The Fraport Skyliners Juniors season in a way has been similar to the easyCredit BBL team Juniors as they also started out the season 0-3. After playing the EPG Baskets Koblenz tough, they went on the road and lost 2 classic nail bitters to Speyer and Leitershofen losing only by a combined score of 8 points. Their next opponent was Porsche BBA Ludwigsburg, the famr team of easyCredit BBL team MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg who came to Frankfurt with a 1-3 record. The Ludwigsburg team is a very young team that won a thriller over the AC Wizards, but in the last 2 games had enormous defensive problems as they allowed 90 plus points to Orange Academy and Oberaching. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors wanted to do like the senior team and win their first game of the season on their fourth try under the usual watchful eyes of Skyliner legend Quantez Robertson and did 77-56 over the offensive weak Porsche BBA Ludwigsburg. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors came out strong defensively carried the intensity for 40 minutes as the guests had enormous shooting difficulty never establishing an offensive rhythm. ‘We had high energy right from the start something we didn’t have in the other games. We wanted it more than they did. We communicated well on defense and took away their back screens and pin downs. On offense we moved the ball well, attacked and rebounded well’, stressed Fraport Skyliner Junior Justin Onyejiaka . Porsche BBA Ludwigsburg got off on the wrong side of the bed and were never fully awake as they could never find a rhythm and had to play catch up all night long. ‘We didn’t play aggressive from the start. Frankfurt played very well and are a very disciplined team. It was tough for us when our main players couldn’t take responsibility. They reacted in the second half and we played better, but the game had 2 different faces in the two halves’, stated Porsche BBA Ludwigsburg head coach Khee Rhee.

Jordan Samare at the FT line

The Fraport Skyliners Juniors were without veteran Marco Voeller and scorer Felix Hecker, but with all respect didn’t need them on this evening. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors rushed out to a rapid 4-0 lead as ex U-20 German national player Philipp Hadenfeldt (189-PG-1999) scored in the lane and big man Jordan Samare scored on transition hauling in a touch down pass from Hadenfeldt. Frankfurt found their rhythm quickly while the guests had problems getting in their sets. After Onyejiaka made it 6-2 with a lay in, the guests found some daylight and before one could blink had tied the game with Sebastian Hartmann and Esli Edgin baskets who came from the Dragons Rhondorf. But little spurts of good offense was something that Porsche BBA Ludwigsburg would have to deal with all night long as they couldn’t muster more. It didn’t help the guests cause either that their playmaker Mikey De Sousa had to leave after 4,39 minutes because of injury. The offense never got started after his departure. Frankfurt then had a potent phase again cruising out on a 10-3 run to lead 16-9. In the run the Fraport Skyliners Juniors got super energy from ex Alba Berlin forward Nolan Adenkunle who scored twice on the drive his biggest strength as he can match athleticism with anyone. Big Man Alexander Richardson was also active showing his wide array of shooting arsenal making a hook shot and mid distance shot. Jordan Samare anticipated well catching a Hadenfeld air ball and layed it in. Frankfurt was in control of the game playing their game and getting everyone involved while the guests couldn’t settle down as missed shots and turnovers were the norm. Frankfurt closed out the quarter strong with Samare free throws and Onyejiaka ended it with a bang as with 6,7 seconds remaining went from center court and stuffed home the ball for the 20-10 advantage. ‘Jordan Samare gave me a back screen and winked at me to go. I had space and went to the rim. I would give my dunk a good 8’, smiled Justin Onyejiaka (195-F-2004). ‘I could tell by his speed that Justin would go to the rim. He finished with authority and that carried over in the second quarter. We played good defense. They rushed their shots and didn’t make the easy plays’, stated Quantez Robertson. The guests couldn’t hit the ocean as they shot 19% from the field and 14% from outside.

