The EWE Baskets Oldenburg were the first team to reach the final of the top four in the basketball league and will fight for the second cup win in the club’s history in the final on Sunday.
The 2015 cup winner prevailed in his own hall in the first semi-final against the MHP giants Ludwigsburg with 92:86 (37:49). The team of coach Pedro Calles made up for a 16-point deficit. The Oldenburgs’ best pitcher was DeWayne Russell with 26 points. Justin Johnson shone in Ludwigsburg with 19 points.
“It was once again a great comeback. We were challenged and we accepted the challenge. That’s good,” said Oldenburg coach Pedro Calles.
Second semi-final between Alba and Bayern
In the second semi-final at 7.30 p.m. (MagentaSport) defending champions Alba Berlin and Bayern Munich will face off in a top duel. The final will take place on Sunday (3 p.m.).
Oldenburg got off to a good start in their own hall and quickly pulled away to 8:2. But then the Ludwigsburg team improved and scored in an impressive manner, especially from a distance. Before the break, the giants sunk nine of 17 threes – at the break Ludwigsburg was up twelve points (49:37). Also because the EWE Baskets afforded too many ball losses. Above all, Hassani Gravett, who was only signed last week, has not yet bonded with his new teammates.
After the change of sides, Oldenburg increased. Led by the outstanding Russell, the Lower Saxony continued to shorten the gap and took the lead again in the final quarter at a score of 73:72 for the first time since the beginning phase. Oldenburg dropped to nine points (89:80), but Ludwigsburg came back to three points (86:89). But in the end, the EWE Baskets prevailed, as they did in the league game. “DeWayne Russell was the best man on the floor,” Calles said. “We didn’t find any answers against him,” admitted Ludwigsburg coach Josh King.
