Basketball: Successful dress rehearsal for the playoffs

BBC Coburg defeated Porsche Basketball-Akademie Ludwigsburg by 97:88 on the last matchday of the regular season to finish the ProB South main round in third place. The home win against the club from the Baroque city not only secured Coburg the right to play at home in the first playoff round, but also pushed it past its direct rival from Erfurt in the table, since the latter also slipped up. The BBC's best scorer was captain Sven Lorber with 27 points. Youngster Adrian Petkovic also notched up an impressive double-double with 26 points and 10 assists.

Coburg's captain, who set a new personal career high with his 27 points, was full of anticipation for the playoffs after the win: "We started the game just as well today as we did last week and were 23 ahead at the break as a result. Just like in Leitershofen, we played really well together as a team today. Of course, we scored a lot from outside today, but we also hit our shots because we moved the ball well, played extra passes and fought for each other. We were a bit sleepy in the second half and then it got tight again, but in the end we got the game over the finish line and secured home court advantage. Now we're looking forward to the playoffs and are excited to see how far we can go."

The BBC got off to a furious start and probably played its best first half of the season. The team of Head Coach Patrick Seidel set off a veritable firework display in offense in the first 20 minutes and did not give the young club from Ludwigsburg the slightest chance. Coburg dominated the first and second quarters with a three-point percentage of 91 percent and deservedly took a 60:37 lead into the break.

After the half-time speeches by both coaches, the club from Coburg struggled, as in the previous week. Ludwigsburg did not give up and actually fought its way back into the game. The visitors were back within five points with a minute to go, but it was again Adrian Petkovic who kept his nerve at the foul line. The outstanding Sven Lorber sealed the game with one of his five steals and the subsequent lay-up with 39 seconds remaining.

BBC Coburg now faces the sixth-placed team in the ProB North, Berlin Braves 2000, in the round of 16 of the playoffs. Game 1 of the best-of-three series will be played at home in the HUK-COBURG Arena next Sunday, April 14, 2024.