After a long summer, the Skyliners Juniors were back home again for the start of the 2025-206 Pro B season. They had begun the season on the road in Leitershofen and suffered a tough 90-79 loss. Frankfurt was battling sicknesses and injuries and had to play with a 7 man rotation. Their next opponent were the Fellbach Flashers who won the Pro B title in 2023 and have played 2 solid seasons in the Pro B. Fellbach may have been without ex easyCredit BBL slam dunk contest winner Brian Butler who doesn´t play all games, but were with Kris Borisov´s biggest catch of his coaching career with Joanic Gruettner who had just been reeled in. He played 5 seasons in the BBL with BG Goettingen, Bayreuth and Bamberg and was a major attraction for the Pro B. He did score 13 points, but the big attraction was rising Pro B player Nik Schlipf (196-G-2002, college: Alliance) who led the Flashers to the 84-83 win scoring 23 points. It wasn´t a beautiful game, but games like these can always occur at the start of a season. “It was an ugly win. The important thing was that we always stayed together when it mattered most. We kept encouraging each other through every slump in the game. We didn´t shoot well, but kept attacking the paint. We were aggressive minded the whole game and moved the ball well”, stressed Fellbach Flasher Tysem Lyles. The Skyliners Juniors had a lot deeper roster than in Leitershofen, but believed in a 9 man rotation despite being without youngsters Ivan Crnjac, Max Peters and Dusan Nikolic. The Skyliners Juniors fought until the end and had a lot of misfortune at the end, but they should have won the game in other areas. “We made a lot of mistakes and allowed too many fast break points in the first half. It wasn´t our best defensive game. We did a good job on the offensive glass. You don´t see that all the time”, stressed Skyliner Junior Marvin Esser.

Florian Dietrich at the FT line

The Fellbach Flashers got off to a rapid start to lead 8-2 as ex Alliance (NCAA2) forward Nik Schlipf got the hot hand early dropping 2 three pointers for the 8-2 advantage. Ex Nurnberg center Nelson Okafor also got going being aggressive inside getting a lay in and dunk. Alvin Oniya got hot early with a trey and heads up play sneaking in for an offensive rebound and put back as Frankfurt trailed 12-8. Fellbach continued to keep the lead as Schlifp continued to wreck havoc with a 20 footer and alley op pass for the Okafor dunk as Frankfurt trailed 16-10. The game was of a high tempo and many turnovers as both teams remained aggressive on the defensive end. Frankfurt had to play pick up basketball, but always had an answer as German Jamie Edoka hit a trey as Frankfurt trailed 18-16. Fellbach kept the lead as they continued to get easy buckets inside from crafty Gruettner and flashy diminutive guard Travis Davis for the 22-17 advantage. Frankfurt continued to have answers as they also liked to attack the paint as Oniya and German Julius Messer scored for the 23-22 lead and first Frankfurt lead. However it didn´t remain long as Griettner scored at the buzzer for the 24-23 Fellbach lead. “We had good mental concentration. We were never to high or too low. We began well. I was happy for Nik Schlipf who was coming out of a shooting slump. He will have his break through season”, stressed New York native Tyseem Lyles. The Fellbach Flashers shot 55% from the field and 29% from outside and had 8 rebounds and 6 turnovers while the Skyliners Junioers shot 43% from the field and 50% from outside and had 10 rebounds and 6 turnovers.

Mateus Rodriguez from outside

The second quarter was the quarter of the runs that looked like this. 6-2 run for Fellbach, 7-0 Frankfurt run, 4-0 Fellbach run, 5-0 Frankfurt run and 8-0 Fellbach run. Both teams were up and down as day and night. Schlipf and Gruettner scored inside on the first run while Frankfurt countered with ex Kronberg big man Florian Dietrich and and a trey by Czech Republic guard Lukas Smazak to dead lock the game at 32-32. Frankfurt then had a lull again as Fellbach took advantage of it with a Mateus Rodriguez floater and Schlipf lay in for the 36-32 lead. Frankfurt struck back with a run as Leif Zentgraf made a trey as Smazak made a behind the back acrobatic pass and he then made a jumper as Frankfurt found themselves leading again 37-36. However Fellbach also always had an answer and struck back with a 8-0 run to lead 44-37 as Schlipf contributed 5 points and Rodriguez a three pointer. Frankfurt stopped the Flashers run with a Messer tip in to trail 44-39, but they were unable to get over the hump as Gruettner scored as did German Thomas Billinger. However Frankfurt got some key production from undersized German big man Marvin Esser who scored twice in the last minute as Frankfurt trailed 50-46 at the break. “That quarter was full of runs. We remained focused and together. Frankfurt responded always being able to find an answer and start a run. My shot wasn´t falling at all in the first half. I stayed part of the team and did other things to help the team”, stated Tysem Lyles. The Fellbach Flashers shot 56% from the field and 33% from the three point line and had 14 rebounds and 11 turnovers while the Skyliners Juniors shot 48% from the field and 43% from the three point line and had 18 rebounds and 14 turnovers.

