Middle Hesse team triumphs with 83:45
Only 62 days after their loss at home against BG Baskets Hamburg in the main round of the RBBL, title-defendants RSV Lahn-Dill have set things straight with their opponents. The team have defeated Hamburg with a 83:45 (19:13/45:25/66:31) score and probably one of their best performances this season, giving Hamburg their highest loss of this basketball-year.
Especially Hamburg’s key players Reo Fujimoto, Hiroaki Kozai and Mustafa Korkmaz were basically knocked off by the RSV defence. Another factor was that Captain Michael Paye was in top-form, scoring 30 points and directing his team brilliantly. “Mentally we were in exactly the right spot for the Playoffs, and of course the defeat at home was even more motivation for us.” said RSV-Coach Nicolai Zeltinger after the game.
During the first couple of minutes BG Baskets were showing a strong offence when Korkmaz scored his first three in the second minute of the game leading to 5:2 and only a few minutes later even scored the 7:2 (6th min). But the RSV defence was not to be shaken, they analysed their opponents’ tactics and tightened up under the basket. The 13:11 (7th min) by Poggenwisch then was the last offensive success for Hamburg for a good couple of minutes.
Until the end of the first quarter it was mainly Captain Michael Paye who secured the 19:13 (10th min), before Steve Serio had warmed up and already scored 13 points at the 29:13 (14th min). It was down to Fujimoto that a 10 minute period without Hamburg scoring in the game was ended, when he scored the 16:35 in the 17th min. The score motivated, and RSV continued playing more and more sovereignly. Hamburg did their best to catch up, but a three by Kozai was responded to by Jan Haller with another score from beyond the 6.75 meters.
But RSV strongest phase was yet to come after change-over. The Middle Hesse team killed every attempt by their opposition to catch up. They shot from 47:27 (23rd min) off to 63:27 within four minutes. When Hamburg’s coach Holger Glinicki started rotating his players, the game was already done and dusted. “We continuously have displayed a brilliant performance today.” said Coach Nicolai Zeltinger after the game. Special praise went to Dirk Koehler, who had a good game despite the fact that he had been absent from training for 5 weeks due to an injury followed by the flu.
Hamburg: Hiroaki Kozai (8/1 Dreier), Mustafa Korkmaz (7/1), Reo Fujimoto (6), Mareike Miller (6), Robin Poggenwisch (6), Desiree Miller (4), Gesche Schünemann (4), Jan-Niklas Neuroth (2), Annika Zeyen (2).
Lahn-Dill: Michael Paye (30), Steve Serio (18/1), Joe Bestwick (11), Thomas Böhme (11), Jan Haller (7/1), Annabel Breuer, Björn Lohmann, Felix Schell, Marco Zwerger, Christopher Huber (n.e.).