Serie A1 basketball, for La Molisana Magnolia Campobasso a match to be applauded. The battleship Venezia imposes itself in the photo finish

THE MOLISANA MAGNOLIA CAMPOBASSO – HUMAN REYER VENICE 80-81 (28-25, 46-44; 63-59)

CAMPOBASSO: Trimboli 3 (0/1, 1/3), Kacerik 3 (0/1, 1/3), Parks 29 (9/15, 3/6), Perry 10 (2/5, 2/7), Milapie 22 (9/15); Togliani 5 (1/3 from 3), Nicolodi 4 (1/3, 0/1), Quiñonez 4 (1/2, 0/1), Narvičiūtė, Trozzola. In: Del Sole and Battisodo. All.: Sabatelli.

VENICE: Yasuma 17 (3/5, 2/4), Fassina 9 (3/4, 1/2), Dalaere 8 (2/5, 0/1), Kuier 13 (4/7, 1/1), Shepard 21 (8/14); Pan 6 (2/7 from 3), Villa 7 (2/5), Madera (0/1, 0/2). Ne: Carraro and Franchini. All.: Mazzon.

REFEREES: Martellosio (Milan), Centonza (Ascoli Piceno) and Marzo (Lecce).

NOTE: injury at 37’38” (left ankle problem) for Kacerik (Campobasso), who never returned. Exit for five fouls at 38’50” Milapie (Campobasso). Unsportsmanlike foul after 26’25” for Shepard (Venice). Free throws: Campobasso 12/17; Venice 19/24. Rebounds: Campobasso 35 (Parks 9); Venice 39 (Shepard 9). Assists: Campobasso 19 (Togliani and Perry 4); Venice 10 (Villa 3). Score progression: 14-17 (5′), 36-32 (15′), 60-55 (25′), 70-68 (35′). Maximum advantage: Campobasso 10 (60-50); Venice 3 (14-17).

The beauty and at the same time the cruelty of basketball, a discipline that does not allow – by its nature – at least a draw. The Molisana Magnolia Campobasso gives life to a superlative race against a battleship like the Reyer Venezia but, in the end, for questions of detail, he is unable to give continuity to Lucca’s success and starts his 2023 with a yellow scoresheet, having to give up by one, but proving to have large margins in perspective so as to give further satisfaction to his fans which once again filled the Arena (approximately a thousand appearances).

UNDER THE WING OF MILAPIE Around a sumptuous Milapie (his first twelve points of the #fioridacciaio with a sci-fi 6/6 from the field), the magnolias command the operations, also strengthened by a Parks whose basket entries create more than one mess among the Venetians. The lagoons try to limit the damage with the area, but Parks and Quiñonez manage to give the rossoblùs inertia with Togliani who, with the clock stopped, also signs the +6, before the Venetians are unable to repel with a buzzer beater.

MAINTAINED INERTIA The resilience of the reyerines is worth the same at thirty and also takes two points of margin on 30-32. Milapie, with a three-point game, brings the Campobasso back forward. Parks tries to start the escape and together with Milapie tries to hit the opponents continuously. Venice doesn’t fit, it goes back uphill and gets back on track (39-40), but the triple by captain Trimboli and the free throws by a determined Nicolodi are worth the +4 of 46-42, an advantage halved once again just before the long range.

DOUBLE DIGIT Milapie and Parks (complete with a triple) bring the margin possessions to three, Perry pierces the retina and a triple by the ex Kacerik of the day is worth the maximum advantage of Campobasso (the +10 of 60-50), but Venice responds promptly with a 9-0 run, closed by a triple by Perry with which the magnolias manage to close the third period ahead by four (63-59).

THE SALT ON THE TAIL Venezia tries to bring himself back, but Perry regains confidence with the basket and also tries to extend with a triple (68-64). The tension begins to cut with a knife and Parks finds the basket at the end of the twenty-four offensive seconds by pushing back Venice (70-68) who had impacted just before. Milapie tries to give further margin, but Venice overtakes (72-73), except having to deal with another ex like Togliani (the triple of 75-73). Parks widens the margin (77-73), then Milapie with a free throw (out of two) and Parks with an uncompleted basket from the extra free throw keep the Rossoblù with their heads ahead.

In between, Milapie’s five fouls and baskets before Yasuma and at the end of the match winner Shepard (twelve points out of twenty-two for the American team in the last ten minutes) keep the magnolias away from their ninth success of the season with the iron spitting the last attempt by Robyn Parks.

EXPLOIT ETHICS In the press room, in the post match conference, the magnolia coach Mimmo Sabatelli it is very clear: “We deserved to win – argues – because we have always been ahead, except in scanty circumstances. We created a great game, but this is sport. We have been lucky on some occasions, this time we paid the price. Too bad, because the girls deserved a very different type of result».

GEAS ALL’ARENA For Campobasso, now, the perspective is that of another internal match: on Sunday at the Arena there will be a confrontation with Geas Sesto San Giovanni, another match – in this season of so much balance – decided in the first leg only on the final by ex Gorini.