George Cotoara at the FT line

The Fraport Skyliners Juniors continued their solid play at both ends of the court in the second quarter extending their lead to 21 points and the guests continued not to get into the game and play their game. Frankfurt got off to a quick start again totally opening up the game with a 13-2 run to extend their lead to 33-12. Frankfurt couldn’t hit from outside, so they had no other choice than to attack the rim as their athletic players Onyejiaka, Adenkunle and Nils Leonhardt all scored. Richardson also added a tip in in the run. Adenkunle continued to be a huge spark plug scoring in the lane and transition as Frankfurt had everyone involved. Hadenfeldt continued to execute his playmaking well and on defense Frankfurt got into passing lanes well and got out on the Ludwigsburg shooters. Diminutive 178cm guard Edonis Paqarada was inserted and gave the club instant energy as his aggressive on ball defense annoyed Frankfurt and he scored a lay in as his quick first step couldn’t be stopped. But Ludwigsburg couldn’t start a string of stops as Frankfurt was able to execute at a good rate getting more production from Onyejiaka with a big dunk and a lay in from German 3 and D player Bennet Schubert. Ludwigsburg got buckets from George Cotoara and Edigin, but Frankfurt still led 40-19 at the break. ‘We rebounded well and had good help defense. We made it tough on their shooters and limited them to one shot and forced turnovers’, said Quantez Robertson. The guests continued to shoot terrible at 21% from the field and 7% from outside while Frankfurt shot 48% from the field and had the 27-20 rebound edge. But the combined 1/24 shooting from outside form both teams was shocking. ‘Just one made shot is hard to believe. You have to take open shots and not tough shots’, stated Quantez Robertson.

Nolan Adekunle with the lay up

The Fraport Skyliners Juniors were able to keep their big lead while Porsche BBA Ludwigsburg got their offense running better but couldn’t make any ground on Frankfurt. Hadenfeldt got Frankfurt on the board first after the break with a pretty left handed lay in and Richardson made 2 free throws for the 44-19 lead. But Porsche BBA Ludwigsburg didn’t give up going on a mini 5-0 run as Cotoara and Hartmann made lay ins. The guests stepped up their defense and got into passing lanes better. Frankfurt got a bit cute in this phase instead of keeping their game simple. Both teams had offensive rhythm and began trading baskets as Frankfurt got buckets from Richardson, a trey from Hadenfeldt and Onyejiaka lay in while the guests got support from Hartmann with a beautiful off balance shot and lay in’s from German Marco Santana and Abdulkay Koemuerkara, but Frankfurt still had the comfortable 51-30 lead. After a tough first half shooting wise, Sebastian Hartmann found his touch in the second half making a trey and Emmanuel Ugbo showed his athleticism making a lay in. Onyejiaka remained aggressive and got to the free throw line twice while Bennet Schubert made a pretty runner as the Fraport Skyliners Juniors led 56-35 after 30 minutes. ‘We went into the third quarter with the mind set that the score was 0-0 and not that we were up by 20 points. We continued to play with high energy and kept the lead’, stated Justin Onyejiaka. ‘We defended with more aggressiveness. We played better offense, but overall had to much respect for their defense. We should of attacked more, but it isn’t easy for the youngsters because the Pro B is a lot more physical then the Regionalliga from last year’, stated Khee Rhee. The Fraport Skyliners continued to shoot better from the field, but both teams were still a huge liability from outside as they were combined 3/34. Frankfurt had the rebound edge 37-25 and both teams had 13 turnovers a piece.

Emmanuel Ugo with the lay in

Both teams executed well in the fourth quarter as both teams scored 21 points which didn’t help Porsche BBA Ludwigsburg to get over the hump. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors continued to get super support from Bennet Schubert who made a lay in getting by the athletic Ugbo. Hadenfeldt hit a trey and Onyejiaka made a lay in while the guests got buckets from Paqarada, a trey from Hartmann and a dunk from Ugbo, but Ludwigsburg still trailed 62-42. After a tough first half, Emmanuel Ugbo finally got his offense going scoring 2 lay ups and made a three pointer. Captain Aeneas Jung who missed almost 2 years because of 2 ACL injuries hit a trey and Cotoara made another hook shot, but Ludwigsburg just couldn’t make any ground. Frankfurt still had some fascinating shots to come as Hadenfeldt made a neat 3 point bank shot and Schubert made a pretty runner with a few Eurosteps that nobody noticed. It was the first win of the season for the Fraport Skyliners Juniors who really needed it. ‘They got a little tired. We let up a bit, but didn’t have any long negative lapses. We kept control’, warned Justin Onyejiaka. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors were led by Justin Onyejiaka with 19 points while Philipp Hadenfeldt added 14 points and 7 assists while Porsche BBA Ludwigsburg were led by Sebastian Hartmann with 15 points while Emmanuel Ugbo supplied 11 points. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors shot 51% from the field and 13% from outside and had 42 rebounds and 17 turnovers while Porsche BBA Ludwigsburg shot 34% from the field and 18% from outside and had 32 rebounds and 19 turnovers.

Tags : PHILIPP HADENFELDT, FRAPORT SKYLINERS FRANKFURT JUNIOR TEAM, GERMAN BASKETBALL