The season of the EPG Baskets Koblenz is slowly winding down as the playoffs have been becoming less and less of a possibility with ever new game day. With 4 games remaining in the Pro A regular season, the EPG Baskets were 2 wins away from the 8th place, but there were also 3 teams with one win more. Koblenz surely had their chances the last weeks to make ground, but a 4 game losing streak and 5 loses in 6 games pretty much had paved their season for missing the playoffs for a third straight season. The 12-18 team had a tough task with 9-21 team Leverkusen who were fighting for their lives to remain in the Pro A as they were trying to catch the SBB Baskets Wolmirstedt who had one win more. Koblenz also had to get used to the reality that top player Tim Smith Jr was lost for the season on account of his 2 concussions. The EPG Baskets Koblenz had a solid first half and led by as much as 19 points in the third quarter, but got lax and allowed the Bayer Giants Leverkusen to come back and take the lead in the fourth quarter, but in the end had the better nerves and execution at both ends to survive a 103-94 victory. “We played with confidence. We had 4 guys score in double figures. We had the mentality that all had to steer the ship to have success. Our bench stepped up well and we closed out the game strong”, stressed EPG Baskets Koblenz guard Calvin Wishart. The Bayer Giants Leverkusen already played with a slim rotation last week and it got worse this time losing Donte Nicholas as well, but they played for each other and just fell a bit short at the end in their comeback attempt. “I felt like we showed a lot of fight and resilience. It hurts to come back down by 19 points and still lose. I think we made steps and have to take that second half into the game against Wolmirstedt”, stressed Bayer Giants Leverkusen guard John Williams Jr.

Kobe Langley from downtown

The EPG Baskets Koblenz had their best turnout of the season welcoming 1,827 fans into the arena. The first minutes was a back and forth tug of war as both teams attacked the rim as Koblenz got baskets from German Alex Moeller and a 15 footer from 2018 NBBL champion Badu Buck and Leverkusen baskets from Williams Jr and from Nebraska native Lok Wur to lead 8-6. However the EPG Baskets Koblenz ripped the lead back to 15-9 after going on a 9-0 run. The run was sparked by the insertion of Minnesota native Calvin Wishart who scored twice including making a steal while Mississippi native DJ Jeffries scored as well as Texas native Julian Larry hitting from the parking lot. Koblenz was aggressive on on ball defense getting a few steals and had good deny defense on 216cm giant Dennis Heinzmann. However the guests fought back going on their first run of the game of 8-2 tying the game at 17-17. In the run, Leverkusen received good support from Williams and Wuo and German role player Sebastian Brach nailed a trey. The first quarter really was a game of runs as Koblenz punched back for the last time with a 11-3 run to lead 28-20 after 10 minutes. Instrumental in the run was German Jonas Niedermanner who added 5 points while 2025 BBL cup winner Aleksa Kovacevic made a lay in and Julian Larry free throws. The bench was key in the first quarter for Koblenz as it added 15 bench points. “It was a back and forth game. Leverkusen didn´t really defend hard. Koblenz played very disciplined as all were involved. Koblenz also did a good job not getting Heinzmann involved”, stated EPG Baskets Koblenz sport director Thomas Klein. Koblenz shot 62% form the 2 point area and 33% from outside and had 10 rebounds and 3 turnovers while the Bayer Giants Leverkusen shot 67% from the 2 point area and 22% from outside and had 8 rebounds and 6 turnovers.

Aleksa Kovacevic at the FT line

The EPG Baskets Koblenz did a superb job controlling the game in the second quarter and were able to extend their lead to 55-40 at half-time. Koblenz had a rapid 10-2 run to early to extend their lead to 40-25 as they were playing with a high intensity at both ends of the court. German 2019 NBBL top 4 candidate Janis Sonnefeld was the spark in the run with 5 points and a massive block on a Williams Jr dunk attempt while Calvin Wishart added a trey. However that run was then silenced by a Williams 5-0 run to trail 40-30 as he proved often during the game that he was the teams top go to guy. Koblenz shared the ball well, but also weren´t really being defended hard as they had good looks and didn´t have to work hard for anything. Buck dropped a trey while McCall added 6 points with a lay in and free throws and Kovacevic a lay in for the 51-37 lead. Leverkusen´s offense was executing, but couldn´t string along consecutive stops to be able to get under 10 points., Leverkusen got a clutch three pointer from little used 19 year old German Jig Bogdan late, but Wishart free throws and a McCall lay in gave Koblenz a nice 15 point cushion at the break. “Our three pointer fell better. We had good on ball defense, but had problems with the close out”, stressed Thomas Klein. The EPG Baskets Koblenz shot 52% from the field and 42% from the three point line and had 19 rebounds and 5 turnovers while the Bayer Giants Leverkusen shot 45% from the field and 29% from the three point line and had 15 rebounds and 9 turnovers.

