Adrian pull a 9-0 Unieuro run, interrupted only by Ogbeide’s 2/2 from the line (33-26 at 16 ‘). Forlì accelerates with the triples of Radonjic and Gazzotti, D’Almeida stitches up with the jumper but on the siren at the end of the first half Radonjic’s bomb signs the +10 Unieuro (44-34).
Leaving the locker rooms, Rimini shortens the distance from three points with the award-winning company Johnson-Masciadri (46-40 at 24 ‘), before Adrian and Ogbeide shake the boards with their dunks (49-48 at 28’). Meluzzi draws at 50-50, but the end of the quarter is all for Unieuro: in the last 2 and a half minutes he never takes the basket and Penna scores 5 points which, added to the free of Benvenuti, are worth 55-50 to the last mini-interval.
Johnson scores 4 consecutive points at the opening of the last quarter, but Benvenuti responds with a dunk (60-54 in the 33rd minute). Rimini does not give up and forces another timeout from Martino after Arrigoni’s free throws and Masciadri’s fade away (60-59 in the 35th minute). In the final Rimini is close to overtaking, but the triples of Valentini and Cinciarini at the turn of the last minute are decisive for the victory of Forlì (68-63).
The match report
Unieuro Forlì-RivieraBanca Basket Rimini 68-63 (partial 18-17, 44-34, 55-50)
FORLI ‘TABLE: Nathan Adrian 13 (3/8, 2/5), Fabio Valentini 11 (3/5, 1/4), Todor Radonjic 9 (0/1, 3/5), Daniele Cinciarini 8 (1/2 , 1/9), Lorenzo Benvenuti 8 (3/3), Lorenzo Penna 7 (1/3, 0/2), Luca Pollone 6 (2/5 of three), Giulio Gazzotti 3 (1/2 of three), Michele Munari 3 (1/1 of three), Franco Flan, Benjamin Ndour NE, Benzoni NE. All. Martino, Fabbrizzi, Ruggeri.
RIMINI TABLE: Jazz Johnson 18 (4/8, 2/8), Stefano Masciadri 13 (2/3, 3/3), Davide Meluzzi 8 (2/3, 1/5), Derek Ogbeide 8 (2/4) , Simon Anumba 6 (0/3, 1/2), Alessandro Scarponi 6 (3/4, 0/3), Marco Arrigoni 2 (0/3), Ursulo D’almeida 2 (1/2), Elia Morandotti, Francesco Bedetti NE, Nicolò Baldisserri NE, David Sirri NE. Herds Ferrari, Zambelli, Middleton.
