Since the grueling home loss to Trier, the Fraport Skyliners were riding a potent 4 game winning streak and had kept 3 of the last 4 opponents to 68 points or less. They followed up their incredible double OT win over Koblenz with a new satisfying road win in Nurnberg and came back home to meet the pesky 12-9 PS Karlsruhe team. They have been playing solid ball having won 2 of their last 3 games including back to back nail bitter wins, but they couldn´t add a third in a row as they lost a heart breaking 94-90 contest in Kirchheim. They came to Frankfurt seeking revenge for the tough 70-68 loss to Frankfurt earlier in the season in their living room and got it from a cold as ice Garai Zeeb who powered PS Karlsruhe to the satisfying 80-69 victory. The German who has 107 easyCredit BBL games on his resume scorched Frankfurt with 21 points and it seemed like with every new shot made, his self confidence climbed another notch. You could see in his eyes that he really wanted to show his ex team on their turf just how good of a player he is. “Garai was really motivated and focused to play against his ex team. I like him also feel that we can play both at a high level. Garai told me before the game that he wanted to prove against Frankfurt that he can play at a high level. It was nice that we both did”, smiled PS Karlsruhe guard O´Showen Williams. It wasn´t only Zeeb who sparkled but it was the whole team as that special team chemistry was present and they played with high intensity for 40 minutes. “We had leads a lot this season where we panicked. We didn´t want that to happen again. We played at our own pace and controlled the game. We knew that Frankfurt plays with patience on the court and like to use the whole 24 seconds on the shot clock. Our goal was to play good defense for the whole 24 seconds and just stay connected. We stayed poised and let our defense dictate our offense. We play unselfish on offense and just trust each other”, stated Georgia, native O´Showen Williams. The Fraport Skyliners had too many up and down phases and were missing that general that could take over in difficult phases. “They played tougher than we did. They gave you nothing on defense and we had to work hard for every shot. We couldn´t match their intensity for 40 minutes”, stressed Fraport Skyliner David Muenkat.

     David Muenkat to the hole          

 The first few minutes was an intense battle where both teams tried to set the tone and both teams scored well. PS Karlsruhe got three´s from Zeeb and Williams while the Fraport Skyliners got an early trey from Canadian Aiden Warnholtz and 2 lay in´s by 2018 NBBL champion Lorenz Brenneke as Frankfurt had the tight 7-5 advantage. But then came the turning point of the game as PS Karlsruhe jumped all over Frankfurt with a lethal 14-2 run to get the overwhelming 19-9 lead that had Frankfurt having to play catch up basketball all afternoon long. The guests got 2 three´s by Williams and one three by Zeeb and a put back by Danish forward Bakkary Dibba and a lay in by ex Jena forward Melvin Joostman. The guests had superior ball movement and showed that intact team chemistry with that extra pass and no ego play while on defense, they didn´t allow Frankfurt to get inside, so they had to attempt contested three´s. The PS Karlsruhe bench also gave great energy and they simply had more intensity crashing the boards. Ex Oldenburg guard Kevin Mcclain stopped the run with a clutch trey as Frankfurt trailed 19-12. But there was absolutely no let down by the guests as they cruised on a 8-3 run to have the commanding 27-15 lead after 10 minutes. In the run, PS Karlsruhe continued to get solid support from Dibba with a trey and Zeeb as always in attack mode as he added 5 points. Did Frankfurt underestimate PS Karlsruhe a bit? “We have been playing with a chip on our shoulders since the start of the season where everyone picked us to finish last. We have proved that we can compete with anyone in the league. The team followed my lead. I began the game aggressive at both ends. Zeeb got hot so we gave him the ball and then it was Dibba´s turn. We give the ball to whoever was hot”, stated Oshowen Williams. PS Karlsruhe shot 63% from the field and 67% from outside and had 9 rebounds and 5 turnovers while the Fraport Skyliners shot 46% from the field and 40% from outside and had 5 rebounds and 5 turnovers.

