RSV Lahn-Dill keeps RSB Team Thueringen at distance
RSV Lahn-Dill have defended their position at the top of the table against RSB Team Thueringen by winning 55:36 (16:11/33:16/43:30) last Saturday. The 1.200 spectators got to see two very different intervals; the first one was fast and exciting whilst the flow of the game was continuously interrupted by fouls in the second half.
The team went very focussed into the game, with National Player Thomas Boehme scoring three of the first lot of points with a safe three-point-game (5:2, 2nd min), followed by Dirk Koehler’s points, who had a brilliant day and pushed the score via 16:8 (8th min) to 30:11 (15th min). At that point RSV were still playing as one, and did not give their opposition any chance. “The way the team played at that point was impressive, most of all despite the strength of their opposition.” RSV-coach Nicolai Zeltinger was happy about the first half of the game.
Only a time-out for Thueringen, in which their coach Joesef Jaglowski held a strongly worded speech, prevented the guests from letting the points-difference grow up to an early decision about the end of the game. Still, the Wetzlar team continued to pressure RSB into bad shooting positions, leading to their low 18%-hit ratio before changeover.
But to think that the second half would continue in that manner would have been wrong. RSB Team Thueringen found their way back into the game with a more aggressive, more tactical game. A 9:2-run pushed them up to 25:35 (26th min), and whilst newbie Dan Highcock didn’t live up to his potential, it was predominantly Belarussian centre Aliaksandr Halouski who put himself in good positions which enabled him to score overall 11 points in the second half.
This change in the way of the game came with a lot of fouls though, 12 alone in the 3rd quarter. Whilst RSB upped their defence, passing became worse within RSV, which led to the game losing quality and pace. But the hosts held against the pressure just in time, and within three minutes their lead was strengthened to 41:27 (29th min).
This way RSV were able to smash their guests’ hope for a change of outcome, and four successful free-throws by Thomas Boehme and Steve Serio as well as two nice shots at the basket by captain Michael Paye, adding up to a solid 8:0-run, lead to 51:30 (27th min) and made it clear that there was nothing left for Team Thueringen.
„Despite the fact that this was not a pretty second half to watch, I have to say that I’m happy that we kept our defence up for the entire 40 minutes. The struggling offence showed that we still have a lot to work on though” says Nicolai Zeltinger after the game. It is obvious, that the Middle Hesse team was strongly reliant on their defence, whilst Team Thueringen was still looking for their homogeneity, after getting six new players on their team.
Wetzlar’s man of the day was definitely old dog Dirk Koehler, who scored 17 points, had a 85% hit-ratio, even got 100% from the free-throw-line and got ten rebounds. Next weekend him and his team will be travelling to the oldest town in Germany, where they will be playing against table-second Goldmann Dolphins Trier.
Lahn-Dill: Dirk Köhler (17), Thomas Böhme (13), Michael Paye (8), Steve Serio (8), Jan Haller (3), Joe Bestwick (2), Christopher Huber (2), Felix Schell (2), Björn Lohmann, David Amend (n.e.), Marco Zwerger (n.e.).
Thüringen: Aliaksandr Halouski (16), Teemu Partanen (6), Raimund Beginskis (5), Dan Highcock (4), Jens-Eike Albrecht (2), Venckus Nerijus (2), Sebastian Magenheim (1), Billy Bridge, Bart Nulens, Marvin Malsy (n.e.).