55:65 – defeat at RSB Team Thueringen
The nine-time German Champion RSV Lahn-Dill had to accept defeat on their second matchday of this still fresh very Season 2012/2013. The strong surprise-team of last year’s season, RSB Team Thueringen, won deservedly against the Central Hesse team 55:65 (13:14/33:26/41:41) after the own offensive efforts were not sufficient against their opponent’s powerful performance.
“There’s no shame in conceding 65 points in Thueringen, but we obviously cannot be happy with our own offensive efforts with only 55 points.” says RSV-Head coach Nicolai Zeltinger after the defeat in Elxleben. He adds “we haven’t managed to use the strength of Joe Bestwick properly in the team yet, we’re still lacking some understanding of the game in this young and new team.” The coach is referring to how little time there was to prepare between the Paralympics and the start of the season, whilst the Eastern German team could prepare intensively, which Zeltinger of course does not count as an excuse.
The second game started slowly for RSV, before the team captained by Michael Paye seemed to find their way in the second quarter. They took the 13:14 after first ten minutes on the chin and turned the game around via a 23:18 (16 min.) to a score of 33:26 at half time. Especially Captain Paye and U22 European Champion Thomas Boehme displayed convincing performances in that phase, whereas the Belorussian Aliaksandr Halouski and his Swedish team mate Joakim Linden developed into Thueringen’s key players. “If you take a look at the shot stats you can see that we had good control over Joakim Linden and Diana Dadzite and even Halouski was touching his limits, but we didn’t expect Capasso in the second half to be this strong” says Zeltinger about this game’s probably most crucial line-up factor.
But his RSV still had a chance to turn the game to their advantage, when the lead was going back and forth between the teams until the last phase. There was still a happy ending in sight, when Thomas Boehme caught the 53:51 lead for his team with his 18th point (37 min.). Within seconds the former Zwickau player Raimund Beginskis turned this back around with 4 points though, which Capasso then backed up to a 59:53 (39 min). Whilst Thomas Boehme and Gesche Schuenemann tried to change the score with unsuccessful threes, Joakim Linden and Aliaksandr Halouski closed the game from the free throw line.
“Thueringen won deservedly, and now we have proof that we have to continue to work intensively at our game and time will speak for us.” says Zeltinger in his conclusion. He also did not forget to mention a strong game the only 20-year old Boehme showed us today. This Saturday the RSV has a chance to make up for this defeat at home in the August-Bebel-Sporthalle in Wetzlar, where they are hosting their third game at 4 pm against the promoted team Roller Bulls St. Vith.
Thueringen: Aliaksandr Halouski (22), Taz Capasso (17/1 3pt), Joakim Linden (16), Raimund Beginskis (8), Diana Dadzite (2), Teemu Partanen, Jens-Eike Albrecht, Karol Szulc
Lahn-Dill: Thomas Boehme (18), Joe Bestwick (15), Michael Paye (14), Jan Haller (4), Thomas Gundert (2), Marco Zwerger (2),Dirk Koehler, Björn Lohmann, Felix Schell, Gesche Schuenemann, Christopher Huber