Lukas Smazak jumper

In the third quarter the Skyliners Juniors continued to have bad phases, but never allowed the Fellbach Flashers to get away. Frankfurt continued to fight and stay with Fellbach trailing by 3 points after 30 minutes. The Skyliners Juniors got off to a slow start offensively getting stopped 6 times, but defended solidly allowing only 5 points as Lyles made free throws and Schlipf drilled home another trey for the 55-46 lead. The Flashers played high intensity defense getting blocks from Micky De Souza and Lyles. The Skyliners Juniors finally got on the board on their 7th possession as Dietrich had a clear route to the rim and made a thunderous left handed dunk to trail 55-48. Frankfurt went on a 8-2 run to trail 57-55 as Oniya made another big play making a tip in while Smazak hit a three pointer. But the Skyliners Juniors continued to have difficulty slowing down the drive as Mark Golder and Jonathan Gerlinger scored for the 63-57 advantage. The Skyliners Juniors kept fighting, but just couldn´t get over the hump. Leif Zentgraf made a lay in to trail 63-60, Messer a lay in to trail 65-62 and Esser and lay in on transition to trail 67-64. Fellbach continued to execute well offensively and led 69-66 after 3 quarters. “Frankfurt did a good job getting out on transition. We didn´t do a good job on transition defense. We allowed way too many offensive rebounds”, said Tysem Lyles. “We came out fighting and stayed close. We never gave up. We are young and hungry. Our offensive rebounds helped us stay in the game”, said Marvin Esser. The Fellbach Flashers shot 53% from the field and 28% from the parking lot and had 24 rebounds and 15 turnovers while the Skyliners Juniors shot 46% from the field and 33% from the parking lot and had 29 rebounds and 16 turnovers.

Tysem Lylles at the FT line

In the fourth quarter the game remained tight until the end as Fellbach always had the lead except for once early and the Skyliners Juniors had the opportunity to win it on the last possession. Gerlinger and Dietrich traded baskets in the first minute as Fellbach led 71-68. Fellbach remained aggressive as Swiss guard Rodriguez got to the free throw line twice and scored 4 points, but Frankfurt remained alert and let it rain three´s as Leif Zentgraf and Lukas Smazak hit three´s for the 75-74 Skyliners Juniors lead. However the Skyliners Juniors were never able to take that key run when they had the lead. Instead Fellbach fired with a 9-0 run to lead 83-75 as crunch time appeared. The Flashers were led by clutch Lyles and Schlipf three´s. It looked like this may have been the moment where the Skyliners Juniors would cave in for good, but they didn´t. Frankfurt buckled down on defense and got consecutive stops while Leif Zentgraf scored 5 points including a trey to trail Fellbach 83-80. Okafor then made 1 of 2 free throws for the 84-80 Flashers lead The Skyliners Juniors continued to get stops and 3 free throws by Messer to trail 84-83 with 50 seconds to play. “Frankfurt came back giving us different looks on defense. They got mulitiple defensive rotations which gave them open looks”, commented Tysem Lyles. The Juniors then stopped Schilpf and had the ball with 24 seconds to go. The Skyliners Juniors had fate in their own hands and didn´t get any support from the basketball God. Frankfurt got 3 offensive rebounds and Joscha Zentgraf got fouled with 3,2 seconds remaining. He had fate in his hands, but missed both free throws. He got the offensive rebound and then traveled. Gruettner did lose the ball to Dietrich at center court, but his last second shot only hit the back board ending the contest. “I was still calm when he missed first free throw. My heart sank when he missed the second and had the offensive rebound. But we grinded out the win and a win is a win”, stressed Tyseem Llyles. “We can´t be in a situation like we were at the end. We have to find a way to win the game earlier”, commented Marvin Esser. The Fellbach Flashers were led by Nik Schlipf with 23 points while Mateus Rodriguez added 19 points while the Skyliners Junioers were led by Leif Zengraf with 18 points while Lukas Smazak and Alvin Oniya added 14 points a piece. The Fellbach Flashers shot 49% from the field and 30% from outside and had 29 rebounds and 17 turnovers while the Skyliners Juniors shot 40% from the field and 30% from outside and had 48 rebounds and 23 turnovers.