On the 24th match day of the basketball league, the HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim have their league competitor from Ulm after more than four weeks without a home game. In the derby, the magicians got the 76:68 home win.
The first goals of the game marked Ulm’s number three, Paul. After 110 seconds played, the Crailsheimers finally countered. Jaren Lewis found his way under the opponent’s basket, Maurice Stuckey added a short time later from a distance and gave the magicians a 4:3 lead for the first time. With a score of 22:14, we went into the first breather.
Neither team could score in the first minute of the second quarter. Huge Asbjorn Midtgaard skilfully used his size and scored in the zone. Less than ten seconds later, the guests counterattacked. But the home side managed to continue to manage their lead and slowly but surely let it grow. But this was not of lasting duration.
Ulm caught up and even managed to turn the game around. With a deficit of 32:37 we went into the cabins.
Center Midtgaard was able to let his strength work after the half-time break, scored and converted again at the next attempt. James Batemon single-handedly fought his way through the Ulm defense spectacularly and was rewarded in the end with a successful lay-up. After a foul, Maxhuni once again showed strong nerves and smuggled the leather through the trap. It was a neck and neck race. But the guests managed to take the lead again and extend it to 45:52. The last part of the game ended with 47:59.
Asbjorn Midtgaard started the final quarter and pounded with one hand. The brilliant interplay of Moe Stuckey and Jaren Lewis brought the Crailsheimers another two points to their tally and melted the guests’ lead back into single digits.
The hosts stalked up. Again it was Moe Stuckey, who knew how to convince all along the line and netted from beyond the line of three. Jaren Lewis followed suit and finally brought the bullring to a boil. When Edon Maxhuni then made the comeback perfect with his goal and successful additional free throw to equalize, everyone was under the spell of the magicians. In the notorious crunch time, with loud fans in the back and a two-point lead, things really got down to business again.
Boggy’s goal to make it 67:63 sent guest coach Anton Gavel into his time-out. Guaranteed points Stuckey was in the right place at the right time and converted confidently. The Crailsheimers played themselves into a little frenzy and repeatedly managed to find gaps in the opposing defense. Their lead had now grown to a full nine points. The clock showed only 1:51 minutes of play. Myles Stephens secured the next two points with a tip-in. The HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim made a total of 29 points in the last quarter – Coach Gavel’s team only seven so far.
The game ended with 76:68 and the Merlins got the well-deserved derby victory. “We had seven defeats in a row and that was a very important game for us. Today we really believed in ourselves and I think the win is the reward for our team and all the work over the last few weeks. The players knew that the game plan would eventually work out. It wasn’t a nice game, but I’d rather win an ugly game than lose a nice one,” said Merlin’s head coach Nikola Markovic.
