After the first of two finals for the 2009 RBBL title Zwickau has a 14 point advantage. A bad fourth quarter by RSV Lahn-Dill provides Zwickau with a comfortable cushion going into the game on April 18th.
Just one week ago RSV Lahn-Dill defeated Zwickau for the Pokal German Cup title and by the end of the third quarter, the RSV Lahn-Dill, had the first game of two finals still in their grip. Unfortunately, the last ten minutes ensured for long faces after Zwickau went on a 28:10 run. The final score was 62:76 (16:10 / 35:28 / 52:48) against the RSC Zwickau and now in the return match the RSV Lahn-Dill has a huge point spread to overcome. "The task is difficult, but we will come back" commented trainer Nicolai Zeltinger.
He thought that they let up in the fourth quarter which cost them the game. "We were courageous and played a good first half, but together with the cup finals last Sunday, we probably thought that that’s enough. A fatal mistake against a team like Zwickau" says Zeltinger.
After only four minutes of the game the RSV had three turnovers and four missed shots, giving the host Zwickau a 6:0 lead. An early time-out by coach Nicolai Zeltinger led to a turnaround. The first points for the title defenders came from national player Dirk Koehler, by the 7 minute mark they had evened up the score at 10:10. They turned the tables on Zwickau and by the end of the first quarter they had a 16:10 lead.
The second quarter was intense and combative, as a result several players picked up fouls. Both teams were forced to make some changes. Thomas Gundert and Gesche Schünemann came in and played well. With four minutes remaining in the first half US point guard Michael Paye hit a three pointer to put the score at 27:22. By halftime the team from Wezlar had secured a comfortable 35:28 lead.
Zwickau started the second half strong, despite strong play by RSV team captain Joey Johnson. By the 25th minute the score was 39:39 and the teams were trading baskets. A triple by Zwickau’s Piotr Luszynski and on the opposite side two foul shots by the Canadian Richard Peter, then two more points from center Köhler left the score 52:48 after three quarters.
In the final quarter Zwickau built their lead to 63:58, in spite of the fifth foul by Matthias Heimbach, and by the 37th minute a triple by Mateusz Filipski increased it to 70:58. "At this stage we tried everything but nothing helped," said Head Coach Zeltinger after the 62:76 loss. Zeltinger also noted that poor foul shooting contributed to the loss. It is a difficult but not hopeless task the RSV Lahn-Dill now face in the second game of the series, the advantage is certainly in Zwickau’s court.
Zwickau: Piotr Luszynski (25/1 Dreier), Mateusz Filipski (24/1), Rostislav Pohlmann (11), Marcin Balcerowski (10), Mehmet Hayirli (2), Matthias Heimbach (2), Günther Mayer (2), Frank Oehme, Rainer Müller (n.e.).
Lahn-Dill: Richard Peter (25), Michael Paye (13/1), Dirk Köhler (10), Joey Johnson (8), Annika Zeyen (4), Gesche Schünemann (2), Kai Gerlach (n.e.), Thomas Gundert, Jan Kampmann (n.e.), Britta Kautz (n.e.), Felix Schell (n.e.), Marco Zwerger (n.e.).