First match point for Gmunden's "Schwanen"

2023-05-11 20:24:00

After back-to-back wins and overtime, the OCS Swans, who won the regular season, have turned the tide in this intense and intense basketball best-of-5 semifinal series. The Gmundners won in front of 1387 eyewitnesses in the local Raiffeisen Sportpark against the Flyers from Wels 81:71 (44:33) and secured the first match ball given a 2:1 lead. “It’s a big fight. Wels is playing really well, this story is far from over,” said Swans CFO Harald Stelzer cautiously.

It continues on Sunday (5 p.m.) in Messestadt, where the Flyers have their backs to the wall with Donovan Smith (21 points, twelve rebounds), who is outstanding today. Sebastian Waser’s team must triumph in order to force an all-important fifth match next Thursday in Gmunden. If not, the season ends.

“We won’t give up and will do everything we can to equalize with our fans behind us,” emphasized the tireless Flyers captain Christian von Fintel, who, as in the two previous play-off derbies, played the full distance had been. Morale is worthy of honor, this time the Wels team fought back passionately after being eleven points behind. After an 8:0 run at the beginning of the second half, the score was 48:48. So once again pointed to the button and smelling of the next overtime.

But Gmunden didn’t give up, although top legionnaire Urald King (17 points, seven rebounds) got foul problems early on. Only in the final phase did the pendulum finally swing in favor of the Swans, where national player Benedikt Güttl was the most successful thrower with 18 points.

The first finalist has already been determined. Defending champions BC Vienna are rushing through the knockout phase with a clean record. The 3-0 win against UBSC Graz was followed by a sweep against the Klosterneuburg Dukes, who, however, self-sacrificingly defended themselves against the end. Nemanja Milosevic saved the Viennese only two seconds before the siren with the 83:83 in overtime, in which the favorite should keep the upper hand. Final score 98:88. Now it’s time to wait – for Gmunden or catfish.