Basketball - Too many players fail, Openjobmetis remains unstoppable - Sports - Varese News
If we were to try to interpret Openjobmetis' third consecutive defeat ( 74-85 against Trento, a deceptive result, but there you go), we'd be spoiled for choice. We could talk about the 15 offensive rebounds conceded to Aquila despite Kastritis's "warning" to his players on the eve of the game, or we could point out the weakness of the red and white bench (just 4 points against 23), or read on the scoresheet that the home team's top rebounder is a guard (Moore). And we could also see how three of the five foreign players (Moody, Freeman, and Renfro) totaled 4 points and shot 1-of-11.
Here, in terms of the team, is yet another bittersweet evening for the 4,000-strong Masnago crowd , who arrived with some hope and even pumped after a couple of flashes from the team they always want to see. Openjobmetis was vibrant at the start, responsive in defense , and even capable of regaining the lead after some initial lapses. In short, a team on the up, at least compared to their last two disastrous performances. However, when it came to the final score , they were outmatched by the Trentino guards (the nickname refers only to their physical strength, not their talent) Jones and Steward, who completed the work their teammates had done up to that point.
In the final period, or rather, the last 5 minutes, Trento made the right choices , limited their mistakes, and almost "waited" for OJM to ruin themselves. And besides, it's difficult, in the LBA, to take home a victory when you're playing with three players, or little more. Indeed, because outside of the Librizzi-Nkamhoua-Moore trio, Varese created too little. And if Moody's error isn't even worth mentioning, those of Freeman and Alviti are truly destructive: the former is still behind (of course) but played a performance without rhyme or reason, the latter was a mix of nervousness, indolence, and errors, he who in Sassari was the hero of the first (and only) victory.
Now Kastritis is waiting for Ike Iroegbu to land at Malpensa (midweek?) to finally have a player capable of leading the team and giving a boost to Librizzi, who has been heroic for a long time . It won't be a panacea for all ills, but it's clear that without Moody (not) playing, some progress should be made. The schedule remains terrible , the standings are lacking, but the only possible thing is to look beyond. And try to reverse the trend.
TIP-OFFStefan Moody is still on the scoresheet for Varese in what should be his final performance as a red and white. Librizzi, however, is in the starting five with a low starting lineup: Renfro remains out, Assui returns from the start, with Nkamhoua at center opposite Mawugbe. Cancellieri is without Battle (expected) and keeps the gem Niang off the bench, inserting Jogela into the starting five. Fewer than 4,000 fans attended Masnago, considering the timetable and the recent forgettable performances.
THE MATCHFreeman and Alviti are at "Moody level." Libro and Moore deserve to win.
Q1 – Varese gets off to a flying start : Librizzi and Nkamhoua make it 10-1 in a few rallies, Trento misses everything from the arc, and Cancellieri is forced to immediately call a timeout. Openjobmetis remains strong, but Aldridge sinks the first three-pointer, offering a taste of their game; Kastritis also gives Moody a chance, who immediately provides an assist to Nkamhoua but then misses everything again. By the time the 10th minute rolls around, Aquila is already in contact, although an unsportsmanlike foul on Freeman allows two free throws to make it 22-17.
Q2 – Librizzi, in full force, hits another three-pointer, but Aldridge doesn't let the red-and-whites escape: in the long run, they tie with a solid Bayehe , and then the visitors take the lead despite a massive "Libro" side. Nkamhoua joins the captain, but the bad things must be subtracted from the good: Moody misses a single shot, Freeman turns down threes due to a drive-by error, and at the buzzer, the score is one away, 40-41.
Q3 – Varese's age-old sin of returning from the locker room materializes once again: a 0-6 run by Trentino, due more to the red and white's mistakes than the skill of Cancellieri's men. However, Varese shows signs of having some hormones, coincidentally with Librizzi, Nkamhoua, and Moore, again. They counterattack after Alviti, asleep, missed a layup from one meter. The number 2 shows some small signs of awakening, but it's not much, and at the end of the quarter, the visitors make another mini-run, triggered by Aldridge 's three-pointer and completed at the free throw line, 58-62.
THE FINALEKastritis: "We've lost, but we're growing, but we mustn't let ourselves get demoralized."
Nkamhoua quickly closed the gap from afar, but now it was Trento's guards who were stinging. The Finn, however, was in perfect shape with Moore , who set him up or looked for him in the paint : Olivier went over the 20- point mark but found few allies in scoring. And so Dolomiti Energia remained in front , albeit by a hair's breadth, and when the Nkamhoua-Moore duo lost two in a row, Aldridge, Steward, and Jones scored baskets in the near-final run. Tazé wasn't having it, putting the ball in the basket twice, but Alviti was first blocked by Bayehe , then missed a shot that could have brought Varese to within three, the last one that could have kept Varese afloat. At that point , Trento ran riot, even excessively (a basket with the defense already slumped, an unsportsmanlike call by Alviti who took the blame for it himself), but nothing changed the outcome of the match, which was still a bitter one to accept (74-85).
OPENJOBMETIS VARESE – DOLOMITI EN. TRENTO 74-85 (22-17, 40-41; 58-62)
VARESE: Librizzi 23 (3-5, 5-8), Moore 12 (6-7, 0-2), Alviti 5 (0-2, 1-4), Assui 6 (0-1, 1-4), Nkamhoua 24 (6-10, 3-8); Villa, Renfro 2 (1-1), Moody (0-1, 0-2), Freeman 2 (0-5, 0-2). Ne: Bergamin, Ladurner. All. Kastritis. TRENTO: Jones 18 (4-8, 1-5), Steward 17 (6-8, 1-4), Jogela 11 (5-6, 0-6), Aldridge 16 (1-3, 4-5), Mawugbe; Niang 6 (2-5, 0-2), Forray, Jakimovski 3 (1-4, 0-4), Bayehe 11 (5-6, 0-1), Hassan 3 (0-1, 1-3). N/A: Airhienbuwa, Cattapan. Coaches: Cancellieri. REFEREES: Bartoli, Perciavalle, Pepponi. NOTES. 2-pointers: W 16-32, T 24-41. 3-pointers: W 10-30, T 7-30. TL: W 12-14, T 16-25. Rebounds: W 34 (5 off., Moore 7), T 45 (15 off., Jogela 8). Assists: W 21 (Moore 7), T 22 (Jones 8). Turnovers: W 17 (Nkamhoua 5), T 14 (Steward 5). Steals: W 8 (Moore 3), T 12 (Jones 5). Called 5 fouls: Moore. Unsportsmanlike fouls: Steward, Alviti. Attendance: 3,860.
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