The German basketball players made it clear to the quarter -finals against Great Britain. The group phase also showed that there is not only light, but also a little shade.
The DJ did not miss the opportunity to say goodbye to the German basketball players with the Sirtaki and “Greek wine” out of the hall. After all, with the clear victory against Great Britain, they made the quarter -finals. And that is held in Greek Piraeus. The relief of surviving the difficult group as a second was great. “With all the setbacks we had to cope, I am very proud of our team”says Leonie Fiebich right after the game. “Some of us didn’t trust us to get out of the group. That’s why I’m very happy.“
Thomaidis trusts her Starting Five
Lisa Thomaidis also sent her usual Starting Five onto the pitch in the game against the British. With Leonie Fiebich, Luisa Geiselsöder and Emily Bessoir, Alexis Peterson And Frieda Bühner took a sovereign victory in the opening game against Sweden, but the German team suffered a bitter defeat against the Vice European Champions from Spain. Particularly striking: in the second game the five almost played through and scored all points. As Thomaidis said afterwards, she trusted her best players to win against the top -class carpenter.
In the last group game against Great Britain it looked different again. Each of the twelve players was allowed to collect minutes of play, the last three minutes were even none of the five starters on the pitch. The national coach was satisfied with the performance of the bank players. “Protect some of our regular players and don’t let them play as many minutes as against Spain will help us with regard to the final”Lisa Thomaidis was sure. Alexandra Wilke and Romy Bär, in particular, took their chance and contributed several times on the scoresheet.
The difficult third quarter
The group phase showed how inconsistent the German team is. This may be due to the fact that with Fiebich and Geiselsöder, two of the top performers arrived at the team shortly before the start of the European Championship and thus missed most of the preparation. After the second group game, Fiebich himself admitted that the German team would play in extreme. “Sometimes we are really good, sometimes we are bad. We somehow have to find a middle ground”according to the WNBA player.
It went better in yesterday’s game. Nevertheless, the German team had its problems in the third quarter as in the games before, Great Britain came to seven points. Which was also due to the fact that the opponents took part in the game. “The team nevertheless found good ways to score. Of course, this shows the identity of us. That we are very dangerous in all positions”found Fiebich. Nevertheless, when it meets European champion Belgium in the quarter -finals, the German team has to start more into the second half.
Fiebich and Geiselöder keep pressure
It was clear that after all the sometimes injury-related failures, the hope for the WNBA players would be Fiebich and Geiselsöder. How they would deal with the pressure, but not. But both delivered. Luisa Geiselsöder in particular showed her class and became the best thrower of the German team with an average of 16.7 points. That would never have been possible without their teammates. “They play me free, they fit me good passes. Nothing works without my teammates”said Geiselsöder in an interview after the game.
While the 25-year-old is the best scorer of the team, closely followed by Frieda Bühner and Leonie Fiebich, Alexis Peterson established herself as the best assistant in the German team. The American native gives an average of seven templates per game. Anyway, every player is of incredible value, emphasized Geiselsöder. “We have twelve players in the team who all belong on this stage and have developed this place”according to the center. “We have to use that more. Then we get more momentum and strength on the pitch.”
Board played in the spotlight
Frieda Bühner, on the other hand, has played in the spotlight at the European Championship. She gave her national team debut at the Olympic Games last year, since then the 21-year-old has had a strong development. Bühner scored the most points of the team against Great Britain, but still sees room for improvement. “I’m glad I can help my team, but there are a few more things that I have to do better”according to the Osnabrücker. “It’s just a blatant level at which we play. But so far I’m completely satisfied with me.”
Bühner is only 21 years old, but her Osnabrück team in the German Women’s Basketball Bundesliga led to the vice title as a captain. Last year she was voted the best player in the league before moving to Movistar Estudiantes in Spain. With the increased attention, however, she can cope. “I don’t notice that”said Bühner. “I’m just trying to focus on the games and answer the media questions as well as possible.”
Great anticipation in Belgium
One of these questions was how to survive the quarter -finals against the great favorite from Belgium. At the Olympic Games in Lille, the German team surprised the basketball world when it won its opening game against Belgium. In the two test games in front of the European Championship, however, there were two defeats – but without Fiebich and Geiselsöder.
“We may not have had the results that we would have liked. But we are now another team”says Bühner confidently. “And if you want to win a medal, you have to go past such teams that are considered the title favorites. I definitely feel totally in.” She is certainly not the only one.