Exit Essen. Coburg’s season ends in the semi-finals

BBC Coburg’s playoff run has come to an end in the semi-finals. In front of 1,672 spectators, the Vestestädter lost 64–80 to the strong ETB Miners Essen. The visitors dominated the game from the outset and, with a perfect playoff and away record, deservedly progressed to the final against OrangeAcademy Ulm. For Coburg, this marks the end of the best ProB season in the club’s history. Dylan Fasoyiro was the top scorer in the final home game with 16 points.

Despite the defeat, coach Patrick Seidel expressed his pride: the disappointment took a back seat to satisfaction at a historic season. Manager Christopher Neudecker also emphasised that the club was on the right track, both in sporting and structural terms. The original goal – the first playoff victory – had been clearly exceeded, and work is already underway on the squad for the coming season.

On the court, Coburg got off to a poor start. Essen scored early from outside and quickly took a double-digit lead (15–5). The score after the first quarter was 11–24. In the second quarter, the hosts’ attack remained error-prone, allowing the deficit to grow to 18–37 at one stage. By half-time, Coburg had at least reduced the deficit to 32–43.

In the third quarter, the BBC failed to close the gap further, whilst Essen remained composed. A brief run brought Coburg back into the game (47–56), but their poor three-point shooting (19%) prevented a comeback. By the time the score reached 54–75, the game was effectively over. The emotional highlight was a team huddle shortly before the final whistle, during which coach Seidel once again praised his players – the conclusion to an outstanding season.