In the end there was a defeat, the fifth in a row in the Bundesliga for the women’s basketball team from BC Pharmaserv Marburg. But with this frustrating 63:67 (25:34), this uncrowned catch-up race against the top team Rheinland Lions, Marburg’s coach Patrick Unger didn’t want to just send the 300 or so fans home. So after the home game on Saturday night, he grabbed the microphone and addressed the audience.
“I wanted to thank you for the great atmosphere, it was super awesome!” said Unger. “I hope you realize that we are fighting for us, you, the whole city. Please don’t stop believing in us. We’ll get our first win, pretty soon, then it’ll be great,” said the head coach optimistically. He had every reason to.
Because with the jump ball, the hosts burned off a veritable firework display. They defended intensively and switched quickly. But as good as the first quarter ended for the hosts (19:15), the second was just as bad: The Blue Dolphins needed a whopping eight and a half minutes to score through Marie Bertholdt – significantly with a free throw. Meanwhile at 20:30 backlog.
“Nervous Game”
“If we had thrown in the balls like we did at the beginning, we wouldn’t have had to worry,” said Unger. “Rheinland haven’t had such a nervous game before – and that’s exactly what we wanted to achieve.” Until the beginning of the last quarter, the still undefeated runners-up kept BC mostly at a double-digit distance – also thanks to the individual class of the Lions point collectors Joyce Cousseins-Smith (16) and Natalie Chou (15), who always had an answer ready.
When the threes fell on the BC side from the third quarter – and especially in the last section – the Blue Dolphins came close. Phrenetically cheered on, national player Theresa Simon (18 points, 7 rebounds), who was later rightly voted player of the day by the audience, reduced the deficit to 59:60 with 1:40 minutes to go – but that was all for the hosts, who fought like lionesses inside. Simply bitter!
“Of course I’m happy about our victory,” said Lions player Lisa Koop, formerly in the service of BC. But she confessed: “I’m also suffering because Marburg has now lost five games. There is more in it for the BC. We were prepared for the fact that Marburg always fights – we had to experience that.” Simon didn’t let his head hang down after the game – why should he? “I think we take a step forward every game. It doesn’t feel like we’re a bad team. It’s the little things that are punished against such strong teams.”
Bertholdt blew the same horn: “It’s always the same: It’s our turn, win three out of four quarters, the attitude is right, we’re better in many statistical areas – just the little things are missing,” said the BC captain – and was confident: “The knot will burst. We just have to stay positive and keep working.” And – like Unger – rely on the fans continuing to support the team.
BC Marburg: Bertholdt 13 points/1 three/7 rebounds, Simon 18/3/7, Lückenotte, Clet 7/5 Reb., Varis 6/2, Vargas, Lukow, Vanderklugt 7, Pagan 10/7 Reb., Dziuba 2. Rhineland Lions: Cousseins-Smith 16/1, Koop 3/10 Reb., Fuchs-Robetin 2, Kraker 12/1/7 Assists, Morawiec 3/1, Lappenküper, Kröger, Ellenrieder, Wolff, Chou 15/2, White 12/6 Reb ./5 steals, Bear 4/6 Reb. Viewers: 300. Quarter: 19:15, 6:19, 18:18, 20:15.
Von Marcello Di Cicco
