Confirmations arrive on the balance of power in the two groups of wheelchair basketball Serie A after the fifth first leg, the last before the halfway point: in fact, the hierarchies between the contenders for the title are increasingly emerging, in a race that promises to be uncertain and open to more teams, as perhaps rarely seen in the last few championships.
All four participants win in the next Final Four of the Italian Cup, an event scheduled for 24 and 25 March which the first two of each group enter by right after the first half of the regular season.
Net path for UnipolSai Briantea84 Cantu e S. Stefano Kos Groupmaking five out of five, as they get up Self Group Millennium e Dynamo Lab Banco di Sardegna after last week’s knockouts.
Briantea84 Cantù goes away to Treviso 63 to 47, confirming the two seasonal trends seen up to now: the sensation of always managing the pace of the match (in Treviso, three quarters at a slow trot, then the final acceleration) and the performance of a Philip Carossino perhaps never as prolific as this year, yesterday author of 33 points (15/26 from the field), 14 rebounds and 7 assists. Treviso remains in the game until halfway through a rather sleepy third quarter, in which he mends a disadvantage that immediately rose to over double digits until he reached a couple of possessions away. In the last 10 minutes, however, the guests change pace and close the match.
Santo Stefano dominates Kos Group at home againstSBS Montello, beaten 77 to 39: the Marches can afford to widen the rotations from the bench without risking anything, they send ten players to the scoresheet and limiting Sabri Bedzeti’s contribution to just 16 minutes (in which the blue still scores 13 points). Good shooting performance Dominic Miceli, who closes 7/12 from the field for 14 points. Bergamo has no weapons to oppose the Argentine with its own offensive reference Joel Gabasforced to an eloquent 2/10 from the field.
wins at homeHSV Uncle Pallacanestro Varese Dinamo Lab Banco di Sardegna, which closes an extremely positive first round, enhanced by the historic qualification for the Final Four of the Italian Cup: the usual South American duo Miranda’s–Berdun drags the Sardinians from the first break of 16 to 9, which widens up to 37-21 of the long interval. The second half was pure academy, with Dinamo also launching the very young Uras on the field, up to 69 to 48 from the siren. Comfortable home victory also for the last team that will play the Italian Cup next March, the Self Group Millennium of Padua, which goes against the Young and Tenacious Itop 71 to 46: game closed already after a first quarter marked by the partial from 18 to 2 of the Venetians, who then administer thanks also to a Boughania 22 points and 10 rebounds. Minutes and points for the very young Da Silva Pelizari (3 points in 10′) e Garavello (2 points in 6′). For the Romans, double digits for the other young blue Sbuelz (10 points with 8 rebounds).
The victory of the crucial Deco Metaferro Amicacci Abruzzo in the house of GSD Porto Torresat the end of the most spectacular game of the day (also broadcast on the Twitch Italbasket channel): the Abruzzo players found themselves one step away from a defeat that probably would have already jeopardized any playoff ambition, down by 5 points about a minute from the end, after 2/2 of From Radi from the lunette. Backs against the wall, however, Carlo Di Giusto’s team found a nervous reaction, with the triple of Barbibaythe basket of Stupenengo from below and the placed of Vigoda from average with less than 4″ to go, to complete a 7 to 0 run that condemned an excellent Porto Torres to the knockout 61 to 59.
Finally, the victory of the Menarini Wheelchair Sport Florencewhich at home exceeds the Pellicanò Pharmacy Reggio Calabria Bic 69 to 62: the Tuscans coached by coach Marco Bergna are confirmed as the surprise of this championship, where they have already collected 3 victories in 5 games played. Against Reggio, the duo of Brazilian big men Luciano DaSilva–Santos DaSilva combines for 35 overall points, the blue Cini he confirms the progress with another 12 points on target, but so does the other youngster Boganelli turns out to be crucial. Reggio doesn’t give up until the end, proving to be a tough and talented team, with Pimkorn who bombards the basket with triples (there will be 5 at the siren) until the last action, but Florence has more and extends in the Group B standings.
The championship will have a rest session next weekend: it starts again on Saturday 3 December with the first day of the second leg. The big match of the day between Deco Metalferro Amicacci Abruzzo and Dinamo Lab Banco di Sardegna will be broadcast on the Italbasket Twitch channel, with a tap-off at 4.00 pm and pre-match study by the FIPIC Communication Office from around 3.40 pm.
Wheelchair basketball
Serie A – 5th Matchday
Results
Girone A
HSV Amca Pallacanestro Varese – Dinamo Lab Banco di Sardegna 48-69
S. Stefano Kos Group – SBS Montello 77-39
GSD Porto Torres – Deco Metalferro Amicacci Abruzzo 59-61
Girone B
PDM Treviso – UnipolSai Briantea84 Cantù 47-63
Menarini Wheelchair Sport Florence – Pellicanò Pharmacy Reggio Calabria Bic 69-62
Self Group Millennium Basket – Young and Tenacious Itop 71-46
Classification
Girone A
10 points: S. Stefano Kos Group
8 points: Dinamo Lab Banco di Sardegna
6 points: Deco Metalferro Amicacci Abruzzo
4 points: SBS Montello
2 points: GSD Porto Torres
0 points: HSV Amca Pallacanestro Varese
Girone B
10 points: UnipolSai Briantea84 Cantu
8 punti: Self Group Millennium Basket
6 points: Menarini Wheelchair Sport Firenze
4 points: Pharmacy Pellicanò Reggio Calabria Bic
2 points: PDM Treviso
0 points: Young and Tenacious Itop
Next Round (December 3)
Girone A
16:00 Deco Metalferro Amicacci Abruzzo – Dinamo Lab Banco di Sardegna
Ore 16:00 GSD Porto Torres – SBS Montello
16:30 HSV Amca Pallacanestro Varese – S. Stefano Kos Group
Girone B
3.30 pm UnipolSai Briantea84 Cantù – Pharmacy Pellicanò Reggio Calabria Bic
16:00 Young and tenacious Itop – PDM Treviso
3.30 pm Menarini Wheelchair Sport Firenze – Self Group Millennium Basket (28/01)
on the cover Amit Vigoda (Amicacci) match winner against Porto Torres photocredits: Foto Capone
