Against a difficult Gela Basket, the Marsala team played a match full of heart and intensity but clashed with a team whose spearheads were the two Caiolas (22 points each). Coach Grillo sent off after 15′.
In the first leg of the Serie C championship in group Q, Basket Gela won the two points in Marsala with a final result of 75-84 after a very physical match played with high intensity. Nuova Pallacanestro Marsala is forced to chase the whole time despite the points from Stankovic, Gentile and Tartamella, which however are not enough to mend the gap between the Gelese team in the third period, mainly thanks to Gaspare and Emanuele Caiola, who scored 22 points each. Of note is the expulsion of coach Grillo after about 15 minutes of play due to technical issues.
First quarter characterized by balance with the Gelese players striking on the first possession from the 6.75 line with Gaspare Caiola, who will score six times from the perimeter. It is he, together with Emanuele Caiola, who repels the home team’s attempts to overtake, who first equalize with Niang but then go behind again. In the first period, the young Donato stood out (6 points for him all in the first half) and Tartamella, capable of hitting on the counterattack and recovering balls. However, the two Caiola and Husam for the guests keep their team ahead and the first siren sounds at 20-23.
In the second half of the game, Gentile, Miculis and Stankovic stood out for NPM and the locals’ attempt at a comeback ignited the game and the spirits. NPM loses coach Grillo due to technical fouls after protests over two unsportsmanlike fouls not granted by the refereeing pair. The Azzurri stubbornly get within -3, but the guests are good at hitting from the perimeter and at the half-time interval the scoreboard shows the score of 39-43.
After the long break, the guests scored a decisive break of 10-0 entirely thanks to Gaspare Caiola, who from the three-point line hit three consecutive centers and on the last long-range shot earned an additional free throw that pushed the locals back to -14. The Marsala team went into crisis and sank to -21, but above all the one trying to keep his team afloat was Tartamella, a great fighter capable of recovering balls and leading the Lilybetans’ counterattacks. We go to the final break at 56-69.
In the final period, NPM reacted with pride and tried to get back on top, recovering twice to -8 at 65-73, first with Gentile and then with Stankovic from three in the middle of the period. However, the Gelese team found their way back to the basket with Emanuele Caiola from the field and Husam from three points and got back to +14 with 2′ 30″ before the end. In the final stages, Stankovic and Miculis once again made the deficit less burdensome in the final result of 75-84.
Nuova Pallacanestro Marsala will return to the pitch on Saturday 30 November at 6.30pm in the away match against Alfa Basket Catania.
SCORESHEET:
Nuova Pallacanestro Marsala – Gela Basket 75 – 84
Partials: 20-23, 19-20, 17-26, 19-15.
New Marsala Basketball: Farruggia 2, Miculis 17, Cucchiara, Abrignani, Donato 6, Linares ne, Gentile 15, Frisella, Stankovic 21, Chen ne, Tartamella 10, Niang 4. Coach Grillo G.
Gela Basket: Musikic 6, Bernardo, Stanic 9, Julakidze 2, Longo, Tomic 4, Susino, Caiola E. 22, Lombardo ne, Caiola G. 22, Husam 16, Golubovic 3. All. Bernardo S.
Referees: Campanella N. from Monreale (PA) and Barone M. from Palermo.
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