At the Palasport in Chiari, Aurora Desio crowns an almost perfect journey with the success in the Serie C Gold final against College Basketball, 75 to 80 the final that rewards the Brianza players. A tough, intense match, started on the wrong foot by College which, as was perhaps predictable, undergoes the experience of Gallazzi and his teammates at the start. Desio runs away, but when he realizes that College never gives up and has an extraordinary technical-athletic background, he struggles. Coach Ghirelli relies on the experience of his iconic men and Aurora wins the championship. For College it doesn’t end here, there will be the play-offs to give another chance to move up.

Contract start for both teams who don’t find the basket for almost three minutes. To unlock it’s Desio, who – in an amen – opens a partial of 6 to 0 in transition. Captain Airaghi leads the team scoring with contact, but Gallazzi’s basket from outside and a penetration to the rim force coach Di Cerbo to call a timeout at 11-2. The bleeding doesn’t stop until Okeke finds the dunk which is worth 4 to 13. College earns some travel to the line by attacking the area, but doesn’t capitalize at its best. After a quarter it is 25 to 6 Desio. The restart is still marked Aurora, but College reacts with a providential 4 to 0. Even the collegiali enter the game with a couple of consecutive triples and coach Ghirelli prefers to stop the game. College is in the zone: Ferrari and De Bartolomeo bring it back in close contact (-5), but in the other half of the court Desio takes advantage, gains several laps on the line and sets the score at 33 to 44 in the middle of the game. The blue-oranges open the second half in the best possible way, with a lightning-fast 5-0 break. The rhythms rise, College gains confidence, but the score still hangs in favor of the Lombards. Last 10 minutes of fire: Ferrari becomes unstoppable for Desio, Gallazzi responds blow by blow, but it’s on the floater of Ghigo that Desio loses some certainty. Loro quickly corrects a shot from a team mate and scores the -5 with a feat, but the experience of Leone, who scores three-pointer with the foul, gives Desio fresh air. In the last 2 minutes, everything happens: Desio, lost by 5 fouls Giarelli, is in trouble. College puts Airaghi back into the fray, who a few minutes earlier had accused a quadriceps problem, and on the doubling against Ferrari the ball for De Bartolomeo is on time: triple and -2 biancoblu. College still defends with incredible intensity and strength in the infringement of 24’’ Desio. In the other half the overtaking shot arrives, but it dances on the rim and forces College to challenge the Aurora to the free throw line. Leone doesn’t miss and the battle ends on 75 to 80 in favor of the orange-blue of Desio, who win the place in Serie B.

The journey of College doesn’t end here, we will still have the play-offs available to reach the dream of passing the category with this extraordinary group. A team (with a capital T) of young people who are just over 18 or who still have to complete them, able to enter the court, recover a -20 and put in difficulty a team built to win that boasts several players with a career in Serie B. It was the first real final for almost all of our collegiali, but it will probably be the first of a long series. Now the batteries are recharged and we think about the next appointment, stronger than before, even more hungry.

COLLEGE-DESIO 75-80

(25-6, 44-33, 66-53)

College: De Bartolomeo 17, A. Ferrari 22, Okeke 12, Boglio 6, Ghigo 7, Loro 4, Airaghi 7,  Attademo, Manto, Piscetta ne, Mauri ne, Giustina ne. All. Di Cerbo