Finale, ooh oh. Finale, oooh oh. On the bus that brought the Raiffeisen Flyers Wels basketball players home on Sunday evening, everyone was in a celebratory mood. After reaching the cup final against Klosterneuburg (81:78), who are currently the league leaders in the Superliga, they had every reason to do so. The Flyers are the domestic team of the moment and have been working towards success for a long time.
It was the all-important scene of a semi-final that was not for the faint of heart: catfish captain Christian von Fintel scored an ice-cold three-pointer 56 seconds before the final siren of extra time with the score at 74:72 for Klosterneuburg. Meanwhile, Arvydas Gydra fouled, the Lithuanian sniper confidently converted his two free throws and the Flyers regained a lead that they would not relinquish until the end.
Before that, Klosterneuburg had led for a long time in the regular season, but the Welsers never lost touch. In the last quarter everything looked like a success for the Flyers, but the hosts, with the courage of desperation, saved themselves into extra time. There was initially a lot going against Wels before the turnaround took place.
Just introduced by those players who represent the Wels character traits like no other. On the one hand Von Fintel, a never-giving-up bundle of energy who fights until he drops. “He is a thoroughbred professional, his attitude is exemplary,” says Trainer Sebastian Waser about the German who only started throwing baskets at the age of 15. In addition, Gydra, a reliable photographer who has often made the decision in the last few weeks. “He has nerves of steel, doesn’t do anything stupid with the ball and hits precisely,” says the Flyers hall announcer Gerald Nowak. With the retrieval of Terrell Allen A few weeks ago they made another golden move from his unsuccessful engagement in England, also a veteran Chris Ferguson Like Allen, brings calm into the game.
The former long-time catfish captain Davor Lamesic, who worked as a co-commentator in the semi-finals of the broadcast, generally sees the strength in the entire collective: “Everyone fights for everyone, that made the difference.” This brought victory in the quarter-finals against Kapfenberg, where they were 21 points behind at one point.
The handwriting of Waser, who has been able to work since the founding of the successor club that emerged from the WBC in 2017, is also clearly visible. Talents like Dejan Kovacevic and Elvir Jakupovic They get a lot of minutes from the former young coach, and they thank them for their trust with strong performances.
Final location still open
The cup victory is on the 20th/21st. January 2024 against the Traiskirchen Lions. The venue is still open, the association is responsible for the final decision in consultation with the clubs. However, the Welsers want to avoid a game in Traiskirchen as much as possible. The Lions Dome is actually a elementary school gym, narrow and unpopular with all teams in the league. But the Flyers already proved in Klosterneuburg that the away crowd can’t harm them.
And not just club chairman Michael Dittrich is now hoping for the really big coup. “That would be sensational for us as a young club, but also for the city.” In 2006, the WBC achieved its last and only cup victory to date.
Dominik Feischl
