RSV Lahn-Dill is no.1 in the world after beating the higher ranked Perth Wheelcats from Australia by 63:54
It was at 3:47 pm at Japan´s Kitakyushu when the team from Germany´s dreams came true: RSV Lahn-Dill won the World-Championsleague!
Miyagi Max – RSV Lahn-Dill 53:77 (11:24/22:44/40:57)
The last game of the regular tournament was a pretty clear case for RSV Lahn-Dill, that already was qualified for the final and although japanese Miyagi Max held against the favourite team from Germany with its nine players from the japanese National-Team, the game was contolled by Wetzlar almost the whole 40 minutes.
Miyagi: Reo Fujimoto (32/3 Dreier), Shingo Fujii (6), Masato Nakazawa (6), Ikume Inoue (4), Hironori Takahashi (2), Daisuke Tsuchiko (1), Yosefu Kogo, Masayochi Sato, Satoshi Sato, Kazuyuki Tokairin, Akira Toyoshima, Yashiro Kato (n.e.).
Lahn-Dill: Michael Paye (26/1), Thomas Böhme (16), Steve Serio (13), Joey Johnson (9), Felix Schell (5), Thomas Gundert (4), Dirk Köhler (4), Mina Mojtahedi, Gesche Schünemann, Marco Zwerger.
Final: Perth Wheelcats – RSV Lahn-Dill 54:63 (7:20/25:33/43:48)
"It is unbelievable and I can hardly find words to describe what had just happened here after the start of it all almost twenty years ago“, Headcoach Nicolai Zeltinger became almost philosophical when he tried to comment the success of his team. While Zeltinger was trying to find words, it was RSV-Management member Jörg Fink who had tears of joy in his eyes looking at the World-Championscup.
Zeltinger´s tactical advices seemed to be succesful from the beginning on when RSV led by 20:7(10.) and played a close and good defense especially against 30-years old Worldchampion and Paralympics-Winner Justin Eveson, who was only able to score once during the first half. But Perth came back and the team from Australia was able to cut the lead to a 25:33 at halftime.
The close game continued after the break and after a 33:31 (23.) until the score of 41:36 (25.) all points were scored by US-boy Michael Paye and his opponent Shaun Norris.
Until the scoreboard showed a 50:47 (33.) it was a close game still but after a Joey Johnson-Rebound Steve Serio scored the 56:47(35.) by five minutes to go.
Although now Joey Johnson and Thomas Böhme collected their fourth personal foul the team from Wetzlar was unstoppable, and by the time Captain Joey Johnson received the cup from the hands of Japan´s Basketball-Foundation´s president Yoshikazu Naguchi, everybody in the RSV Lahn-Dill delegation was overwhelmed.
Perth: Justin Eveson (22/1 Dreier), Shaun Norris (22/1), Robert Pike (6), Nick Radovich (2), Kim Robins (2), Clare Burzynski, Samuel Clark, Michael Hartnett, Kayl Jeffery, Nang Nguyen, Brett Nicholson.
Lahn-Dill: Michael Paye (30), Steve Serio (11), Thomas Böhme (9), Joey Johnson (9), Thomas Gundert (2), Mina Mojtahedi (2), Dirk Köhler, Felix Schell, Gesche Schünemann, Marco Zwerger.