Basketball life continues to be extremely good for the Fraport Skyliners Juniors as so far everything is working for the farm team of easyCredit BBL team Fraport Sklyiners. After an expected loss against the EPG Baskets Koblenz to kick off the season, the club that helps develop German young talents have been perfect and were riding an impressive 5 game winning streak having a 5-1 record. They had blow out wins against the TSV Oberaching Tropics and FC Bayern Munich and made it real exciting and memorable in the last two games winning two come from behind games and winning it in the last seconds against the Arvato College Wizards and the Ahorn Camp BIS Baskets Speyer. The Frankfurt club wanted to ride the momentum and extend their winning streak to 6 games against the pesky 4-2 Basketball Lowen Erfurt. The Eastern Germany team have been playing fine basketball under Bamberg legend Uvis Helmanis winning four of the last five games including two classic nail bitters against Speyer and FC Bayern Munich. They were able to keep their spirited good play alive as they were able to halt the Fraport Skyliners Juniors five game winning streak with a 77-61 victory. The Erfurt club would have won by more had they not allowed Konstantin Schubert to polish his game stats and let Frankfurt close out the game with an energetic 12-2 run. 32 year old French forward Guy Landry Edi (202-F/G-88, college: Gonzaga) who played his first professional game at age 16 for Gordon Herbet was thrilled after the big win. ‘We didn’t have a good start and gave them self-confidence. But as the game continued, we were able to dictate our game, take advantage of the mis matches and inside. We also played very good team defense’, stressed Guy Landry Edi. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors had good lapses, but overall made too many mistakes and had one vital aspect missing. ‘Erfurt had more energy than we did all game long and just wanted it more. We didn’t shoot well and they used their physicality to hurt our small size. Offensive rebounds and turnovers hurt us most today’, said Fraport Skyliner Junior Philipp Hadenfeldt.

The Fraport Skyliners Juniors caught the Basketball Lowen Erfurt napping early speeding out to a rapid 5-0 lead with baskets from ex Giessen guard Niklas Bilski and Leon Pullen who tested his 100% three point shooting percentage with a trey. Another Bilski bucket gave Frankfurt the 7-2 advantage, but early mistakes with offensive rebounds and lax defense inside which would plague Frankfurt the rest of the way quickly tied the game at 7-7 as ex PS Karlsruhe guard Tyseem Lyles and MIles Osei scored. Frankfurt did a good job early on getting transition baskets. Frankfurt continued to dictate the game leading 12-7 as Leon Pullen continued to be an offensive spark scoring inside. But then came the turning point of the game as Frankfurt allowed Erfurt to go on a 10-0 run to lead 17-12 and they would never look back. The guests got a lift from ex Science City Jena guard Jan Heber who scored twice and young German Dominykas Pleta made a two handed stuff. The guests did a good job using the mismatches and getting easy baskets and slowed down Philipp Hadenfeldt. Down the stretch Frankfurt got baskets from Hadenfeldt and Risto Vasiljevic who was back after having played a season of Pro A ball with the MLP Academics Heidelberg, but Erfurt had the 21-18 lead after 10 minutes.

In the second quarter the Fraport Skyliners Juniors remained on the guests door step, but half way through they were able to break away and lead by double digits and would never look back. The powerful physical Noah Kamden began the second quarter with a lay in, but Frankfurt countered with baskets from Bilski and Hadenfeldt to trim the Lowen’s lead down to 25-23. The Basketball Lowen continued to have a grip on the game and had fine offensive execution getting timely baskets from Guy Landry Edi who let his mid range game take control and Noah Kamden made a two handed dunk for the 36-29 lead. Frankfurt received baskets from Konstantin Schubert and Leon Pullen. It was no secret that Frankfurt was missing their two big men Marco Voeller and Alexander Richardson who were in Braunschweig for a BBL cup game and it showed inside as they had no muscle to combat the intensity and physicality of Erfurt. The guests closed out the second quarter with a 9-4 run to lead comfortably 45-33 at the break. Edi who played 56 NCAA games with Gonzaga showed his classic inside out game scoring inside and nailing a trey. Pleta also scored twice gaining an offensive rebound and put back and a back door lay in. Edi was instrumental with the guests having the double digit lead. He finished the night with 18/12/4 stats shooting 54% from the field. ‘I didn’t force anything early on and was finding my teammates more. Later I got to my spots better. I knew I had to score more to get my team going’, stressed Guy Landry Edi. Frankfurt’s two sore spots rebounding and turnovers were thorns in their side and were the main reason why they trailed. They had 12 turnovers to Erfurt’s 6 after 20 minutes.

