– David Hein
Rihards Lomasz set a new easyCredit BBL season best in scoring with 38 points in helping BG Göttingen beat Telekom Baskets Bonn in overtime. The week also featured league leaders MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg bounce back to knock off ratiopharm ulm while FC Bayern Munich got some revenge for their previous loss to HARKO Merlins Crailsheim as Wade Baldwin went off for 32 points.
In this section, we break out our English language skills and inform you about the latest news from the German easyCredit Basketball Bundesliga. If you’re short on time but still want your fill of Germany’s top basketball league then you are in the right place. Every week David Hein (www.heinnews.com) brings you up-to-date in German basketball – the easyCredit BBL short and sweet:
Wade leads Bayern to revenge win over Crailsheim
Wade Baldwin poured in 32 points as FC Bayern Munich exacted some revenge for a previous loss to HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim with a 79-74 road victory. The game was close throughout and Waldwin delivered the dagger with a three-pointer with 21 seconds left as Bayern won their sixth in a row for a 20-4 record and Crailsheim lost their fourth in the last five games for a 17-7 mark. Bayern took the rebound battle 38-27 including 14 offensive rebounds and held Crailsheim to 43.1 percent shooting. Baldwin drained 6 three-pointers for his 32 points and also had 6 assists while Jalen Reynolds added 11 points and 9 rebounds. Fabian Bleck scored a career-high 21 points with 4 rebounds, Nimrod Hilliard collected 13 points and 9 assists and Trae Bell-Haynes was held to just 8 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists with 5 turnovers.
Crailsheim add wing Haley
HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim added some reinforcements on the wing as they picked up Jermaine Haley Jr. on a deal until the end of the season. The Canadian played college basketball at West Virginia.
Lomazs carries Göttingen to overtime win over Bonn
Rihards Lomazs scored an easyCredit BBL season-high 38 points in carrying BG Göttingen to a 102-99 home victory over Telekom Baskets Bonn in overtime. Aubrey Dawkins hit a layup with 18 seconds left for Göttingen to force overtime and then Harper Kamp won the game with his layup with 6.3 seconds remaining to move both teams to 8-15. Göttingen drained 16 three-pointers and forced Bonn into 23 turnovers. Lomazs drained 7 three-pointers in scoring his 38 points while Dawkins scored 17 points and Kamp finished with 16 points and 6 rebounds. Alex Hamilton paced Bonn with 29 points, Strahinja Micovic had 19 points and 8 rebounds and Isaiah Philmore added 16 points.
Bayern shut down Bonn in second half in Round 16 make-up
FC Bayern Munich’s defense shut down Telekom Baskets Bonn in the second half as they won on the road 78-69 in a Round 16 make-up game. Bonn led by 18 points at the beginning of the third quarter but Bayern took the second half 44-19 for their fifth straight win and a 19-4 record with Bonn losing their third in a row for a 8-15 mark. Bayern won the rebound battle 44-30, including 19 offensive rebounds to help make up for hitting just 39.7 percent for the game. DJ Seeley paced Bayern with 20 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists while Nick Weiler-Babb had 16 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists despite missing a Babb-vs-Babb battle as Chris Babb could not go with a shoulder injury. Strahinja Micovic led Bonn with 21 points and 8 rebounds, and TJ DiLeo had 13 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists.
Ludwigsburg bounce back with win at Ulm
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg bounced back from their loss last week in fighting past ratiopharm ulm 83-77 on the road. The league leaders got a layup by Yorman Polas Bartolo to reclaim the lead and then Jaleen Smith drained the dagger three-pointer with 40 seconds left as Ludwigsburg moved to 21-2 and Ulm fell to 14-10 with a third straight loss. Ludwigsburg took the rebound battle 43-28 and held Ulm to just 39.2 percent from the field. Bartolo led the way with 19 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals, Desi Rodriguez had 16 points and 7 rebounds and Jordan Hulls and Jaleen Smith both scored 15 points. Dylan Osetkowski was Ulm’s main weapon with 19 points and 7 rebounds and Troy Caupain scored 13 points.
Hamburg need OT to win first of two match-ups with Braunschweig
Hamburg Towers needed overtime to win the first of two match-ups this week with Basketball Löwen Braunschweig, winning 84-81 at home. Braunschweig wasted a 12-point fourth quarter lead as Hamburg went on a 13-0 run and Maik Kotsar sent the game to overtime with a layup with 11 seconds left. Justus Hollatz hit two of four free throws in the final 26 seconds to ice the win in the extra session. Hamburg, who jumped to 12-9, grabbed 13 offensive rebounds to make up for hitting just 41.8 percent from the field while also forcing 18 turnovers by Braunschweig, who fell to 8-13. Kam Taylor paced the winners with 20 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 1 block, Kotsar collected 19 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals and TJ Shorts contributed 10 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. Arnas Velicka was Braunschweig’s leading scorer with 15 points and 5 assists and Gavin Schilling had 14 points and 7 rebounds.
