After a slow start to the season at 0-2, the Skyliners Juniors have found a healthy rhythm with a 3 game winning streak. They showed their tough mentality and come back force with a tight win over the Dragons Rhondorf, a big road win in Ludwigsburg and a total offensive explosion against top team TSC Oberaching Tropics. Now they had the ultimate challenge to see where they exactly stood against new Pro B team TSG Schöller SI Ravens Reutlingen who had taken the Pro B south by storm registering a flawless 5-0 start in their Pro B debut. They had had some big wins especially against top team Fellbach Flashers who they dismantled by 22 points. TSG Schöller SI Ravens Reutlingen have done it with defensive passion and execution allowing only 64 points and averaged 86 points per game on offense. They came to Frankfurt seeking their 6th win in a row. On a cool Sunday afternoon The Ravens Reutlingen began with a smooth rhythm and managed the lead until the end never allowing the Skyliners Juniors to get over the hump winning in convincing fashion 79-65. The played a great defensive game and won the boards easily. “I think that we had our ups and downs and had a few too many turnovers. We did a good job though leading for the whole 40 minutes. Overall we did a good job controlling Frankfurt for 40 minutes”, stressed Ravens Reutlingen guard Roy Krupnikas (186-G-2006). The Skyliners Juniors had to play catch up basketball all day long and simply never found an offensive rhythm. “They are a very good team, but I wasn´t impressed by them. They were tougher than us and more physical. We did a great job holding them only to 24 points in the second half. We have to learn to do that for 40 minutes”, warned Skyliners Junior Moses Poelking.

Nkosi Wright from outside

The Ravens Reutlingen did a great job jumping all over the Skyliners Juniors producing a rapid 17-6 lead. The guests showed right from the start that they were all about team as they shared the ball nicely. Krupnikas who is the second youngest player ever to play a easyCredit BBL game showed potent playmaking skills dishing out 3 dimes in the run while also dropping a trey. Ex Giessen Pointer Miles Mallory added 6 points on 3 lay in´s while x Schwenningen center Christian Okolike added 4 points and Canadian Nkosi Wright 3 points. Frankfurt had big problems stopping the drive and coming to terms with the guests physicality. Frankfurt finally got some offense going as the universal genius Ivan Crnjac added a trey as did Czech Republic guard Lukas Smazak while 2026 AST winner Jamie Edoka made a lay in to trail 19-14. But Reutlingen usually had an answer and got it from everyone including bench Swiss player Kevin Simeth with a 3 point play to lead 22-14. Then came the highlight play of the game as Crnjac added Mallory on a poster with a massive dunk to trail 22-14. “That was a great dunk. We needed it at that point. You don´t see dunks like that every day. However to let up an offensive rebound and basket by the guests right after is not what we wanted “, added Skyliner Junior Philipp Hecker. “It is always good to see when you see a teammate get so high. We need the energy then. Ivan is capable of having moments like that”, said Skyliner Juniors Moses Poelking. However the Ravens Reutlingen just didn´t get wound up negatively by that play, but just continued to play their game getting superb bench support with lay in´s by ex Pro A player Killian Fischer and ex Tornado NBBL player Raul Dumnici to lead 28-18 after 10 minutes. “We weren´t consequent enough on defense. We didn´t want it enough. We had problems with their physicality. It was a question of will and fight which we didn´t have”, stressed Philipp Hecker. The Ravens Reutlingen shot 67% from the field and 60% from outside and had 10 rebounds and 4 turnovers while the Skyliners Juniors shot 47% from the field and 29%$ from outside and had 4 rebounds and 2 turnovers.

