The Veolia Towers recorded their second win of the week with a 74:81 victory against ALBA BERLIN. In the second away win in Oranienburg, a fun team performance and top scorer Jaizec Lottie (16 points) stood out.
After winning the test match against the Rostock Seawolves on Thursday, the pre-season plan included another preparation match for the Veolia Towers against ALBA BERLIN. However, the match was not played in the capital. Instead, the ball flew in Oranienburg, almost 30 kilometers away. In the MBS Arena there, Benke Barloschky’s team not only had to prove themselves against the runner-up, but also in front of foreign fans for the first time.
They were offered a fairly even game at the beginning, although initially with a slight advantage for the hosts. However, Hamburg quickly proved to be the more experienced team and worked their way to the lead with a lively offense. At the same time, Head Coach Benka Barloschky’s team kept the defensive pressure high despite many substitutions and thus kept the Albatrosses under control. Goals from Camron Reece and Jordan Barnett ensured a nine-point lead after seven minutes of play. Even at the end of the first ten minutes, the capital city team rarely found an answer, so that the first quarter ended with a 15:22 lead.
Hamburgers are bursting with joy
Brae Ivey started the second period with a converted long-range shot. The Veolia Towers did not let up in intensity and repeatedly forced ALBA to lose the ball in front of 1,000 fans. In the run-up to the match, the Veolia Towers impressed with a lot of creativity and good ball movement. Brae Ivey, who was bursting with enthusiasm, even brought the lead into double figures at one point. But a small run by the Berliners caused the lead to melt away again before they went into the locker room. When the siren sounded for half-time, the scoreboard showed 38:44.
Photos: Fabian Ullbrich
After the break, ALBA BERLIN came out of the locker room much better and reduced the deficit to two points. Benedikt Turudic made an important statement with a block. Then the Veolia Towers put their stamp on the game again. Jaizec Lottie dug his way through the Albatrosses’ now somewhat more aggressive defense, either scoring himself or setting up his teammates. In the end, the American had five assists. The Veolia Towers pulled away to just nine points. The Berliners took a timeout and with another spurt shortly before the quarter break, they were back to within three points of the Hamburg team. The final point, however, was reserved for Zsombor Maronka, who ended the Berliners’ attack with a dunk and sent the game into the final quarter with the score at 58:63.
Towers control the game until the end
At the beginning of the last quarter, the Veolia Towers’ offense cooled off a little. The lead settled at six points. Top scorer Jaizec Lottie was there for his team again and again. ALBA kept chipping away at the lead, but was unable to consistently get back into it. Shortly before the end of the game, Louis Olinde reduced the lead to just three points. But the Hanseatics did not let the game slip from their grasp. Lottie dove deep under the basket and thus provided a final highlight before the final siren and the 74:81 away win in the fifth test match.
Benka Barloschka: “We gained advantages at the beginning of the game through a lot of energy and good physicality. Offensively, we moved the ball very well. In the first half, we also had a high percentage of goals, but that decreased somewhat as the game went on. We accepted the physicality of the game well and implemented many of the details we worked on in training. Even though the preseason is more about the process than the results, we are happy to be able to go home with a win. We were able to gain a lot of new impressions and saw elements in the game that we had not yet worked on in training, but will now look at in the video. Above all, we are happy that all the players on both teams stayed healthy.”
Stats: Ivey (12), Rich (5), Lottie (16, 5 assists), Maronka (4, 6 rebounds), Möller, Kennedy (4), Reece (7, 7 rebounds), Barnett (9), Ogbe (9), Heckmann (7), Turudic (8, 6 rebounds)
