Brno got off to a promising start, winning the opening quarter against Nymburk 26:18. After that, however, the favorite took over and dominated the duel from the second quarter.
Ondřej Sehnal scored 24 points. “It’s still not a performance we could be proud of. We started sleepily, that could backfire on us,” he said critically of the first quarter of the duel.
Brno’s Štěpán Svoboda also scored the same points, but it was not enough for his team to extend their four-game winning streak.
“We had a good start, in the first quarter we played Finnish basketball, in the second quarter we had a lot of losses and in the second half we stopped believing,” summed up the best scorer of the visiting team.
Key indicator: the visitors had 29 turnovers in attack. And Nymburk was able to take advantage of that. In the third quarter, in addition to improved defense, he found open spaces for shots, and the experienced Jaromír Bohačík aimed accurately from three-point positions, scoring 16 points in total.
Písečtí Sršni in Olomouc pulled the short end of the stick for a long time and were still losing by 14 points in the third quarter. But the guests won the beginning of the last part 16:2, Martin Svoboda contributed eight points out of his total 32. Even the guests did not keep the lead, Langston Wertz, who set a new season record with 36 points, arranged the extension from a drive under the basket. Svoboda again played a key role in the set-up, who made a blockbuster with four two-point baskets in a row from the score of 97:99.
He was seconded by Matěj Burda with 26 points, captain Vojtěch Sýkora struggled with shooting, but in addition to three points he dominated the statistics with 16 rebounds. In the home team, Wertz also recorded 9 rebounds and 6 assists, Noah Carter added 28 points and 9 rebounds. Hanák could not add their second win in a row after a series of four defeats due to five fouled players.
“We get 27 points from one player at halftime, then lose a seven-point lead at the end when our free-throw pain shows. Fortunately, we were able to get a few players out of the game and our wider rotation showed at the end of the set.” said Sršňu coach Jan Čech.
“It was a crazy match and the worst performance of the season from our side. We had in our heads that we had six wins and nothing could happen,” Sýkora added.
Děčín succeeded after three defeats. The Slezans led almost the entire match, but the opponent scored the last seven points. The win was sealed by Tomáš Pomikálek, the top scorer with 24 points. In the home jersey, Robert Howard scored 16 points and 12 rebounds, and captain Jakub Šiřina scored 11 points and 10 assists.
Joseph Brunko of Pardubice also had a double double thanks to 17 points and 11 rebounds, but East Bohemia lost at home 83:90 to Ostrava. Behind them in the table is only a newcomer from Jindřichov Hradec, who suffered a debacle at Slavia 67:91 and is still without a win.
Basketball Shenanigans: Brno’s Rollercoaster Ride
Welcome, welcome! Gather ’round, folks, as we unravel the tale of Brno’s ups and downs in their latest basketball escapade! The opening quarter looked like a scene straight out of a sports movie; Brno was strutting their stuff with a commendable 26-18 lead against Nymburk, and you could practically hear the rumbles of excitement echoing through the stands—well, at least until half-time. Then, much like a reality TV show contestant, they swiftly forgot what they were doing!
Ondřej Sehnal, bless his heart, managed to score 24 points. But let’s face it, even he wasn’t entirely buying the victory song just yet. “It’s still not a performance we could be proud of. We started sleepily, that could backfire on us,” he noted, tossing in a dose of realism that was as refreshing as a can of fizzy drink on a hot day. You know it’s bad when your player thinks he’s auditioning for the role of ‘Captain Obvious.’
Ah, Štěpán Svoboda, who matched Sehnal’s points like they were playing a ‘who can be more disappointed’ game. Four-game winning streak? More like a four-game dose of reality. “We had a good start, in the first quarter we played Finnish basketball,” he confessed (which I assume involves a lot of running around with a sauna as a backdrop). But then came the second quarter and—surprise!—the team decided to have a major brain freeze, committing a staggering **29 turnovers** in attack. It’s hard to tell if they were playing basketball or auditioning for the worst buskers in town!
Nymburk, the seasoned pros, seized the moment like a cat with a laser pointer. Thanks to their robust third quarter, which featured Jaromír Bohačík, who, as if powered by a caffeinated squirrel, nailed 16 points and ensured that the ‘sleepy start’ was well and truly forgotten. This tactical maneuver made the Brno defense look like a group of traffic cones waiting for the light to change.
Meanwhile, in Olomouc, the Písečtí Sršni seemed to be playing a game of ‘how many ways can we lose?’ At one point, they were trailing by 14 points but suddenly woke up like it was Christmas morning, scoring 16-2 in the final quarter. Martin Svoboda, whose name alone sounds like a basketball legend in the making, bagged a total of 32 points. However, just when you thought the game had a fairytale ending, Langston Wertz swooped in with a new season record of 36 points, taking the air out of the Písečtí sails like a bad party balloon.
Wertz was the cherry on top of an even bigger sundae, chipping in with 9 rebounds and 6 assists. Honestly, it was a performance so delightful it would have made a seasoned sports commentator weep tears of elation! Meanwhile, captain Vojtěch Sýkora was playing the ‘see no evil, shoot no evil’ card with just three points but dominated those rebounds like it was going out of fashion. Maybe next time, Vojtěch, try scoring while you’re at it?
Now, let’s talk about Děčín, who finally triumphed after a streak of three defeats, proving that persistence does pay off. Despite Slezans leading throughout the match, Tomáš Pomikálek dropped 24 points, sealing the deal and making everyone forget they were even in trouble in the first place. Talk about a comeback!
And what about Joseph Brunko of Pardubice? With a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds, he showcased his potential…but alas, it still resulted in a home defeat of 90-83 against Ostrava. You know, just your average Tuesday in basketball land. And to crown it all, Jindřichov Hradec is still winless! A round of applause for them, please! They might not have the wins, but they certainly have the heart—or is it just defiance?
So, what’s the moral of our basketball saga? Perhaps it’s never to sleepwalk through the first quarter, or that even the top scorers can sometimes feel the weight of a game! As the dust settles in the delightful drama of Czech basketball, one thing’s for sure—next time, we’ll be right here, popcorn in hand, ready for more of the wild rides that undoubtedly lie ahead!