Jamie Edoka at the FT line

The second quarter was the highest scoring in the game as 51 points were produced in total with the guests scoring 27 and Frankfurt 24 as the Ravens Reutlingen had the comfortable lead at the break 55-42. Smazak began with a deep trey to trail 28-21, but the Ravens Reutlingen then answered with a 8-2 run to extend their lead to 36-23. In the run the guests continued to attack the paint area getting 2 buckets from Simeth and one from Dumnici as the Skyliners Juniors continued to allow easy baskets as there was no physicality or help defense present. The game became a game of runs as Frankfurt punched back with 7 unanswered points to trail 36-30 as Crnjac scored inside and Edoka added 5 points. Both teams offenses were cooking from now on as Wright made a put back and lay in while Edoka and Crnjac countered with three´s, but Frankfurt just couldn´t get over the hump trailing 43-36. Both teams continued to execute well until the break as Krupnikas continued to execute well as he finished the game shooting a healthy 57% from the field and 56% from outside with 5 points in this phase while Smazak added a trey and German Alvin Oniya added 3 points making an acrobatic off balance shot with a free throw. Frankfurt was often a step late on the defensive end and wasn´t able to get decisive rebounds. “We continued not being able to match their physicality. They had more experience and more will than we did. We couldn´t match their fight”, commented Philipp Hecker. The Ravens Reutlingen shot 68% from the field and 55% from the three point line and had 18 rebounds and 8 turnovers while the Skyliners Juniors shot 46% from the field and 41% from the three point line and had 11 rebounds and 9 turnovers.

Abdulhay Komurkara from downtown

The second half experienced a severe dip in scoring as the first half had 97 points in total and the second half only 46 points in total. The Ravens Reutlingen continued to keep control of the game getting timely buckets from Krupnikas with a lay in and ex easyCredit BBL player Nemanja Nadjfeji with a lay in to lead 61-46 while defensively they continued to be physical and just played smart forcing turnovers with good on ball pressure. Krupnikas continued to be in attack mode and hit another trey for the commanding 64-46 lead. Despite the bleak outlook for Frankfurt, they never backed down, but continued to take on the challenge and come back. They responded going on a forceful 8-0 run to suddenly trail only 64-54 with everything looking rosier again. In the run Poelking added 3 points, Edoka a runner in traffic and Crnjac a trey. The Skyliners Juniors heightened their defensive intensity while playing a zone and packed the paint area well. The Ravens Reutlingen stopped the run and momentum with a little 4-0 run as ex Ludwigsburg guard David Englehart made a lay in and Wright a lay in. Wright showed real hustle stealing the ball from Crnjac´s hands right under the hoop and making the lay in. Frankfurt remained strong closing out the third quarter with a mini 4-0 run as ex Kronberg center Florian Dietrich made a lay in and Dusan Nikolic free throws to trail 68-58. “We wanted to get a quick start and not let the opponent get control. We rebounded ok and continued to defend well”, added Roy Krupnikas. “We played good defense, but they were more physical. We put more energy into playing defense”, said Moses Poelking. The Ravens Reutlingen shot 57% from the field and 44% from the parking lot and had 26 rebounds and 14 turnovers while the Skyliners Juniors shot 43% from the field and 35% from the parking lot and had 23 rebounnds and 14 turnovers.

Jamie Edoka from the parking lot

In the fourth quarter there was absolute no let down by the Ravens Reutlingen as they allowed only 7 points to secure the win with defensive dominance. The Ravens Reutlingen wasted not time deciding the game right away with a lethal 9-0 run to lead 77-58. In the run, the Ravens Reutlingen showed pretty team basketball and got great production from Simeth with a lay in, a Nadjfeji lay in and Krupnikas added 5 points again in the run rout. Krupnikas who took a step back this season to the Pro B in hopes of taking 2 steps forward had 18 points and 6 assists and showed this special maturity and smoothness at the point guard position seldom seen at the age of 20. He has this keen sense of knowing when to dish out the dimes and when to finish himself. “I think that I have a good feel for the game. I know how to find my teammates and they make my job easy by finding space. For me it was a team win. I wasn´t the leading scorer but the team”, smiled Roy Krupnikas. “Roy is so smart for age 20. He is always able to get into the paint and always makes the right play. It is rare to see at that age”, warned Miles Mallory. The game was decided, but the Skyliners Juniors closed out the game strong with a 7-2 run. Crnjac remained aggressive getting 2 lay in´s while Oniya added 3 points. “We closed out the game strong in the fourth quarter. We stepped up as a team”, said Roy Krunikas. “We never gave up. It was tough always having to come back for the whole game”, added Moses Poelking. The Ravens Reutlingen were led by Roy Krupnikas with 18 points whjle Nkosi Wright had 14 points and Miles Mallory had 12 points while the Skyliners Juniors were led by Ivan Crnjac with 19 points and Jamie Edoka added 15 points. The Ravens Reutlingen shot 47% from the field and 31% from outside and had 45 rebounds and 19 turnovers while the Skyliners Juniors shot 36% from the field and 26% from outside and had 34 rebounds and 17 turnovers.