GMUNDEN. Intense, fast-paced and varied before the break, hectic, hard and with a clear winner – this is how the 110th basketball derby presented itself, in which the OCS Swans Gmunden clearly beat the Flyers Wels with 81 in the Raiffeisen Sports Park, which was brilliantly filled with 1,368 fans :61 (41:34) and put the all-time record at 80:30.
It was a success for the collective against an opponent who was below his potential, who showed comeback qualities in the first half, but then collapsed completely. At the beginning of the third quarter, the pendulum swung clearly in favor of the Swans, who – led by captain Daniel Friedrich (23 points), Patrick Emilien (16) and Benedikt Güttl (14) – pulled away with a 14-0 run to make it 55:34 (26th). Wels remained without a point for 7:13 minutes, which is not enough.
Camouflage and deceive? Swans international Toni Blazan (31), who had a shoulder injury, took part in the full warm-up program and blew kisses to his two-and-a-half-year-old daughter Mia. Nevertheless, it was clear that this spicy local duel would come too early for the veteran. “Toni is on the right track and can already throw, but it will probably take around two weeks,” reported managing director Richard Poiger, who was rightly optimistic about the outcome of the game: “Otherwise I wouldn’t be here. “
It was therefore clear that Gmunden would have a shorter bench than the Flyers, where Arvydas Gydra reported fit in time. But that doesn’t have to mean anything in a derby, where everyone goes beyond the pain threshold and beyond 100 percent. Also the audience. The Raiffeisen Sports Park was transformed into the expected cauldron: an interplay between “Gmunden” and “Flyers” chants, drum rolls, clapping, whistle concerts during controversial decisions – one’s own words could hardly be understood.
New contract for shooting star
This electrifying atmosphere is not just to the taste of Wels coach Sebastian Waser: “It’s really special. When I think about the derby or the play-off series this spring, I get goosebumps,” emphasized the 37-year-old. Year-old who only had good news before the start of the match.
The Flyers, for whom Renato Poljak was the top scorer with 18 points, have tied down their 19-year-old exceptional talent Dejan Kovacevic (six points in the derby) on a long-term basis and have given the 1.92 meter tall U20 team player a training contract for three more years. “Dejan has an interesting career in professional basketball ahead of him. I am proud that we can accompany him on this journey,” said Waser.
Chairman Michael Dittrich was also happy about the deal: “Dejan is a great guy with a lot of potential.” And foreign perspective.
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I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
