After one of the best and most dramatic games ever seen at Carnival time in Hardtberg, 6000 fans celebrated the deserved win for several minutes with their team in the sold-out Bonn basketball temple.

It was only in the final minute, with the score standing at 94:94, that Basket trainer Predrag Krunic’s professionals set the course for success. In the last 60 seconds, things happened so fast it was hard to keep up.

First Bonn’s outstanding top scorer Julian Gamble (29 points, career best performance) and Bayreth’s Nate Linhart clashed so violently they were each punished with a technical foul. Then the strapping Josh Mayo (25 points) put his team 97:94 in front with a three-pointer. Bayreuth’s coach Raoul Korner took another timeout 14 seconds from the final buzzer to talk about how to possibly level the score. But the Baskets Yorman Polas Bartolo saw through the plan and stormed towards the basket with the ball. Linhart hindered Bartolo from scoring easy points with an unsportsmanlike foul.

It was now clear the Baskets could no longer lose this game as Bartolo was not only awarded a free ball but also had possession. It was the 16 victory in 18 home matches across all competitions. But could the Bonners make up for the five point defeat from the first leg of the competition (78:83)? The answer was as spectacular and exciting as the entire game.

With four seconds to go and the last Baskets attack, the ball landed in Ken Horton’s hands. He stood as if rooted to the ground, and sent the ball on its way from around ten metres. Hardly anyone thought it possible, but it happened and the ball hit the net. Then there were only celebrations. The players showered, changed into their costumes and mixed with fans at Bonn’s biggest Carnival party.

“We played a weak first half. Then we played with much more emotion, defended better and this is the only way to win such games,” rejoiced Baskets coach Krunic. The victory put the Baskets sixth in the league.