After the first weekend without a game since the end of November, the Rostock Seawolves have a big chunk to look forward to on Sunday (4:30 p.m.). The wolves receive the relegated team from the basketball Bundesliga, Rasta Vechta, on their home floor in the town hall. With a bit of luck, the first spectators can be there live again. If the Corona traffic light in Rostock remains orange up to and including Friday, 200 visitors are allowed.
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The Seawolves won the first leg, which took place on Matchday 1, 68-54. There wasn’t much going on between the two teams, which was also shown by the half-time score of 26:26. While the Rostockers got better and better, things are still not going well at Vechta: The Lower Saxony, actually treated as a great candidate for promotion, only rank 14th and have recently suffered three defeats in a row. “In terms of quality in the squad, Vechta is one of the top teams in the league,” said Wölfe coach Christian in the run-up to the game. “Every player has already played successfully at other locations. For me it is only a matter of time before the knot bursts.”
However, the conditions are not ideal. Because like the wolves – who had no play because opponents Tübingen had to cancel due to corona – Vechta was also forced to watch last weekend. In contrast to the Rostockers, the Lower Saxony were affected by the virus themselves and could neither play nor train against Schwenningen. Large parts of the team only left domestic isolation on Monday after quarantine had previously been announced.
The wolves are not only using the break for intensive preparation for what is likely to be an uncomfortable opponent, but also for extensive regeneration after the constant stress of the past few weeks. Accordingly, Coach Held should be able to fall back on the entire squad. So also to Captain Chris Carter. In the 2017/18 season, he did what Rasta would love to do again this year: promotion to the Bundesliga. The following year, the team sensationally finished fourth and made it to the semi-finals for the German championship.
Carter, who not only made it to the upper house with Vechta, but also two years later with the Niners Chemnitz, would certainly be happy about a promotion triple, completed with the Seawolves. A win against the former club would make that task a little bit easier.