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Conditt, Cowan epitomized Promitheas’s tough play

Conditt, Cowan epitomized Promitheas’s tough play

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Conditt, Cowan epitomized Promitheas’s tough play

"We just understood that we had to play a little bit harder than them and that’s what we did," shared Promitheas Patras center George Conditt after his team’s 81-77 victory over Veolia Towers Hamburg on Tuesday night. In those few words, Conditt explained how his team managed to outlast Hamburg.

It started from the beginning of the game as a brilliant defensive play by Anthony Cowan took Hamburg off its game plan. Cowan raced around a pick to get in front of Kendale McCullum and steal the ball. The Hamburg playmaker instinctively grabbed Cowan from behind and was whistled for an unsportsmanlike foul.

Coach Raoul Korner replaced McCullum and, just like that, Hamburg was playing with its second-string playmaker. Even though Ziga Samar did a fine job – along with dominating big man Yoeli Childs – in helping Hamburg race to a 5-11 lead and McCullum would have a big impact on the game when he returned later, the visitors were somewhat off-kilter and Promitheas was able to take advantage, gain control and lead by as many as 9 in the second quarter.

Even though Hamburg would come back and create a thrilling finish that featured 10 fourth-quarter lead changes, the damage was done, as Korner later noted: "We didn’t lose the game in the last minute, we lost the game in the first half. We just were not there defensively."

In that statement, Korner was referencing some of the plays in the final minute that decided the game. After Childs split free throws to tie it at 74-74, Zamar fouled Promitheas’s top scorer, Joe Young, who was attempting a three-pointer and the result was 3 made free throws. After a timeout, James Woodard’s inbounds pass was stolen by Michalis Tsairelis, who quickly sent Nemanja Dangubic for a slam.

Up 5 with 33 seconds remaining, Promitheas was able to hold on for the win. Young finished with 23 points and the rookie Conditt posted his first double-double with 22 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks and several highlight-reel plays. Cowan only scored 6, but contributed 5 assists and 3 steals. Everyone contributed with nine of the home team’s players who saw action scoring and the only one who didn’t, Tsairelis, made one of the game’s biggest defensive plays.

It wasn’t a thing of beauty, as Promitheas shot poorly (46.5% 2FG, 25% 3FG) and was badly outrebounded 32-49, but the ability to play a little bit harder, as Conditt referenced, helped force 22 Hamburg turnovers and that was the story of the game.