BBL: Petković with a new personal best!

The Bamberg Baskets narrowly lost their home game of the 25th matchday in the easyCredit Basketball Bundesliga against Heidelberg. Narrowly, although the team of head coach Anton Gavel, as he himself said, was not present in the first three quarters of the game during the 90:93 defeat on Sunday evening against the MLP Academics. If they wanted to reach the playoffs or play-ins, they couldn't play like that, the head coach found clear words about his team's performance after the game and announced changes. The Bamberg Baskets initially started the game well. The 7:2 should have been the highest Bamberg lead of the entire evening. The guests, on the other hand, played better and better attack by attack and shortly after the beginning of the final quarter, Heidelberg was leading by 16 points. The Academics looked like the sure winners, but suddenly the Bamberg Baskets woke up. The team actually came within two points 43 seconds before the end. In the end, however, the guests managed to bring the game over the finish line with their last bit of strength.

Without the ill Brandon Horvath, Bamberg started with the same starting formation as in the last ENBL game against Warsaw. Ronaldo Segu successfully attacked the Heidelberg basket twice, Noah Locke hit from a distance, and the Baskets led 7:2 after less than two minutes. But now the guests showed why they are at the top of the table, and after Osun Osunniyi's layup, they took the lead for the first time. Again and again, Bamberg had problems in the offense, which the Academics used to pull further away. Adrian Petković then brought momentum into Bamberg's game. His three-pointer reduced the score to 14:18, but shortly afterwards he had to sit on the bench again with his third foul. In the second quarter, the guests remained hot, and so Anton Gavel had to take his second timeout after only 97 seconds played in the second quarter. The discussion seemed to bear fruit, as Bamberg quickly caught up again. But the Academics' response was not long in coming. A 10:2 run in the next three minutes brought the guests into a double-digit lead. Damariae Hornes' three-pointer 2:26 minutes before the break to 28:44 gave the guests their highest lead, which the Bamberg Baskets were able to reduce to 36:47 by the halftime buzzer. An unchanged picture was seen by the spectators at the beginning of the second half. Heidelberg continued to lead by double digits, and on Bamberg's side, no real game rhythm wanted to emerge. But Stanić, Krimmer, and Petković fought, and so Bamberg came a little closer again about four minutes before the end of the third quarter. As always throughout the game, Heidelberg had an answer here as well. After quarters one and two, the third quarter also went to the guests, who thus led before the final ten minutes. The final quarter initially gave no reason to believe that anything could change here. But suddenly the Bamberg team woke up and fought their way back into striking distance with a 10:2 run 2:53 minutes before the end (77:83). The last two minutes had already begun when Ronaldo Segu scored 81:86, shortly afterwards Noah Locke made it 84:88 with one of his six successful three-pointers. And the Baskets came even closer. 43 seconds before the end, they were back at 88:90. 14 seconds before the end, Heidelberg missed a free throw, and Bamberg had the chance to equalize at 90:93 again. But instead of trying the three-pointer, Noah Locke chose the finish in the zone and missed, allowing the guests to save the victory over time.

For the Bamberg Baskets, a series of away games is now on the agenda. The next three games, the team of head coach Anton Gavel has to play all in foreign halls. It starts next Sunday, March 30th. In the Volkswagen Halle, Bamberg will meet the Basketball Löwen Braunschweig. Jump is at 16:30.