Devonte McCall with the drive

In the third quarter the Bayer Giants Leverkusen made their move exploding for 30 points and coming back from 19 points down to trail only 74-70 after 30 minutes. In the first minutes of the second half, both teams offenses were in a flow and scoring at ease. Badu Buck had the hot hand nailing 2 three´s while Lok Wur scored twice and Heinzmann made a lay in, but Koblenz still had the overwhelming 64-49 advantage. Heinzmann got into the game better scoring again as the post up was working better for him than the pick and roll sequence while ex Oldenburg center Marco Bacak made an unorthodox turn around shot to lead 72-53. Then however came the massive 17-2 run by the Bayer Giants Leverkusen who then only trailed by 4 points after 30 minutes. Williams Jr was a real work horse scoring the run´s first 7 unanswered points with a trey and 2 transition baskets including a dunk. The EPG Baskets Koblenz offense was lethargic with little ball movement and failed concentration which led to turnovers. Heinzmann continued to get the good position and executed with a thunderous dunk while Wur made a big trey on transition to end the third quarter. Only a small spec in the arena where the 80 or so Leverkusen fans were sitting were having a ball and being loud. “We had sloppy turnovers. Maybe we felt like we already had the game in the bag. We have to be sharper in the game for longer periods of time”, added Calvin Wishart. “We began to limit them to 1 shot. We played better defense and pushed the ball on transition. We made plays for each other and began to hit shots. That run hit them mentally”, stated John Williams Jr.

Lok Wur at the FT line

The Bayer Giants Leverkusen continued to fight back in the fourth quarter and even stole the lead back, but the EPG Baskets Koblenz punched back as well getting the lead back and never giving it up again. Koblenz got some big scores early including a trey by McCall and lay in by Larry, but the Bayer Giants Leverkusen also had an offensive rhythm as Heinzmann continued to be a thorn down low scoring 5 points to trail 79-77. Larry then added a lay in for the 81-77 advantage. However fatigue and pain wasn´t on the minds of the Bayer Giants Leverkusen as they wiped that aside and kept battling as Brach hit a big trey and Wur made a big dunk to get the lead back at 82-81. That lead was lost rapidly as Wishart dropped a clutch trey for the 84-82 advantage. Sonnefeld added insurance with a lay in for the 86-82 lead. However the Bayer Giants Leverkusen just had nonstop energy letting it rain three´s as Wur and German Luca Kahl hit back to back three´s for the 88-86 lead in crunch-time. But Koblenz once again had an answer as Larry made free throws and Kovacevic a turn around shot for the 90-88 lead. Heinzmann made free throws and American Kobe Langley a lay in to trail only 92-91. However the EPG Baskets Koblenz had seen enough and then put a dagger in Leverkusen´s heart going on a lethal 8-0 run to lead 100-91. Kovacevic began with a trey, followed by a Jeffries lay in on transition and Niedermanner than made a trey for 100 points. “I was happy I made that trey. I didn´t make shots early. It was super special for me making the shot after my injury”, added Aleksa Kovacevic. Williams Jr then made a few free throws, but Koblenz closed out the win with a McCall lay in to seal the win. “We made the shots and stops. Kovacevic made a big shot. At the end of the day it´s all about putting the ball into the bucket”, commented Calvin Wishart. “They hit shots and we didn´t. It´s as simple as that. We weren´t thinking about fatigue then, but now I feel the fatigue”, smiled John Williams Jr. The EPG Baskets Koblenz were led by Calvin Wishart and Devonte McCall (198-F-1998, college: Post) with 19 points a piece while the Bayer Giants Leverkusen were led by Lok Wur and John Williams Jr with 26 points apiece. The EPG Baskets Koblenz shot 52% from the field and 39% from outside and had 38 rebounds and 12 turnovers while the Bayer Giants Leverkusen shot 46% from the field and 29% from outside and had 33 rebounds and 14 turnovers.