The Fraport Skyliners Juniors continue to play their best basketball at home as all five of their victories have occurred in their own living room. 72 hours after German forward Maxi Begue hit a pretty game wining three pointer over the Ebbecke White Wings Hanau, the Fraport Skyliners Juniors returned back into their living room and met the Ahorn Camp BIS Baskets Speyer. They had very unfond memories of their first meeting as they were trounced on the road 96-72 as they had no clue how to slow down the German duo of Darian Cardenas and Eric Curth who combined for 47 points. The Ahorn Camp BIS Baskets Speyer came to Frankfurt with a lot of self-confidence in their heads as they had upset top team Dresden Titans on the road last weekend. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors played another spirited game and had to play catch up basketball for long phases of the game, but at the end the club witnessed their second game winning shot in a row as center Jordan Samare launched a trey that saw nothing but net. All in all the Fraport Skyliners Juniors continue to make a late season come back attempt in their quest to make the playoffs as they continue to win in exciting fashion. “We were weak at the start, but continued to play better in the second quarter and fought back. We were deeper than they were and that played a big role tonight. We have had problems against the zone in the past, but today we played well. We hit big three´s at the end which was key”, stated center Jordan Samare. The Ahorn Camp BIS Baskets Speyer controlled the game, but just couldn´t get a big lead to slam the door on Frankfurt. Instead they allowed them to come back an lost momentum in crunch-time. “I thought that we played a super game and played together. I felt we moved the ball well as well. When you lose the game to a guy that is a non shooter and wasn´t on the scouting report, it´s very bitter. But that is what makes the game so great. We lost the game on the boards”, said Ahorn Camp BIS Baskets Speyer forward Darian Cardenas Ruda.

The Fraport Skyliners Juniors had a lightening start, but quickly lost control allowing the Ahorn Camp BIS Baskets Speyer to go on a massive run and take control of the game.  The Fraport Skyliners Juniors came out very potent taking a quick 4-0 lead as ex undersized center Noah Kamdem scored in the paint and 2017 JBBL finalist Maxi Begue snuck under the basket and executed the inbounds pass of German Alvin Onyia for an easy basket. Then as is often the case, the game took a major turn as the Ahorn Camp BIS Baskets Speyer rushed out on a devastating 14-0 run to take the overwhelming 14-4 advantage. The guests did a great job spreading the ball around and getting production from many. Sharp shooter Eric Curth helped with 5 points while 212cm center David Aichele scored on a baby hook shot, ex Alba Berlin guard Marc Liyanage hit a trey, Morris Hinz scored inside and ex Giessen 46er Tim Schwartz made a tip in. The biggest problem of the Fraport Skyliners Juniors in those few minutes was that not only had they lost their offensive rhythm, but they were way too hectic and had absolute no calmness in their sets which led to dumb turnovers and forced shots. Frankfurt slowly got out of their funk and began to execute better and crawl back into the game. Frankfurt received a floater and lay in from ex Nurnberg guard Matthew Meredith and a lay up from Jordan Samare. They also got to the free throw line, but their accuracy plagued them and would be a major problem the whole evening. Speyer held the good lead, because Frankfurt had no solution how to slow down top scorer Darian Cardenas Ruda who contributed 5 points. After 10 minutes the Ahorn Camp BIS Baskets Speyer led 19-12. “We didn´t take good care of the ball, but we began to fight back and that held until the end”, stressed Jordan Samare.

In the second quarter the Ahorn Camp BIS Baskets Speyer continued to control the game, but they could never completely shake the Fraport Skyliners  Juniors as they stayed close on the heels of the guests trailing only 35-32 at half time. Frankfurt had another good start going on a 6-2 run to cut the Speyer lead to 21-18. Frankfurt got free throws from Maxi Begue and a transition bucket while Jordan Samare displayed his athletic high flying colors making a alley-oop tap in from Matthew Meredith. Frankfurt increased their defensive intensity and got easy transition baskets something they were unable to do in the first quarter. Both teams were able to execute their offense well. Ex Hanau forward Calvin Schaum showed his scoring in bunches with two baskets while Speyer got production from Cardenas Ruda and Eric Curth to keep the 27-22 lead. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors kept the pressure on and kept fighting and got some big plays from 17 year old German Alexander Richardson. He began with a pretty back door pass to Len Schoormann who scored and then the big man scored on transition getting the touch down pass from Matthew Meredith. Meredith then added free throws as Frankfurt trailed only 30-28. Frankfurt was doing a better job getting out on transition and getting easy baskets and also went inside more as that was taken away better in the first quarter. The Frankfurt defense also forced Speyer to 6 turnovers in the second half after having none in the first quarter. Speyer held the lead at the break, because 19 year old German Valentin Rappold made a 10 footer while Darian Cardenas Ruda continued his hot shooting dropping a trey exhibiting his non stop calmness. “This wasn´t an easy game for me. I didn´t play in Dresden last weekend. I was up at 6 am today, had to work and played with my child, but I was 100% in the game. My calmness comes from my experience”, stressed Darian Cardenas Ruda. Frankfurt also got baskets from Meredith on transition and a Samare lay up. “We played better on transition and found open guys. We didn´t communicate well on Cardenas Ruda and he got us with his fakes”, added Jordan Samare. Both clubs continued to shoot bad as Frankfurt still hadn´t produced a three pointer. Frankfurt ruled the boards 24-16.

