Venezia defeated 70-64 in game 3 with 2/2 in the decisive free throws by the former Italian player: “I’m happy to have finished here. Schio is my home, I love the people. We achieved the treble in Italy and that’s it”
Like in fairy tales. Game 3 between Schio and Venezia awards the championship, but it is also the last match of Giorgia Sottana, 37 years old, one of the strongest players in the history of our basketball. In the Reyer universe there is no concept of giving up. From -17 Venice returns one step away for the umpteenth time. There are 29″ left to go, Schio is only +4. Giorgia is not afraid of winning: she penetrates with her left hand, takes the foul and makes 2/2 from the line. She will have scored thousands of 2/2s, this is different. Schio is Italian champion for the 14th time. A victory does not define a career like hers. But in this case she got the happy ending, deserved it, being moved in front of her people. It’s something for a few. It will be difficult for Captain Sottana to leave that arena one last time as a player, but she does it with her ninth championship, with her daughter Ellis in her arms and the awareness of having left basketball better than she found it.
reaction
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Schio wins with a match of pride, sacrifice and desire, in a more than sold out PalaRomare. The Orange there had lost game 3 of the Euroleague playoffs to Venezia to access the Final 6, a defeat. Then again at home, the defeat in game 1 of this final, another hard blow. Reyer had shown herself to be fierce, more lucid. But whoever dared to count the seconds of the knockout doesn’t know Schio’s winning soul. In game 2 the team came together, in game 3 they refused to lose. Famila starts 14-3, with 4/4 from the arc, including two from Laksa, 17 points at the end, MVP of the final. Dojkic holds his nerve and settles things a bit: 24-18 after the first 10′. In the second quarter the game gets dirty. Schio has more strength and stops Venezia’s attack: partial 14-3, +17 (38-21).
comeback
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It’s not enough. It is always Dojkic (22 points) who keeps Venezia at a hopeful distance, but the Orograna attack lacks continuity. In the third quarter Reyer gets within 6 twice thanks to a frenzied defense. Schio is in trouble, but grits his teeth, finding answers in turn from all his players, starting with Keys. It goes fast, the intensity is very high. Venezia is unable to materialize the 16 balls recovered (24 lost by the home team). With 5′ to go Schio is at +12. Venice is once again at the height of its splendid season: it comes back to -4 twice with 30″ to go, but today is the day of fairy tales: two free throws from Sottana (and there was also a crucial fadeaway from him shortly before) and two from Verona, very cold, close the game: it ends 70-64. Sottana tries to put the evening into words: “I’m happy to have finished here. Schio is my home, I love the people, the president. I couldn’t think of a better ending to my career. In these two games we showed a face that we had never shown all year. We achieved the treble in Italy and that’s it.”
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