After a scary and poor start to the season where the Fraport Skyliners Juniors raced out to a 3 game losing streak, they have rebounded well winning 5 of their last 6 games. They continue to prove that when they have a full roster, they can beat anyone. Even when they had a roster half full with NBBL (U-19) players, they still gave top pro B team Oberaching a good run for their money. They met 4-5 team Ehingen who came from the Pro A and brought a solid 2-2 road record, but had lost their last 2 games. On a untypical early Saturday afternoon game 2 weeks before Christmas eve, the Fraport Skyliners Juniors who had beat Erfurt last week on the road were fully motivated and played a hard fought game against Team Ehingen Urspring and saved their best for last executing in fine fashion in crunch-time getting by Team Ehingen Urspring 71-67. After a slow shooting day, Philipp Hadenfeldt stepped up his game hitting some big shots at the end to preserve the win. ‘I think our only good strength today was our fighting qualities. After a slow start we never stopped fighting. This win was huge for our mentality. We won the last game easily and now were tested and saw that we can win the tight ones’, stated ex Wurzburg guard Philipp Hadenfeldt (189-PG-1999) Team Ehingen Urspring played a good game and for many phases seemed to be the team in control, but Frankfurt really came together in the fourth quarter and the guests didn’t have the same defensive intensity anymore. Team Ehingen Urspring American Andre Nation carried the team for almost the whole game and was disappointed after the loss. ‘We had a good first half, but sluggish third quarter. We lost our composure at the end. We played consistent for 35 minutes and played good defense for 27 minutes. We want to keep getting better and defend better. We feel that if we can hold teams to 65 points then we will always have good chances to win’, stated ex James Madison (NCAA) forward Andre Nation.

Nils Leonhardt at the FT line

The Fraport Skyliners entered the game without German Jordan Samare who was being rested for the easyCredit BBL game that evening against the MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg. The first quarter was a very tight affair as there were 4 lead changes. Team Ehingen Urspring got some early production from their young Germans Daniel Zacek and Moritz Heck while Frankfurt got baskets from sharp shooter Felix Hecker and 7 year man Alvin Oniya. Both teams had early problems with taking care of the ball as both teams combined for 14 after 10 minutes as the press was giving both clubs problems. After ex Trier forward Nils Leonhardt gave Frankfurt the 6-5 lead, Team Ehingen Urspring then took the lead back and kept it. Andre Nation who was a menace all day long connected on a trey and Luxemburg stat filler Ivan Delgado made a lay in. Frankfurt tried to use the size advantage as Team Ehingen Urspring was very small and fed ex BBL player Marco Voeller inside and he used his experience and touch with a lay in and hook shot to stay close trailing only 12-10. Team Ehingen Urspring then got a three pointer from JBBL champion with Alba Berlin Erik Penteker for the 15-10 advantage. Team Ehingen Urspring did a good job keeping the touches of Felix Hecker limited. Frankfurt got some key baskets down the stretch form Hadenfeldt and Justin Onyejiaka to stay close and trail only 17-15 after one quarter. ‘We prepared well for them, but they came out with a different game plan which rattled us a bit. We were unsure how to play their press and they did a good job getting in passing lanes’, stressed Philipp Hadenfeldt Both teams had horrible three point percentages and Team Ehingen Urspring had the 8-7 rebound edge.

Daniel Zacek from outside

The contest continued to be a tug of war in the first 5 minutes of the second quarter, but Team Ehingen Urspring buckled down in the last 5 minutes controlling the game and going on a run to have a 9 point lead going into the break. Team Ehingen Urspring had good support from their bench as Mateo Vidovic nailed a trey and ex Paderborn 210cm center Vincent Neugebauer made a lay in while the Fraport Skyliners Juniors continued to get valuable production from Marco Voeller who hit a hook shot and made an offensive rebound and put back for the 24-22 advantage. No team could get away from each other as the game was a turnover party as there had been 19 turnovers before 14 minutes had been played. Andre Nation tied the game with free throws and Vacek made a lay in for the 26-24 Team Ehingen Urspring lead. Onyejiaka then made a thunderous one hand dunk as Marco Voeller some how saw him from near the three point line to dead lock the game at 26-26. But then the game took a little turn as Team Ehingen Urspring closed out the second quarter with a timely 11-2 run to lead 37-28 at half-time. In the run, It was Andre Nation that took control scoring 3 baskets including 2 runners. ‘He is hard to defend. He is their main player. He had a hand everywhere during the game’, stated Philipp Hadenfeldt Team Ehingen Urspring stepped up their defense as well getting extra possessions on a block by Linus Ihle and overall superb defense where Frankfurt got little open shots. ‘We had problems with their pick and roll defense. They switched a lot and the help was quick. We didn’t move the ball fast enough and they were always a step quicker’, warned Philipp Hadenfeldt The Fraport Skyliners Juniors continued to shoot badly with 34% from the field and only 9% from outside while Team Ehingen Urspring shot 48% from the field and 31% from outside, but Frankfurt had the 18-16 rebound edge and 12 turnovers while Team Ehingen Urspring had 13 turnovers.

