RheinStars Cologne: Ascent dream bursts in the playoff round of round!

RheinStars Cologne: Ascent dream bursts in the playoff round of round!

The Rheinstars Cologne have already buried their big dream of climbing to the Pro-A in the round of 16 of the Pro-B playoffs. Against Lok Bernau, they lost both games of the "Best of Three" series, after they were lost in the first duel on April 20, 2025 in the ASV sports hall with 56:88 and also in the second game on April 25, 2025 in Brandenburg with 79:91. In the coming season, Cologne will stay in the ProS, they cannot afford an ascent to the higher league.

The first game was a challenge for the Rheinstars from the start. While Lok Bernau appeared as an underdog, the guests started vigorously and led after the first quarter with 19:11. The defensive of Bernau kept the Cologne attackers in chess, which was also reflected in the halftime score of 39:27. The people in charge of Bernau, including coach Dan Oppland, were very satisfied with the performance of their team and demanded concentration for the next game to continue the success. reports .

view of the second game

In the second meeting, less than a week after the first game, Cologne was 15: 3 in the front after four minutes, but could not maintain the strong performance. Soon afterwards they lost the connection, and Lok Bernau was able to take the lead with 17 points at halftime (50:33). Coach Stephan Baeck was disappointed with the fitness and mental strength of his team, which in the second half could no longer call up the performance that would have been necessary to turn the game. Despite a combative catch -up in the third quarter, in which the Rhine stars got up to eight points, the game was finally lost with 79:91. Bernau benefited from players who had previously been active at Alba Berlin and made a decisive contribution to victory. Kölner Stadt-Einsiger reported .

statistics and factors for victory

A look at the statistics illustrates the superiority of Lok Bernau. They dominated in the rebounds with a clear 45:30 lead and had a significantly better yield in the throw. While Bernau shone through his three -point throws (6 out of 12 converted throws, 50%), the quota at Cologne was only 3 out of 29 (10%) terrifyingly low. The multitude of turnovers continued to contribute to the difficult situation of the Rhine stars, the 15 ball losses had compared to the 9 of Bernau.

The differences in the level of play and fitness were noticeable, according to Baeck. Players like Hennen and Rohwer scored 21 points, but could not prevent Cologne from falling behind Lok Bernau in the overall ranking. The key factors in basketball, such as the defensive rebounds and assisted throws, can decisively influence the outcome of a game, especially in the playoffs, where the intensity and requirements are higher. A study on the performance indicators in basketball confirms that defensive strength in the playoffs is of crucial importance, while the number of assists is particularly important during the regular season. Acb .

The Rheinstars must now plan the next steps to improve and for the coming season, while Lok Bernau may benefit from their successful strategy in the next rounds of the playoffs.