"It is incredible that we beat Frankfurt three times this year. The last second win against Frankfurt in the second game helped us reach the playoffs. We only made the playoffs by one game and every game counts in this league", said an overjoyed ex-Opel Skyliner Andy Kwiatkowski. 3,800 fans saw a miserable shooting performance by the OPEL SKYLINERS, but became acquainted with a player that had been missing in action almost five months. Texan native Tyrone Ellis made his first appearance since Dec 19, 2004, and looked a bit rusty. Ellis scored two points (0/8 from the field). Ellis was least worried about his shooting performance.
"Before my injury, I had days like this and came back the next game and scored 30 points. I´m happy about my defense, decison-making and that my knee feels good."
The OPEL SKYLINERS were down 20 to 12 after one quarter, but played better in the second quarter going into halftime down only 38 to 35. However, in the second half was when Frankfurt collapsed. "Our defense was very weak in the second half and we couldn`t contain their three point shooters either. We also couldn´t make the easy baskets and anytime you give up 90 points, it´s not going to be easy to win", expressed a disappointed center Bernd Kruel. It was also obvious to see that the absence of Chris Williams effected the Frankfurt play. Williams was being rested for the playoffs. "The game of the OPEL SKYLINERS revolves around Chris Williams. They had to rely more on their guards and we focused on stopping them", explained Andy Kwiatkowski. It was also apparent to understand that this game had no real meaning and it was difficult to focus for. However, assistant coach Simon Cote stresses each game should be seen as a championship game. "This loss was a big letdown. We should not have felt that this game for third place was any less important than the final game. Every game is important."
The OPEL SKYLINERS shot a horrible 27% from three point land, 7 for 26. One of the big factors was the poor rebounding. Ludwigsburg outrebounded Frankfurt 42 to 26. Even though it was a really unsuccessful weekend for the OPEL SKYLINERS, coach Murat Didin was able to keep his sense of humor. "I can´t rebound. If I could, maybe I could have helped. If you give an opponent so many second and third chances for rebounds, then it´s difficult to win." "Whenever you give up so many offensive rebounds, it puts you into a really tough position. We took less shots and were less accurate", described assistant coach Simon Cote. Another weak point for Frankfurt were the assists. The OPEL SKYLINERS only had seven assists and Ludwigsburg had 22 assists.
The OPEL SKYLINERS were led by captain Pascal Roller, who scored 22 points and dished out four assists. Forward Jukka Matinen had a strong game, making 15 points and scoring three three-pointers. Spyro Panteliadis contributed 12 points from the bench. Youngster Alex King had a fine effort, scoring seven points including one three-pointer. Center Malick Badiane had a strong rebounding game, grabbing nine rebounds, but scoring no points. Other center Bernd Kruel took up some of the slack, scoring seven points. There was not much more scoring happening for Frankfurt. Ludwigsburg´s playmaker Jerry Green was surprised by the performance of Frankfurt. "Frankfurt has a good team, but maybe they were a bit tired after the Bonn game. However this was not the OPEL SKYLINERS team that I know."
Ludwigsburg was led by American Lamayn Wilson, who scored 25 points and helped raise the astronomical 70% three-point field percentage by sinking five three-pointers out of seven attempts. Ernest Novak scored 19 points, including five three-pointers out of six attempts. Ismaila Sy had a strong game, scoring 15 points from the bench. Center Ermin Jazvin controlled the boards, scoring seven points and hauling down 10 rebounds. Ludwigsburg snuck into the playoffs and will face tough Alba Berlin in the first round of the playoffs. Ludwigsburg seems to be ready for their encounter with the seven-time champion Berlin. "This win against Frankfurt was a great confidence booster for our playoff opponent Alba Berlin. We shot the ball well and I hope it will carry over into the playoffs against Alba Berlin", explained guard Jerry Green.
The OPEL SKYLINERS need to forget the Cup weekend as quickly as possible. The playoffs start in one week against the Artland Dragons in the Ballsporthalle in Höchst. Frankfurt will need to have a successful week of practice. "The playoffs will be a big challenge. This is what a coach lives for. We have to find some kind of magic that will help the team to be successful in the playoffs", said Simon Cote. "Last year we lost the Cup final, but regrouped and won the championship. It will be hard this year, but it could be possible to win the championship again", described forward Ibrahim Diarra. After the poor performance by the OPEL SKYLINERS in Cup play, they will need to find some magic or they may be on summer vacation a lot quicker than they might want to be.
Miles Schmidt-Scheuber reporting for the OPEL SKYLINERS