Felix Hecker from downtown

Team Ehingen Urspring continued to have the comfortable lead in the third quarter and even led by as much as 13 points, but the Fraport Skyliners Juniors got stronger in the last few minutes and clawed their way closer trailing only by 5 points after 30 minutes. Team Ehingen Urspring continued to get good support from the bench as Neugebauer scored twice and Nation made a step back jumper to keep the Fraport Skyliners Juniors down 43-32. The Frankfurt offense was inconsistent and after Felix Hecker scored on the drive, Team Ehingen Urspring then scored twice on two horrendous mistakes by Frankfurt as the miscommunication on offense was terrible. Two turnovers led to two easy buckets by Delgado and a pretty double pump dunk by Andre Nation as Team Ehingen Urspring had their biggest lead of the game at 47-34. ‘My favorite dunkers are Kobe and Vince Carter. I got that double pump dunk from Kobe’, smiled Andre Nation. Team Ehingen Urspring continued to play great defense getting in passing lanes and just not allowing Frankfurt to get into a rhythm. But the Fraport Skyliners Juniors then closed out the third quarter reborn going on a 12-4 run to trail 51-46. In the run, the Fraport Skyliners Juniors received sound support from Nolan Adekunle who was off his mark having an off night with 9 points, but in the run supplied 5 points. Big man Alex Richardson also had an off night made his only basket count with a hammer dunk and Voeller also scored using the mismatch well. ‘Hecker gave us the needed energy that we didn’t have before’, stated Philipp Hadenfeldt ‘We made silly turnovers. We sped up our game to much. When they went on their run, we had miscommunication’, expressed Andre Nation. Team Ehingen Urspring continued to be the better shooting team, but the Fraport Skyliners Juniors had the 25-24 rebound advantage and 18 turnovers while Team Ehingen Urspring had 20 turnovers.

Erik Penteker at the FT line

The game remained tight in the fourth quarter, but the Fraport Skyliners Juniors had the better nerves and execution to crunch-time to prevail. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors began with a bang going on the 10-4 run to recapture the lead 56-54. Marco Voeller was feeling it this game and carried the team in the first minutes of the fourth quarter supplying a clutch 9 points to lead Team Ehingen Urspring only 56-54. Voeller was supplying the total package with his outside shooting and sound pick and roll game. But one guy Frankfurt didn’t have on their menu was Daniel Vacek who suddenly became a sniper scoring 3 three’s in a row to give Team Ehingen Urspring the 63-60 advantage. ‘He has been struggling and for him to make those shots was huge for us. We always want the open guys to get up shots’, stressed Andre Nation. That Vacek momentum carried on a bit more as Penteker made an off balance shot and Delgado a free throw as Frankfurt trailed 66-60. But the Fraport Skyliners Juniors were never out of it as they were clawing their way back. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors then supplied the knock out punch with a 9-0 run to lead 69-66. Hadenfeldt led the charge with a key three to give Frankfurt the 67-66 lead. Voeller also continued to wear down Team Ehingen Urspring in the paint with an offensive rebound and put back and Adekunle also scored. ‘We executed better and the pick and roll worked better. We knew when we had the advantage and had guys in the right place. I knew I had to make big shots and had the self confidence to do it’, said Philipp Hadenfeldt With 17 seconds to go and Team Ehingen Urspring down 69-67, they still had the ball, but top player Andre Nation made an offensive foul which led to Hadenfeldt free throws to secure the win. ‘That was an offensive foul. We got sped up by their pressure. It was a miscommunication. I was supposed to slip screen. It was a good call by the ref. They really did a good job. It’s really tough to ref in this league’, stated Andre Nation. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors were led by Marco Voeller with 23 points while Philipp Hadenfeldt added 14 points and Team Ehingen Urspring were led by Andre Nation with 20 points and 10 rebounds and Daniel Zacek added 14 points. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors shot 40% form the field and 20% form outside and had 36 reboudns and 21 turnovers while Team Ehingen Urspring shot 46% from the field and 32% from outside and had 32 rebounds and 26 turnovers.

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