61:63 deafeat against RSB Team Thueringen
RSV Lahn-Dill had to return from Elxleben after a bitter defeat. They only keep their position at the top of the table thanks to a better score-ratio after losing 61:63 (18:19/37:30/51:45). Deciding for this game on the 14th game day was a weak phase at the start of the fourth quarter that killed the comfortable lead from before.
The Wetzlar team seemed on top of the game at half time, after successful baskets by Joe Bestwick and Thomas Boehme leading to 30:28 (16th min). It seemed like the RSV-defence was dealing very well with the opposition, especially Thueringen top-scorer Aliaksandr Halouski. Only Sebastian Magenheim seemed to be able to challenge the Middle Hesse wall scoring nine points, whilst so far RSV-captain Michael Paye was top-scorer with ten points.
After change-over this seemed to continue, with Dirk Koehler scoring to 41:30 (22nd min) and later 45:32 (24th min), and the path to success seemed to be laid out. But after the 51:40 (29th min) again by Koehler, the opposition started a scorching final offence. Within 25 seconds National Player Andre Bienek pushed his team closer to the lead, scoring one of his later two three-point-shots.
This seemed to get his team moving. Whilst RSV didn’t score a lot anymore, Thueringen had only just started. It was Belorussian Halouski who equalised with a three-point-play leading to 54:54 (35th min) before again Bienek scored the 56:55 (36th min) and then scored the knock-out-shot with his second three-pointer leading to 59:55. “We did have our chance in that phase, but we simply did not score.” was the comment of disappointed Nicolai Zeltinger after the game.
Even though Bestwick, Serio and Paye managed to shorten the difference to two points, they were unable to change the result of the game. Their last chance went five seconds before the game after a missed shot from the middle-distance leading to a defensive rebound by Halouski. Hopes went up when Michael Paye got the ball again, but his shot from the half-way line, but it bounced off the ring when the final siren went off.
Generally it was a good game for us, both teams were playing at a high level, but in the end it was Team Thueringen that scored the points that we gave away. They put a lot of pressure on us, congratulations to Josef Jaglowski and his team.” said Zeltinger after the game, adding with a smirk “But the important games are still ahead of us.”
Thüringen: Aliaksandr Halouski (17), Dan Highcock (6), Teemu Partanen (2), André Bienek (17/2 Threes), Sebastian Magenheim (13), Raimund Beginskis (2), Jens-Eike Albrecht, Nerijus Venckus (6), Marvin Malsy (n.e.), Bart Nulens (n.e.),
Lahn-Dill: Dirk Köhler (16), Michael Paye (14), Thomas Böhme (12), Steve Serio (11), Joe Bestwick (5), Jan Haller (3), Björn Lohmann, Annabel Breuer (n.e.), Nico Dreimüller (n.e.), Christopher Huber (n.e.), Felix Schell (n.e.), Marco Zwerger (n.e.).