84:74 win against BG Baskets Hamburg – Second team beaten by title defendants
RSV Lahn-Dill get their spot in the DRS Cup Final after beating rivals BG Baskets Hamburg 84:74 in Elxleben, where they will play title defendants RSB Thuringia Bulls in the final on Sunday at three.
BG Baskets Hamburg – RSV Lahn-Dill 74:84 (16:16/36:37/50:65)
Both teams were playing a strong offence from the start, with Hamburg being slightly ahead at first. After three baskets by US-Amerikan Jake Williams the team coached by Holger Glinicki was leading, going from 4:0 (2nd min) via 10:6 (5th min) to 16:12 (8th min), the score being manifested by Japanese Reo Fujimoto. In this phase, RSV didn’t seem to have anything to hold against the Hamburg shooters.
Soon, the tables seemed to turn, and RSV were getting more and more control over things. Only a few seconds into the second quarter Michael Paye scored the 18:16 (11th min) before Piotr Luszynski got the 25:26 lead (15th min) after a three point play, and a little bit later the 31:30 (17th min). The Pole took advantage of the great offence of his team mates, with Boehme, Haller, Breuer and Paye scoring as well, giving him room to manoeuvre.
After changeover, RSV had their strongest phase. They worked well together and acted with mental strength, whilst Hamburg seemed to have lost their momentum. Especially Koehler and Luszynski were now able to turn great plays by their team mates into successful baskets. The advance increased to 44:38 (23rd min) and quickly to 56:40 (26th min).
Of course, Hamburg were not ready yet to give up, but RSV kept their cool against the attacks of their opposition. They were still highly dangerous, scoring four threes in a row, but the Middle Hesse team managed to turn every attack to their favour, with Hafeli scoring the 71:58 (35th min) and Paye getting the 77:66 (37th min).
Hamburg’s Ghaz Choudhry, who brought the RSV defeat last weeks with an unbelievable Buzzer Beater, got the 71:77 (38th min), but that was the last hurdle for RSV. Another 7:0-run for Wetzlar catapulted the team into the final.
Hamburg: Ghazian Choudhry (28/1 three), Jake Williams (25/2), Reo Fujimoto (10), Hiroaki Kozai (9), Kai Möller (2), Nik Goncin, Mitsugu Chiwaki, Anne Patzwald, Karlis Podnieks, Matthias Heimbach (n.e.).
Lahn-Dill: Piotr Luszynski (21/1), Michael Paye (19/1), Dirk Köhler (16), Thomas Böhme (14), Philipp Häfeli (8), Jan Haller (4), Joe Bestwick, Annabel Breuer, Björn Lohmann.
RSB Thuringia Bulls – RSV Lahn-Dill II 42:80 (8:21/14:40/26:62)
RSV II held themselves up very well in their semi-final against title defendants RSB Team Thueringen. Even though the game finished 42:80, the team, who qualified for the Final Four for the first time ever, gave some great scenes against their overpowering opponents.
Only after the 4:5 (5th min) the hosting team could shoot off, increasing their advance through a three by Beginskis to 4:19 (8th min). But the RSV-reserve fought bravely against their opposition, with Huber scoring the 10:24 (14th min). They could have been a lot closer at half time, but especially Zwerger and Hengst had a lot of bad luck in their offence.
After the break, the game continued the same way, with Thueringen rotating a lot and getting ahead more and more, and RSV fighting back bravely. In the fourth quarter especially Felix Schell and Nico Dreimueller received applause from the fans for their performances. RSV II even won the first five minutes of the last quarter between 26:62 (30th min) and 38:66 (35th min).
Thüringen: Aliaksandr Halouski (30), Joakim Linden (13), Raimunds Beginskis (11/1 three), Jens Eike Albrecht (9), André Bienek (9/1), Benjamin Kenyon (4), Marvin Malsy (4), Marcus Kietzer, Teemu Partanen.
Lahn-Dill II: Nico Dreimüller (12), Christopher Huber (12), Felix Schell (10), Johannes Hengst (8), Sebastian Arras, Marian Kind, Tristan Paar, Marco Zwerger.