Hamburg beat Braunschweig again in Round 15 make-up
Hamburg Towers knocked off Basketball Löwen Braunschweig for the second time in four days with a 74-63 road win in a Round 15 make-up. Hamburg never trailed after the opening minutes and controlled the game in the fourth quarter for their third straight win and a 13-9 record while Braunschweig moved to 8-14. Hamburg committed only 11 turnovers and held Braunschweig to just 37.3 percent shooting. Jordan Swing poured in 23 points and Maik Kotsar collected 12 points and 11 rebounds for the winners. Martin Peterka paced Braunschweig with 13 points and Gavin Schilling pitched in 10 points and 9 rebounds.
Würzburg beat Giessen for another road win
s.Oliver Würzburg came back from a 15-point deficit and beat JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers 74-73 for another road victory. Würzburg turned the game around with a 19-8 third quarter and Tyson Ward hit the game-winning layup with 25 seconds left as Würzburg jumped to 8-14 including seven roads while Giessen fell to last place with a 4-20 mark. Würzburg shot 51.0 percent for the game and held Giessen to just 38.7 percent. Cameron Hunt tallied 18 points, Ward finished with 13 points and 7 rebounds and Felix Koch had 13 points 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Brandon Thomas collected 18 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists for Giessen and Brandon Bowman had 15 points.
Bamberg roll past MBC for fourth straight win
Brose Bamberg have found their groove as they defeated SYNTAINICS MBC 100-89 on the road for their fourth straight win. Bamberg were never threatened in the fourth quarter in moving to 12-11 while MBC have lost three in a row for a 7-17 mark. Bamburg committed just 6 turnovers and made 13 three-pointers to seven for MBC. Christian Sengfelder continued his great season with 21 points and 8 rebounds, Dominic Lockhart poured in 18 points and Devin Hall tallied 14 points, 4 rebounds and 8 assists. Cat Barber paced MBC with 25 points, Michal Michalak scored 21 points and Kyndahl Hill chipped in 8 points, 13 rebounds and 3 assists.
Berlin too much for MBC in Round 9 make-up
ALBA BERLIN remained right on the heels of league leaders MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg as they raced away from SYNTAINICS MBC 96-82 on the road in a Round 9 make-up game. Berlin took the second quarter 39-20 and built the lead to 27 points late in the third in improving to 19-3 while MBC fell to 7-16. Berlin forced 22 MBC turnovers and won the battle of the glass 41-33, including 20 offensive rebounds. Marcus Eriksson scored 16 points while the other four starters combined for just 22 points. But Simone Fontecchio had 15 points, Ben Lammers tallied 14 points and 8 rebounds and Tim Schneider pitched in 12 points off the bench. Sergio Kerusch picked up 22 points and 7 rebounds off the bench to lead MBC while Quinton Hooker had 17 points and 7 assists and Michal Michalak was held to 12 points.
Berlin don’t give Frankfurt a chance
ALBA BERLIN didn’t give FRAPORT SKYLINERS a chance in rolling to a 94-60 road victory. Berlin took the first quarter 25-10 and then allowed only four points in the final frame to move to 20-3 while Frankfurt saw their three-game winning streak snapped for a 10-14 record. Berlin took the rebound battle 44-23, shot 52.9 percent in the game and held Frankfurt to just 40.4 percent. Marcus Eriksson led Berlin with 18 points, Peyton Siva picked up 14 points and 5 assists and Niels Giffey added 12 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 steals. Matt Mobley paced Frankfurt with 14 points.
Bayreuth stay in playoffs race with home win over Chemnitz
medi bayreuth stayed in the race for the playoffs with an 85-72 home victory over NINERS Chemnitz. Bayreuth blew out a close game with a 30-16 fourth quarter for their fourth straight win and a 10-14 mark while Chemnitz have dropped three in a row for a 7-14 mark. Bayreuth shot 55.8 percent from the field including 73.3 percent on 2-pointers and also connected on 20-of-21 free throws. Osvaldas Olisevicius led the way with 19 points, Derek Pardon had 18 points and Frank Bartley tallied 18 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. Isiaha Mike collected 21 points, 6 rebounds and 6 steals as Chemnitz’s only player in double figures.
Oldenburg roll past Vechta at home
EWE Baskets Oldenburg had little trouble with RASTA Vechta in rolling to a 101-71 home victory. Oldenburg led 32-19 after 10 minutes and the score was 63-36 at halftime as Oldenburg improved to 18-6 and Vechta dropped to 4-20. Oldenburg shot 51.5 percent from the field compared to 39.3 percent for Vechta. Rickey Paulding was Oldenburg’s top scorer with 24 points with Braydon Hobbs picking up 18 points, 4 rebounds 3 assists and Rasid Mahalbasic collecting 17 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists. Vechta was paced by Jesse Hunt with 15 points while Stefan Peno picked up 10 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists.
