BBC Coburg: Back on the road to success

BBC Coburg has returned to winning ways after its defeat in Oberhaching. With a clear 85:68 home victory over Dresden Titans, the leaders of the ProB South remain unbeaten on home court and celebrated their eighth win in their ninth league game. As a result, the Vestadt club has defended its narrow lead over second-placed Ulm.

However, the game got off to a bumpy start: Coburg initially struggled against the visitors' zone defense and exposed defensive weaknesses in the first quarter. Dresden's US guard Scott Stone put the Titans ahead with several threes, forcing Coburg to call an early timeout. The BBC's defense then stabilized, did not concede any more points up to the break and cut the deficit to 17:19. Coburg took the lead in the second quarter thanks to threes by Dylan Fasoyiro and Pepe Lahr and points by Ole Theiss and went in at half-time 44:40 in front.

The BBC proved much more composed in the second half. Tim Herzog emerged as the key player under the basket and scored 15 of his total of 20 points after the break. Captain Nico Wenzl shone as playmaker with ten points and twelve assists - his third double-double of the season. Coburg stretched its lead to double digits for the first time in the third quarter (64:53), but Dresden fought its way back to 66:62 at the start of the final period. Important goals by Lahr, Wenzl and Herzog finally gave Coburg a clear victory.Head Coach Patrick Seidel praised the clear improvement in defense: After conceding 28 points in the second half and just ten in the final quarter, he spoke of a "very good" performance. In offense, the team impressed with 24 assists and variable ball movement against Dresden's zone. In front of 808 spectators in the HUK-COBURG arena, the BBC celebrated its fifth home win in its fifth home game and underlined its top position in the league.

While all the other teams have to return to action on Sunday, BBC Coburg has no game and can devote itself fully to the difficult away game in Speyer (November 22) after a few days off training next week.