           Bakary Dibba at the FT line     

In the second quarter it looked like PS Karlsruhe would totally decide the game early as they led by 20 points, but the Fraport Skyliners had a big run to get back into the game, but they still trailed by double figures at the break. PS Karlsruhe totally caught Frankfurt off guard as they punched Frankfurt with an annoying 11-2 run to lead 37-17. In the run, it was Zeeb again who continued his mesmorizing and terrorizing game with 7 points as he dropped 2 three´s. Dibba continued to be aggressive on the glass scoring while rookie Vic Bailey who beat NCAA powerhouse Kentucky twice made a lay up. PS Karlsruhe continued to play great aggressive defense not allowing Frankfurt to generate a flow as they had little ball movement that led to terrible shots and just overall sloppy play. When they did get a bucket, it was because of isolation play by a Mcclain who can play that game. Frankfurt somehow rebounded from their morbid situation and slapped the guests back with a 12-2 run to trail 39-29. In the run, Frankfurt upped their defensive intensity and were rewarded with 2 Justin Onyejiaka transition baskets, while Brenneke upped his intensity and aggressiveness in the paint getting a dunk and tip in. Ex Wurzburg guard Julian Albus stopped the run with a three pointer as he is always reliable from down town as he twice averaged 40% in a season in the Pro B. Frankfurt had more confidence and executed well in the last minute closing out the second quarter with a Brenneke left handed lay in and Onyejiaka lay in to trail 45-33. “Basketball is a game of runs. Sometimes we get too emotional and get down when we get hit by a run. We did a good job weathering the storm when they had their run”, commented O´showen Williams. PS Karlsruhe shot 57% from the field and 60% from the three point line and had 15 rebounds and 13 turnovers while the Fraport Skyliners shot 47% from the field and 30% from the three point line and had 14 rebounds and 13 turnovers.

  Lorenz Brenneke at the FT line             

 In the third quarter PS Karlsruhe continued to control the game never allowing the Fraport Skyliners to get over the hump as Frankfurt couldn´t cut the lead down more than to 8 points. Frankfurt actually had a strong first few minutes of the second half as they roared out on a 4-0 run and made 3 stops to trail only 45-37. Warnholtz displayed a lay in and Justin Onyejiaka was aggressive as usual sinking 2 free throws. But Frankfurt just couldn´t hold the consistency as they had to many down phases. Zeeb stopped the mini run with a lay in which was followed by a Williams trey and Dibba free throws and suddenly Frankfurt was trailing 52-37. The intensity level of Frankfurt sunk again and the guests aggressive defense forced turnovers. A Muenkat dunk was followed by a Albus three pointer and Frankfurt trailed 55-39. Then came an up phase by Frankfurt as they somehow mustered a 7-0 run to trail 55-46. In the run, Mcclain dropped another trey and German Nolan Adekunle and Jacob Knauf were set up beautifully by Swiss army knife Cameron Henry. But once again, Frankfurt could make more damage off another run as the guests got another three pointer by Zeeb and received incredible support from the bench from Australian Lachlan Dent with a floater and a Joostman tip in to lead 62-50 after 30 minutes. “We practice harder than the way we play in games. We may not be the biggest or smartest team, but we make that up with intensity and energy”, warned O´showen Williams. “They continued to play tough and just brought that same intensity for 40 minutes which we couldn´t match”, expressed David Muenkat. PS Karlsruhe shot 48% from the field and 43% from the parking lot and had 24 rebounds and 16 turnovers while the Fraport Skyliners shot 45% from the field and 29% from the parking lot and had 25 rebounds and 19 turnovers.

  Garai Zeeb from downtown             

 In the fourth quarter the Fraport Skyliners continued to fight and delivered a little come back in crunch-time, but they never got closer than 6 points. Frankfurt had another lightening start to a quarter as they hit PS Karlsruhe with a mini 4-0 run to cut the guests lead down to 62-54 as bigs Brenneke and Samare were aggressive in the paint area scoring twice. But whenever Frankfurt countered, PS Karlsruhe always had an answer denying a bigger run. Dent made a free throw and Joostman connected on transition as Frankfurt trailed 65-54. Frankfurt had had 2 good looks on their last 2 possessions, but just couldn´t make the shots. Frankfurt simply had to little offensive execution as they got baskets from Samare and Muenklat, but still trailed 70-59. Booker Coplin had been a disappointment as he had had a tough shooting day and didn´t achieve his first field goal until the 3,13 minute mark as Frankfurt trailed 70-62. Henry made a turn around shot as Frankfurt trailed 71-64, but Zeeb had an answer with a tough lay in in traffic for the 75-64 guests lead. “He made tough shots. He got going early and it´s tough to stop a guy when he gets his rhythm going early”, added David Muenkat. Frankfurt had one last gasp of energy as they got consecutive buckets from Knauf and a timely trey by Cameron Henry to trail 75-69 with 1,20 to play. But Frankfurt then suffered a technical foul by head coach Dennis Wucherer and Williams made 3 free throws and Dibba closed out the win with a massive dunk. “We stayed composed. We got better as a team today. We didn´t panic and made our free throws and took care of the ball”, stressed O´showen Williams. “They got stops and took good shots. They did a good job always supplying pressure and never settling. We did a good job chipping away, but didn´t have our feet on the gas pedal long enough”, warned David Muenkat. PS Karlsruhe was led by Garai Zeeb with 21 points. Bakary Dibba and O´showen Williams supplied 17 points a piece while the Fraport Skyliners were led by Kevin Mcclain and Lorenz Brenneke with 13 points a piece. PS Karlsruhe shot 47% from the field and 42% from outside and had 35 rebounds and 19 turnovers while the Fraport Skyliners shot 42% from the field and 30% from outside and had 36 rebounds and 19 turnovers.