The third quarter was low scoring as the Ahorn Camp BIS Baskets Speyer continued to control the game leading by as much as 8 points as Frankfurt couldn´t go on a run. Speyer began well going on a 7-2 run to extend their lead to 42-34. In the run they got good execution from Liyanage as he made a step back jumper over Schoormann, Curth made an off balance shot and Tim Schwartz connected for a trey. The run didn´t faze Frankfurt as they remained calm and countered with a 7-2 run to cut the Speyer lead down to 44-41. Frankfurt did a good job scoring in many different ways as Alvin Onyia tested his 29% three point percentage scoring, Samare scored on transition and Schaum was aggressive scoring on the drive. But the Fraport Skyliners Juniors were unable to keep consistency. Their offense begam to sputter and two back to back turnovers on transition attempts allowed Speyer to extend their lead to 48-41 as big man David Aichele continued to be efficient scoring and Cardenas Ruda scored on transition for the 48-41 Speyer lead. Frankfurt also continued to falter on the free throw line getting only 2 of 4 free throws from Philipp Hadenfeldt and Meredith. Eric Curth closed out the third quarter with free throws as Speyer led 50-43. “Offensive rebounds hurt us. We have to rebound together. We don´t have a player like Kamdem. We also lost many 50/50 balls”, commented Darian Cardenas Ruda. “We continued not making free throws and didn´t move the ball well”, stated Jordan Samare. Both teams continued to have problems shooting while Frankfurt continued to dominate the boards 37-20 with 11 offensive rebounds, but had 13 turnovers while Speyer had only 8 turnovers.

In the fourth quarter, the Ahorn Camp BIS Baskets Speyer continued to control the game in the first 5 minutes and led by as much as 9 points, but Frankfurt never gave up and made their last move in crunch-time to turn the game around. Speyer got two lay ins form Cardenas Ruda and Aichele, but a clutch three pointer by Alvin Onyia kept Frankfurt´s hopes alive despite still trailing 55-46. Time was running out and the Fraport Skyliners Juniors knew that they had to finally make their move. Frankfurt made their move going on a massive 12-3 run to dead lock the contest at 58-58. The run started with a big Calvin Schaum trey and Kamdem then scored inside to cut the Speyer lead to 55-51. Schoormann finally gave the team some clutch production scoring 5 points. He had been controlled well in the first 30 minutes, but he now allowed his instincts to come into better play. He anticipated an Onyia air ball and made a reverse lay up and then drilled home a three pointer. “We continued to tell Len to keep shooting. He helped us with big shots at the end”, said Jordan Samare. Samare then tied the game at 58-58 with a lay in. Onyia made an incredible play driving and then some how making a pass through a 3 man wall finding the trailer Samare who scored with ease. “Alvin knows my cuts. That is my game. I called him shortly before he passed the ball. We work very well together”, stressed Jordan Samare. Speyer kept the pressure on taking the 60-58 lead with a Schwartz lay in, but that was quickly erased as Mr put back Jordan Samare hauled down an offensive rebound in traffic and tied the game at 60-60. Speyer kept the pressure on taking the 62-60 lead with a Curth jumper. Frankfurt then made 2 stops and took their first lead since they led 4-0 early as Schoormann made an unbelievable three point bank shot to lead 64-62 as somehow the basketball God was looking down from above. Cardenas Ruda then dead locked the game again at 64-64 with free throws with 46 seconds remaining. Both teams then suffered turnovers from Schoormann and Curth as Frankfurt got the ball back with 11 seconds to play. Frankfurt had the opportunity to win the game as Jordan Samare set up in the corner and saw nothing but net drilling home a trey as Frankfurt led 67-64 with 4 seconds remaining. “The play was set up for Len Schoormann but he was closed up. Alvin Onyia warned me to stay in the corner as I would get the ball. I had no idea it was going in. The corner isn´t so much my spot. I felt I had a 50/50 chance of making the shot”, smiled Jordan Samare. “We all collapsed on Kamdem and the pass went to Samare and he made the shot”, said Darian Cardenas Ruda. Tim Schwartz had one more chance, but missed. “He had an open look, but we didn´t lose the game there tonight”, commented Darian Cardenas Ruda. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors were led by Jordan Samare with 15 points and 7 boards and Len Schoormann added 11 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists while the Ahorn Camp BIS Baskets Speyer were led by Darian Cardenas Ruda with 17 points while Eric curth added 15 points and David Aichele scored 13 points. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors shot 39% from the field and 24% from outside and had 51 rebounds and 16 turnovers while the Ahorn Camp BIS Baskets Speyer shot 35% from the field and 24% from outside and had 26 rebounds and 12 turnovers.