Ludwigsburg. The first surprise came when the players walked in: Without seven regulars, but with four youngsters, coach fox John Patrick presented the 1376 spectators in the MHP Arena with a 911 rotation that had it all. Interspersed with youngsters who have hardly or not at all sniffed BBL air, Paul Minjoth (19), Luis Nonfon (18), Emmanuel Ugbo (18) and Eduard Roschnafsky (18 years young) faced the illness-related failures in the giant squad against the tree-tall guy from Weißenfels in the squad.
The second surprise: The youngsters took their chance and passed the baptism of fire in yellow and black. Embedded in the experienced starting five with Jordan Hulls, Justin Simon, Jonah Radebaugh, Rawle Alkins and Ethan Happ, the youngsters carefully collected playing time and even brought some relief.
Bang in the first quarter
And the game started with a bang. Happ, Radebaugh with three threes and Lukas Herzog with a long-range shot increased the lead to 22:9 in the first quarter after a 15-0 run. The dumbfounded guests hardly had anything to oppose the lightning start until the end of the quarter (28:16). The tide turned in the second quarter: Weißenfels caught himself and, thanks to Albert English and Goran Huscic, closed the gap to 39:42 despite two time-outs from Patrick.
After the break, a game developed that swayed back and forth. Huscic got the first lead for the guests with a three-pointer to 48:46, Ludwigsburg – now constantly on the move with his regular five – countered to 54:48. With strong defense and fast counterattacks, the giants held the lead, also thanks to a very strong performance by center Ethan Happ and the irrepressible commitment of Johannes Patrick. A fine pass from Radebaugh to Happ and a fast break from Alkins to 62:55 ended the third quarter.
In the final quarter, the air for the giants became increasingly thin. The extremely intense game threatened to sap the strength, Reggie Upshaw ensured the 75:71 lead of the MBC. But the giants were not defeated. First Hulls with a three, then twelve seconds before the end Radebaugh also from a distance to 77:75 brought the hall to a boil and the well-deserved victory sealed. “That was dramatic, but it shows the quality and the self-confidence of our professionals,” said coach Patrick, proud of his entire team.
Ludwigsburg: Hulls (11/2 Dreier), Simon (8), Johannes Patrick (2), Herzog, (3/1), Radebaugh (21/5), Happ (17), Alkins (15/1), Ugbo, Nonfon.
Weißenfels: English, (16/2), Kerusch (5), Mushidi (3/1), Caisin, Morris (8), Huskic (16), Upshaw (18/1), Rebic (9/3), Bryant, yakhchai – Litter rate: Ludwigsburg 43% (31 of 72), MBC: 46% (26 of 57); Dreier: Ludwigsburg 32% (9 out of 28), MBC: 33% (7 out of 21); Rebounds: Ludwigsburg: 33 (12 offensive/21 defensive), MBC; 39 (10/29).
