3 things that Pro B clubs Frankfurt, Orange Academy and FC Bayern Basketball 2 have in common is that they are the fam teams of easyCredit BBL clubs, but one thing they don´t have in common so far this season are the results. FC Bayern Basketball 2 and Orange Academy had a combined record of 11-4 and were 2-3 in the standings and have really taken the league by storm while the Skyliners Juniors were still searching for their rhythm having only a 2-4 record. A big reason for their success had been simply that years of playing together had really shaped their team chemistry. Whereas other teams are still looking for their chemistry, Orange Academy and FC Bayern Basketball 2 have it. It also has helped that they have been successful at the youth sector. Orange Academy have guys that won at the JBBL (U-16) level and had guys reach the U-19 NBBL (U-19) top 4. FC Bayern Basketball 2 had 6 players from last seasons NBBL title team in the Pro B. The only good news for the Skyliners Juniors was that after starting slow losing 4 of their first 5 games, they struck back last weekend with a very convincing win in Speyer 84-69. They wanted to keep the winning streak alive against the 6-2 Munich team. On a mild Saturday night in Frankfurt, FC Bayern Basketball 2 controlled the game for 3 quarters, but in the fourth quarter couldn´t contain a massive Skyliners Juniors comeback, but in the end the guests prevailed with the grind out 95-90 win. “We played well for 32 minutes, but didn´t in the last 8 minutes. They played a zone that pushed us out of our offense. We came back together and closed out the game strong. However we shouldn´t have allowed them to come back”, stressed FC Bayern Basketball 2 guard Agust Kjartansson. The Skyliners Juniors had to play catch up basketball the whole night and saved their best for the last quarter scoring 35 points, but their massive comeback wasn´t rewarded in crunch-time as little errors caught up with them. The biggest problem for the Skyliners Juniors was not being able to show consistency for 40 minutes. “We can´t come out for 30 minutes and not be ready to play and stick to the game plan. We have to come back way to much this season in games. We defend and rebound well when we come back, but we have to do this for the whole game. It is a mental thing. We have to get our stuff together”, warned a distraught Dusan Nikolic of the Skyliners Juniors.

Nikolas Sermpezis at the FT line

The Skyliners Juniors were without German forward Julius Messer and Czech Republic guard Lukas Smazak, but had 2 guys back after injuries with Ivan Crnjac and Maxi Peters. Both teams found their offensive rhythm right away as both teams got their bigs involved as Italian Alessio Calamita scored twice as did ex Kronberg big Florian Dietrich. Both teams were aggressive on the glass and there were 4 lead changes in the first minutes as Frankfurt had the 8-7 lead. But then came the first turning point of the game as FC Bayern Basketball 2 went on a 12-2 run to lead 20-10. In the run, the guests showed nice inside out basketball getting 3 three´s with one from Kjartansson and two from German U-19 ´world cup silver medalist Nicolas Kodjoe while Calamita continued to get good position getting a lay in while ex Dresden center Kilian Fischer connected on free throws. Munich defended with discipline and didn´t allow Frankfurt to score on the drive while Frankfurt had a lack of communication on the defensive allowing open looks. Crnjac scored his first field goal of the season and Nikolic dropped free throws while Greek youth national player Nikolas Sermpezis (196-SF-2007) added a 25 footer and free throws as FC Bayern Basketball 2 led comfortably 24-14 after 10 minutes. “The Skyliners Juniors were missing some key players and had to integrate 2 new guys which was difficult getting all on the same page. They were aggressive on the rebound, but missed too many easy lay ups”, stressed Eintracht Frankfurt/Skyliners head coach Thore Bethke. FC Bayern Basketball 2 shot 42% from the field and 43% from outside and had 11 rebounds and 1 turnover while the Skyliners Juniors shot 26% from the field and 0% from outside and had 14 rebounds and 4 turnovers.

Jamie Edoka with the massive dunk

In the second quarter FC Bayern Basketball 2 continued to control the game while fans saw 2 spectacular plays. Both teams found their offensive rhythm punching back and forth. Sermpezis nailed a trey while Frankfurt remained aggressive reaching the rim as Jamie Edoka and ex Neustadt forward Leif Zentgraf made lay in´s, but the guests still led 29-19. After a Desmon Yiamu who came to Munich in 2022 during the Ukraine war made a lay in, it was the big moment of Jamie Edoka as he came from the wing and took no prisoners as he flew to the rim and made a massive poster dunk as Frankfurt trailed 31-21. “That was a great dunk. He read the close out really well. He has a 7,1 wing span which is crazy for his height”, added Thore Bethke. Both teams continued to trade baskets as American Gob Gabriel added 5 points and Frankfurt got lay in´s from Crnjac and Nikolic, but the Skyliners Juniors just couldn´t get over the hump trailing 40-25. After Yiamu hit an old school hook shot and Crnjac made a floater, it was time for the second great play of the quarter. Kjartansson who reads the game so well somehow had eyes in the back of his head as he made a sweet over the shoulder pass ala Jokic to an open Fischer who made the lay in for the 46-30 advantage. “That was a nice pass. You can´t let him be able to operate like that. He has so much experience and gives them good stability”, stated Thore Bethke. FC Bayern Basketball 2 simply had the better offensive execution and had the more aggressive defensive play that stifled Frankfurt time in and time out again were able to lead 50-32 at half time as Kjartansson dropped a trey to end the second quarter. FC Bayern Basketball 2 shot 49% from the field and 50% from the three point line and had 21 rebounds and 1 turnovers while the Skyliners Juniors shot 35% from the field and 0% from the three point line and had 21 rebounds and 5 turnovers. “There were ups and downs with the Skyliners Juniors. Smazak was missing in the guard rotation and the pick and roll wasn´t that good. There were too many guys playing out of position”, stated Thore Bethke.

