The last weeks had been hard times for the Dragons Rhondorf as they had lost 4 out of their last 5 games and needed a big win to end 2024. But it didn´t get any easier with the 7-4 Ahorn Camp Baskets from Speyer who had won 7 of their last 8 games and were riding a massive high. The Dragons Rhondorf were allowing a pathetic 93 points per game and it seemed like they weren´t making any steps with improvement on defense. But the defense finally stepped up as despite being without Janne Muller and Marko Rosic, the Dragons Rhondorf came together as a team defensively and had a great shooting day which resulted in a giant 91-74 victory over the Ahorn Camp Baskets from Speyer. It also helped that the guests top playmaker Carlos Hidalgo was out with an injury. Speyer moved to 7-4 and Rhondorf to 6-6. “It feels amazing to finally win again. We were so used to winning last season. But I don´t take anything for granted. It is hard to win games this season. Our energy was huge tonight as it carried us for 40 minutes. We punched them in the mouth at the start with that run and it set the tone of the game”, stressed Dragons Rhondorf guard Kelvin Omojola. You should never make excuses, but it was obvious that losing Hidalgo hurt Speyer´s game tremendously, but they just caught a very potent Dragons team that had a great night. “We were a bit short maned. Hidalgo keeps good organization. That was missed tonight. It can get chaotic without him. They had a good shooting effort. We gave our best”, stressed Ahorn Camp Baskets guard DJ Woodmore. It was the best defensive effort of the season for the Dragons Rhondorf. “We trusted one another and play for one another. We were rotating well and just flying around”, added Kelvin Omojola.

DJ Woodmore at the FT line

The Dragons Rhondorf came out strong out of the gates going on a 7-0 run. In the run, they got a trey from ex Drake (NCAA) guard Antonio Pilipovic and 2 lay in´s by Ohio native rookie Tim Smith Jr. (201-F-2000, college: N.Alabama, agency: 011 Sports) who was looking to break out again after not scoring 20 points or more in a game in his last 4 games. Rhondorf had great energy and seemed to catch Speyer off guard. Aggressive defense led to transition baskets for the Dragons. DJ Woodmore finally got Speyer on the board with a three pointer, but Rhondorf struck back with 5 points as Smith Jr dropped a trey and ex Bamberg center Danas Kazakevicius made a tip in for the 12-4 advantage. That basketball is a game of runs was proved once again as Speyer punched back with a 8-3 run to trail 15-12. A three pointer by ex Pro A player Christoph Rupp and Woodmore lay in led the charge for the guests. Speyer upped their intensity and pressure and got great buckets from their individual class. However the Dragons didn´t wilt but continued to put on the pressure and closed out the first quarter with a lethal 15-6 run to lead 30-18 after one quarter. In the run the 2024 Pro B champion were led by Kazakevicius who was a menace around the rim scoring 3 consecutive buckets while Smith and ex easyCredit BBL player Marco Rahn made lay in´s while Pilipovic kept his hot shooting going with a trey. “We were all clicking. But we also had a great week of practice. That carried over into the game. We played as a team and were hitting our shots better than in the last weeks”, added Kelvin Omojola. Both teams were shooting in the high 50% ´from the 2 point range while the Dragons shot 50% from outside and the guests 25%. Rhondorf had the 13-7 rebound edge and had no turnovers while Speyer had 3 turnovers.

Antomnio Plilpovic from outside

In the second quarter the Dragons Rhondorf didn´t score as much as in the first quarter, but were able to continue to defend consistently and have the comfortable 17 point lead at the break. The Dragons Rhondorf began well scoring 2 baskets with a lay in from Omojola and free throws from Smith Jr to lead 34-19. But the Ahorn Camp Baskets never gave up, but just kept chipping away at the big Dragons lead and were rewarded with a 8-0 run to trail 34-27. In the run, the guests got a massive three pointer from ex Virginia Wesleyan (NCAA3) guard Woodmore and a lay in and dunk by defensive stopper Dennis Diala who has made big steps in his scoring average in the last 3 seasons from 4-7- to 12 points this season. Speyer upped their intensity again at both ends and got great support from Diala who used his athleticism to his advantage. But the Dragons Rhondorf then showed again that they could punch back again after getting punched and exploded on a 18-2 run to extend their lead to 52-29. In the run, Tim Smith Jr. showed his sniper qualities hitting 3 three´s in a row while energy spark and ultimate role player Mamadou Diallo who had a rare start hit a trey while Kazakevicius continued to control the boards making an offensive rebound and put back while Marco Rahn also scored. Young German Dyami Janeck made a beautiful pass in the air to Diallo for the bucket. One sees Omojola often making those spectactulat passes in the air. “I can´t say that he learned that pass from me, but it was a beautiful play with 2 extra passes. You can see that Dyami is extremely athletic”, said Kelvin Omojola. Speyer punched back one more time closing out the second quarter strong with a 6-0 run as Dialla made a runner, ex Hanau forward Marko Dordevic a lay in while DJ Woodmore went coast to coast and scored at the buzzer, but the Dragons Rhondorf still led 52-35. “Smith Jr carried us in that big run. He really set the tone with those 3 back to back three´s”, commented Kelvin Omojola. Both clubs were shooting 55% from the 2 point range, but the Dragons were at 53% from the three point line and Speyer at 21%. The Dragons continued to have the overwhelming 26-12 rebound edge and had 5 turnovers while the guests had 6 turnovers.

