Openjobmetis Varese secured its first league victory on the road against Longobardi Scafati Basket, bouncing back in the best possible way from its opening-night home loss to Virtus Bologna. Still without William McDowell-White and Amedeo Della Valle, the red-and-white squad put on a solid performance, leading for virtually the entire forty minutes and holding off the home team’s attempts to mount a comeback. Leading the way for Varese was Hunter Hale, the team’s top scorer with 25 points, to which he added 6 assists, while Nate Renfro delivered a solid performance, finishing with 14 points, 6 rebounds, and a plus-minus rating of 20. It was a fine display of character and a timely response for Openjobmetis ahead of their BCL debut on Wednesday on the road against Murcia.
It was Duke Jr. from the free-throw line who broke the deadlock, before Onyema responded and Kamagate and Nevels traded baskets. Varese, however, immediately finds its rhythm on offense: Hale hits a three-pointer, Nikolic follows suit, and the No. 12 player himself puts the red-and-whites up 4-10. Moore tries to spark Scafati, but Librizzi immediately answers with a three-pointer to make it 7-13, and Renfro keeps Openjobmetis ahead. Down the stretch, McGruder and Mascolo tried to close the gap for the Campania side, but Hale continued to make the difference, first from the free-throw line and then from long range. Kamagate capped off Varese’s strong start, while Hale’s final free throw set the score at 17-24.
Varese came out strong at the start of the second quarter with Renfro, Nikolic, and Villa, pulling ahead 17-30 and forcing Coach Bucchi to call a timeout. Scafati then shifted gears, relying primarily on Nevels and Mascolo to gradually close the gap, while Openjobmetis tried to maintain control with Renfro and Nikolic. Lever, first with a two-pointer and then from beyond the arc, brought the Campania team back to 32-34, prompting Kastritis to call a timeout this time. Moore completed the comeback and gave the Gialloblu their first lead at 35-34, but Hale responded with four consecutive points. Mascolo tied the score at 38 before Nikolic’s basket sent Varese into the locker room leading 38-40.
Upon returning to the court, Openjobmetis immediately stepped up the pace: Hale got things started, Duke Jr. completed a three-point play, and Alviti immediately answered Moore’s three-pointer with one of his own from beyond the arc. Nevels kept Scafati in the game, but Renfro took charge of the red-and-whites and, along with Hale’s three-pointer, built a new lead to 48–57. The Campania team fought back with Offurum and Onyema, closing the gap to a single possession several times, but Duke Jr. stepped up in the clutch. In the closing minutes, Librizzi takes center stage, sinking two huge three-pointers interspersed with free throws by Nevels, before Hale seals the quarter. Varese thus enters the final ten minutes leading 62-70.
Offurum opened the final quarter, but Renfro and Librizzi helped Openjobmetis maintain their lead while Mascolo tried to close the gap for the Gialloblu. Just as Scafati closes the gap to 68-73, Kamagate responds with a crucial three-pointer that gives Varese some breathing room. McGruder tries to keep the game alive, but Duke Jr. and Kamagate again push the red-and-whites to 70-80. Moore cuts the deficit, then Alviti hits a crucial basket with a foul to make it +11, and Hale extends the lead further from the free-throw line to 72–85. In the closing minutes, Nevels and Offurum’s three-pointer narrowed the gap, but they couldn’t change the outcome of the game: Openjobmetis defeated Scafati with a final score of 77-85.
Photo by Ciamillo&Castoria – All rights reserved