Matchday 4 brought the fourth victory in the Opel HBL. On Thursday evening, SG Flensburg-Handewitt won a tough away game against TBV Lemgo Lippe, 39–30 (19–13). The SG’s top scorers were Simon Pytlick (9), Niclas Kirkeløkke (8), and Marko Grgić (8).
Aymeric Minne was absent for a wonderful reason: he had become a father for the first time on Wednesday and hadn’t even traveled to Lemgo. His backcourt teammates pulled off a Kempa trick just 35 seconds into the game: Niclas Kirkeløkke to Simon Pytlick. The defense seemed well-prepared for the attacks featuring four backcourt players. The first fast breaks came quickly. Niclas Kirkeløkke finished to make it 3–1. The offense played with great energy and was wide awake on rebounds as well. The backcourt players were shooting well. Marko Grgić extended the lead to 9:5. The TBV adjusted its offensive strategy. Now it was Benjamin Burić who shone on several occasions. With back-to-back goals, Marko Grgić extended the lead to 13:7. It was the best half of this still-young season. Lasse Møller, who had just come off the bench, scored to make it 18–10. At halftime, the team held a six-goal lead.
Keeping
the Pressure On The second half got off to a good start. Emil Jakobsen immediately led the first fast break and finished it off to make it 20–13. Then the flow stalled for a few minutes before the SG consistently added to their lead. Niclas Kirkeløkke sprinted through a well-created opening, then Simon Pytlick ran away with the ball. The SG seemed to have an answer for everything. When the home team closed the gap to five goals, Aleš Pajović called a team timeout: Don’t let anything slip! His players stayed focused. Benjamin Burić won the goalkeeper duel, and his teammates stunned the crowd with more goals. The SG surged ahead to 30–21. The lineup rotated a bit at this point: Aksel Horgen and Patrick Volz took the wings, and Lasse Møller replaced Marko Grgić. The Dane braved some loud boos and went on to score several goals. Curiously, Aksel Horgen, playing right wing, blocked a ball in the center. In short: It was a handball evening that was right up the SG’s alley.
