Written by BARMER League on . Published in ProB Team.
They were close. But the first game in the new season of the BARMER 2nd Basketball Bundesliga ended with a defeat for the Itzehoe Eagles. The Berlin Braves won 86:80 (32:16, 15:30, 18:11, 21:23) on the Sparkasse-Westholstein match day in front of very well-filled stands in the Lehmwohldhalle.
It started quickly. The Eagles defended with commitment and also played solidly in attack. But their opponent initially hit almost every throw, and when the hosts failed to make some offensive moves, the deficit became double digits. There were also some slight ball losses. 16 points behind after the first quarter – “that’s a mortgage that you have to chase,” said Eagles coach Timo Völkerink.
However, his team did that with power in a very strong second period. A 7-0 run right at the start forced the Berliners to take a timeout, but things continued. After two threes from the very strong captain Erik Nyberg (photo) and another goal from distance from Filmore Beck, it was the Eagles’ turn. Shortly afterwards, Tekorian Smith took the lead of the season from the free throw line (44:43), and at halftime it was 46:47.
The third quarter was against Itzehoer. Berlin’s Jean-Louis Marley put his team in the lead with two of his seven three-pointers, but there wasn’t much going on in their own offensive. The last section didn’t start well either: Dominick Oliveri and Tobias Möller had to go to the bench in quick succession with their fifth foul, while on the other side Andreas Seiferth, a former national player, was under the basket. With the score at 60:68, the Eagles also missed several layups and thus the chance to connect. And Smith, who had already been treated in the third quarter, finally had to miss the game due to cramps.
Shortly after his return from the USA, he left everything on the field, said Völkerink. Overall, the team simply wasn’t able to train and play together enough – and yet they almost managed to turn things around. Threes from Beck and two from Jack Fritsche brought them within three points, but the following chances were missed. The coach said that there was also a lack of strength after the race to catch up. “For me, we lost the game in the first quarter; too many open throws were allowed against the guests, who had a high percentage of goals. There was special praise for the performance of captain Nyberg at both ends of the field, but also for Tobias Möller: “An enormous step forward.”
There is very little time left to work up and recover: on the day of German unity at 4 p.m. the top favorite Bayer Giants Leverkusen continues.
Eagles: Erik Nyberg (19, 5 three-pointers, 5 assists), Filmore Beck (19, 4 three-pointers), Tekorian Smith (18, 2 three-pointers), Jack Fritsche (8, 2 three-pointers, 10 rebounds), Tobias Möller (6), Robert Heise (4), Tim Schlegel (2), Ole Friedrichs (2), Dominick Oliveri (2), Henrik Adler, Ibrahim Jabby, Tino Wohltmann.
2023-09-30 21:20:45
#Great #fight #rewarded #Itzehoe #Eagles #Basketball