Player of the Week
Rihards Lomazs takes the Player of the Week award for his outstanding showing in BG Göttingen’s win over Telekom Baskets Bonn. He had an efficiency of 30 as he scored 38 points on 13-of-20 shots including 7-of-12 three-pointers and 5-of-6 free throws to go with 1 rebound, 3 assists, 1 steal and 5 turnovers. The 38 points is a season high in the league and tied for the third-most in the last 10 years even with TJ Bray (Vechta, 2019), John Bryant (Giessen, 2018), Kerron Johnson (Ludwigsburg, 2014) and Jordan Hasquet (Hagen, 2011). Frantz Massenat scored 40 points for Oldenburg in 2019 and Kassius Robertson poured in 39 for Bayreuth in 2019.
German Top Five of the Week
G: TJ DiLeo, Telekom Baskets Bonn
DiLeo had two strong games for Bonn this week - albeit both losses. He had 13 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists in the Round 16 game versus ALBA BERLIN and followed that with 9 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals against BG Göttingen.
F: Niels Giffey, ALBA BERLIN
We have a big team this week and Giffey had two solid games as well. He collected 9 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals against SYNTAINICS MBC and then tallied 12 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 steals versus FRAPORT SKYLINERS.
F: Fabian Bleck, HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim
Bleck poured in a career-high 21 points against FC Bayern Munich and also picked up 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal.
F: Florian Koch, s.Oliver Würzburg
Koch helped Würzburg to another road victory as he tallied 13 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals versus JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers.
C: Christian Sengfelder, Brose Bamberg
Sengfelder has been outstanding all season and it wasn’t any different against SYNTAINICS MBC as he collected 21 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists.
Louis Olinde greift zu, @PeypeySiva3 serviert, Niels Giffey hängt ein - wir eröffnen das Schlussviertel mit einem Run. ????
— ALBA BERLIN (@albaberlin) March 21, 2021
Die letzten Minuten gegen die @skyliners1999 jetzt live auf #MagentaSport und @SPORT1: pic.twitter.com/WZtkKOAI89
Young Guns
Lukas Herzog, 19, PG, MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg
Herzog struggled with foul trouble in Ludwigsburg’s win over ratiopharm ulm but he ended with 3 points on 1-of-3 three-pointers, 1 rebound, 1 assist and 4 fouls in 20:09 minutes.
Bruno Vrcic, 20, SG, FRAPORT SKYLINERS
Vrcic is having more and more success this season and he played 23:28 minutes of the blowout loss against ALBA BERLIN, scoring 9 points on 4-of-9 shooting (1-of-6 three-pointers) to go with 1 rebound, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block.
Kay Bruhnke, 19, SG, medi bayreuth
Bruhnke is starting to show some of his talent as he scored 6 points for the second time this season on 2-of-6 shots (0-of-4 three-pointers) and 2-of-2 free throws along with 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 block and 1 turnover in 15:04 minutes against NINERS Chemnitz.
easyCredit BBL, club and players send message against racism
To honor Sunday’s International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the easyCredit BBL league, its clubs and players spoke out and delivered a message showing their support of the efforts. Among them: It´s time to defend more than a score! Let´s steal injustice! Let´s block discrimination! Let´s be the Defense against Racism! and United Against Racism!
Hollatz Check
Justus Hollatz helped Hamburg Towers to two wins over Basketball Löwen Braunschweig this week. In the first victory - 84-81 in overtime - the 19-year-old hit a big layup in the final minute of regulation and then iced the game with two of four free throws in the final 26 seconds over time. All told, Hollatz scored 8 points on 3-of-7 shots (0-of-2 three-pointers) and 2-of-4 free throws to go with 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal and 2 turnovers in 30:24 minutes off the bench. In the second game - Hamburg’s 74-63 road win - Hollatz once again came off the bench and played 19:02 minutes in picking up 3 points on 1-of-3 shots (1-of-1 three-pointers), 1 rebound and 2 assists.
Germans Abroad
Three of the five Germans in the 2021 NCAA Tournaments are still left and it’s possible two of them play in the Sweet 16. Franz Wagner and East Regional top seed Michigan rolled past Texas Southern 82-66 in the first round with the ALBA BERLIN product collecting 9 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists in 34 minutes. Next up is LSU in the second round on Monday. A possible date in the Sweet 16 could be Colorado and Tristan Da Silva, who are the fifth seed in the East and beat Georgetown 96-73. Da Silva picked up 1 rebound and 1 assist in 5 minutes for Colorado, who face Florida State on Monday. Dwayne Koroma went scoreless with 3 rebounds in 17 minutes of Iona’s 68-55 first round loss to Alabama. Jonathan Baehre tallied 2 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block in 17 minutes of Clemson’s 60-56 defeat against Rutgers in the Midwest Regional. Kevin Voigt is the fifth German in the NCAA Tournament though has yet to play this season for Villanova, who beat Winthrop 73-63 and then North Texas 84-61 to set up a Sweet 16 date with Baylor.
