Damien Jefferson passes Austin Price. — © Rudy Declerck
Basketball BNXT League: Filou Oostende – Heroes Den Bosch 85-61
Ostend –
Against the (admittedly incomplete) Dutch cup winner Heroes Den Bosch, Filou Oostende (still without Jean Salumu) was constantly in control of the match. Damien Jefferson (28 points on 72%), Khalil Ahmad (19 points on 59%) and Simon Buysse (15 points on 70%) were the most efficient offensively and led the coastal team to an 85-61 victory.
The clock had not even ticked eight minutes when Jefferson already dropped his fifteenth point into the Dutch basket. After a dunk early in the twelfth minute, he already made it twenty: 31-11. In the third quarter the difference continued to fluctuate around twenty points, with a maximum at 49-25 and 55-31. Jefferson added only five units to his total during this period. During a short substitute appearance in the final phase of the match, he scored four more points. His replacement for applause in the penultimate minute was more than justified. “The supporters chanted my first name and I appreciate that. I already have good friends here,” Damien Jefferson smiled.
The Belgian fivesome Van Rossom-Buysschaert-Pintelon-Verstraete-Ofono completed the match. “We fought hard as a team,” Jefferson said. “That is the reason for the significant difference on the scoreboard. In the second half, Den Bosch played more aggressively, which meant that the difference did not widen. Still, we responded well to their play. I scored quite well myself, but I still missed two free throws. My personal stats aren’t the most important thing. Basket is a team sport in which all teammates were involved. We also all did a very good job defensively. I’m proud of everyone. In the end, only victory counts. We want to repeat that result in every coming match.”
Dario Gjergja was also a satisfied man. “Our good start gave us confidence,” said the Ostend coach. “We controlled the rebounds and often scored easy points. Especially in the first half, we prevented their offensive rebounds. We also limited their three-pointers. Den Bosch also helped us by missing a lot of free throws.”