The owners Angels Nördlingen travel south for the first time this season on Saturday and meet their table neighbors and valued competitors from Freiburg im Breisgau in the “Unidome”.
Nicole Brochlitz, the league’s most successful three-point shooter, will also be important again on Saturday when they play for third place in the table against the 2022 German champions from Freiburg. Photo: Michael Soller
Almost a quarter of the main round in the 1st Women’s Basketball Bundesliga has been played, and the schedule foresees a strange matchday: All games next weekend will be played by the respective table neighbors and so the EIGNER Angels from Nördlingen will meet one of their direct competitors, the Kingfishers from Freiburg, third place against fourth place, great basketball atmosphere against a lot of potential, white jerseys against dark ones, Baden against Swabia.
A look at the history reveals past encounters at the top level and a fairly even balance. From a Nördlinger perspective, people naturally like to remember the cup debut from last season, when former Angel Anissa Pounds managed a four-point game to win, literally at the last second. But a lot has happened since then – both with the Angels and with the Kingfishers: Master coach Harald Janson has returned to the sidelines and inherits his legacy Victor Herbosa, who returned home to Spain after many years of work in Freiburg. Mirna Paunović has also spent her career there for about as long as Harald Janson has been with the Kingfishers. The now 47-year-old has become an integral part of the city on the Dreisam and is almost the face of the club. She is supported in the big positions by the Czech Karla Gergelova, the American Cheah Rael-Whitsitt, who was signed in for the injured Japanese Rika Tanimura, and Emilly Kapitza, whose history with Nördlingen is preferred not to be detailed. Zakiyah Winfield and Christa Reed, who is entering her third season in Breisgau, also belong to the foreign quin/sextet of the hosts. She complements a whole range of highly talented German (young) players who, as a whole, make the Kingfishers a dangerous but attractive basketball opponent.
The German champions from 2022 only had to admit defeat against the previously unbeaten league leaders and current German champions from Keltern and last weekend against the runners-up from ALBA Berlin, where they held their own for half a time in a well-filled Sömmeringhalle. The American trio of Rael-Whitsitt (12 points per game), Winfield (13) and Reed (11), who are well supported by their teammates, are the point guarantees. “Teamwork” is the key word in Freiburg basketball – not only in the twelve-member team, but also in the spectator stands. The university hall may not have the largest capacity, but it does have the loudest audience, which makes every game one with playoff character. But the team around Matiss Rozlapa shouldn’t be intimidated by this, after all they have a – typical Nördlingen – grenade starting five with the most effective player and the best three-point shooter in the league. If coach Rozlapa manages to present all of his players well and the newly signed Roosa Lehtoranta can slowly build on her usual performances, the numerous spectators can look forward to an exciting and extremely high-class match in the second most beautiful city in Germany there will then be a short FIBA break.
The high ball is in the Freiburg University Hall on Saturday evening at 6:00 p.m. and can be viewed along with the game live and free of charge sporttotal.tv be tracked.
Nils Gerstmeier
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