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Giessen’s center and top scorer Jonathan Maier (r., 22 points) beats Bakary Dibba from the Karlsruhe Lions 111:84. © Angelika Schepp
The Giessen 46ers’ first quarterfinal against PS Karlsruhe in the playoffs of the 2nd Basketball Bundesliga ProA ended with 111:84 (61:48). It was a confident victory for the Hessians on Friday, who will be in demand again on Sunday against the Lions. On the sidelines, the club announced changes in the shareholder team.
Thanks to the Gießen 46ers’ 111:84 (61:48) win against PS Karlsruhe Lions, Central Hesse is 1-0 in the quarter-final series of the 2nd Basketball Bundesliga ProA. The next game in the best-of-five series is already on Sunday away from the fan towns, who had little chance on Friday. “We disappointed ourselves,” said visiting coach Aleksandar Scepanovic in a devastating statement: “Gießen was simply better in all situations.” The Lions from the East Sports Hall spoke of the “red hell” in a press release about the main round game. A fitting metaphor yesterday too: the guests had little reason to be happy on the Lahn in front of 2508 spectators.
However, his counterpart “Frenki” Ignjatovic warned against arrogance: “I would happily exchange the 27 points today for a one-point win in Karlsruhe.” The injury-hit Baden-Württemberg team would certainly have a lot left in their kit. »We’ve been happy for half an hour now. Then the work starts again.” His guard TreVion Crews saw it similarly: “We were just more confident today. We prepared well the entire week. But now all that counts is the next match.”
Full focus on the Gießen 46ers, who started the game with exactly this motto. Robin Benzing in particular delivered a world-class opening quarter, scored 16 points and was then sent off to the bench with an ovation from the stands. »I warned my boys, said Benzing is a player who will be hot in the playoffs. They say: ‘Yes coach, yes coach,’ and then he hits us with threes,” said a dismayed Scepanovic. Ignjatovic had a good laugh: “If Robin dunks, then we have to win.” In the 10th minute, the ex-national player stole the ball and stuffed it in the fast break without any problems. The “red hell” turned into a madhouse. »But joking aside. That’s how I imagine playoff basketball.”
As always, Luis Figge, who announced his non-league contract extension for two years on Friday, led the way defensively: “Thank you for the fantastic and incredible support,” the Paderborn native with roots in Korbach said on social media: “That’s why I extended it. I’m so excited. The mission is not yet accomplished!” On Friday, the forward was responsible for eleven points.
Only at the beginning it was an open game. After just ten minutes, Gießen was ahead 34:21. So it continued happily. It was 61:48 at halftime and 85:65 after the third quarter. The fans in the stands sang to themselves on a continuous loop. After Giessen tightened its defense at the break, the Lions simply had no chance.
Center Jonathan Maier played a really great game, switching and controlling at will in the zone. The giant recorded 22 points with a 90 percent rate from the field on the statistics sheet, which meant he had more points than minutes played (21).
In the final section, Ignjatovic had the great luxury of resting his regular players. “Every minute on the field without them is valuable for us,” said the Serb, referring to the still exhausting games with a thin squad. At the very end, even the youngsters Till Heyne and Chris Herget, whose substitution had previously been loudly demanded by the fans, were sent to the floor. Stefan Fundic, who had been sidelined for two weeks with knee problems, took part again (11 points, 5 rebounds).
On the sidelines of the game, the club announced changes to the shareholder structure. “After careful discussion,” three shareholders were found who took over the shares of the old shareholders and the main responsibility, as the club announced in a press release. These are Neusehland, Roth Energie and Volksbank Mittelhessen. This will be accompanied by a capital increase with which the club can meet the “ever-increasing challenges” in professional sports, including in the BBL. The Ascension mission is still in its early stages, but it’s off to a good start.
Gießen: Wilson (14), Crews (8), Heyne, Herget, Fundic (11), Benzing (18), Maier (22), Figge (11), Kahl (7), Kovacevic (5), Nyama (9), Krajcovic (6).
Karlsruhe: Dibba (14), Williams (18), Kiselovs, Dent (5), Bailey (23), Tunstall (2), Jostmann (10), Haarmann, Albus (4).
Gießen’s captain Robin Benzing (r.) shows a strong performance in the first playoff quarter-final game in the East Hall in the 111:84 win against the Karlsruhe Lions (left Bakary Dibba). © Harald Friedrich
2024-05-03 20:34:33
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