Unexpected play-in outcome - Pupils arrange for instructors' time off.
Pedro Calles, 40 years old, spent two years at Veolia Towers Hamburg as a mentor to his assistant coach Benka Barloschky, 36. He then moved to EWE Baskets Oldenburg in 2022. Since Barloschky took over the Towers in January 2023, he has lost all three games against his friend. He waited for the most crucial game up until now to secure his first win.
Stunning victory: Students beat teachers in play-in!
As Hamburg had never won a play-off game before!
"We had nothing to lose," said top scorer for Hamburg, V.J. King, with a score of 24 points. After their remarkable accomplishment, an ecstatic Barloschky admitted, "I've placed faith in my team all year, why should I stop now?"
The running theme behind Oldenburg's team was an unfortunate 16 injuries. An already depleted roster suffered further with the absence of Max DiLeo, Kenny Ogbe, Norris Agbokoko (Wade), and Charles Manning Jr. The Towers, in contrast, "only" missed their center, Aleksander Dzewa, due to a knee injury.
The majority of experts anticipated a defensive encounter in this winner-take-all struggle. Nonetheless, the opening act presented an unforeseen outcome: bold offense and unrestricted scoring. The Towers amassed a perfect 10:0 advantage in these early stages! Striking moments included colossal dunks by firebird Ebuka Izundu and a surprising quarterback pass from Captain Seth Hinrichs of Hamburg. Dyn commentator Arne Malsch exclaimed, "Seth Mahomes," while commentator Patrick Femerling mockingly clicked his tongue, saying, "Strong offense."
The momentum in the game shifted before the conclusion of the second quarter as Oldenburg undertook a 9:0 scoring spree and surged into the lead for the first time, just 31 seconds before halftime (44:43).
However, Hamburgs turned up the pressure after the intermission and enjoyed a better start. Getting their hands on more rebounds played a significant role in this success, with the game sitting at 62:51 (24'). A prompt timeout from Calles failed to halt the game's momentum. Hamburg forged a 16-point lead with admirable shooting accuracy (69:53). With 13 minutes left, the thrilling drama was far from over.
As the minutes passed, so did supporters' enthusiasm. The 6,200 fans in the arena (a sold-out 28th consecutive match) halted their cheering and commenced celebrating the extraordinary achievement together with the players.
After a single victory since their promotion five years ago, Hamburg will compete for the final play-off quarter-finals position against the losing team in the showdown between Telekom Baskets Bonn and MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg on Thursday. Recently triumphant Barloschky expressed, "It's a thrilling moment. But the feat isn't yet complete."
"It's not about the coaches; the players are on the court. We simply remain animated from the sidelines. It's all about the players."
Read also:
- Drivers in North Rhine-Westphalia need to be aware of certain aspects when refueling in other countries.
- What's making the Bayern leader appear so anxious?
- Most supporters desire Neuhaus to remain with the team.
- The referee for the upcoming cup final has been declared.
Source: symclub.org
