Title defendants RSV Lahn-Dill took the lead so far with their 65:53 (16:14/31:25/51:38)-success in the first RBBL-Championship Play-off final and therefore could, as it stands 1:0 in this best-of-three series, end the German Championship early next Saturday at home.
About 350 fans travelled to Frankfurt Ginnheim, and were already before the game providing the right atmosphere for their team to feel at home. They got to see an equally emotional as well as tense game, which was no less tough than expected. Both teams were fighting hard for a win, and so the game developed to be exciting, tense, and all the while athletically high-class game that was very level up until half time.
RSV started off a bit better with four early points by Joe Bestwick, who had a high percentage under the basket, leading quickly to 6:2 (2nd min), before Frankfurt started to hold their ground when the great playing Centre Sebastian Wolk started to give his input. It was mainly down to him that Skywheelers got the lead with 14:12 (7th min) and kept the game open via 19:21 (16th min) and 25:29 (19th min).
“We let ourselves be easily impressed during this phase and therefore showed some weaknesses in our pass-game, which Frankfurt obviously took advantage of.” says RSV-Coach Nicolai Zeltinger after the first half, well aware of his team’s deficits. Nevertheless, the team acted well prepared for their opposition’s tactical changes after the Cup Final two weeks ago in Hanover. “We’ve been thinking a lot about possible changes in Frankfurt, tried to anticipate their steps, and so had good responses to our opponent’s actions and were able to take out the threats.”
At half-time it was clear for RSV that the third quarter was going to decide which way this game would go. In this phase the team acted switched on and determined. Two 8:0-runs lead via 39:27 (23rd min) and 47:32 (26th min) to an early decision, and in the follow-up the game was more or less under control.
The Frankfurt team fought hard though, and so were able to tighten the score a bit more again with 55:38 (31st min) and 56:45 (33rd min). But trio Felix Schell, Thomas Gundert and Thomas Boehme were ready to respond to that with six points within few seconds, leading to 62:45 (34th min).
With this first win in Frankfurt and the resulting match-ball RSV Lahn-Dill are now holding an ace in their hand, which they hope to be playing next Saturday at 19.30 o’clock in Wetzlar’s August-Bebel-Sporthalle. “Mainhatten Skywheelers had their best chance for a title in the Cup-Final in Hanover, where physical and mental state in only one single game is crucial. To win two out of three games against us in the Championship Final is a lot harder, and winning on their home court did certainly not help them. Statistically our chances are good, but we have to be enormously careful now, as the Skywheelers are a team who never give up and don’t have anything to lose.” said Head-Coach Nicolai Zeltinger after the final siren about the weekend lying ahead.
Should RSV Lahn-Dill win this Final despite the immense changes the team has made after the last season, they would be able to celebrate being Champions for the tenth time since the founding of the club. If Frankfurt wins in Saturday though, the last and deciding game will take place on Sunday, 14th of April.
Frankfurt: Sebastian Wolk (22/1 three), Sebastian Magenheim (11), Andreas Kress (9), Lars Lehmann (9), Benjamin Lenatz (2), Anne Briessmann, Johannes Hengst, Maria Kuehn, Tim Diedrich, Jan-Niklas Neuroth.
Lahn-Dill: Michael Paye (18), Joe Bestwick (15), Dirk Koehler (12), Thomas Boehme (9), Jan Haller (6), Felix Schell (3), Thomas Gundert (2), Christopher Huber, Bjoern Lohmann, Gesche Schuenemann, Marco Zwerger, David Amend.