Dennis Diala from mid range

In the third quarter the Ahorn Camp Baskets had their strongest quarter, but couldn´t get over the hump as the closest that they got to was trailing by 8 points. Both teams got their offenses going to begin the second half as the Dragons received buckets from Omojola and a trey by Diallo while Speyer received baskets from big man David Aichele and Dj Woodmore, but Rhondorf still led 57-39. Speyer then got some momentum in their comeback attempt going on a 8-2 run to trail only 54-47. Speyer attacked the rim and were rewarded with buckets from Dordevic, Rupp and Woodmore. Speyer was more focused and just more concentrated and were aggressive getting easy baskets inside. The guests were also more active on the glass while the Dragons had lost a bit of their calmness and reacted a bit hectic in their sets. Rhondorf got some fortune getting 3 free throws from Smith Jr. Speyer continued to execute as ex Orange Academy forward Latrell Groskopf made a trey and Dordevic a lay in, but couldn´t make real ground as the Dragons got 4 free throws from Janeck to lead 66-54. But the guests also made crucial mistakes getting a flagrant foul which led to Pilipovic and Alex Lagerman free throws and the 70-56 Dragons advantage. Speyer got Benjamin Hoehman free throws and a lay in by Woodmore in the last minute, but still trailed 71-60 after 30 minutes. “Our execution at both ends wasn´t as sharp. We just couldn´t find that flow from the first half again”, expressed Kelvin Omojola. “We realized that in order to have a chance, we had to be more aggressive. We had to create for ourselves. We got more comfortable and hit more shots”, stated DJ Woodmore. The Dragons Rhondorf shot 54% from the 2 point range and 43% from the parking lot and had 32 rebounds and 12 turnovers while the Ahorn Camp Baskets shot 61% from the 2 point range and 22% from the parking lot and had 22 rebounds and 10 turnovers.

Dyami Janeck at the FT line

In the fourth quarter the Ahorn Camp Baskets began well, but couldn´t withstand the pressure by the Dragons Rhondorf as their offense got back into the flow which decided the game with a big 9-0 run. The guests began with a 6-3 run as Rupp nailed a trey and Aichele made a lay in as they trailed only 74-66. However the Dragons Rhondorf didn´t want an exciting end as they slammed the door shut on Speyer with a 9-0 run to extend their lead to 83-66 as they held the guests scoreless for more than 4 minutes. In the run the Dragons received lay in´s by Kazakevicius and Rahn and free throws by Pilipovic and a three pointer from Smith Jr. Rhondorf´s focus and energy were high while one could sense that fatigue was slowly setting in with Speyer. It also didn´t help that Dialla missed a dunk. In the last minutes Kelvin Omojola remained aggressive scoring twice, while Speyer got 3 buckets from Aichele including 2 dunks while Kazakevicius made 2 dunks. One really stood out and sparkled as Kelvin Omojola lofted up the perfect lob while he threw it down getting the Dragon Dome rocking with joy. “We knew they would run the press break. I saw Aichele step up so I just threw it up to Danas for the nice alley-oop dunk. That play was definitely not drawn up”, smiled Kelvin Omojola. “We ran out of gas in the fourth quarter. It was a tough week of practice and not having Hidalgo. They took advantage of it”, stressed DJ Woodmore. “Even if we were up only by 10 points, we never ever thought that we could lose this game. We were missing shots, but also getting stops and rebounds”, stressed Kelvin Omojola. The Dragons Rhondorf were led by Tim Smith Jr. with 26 points. Danas Kazakevicius scored 18 points while Kelvin Omojola had 11 points and Antonio Pilipovic added 10 points while the Ahorn Camp Baskets were led by Marko Dordevic with 15 points. DJ Woodmore added 14 points while Dennis Diala had 13 points. The Dragons Rhondorf shot 47% from the field and 39% from outside and had 44 rebounds and 12 turnovers while the Ahorn Camp Baskets shot 47% from the field and 25% from outside and had 27 rebounds and 11 turnovers.