Caspar Vossenberg with the dunk

The Skyliners Juniors were able to improve their scoring in each quarter, but defensively still allowed 26 points and were unable to make any ground on FC Bayern Basketball trailing 76-55 after 3 quarters. Both teams continued to execute well on the offensive end as the guests got buckets from Calamita and Kodjoe in the zone while Frankfurt got lay in´s from Joschua Zentgraf and Dietrich, but couldn´t make any ground trailing 56-40. Kjartansson made his second great pass of the game making a behind the back bounce pass to Calamita. It was a mix of Doncic, Teodosic and Bird. “I have developed my passing over the years and I have a special feeling to pass the ball. I practice it a lot and do watch a lot of Milos Teodosic. That pass wasn´t Doncic or Bird, but just me”, smiled Agust Kjartansson. Even when the Skyliners Juniors found some daylight, they couldn´t hold that momentum long. Even after they went on a 6-2 run to trail only 58-46 as Nikolic added 4 points and Edoka made a floater, the guests poured on the pressure again going on a 18-9 run to have the 21 point lead after 30 minutes. 16 year old German youth national player Caspar Vossenberg got hot scoring 6 points while Serbian youth national player Andrija Susic added 4 points and Sermpezis made an off balance shot while the Skyliners Juniors got 2 three´s from Maxi Peters. “We came into the third quarter up by 18 points. We wanted to have much energy and keep the lead up and we did that. We executed well at both ends and didn´t let them have any easy shots”, commented Agust Kjartansson. “We didn´t play hard enough or together enough”, commented Dusan Nikolic. FC Bayern Basketball 2 shot48% from the field and 41% from the parking lot and had 30 rebounds and 6 turnovers while the Skyliners Juniors shot 36% from the field and 14% from the parking lot and had 31 reboundsa nd 8 turnovers.

Florian Dietrich at the FT line

The future of the Skyliners Juniors looked bleak going into the fourth quarter, but then came the much desired comeback, but they fell just a bit short at the end. The Skyliners Juniors came into the fourth quarter energized and wasted no time breaking out on a 14-3 run to trail only 79-69. It was the Jamie Edoka show as he scored 9 consecutive points and 11 of the 14 Frankfurt points. He was a one man wrecking crew going down hill time in and time out and proving he can take responsibility for the team. Frankfurt followed Edoka´s energy while FC Bayern Basketball 2 didn´t play team basketball anymore and lost some discipline at both ends. The guests continued to lead with 10 points as Kodjoe and Susic hit shots, but Frankfurt didn´t wilt, but kept fighting as Dusan Nikolic added 6 points as his drive and aggressiveness carried him to success as Frankfurt trailed 85-79. The Skyliners Juniors continued to fight and defend with passion getting stops which led to a 7-0 run as Leif Zentgraf added 5 points and Edoka a lay in to trail only 89-87 with 1,35 to play. “Our pride took over. We didn´t want them to embarrass us. We really didn´t shoot well all game, but we just kept shooting and finally some shots fell foe us. We believed we could come back and played like men”, warned Dusan Nikolic. “We gave them hope. We are a young team and this is basketball. Things like that can happen. We allowed too many easy baskets”, commented Agust Kjartansson. But that was as close as Frankfurt would get. FC Bayern Basketball 2 stayed strong and didn´t fret. Sermpezis added free throws for the 91-78 lead. They then buckled down getting stops and got more free throws from Sermpezis and Gabriel to seal the victory. “We stayed calm. Sermpezis is a straight line driver and so important for us. He got to the basket at the end and made the free throws”, said Agust Kjartansson. “We gambled a bit at the end and couldn´t execute. They had more luck, but that can happen when they played better for 3 Quarters”, said Dusan Nikolic. FC Bayern Basketball 2 were led by Nikolas Sermpezis with 18 points. Agust Kjartansson added 12 points and Niclas Kodjoe had 11 points as did Adrijia Susic while the Skyliners Juniors were led by Jamie Edoka with 25 poiunts while Dusan Nikolic added 17 points. FC Bayern Basketball 2 shot 44% from the field and 40% from outside and had 35 rebounds and 13 turnovers while the Skyliners Juniors shot 45% from the field and 32% from outside and had 40 rebounds and 13 turnovers.