In the third quarter the Basketball Lowen Erfurt were able to use their rising self-confidence and raise their lead and limited the Fraport Skyliners Juniors to only 11 points. Erfurt began with a swift 7-2 run to lead 52-35. Kamden began with an easy basket as Frankfurt had nobody that could combat his game. Heber followed with a dunk on transition and Edi let his athleticism shine with a lay in. Then followed three three’s from Bilski, Lyles and Hadenfeldt, but Frankfurt just couldn’t get consistent stops and still were seeking a way to get over the hump trailed 56-43. The Basketball Lowen Erfurt did a great job pressuring the Frankfurt guards and sneaking in annoying presses that Frankfurt couldn’t come to terms with. Tyseem Lyles had a dark shooting night 1/16, but they got good support from other guys. Frankfurt just couldn’t muster any offensive efficiency often getting forced to take tough shots. Pleta made a second chance play to points and Heber and Calvin Schaum added free throws, but Frankfurt still trailed 61-44 after 30 minutes. ‘We haven’t been good this season starting the third quarter. Tonight we came in more focused. Everybody stepped up helping us keep a good lead. We still had too many turnovers. We need to cut down on them’, stressed Guy Landry Edi. ‘They punished us each time we made a mistake. They pressured our guards well and we couldn’t contain Edi. He is very difficult to defend, because he has a very good shot for a 4 man’, commented Philipp Hadenfeldt. Frankfurt had a very poor third quarter shooting the ball and were behind on the boards 33-24 and had 15 turnovers.

The fourth quarter was the Fraport Skyliners Juniors best quarter of the game as they won it 17-16. Kamden and Hadenfeldt traded baskets to kick off the last quarter, but a lethal 10-0 run by the Basketball Lowen Erfurt sealed the win as they led 71-47. In the run, it was Jan Heber again who supplied his energy and offense scoring twice Latvian guard Otto Fahrenhorsts connected on a runner, Edi once again scored an easy bucket and Kamden made a two handed dunk on the fast break. Frankfurt’s energy level was sinking rapidly on the defensive end as the physicality of the guests left massive scars on the Frankfurt players. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors then found some last gas in their tank and closed out the game with a 12-2 run that made the score look a little bit better. Frankfurt finally began to execute better led by Konstantin Schubert’s 6 points. Hadenfeldt and Calvin Schaum also added three pointers. ‘We needed to be more focused at the end. Coach gave some guys from the bench the opportunity to step up and show that they can play. We played too soft. The young guys need to learn from these situations’, stated Guy Landry Edi. ‘Every point is valuable. We have to look at the point differential. We know that we play them again. We took our last energy for the run at the end. We had some guys play today that usually don’t get the chance’, said Philipp Hadenfeldt. The Basketball Lowen Erfurt were led by Guy Landry Edi with 18 points. Jan Heber added 17 points and Noah Kamden 16 points while the Fraport Skyliners Juniors were led by Philipp Hadenfeldt and Niklas Bilski with 14 points apiece. The Basketball Lowen Erfurt shot 45% from the field and 15% from outside and had 44 rebounds and 17 turnovers while the Fraport Skyliners Juniors shot 35% from the field and 27% from outside and had 35 rebounds and 19 turnovers.