"We are playing better game by game. This is a really good sign for the playoffs", expressed Finnish forward Jukka Matinen. The OPEL SKYLINERS continue to be in fourth place, tied with GHP Bamberg.
The top scorer for the OPEL SKYLINERS was American Chris Williams, who registered his 18th double double of the season with 26 points and 13 rebounds. His shooting percentage was very high, as he made 11 for 18 shots. It was the 14th time this season that he had recorded 20 or more points. Williams made a new BBL record with seven steals and after the game was as humble as ever not knowing he had the record. "I didn´t know I had it. This is good, because it is about defense and the whole team played aggressive defense." Williams` buddy American Kavossy Franklin had another great game, scoring 18 points, hitting four three pointers and shooting seven for ten from the field. It seems that Franklin has no more problems adjusting to BBL play. "I`m starting to feel really comfortable now and I´m in great shape and understanding the game in Germany better."
Williams and Franklin may have scored a combined 44 points, but they had a great supporting cast. Spyro Panteliadis came off the bench and scored 13 points and Jukka Matinen demonstrated again that he has the hot hand from three point land, sinking four three pointers. Pascal Roller scored only 11 points and had seven assists, but was happy that Kavossy Franklin took a lot of the work off his shoulders. "Today I played the typical role of a point guard and Franklin was shooting very well, so that gave me the chance to pass the ball more and just move the ball around", said a relieved captain Pascal Roller.
Oldenburg was led by ex-Frankfurt player Tyron McCoy, who scored 20 points, Mike Bernard, who added 14 points and Felipe Lopez, who chipped in with 12 points. "We were really active under the basket and Bernard had a tough time reacting to the smaller players under the basket", noted Jukka Matinen. Frankfurt led throughout the game and really dominated in the first half. At one time, they led by as much as 23 points. "The defense was our strong point in the first half. Our defense forced a lot of bad passes from Oldenburg. They also had 15 turnovers in the first half and our quick defense helped get the ball quicker down the court, which led to easier baskets", analysed Pascal Roller.
In the second half, Frankfurt came close to tieing their season best of 38 points for a quarter, by making 35 points. Oldenburg only scored 31 points in the whole first half. It is never easy to play 40 minutes at the highest level and the OPEL SKYLINERS let up a bit in the second half, but were never really threatened by Oldenburg. The opponent got as close as eight points. "We played all around great defense, but lost a bit of focus in the second half and let them have a chance to come back into the game", added Spyro Panteliadis.
The center play of the OPEL SKYLINERS is starting to find its rhythm more and more. Malick Badiane scored seven points and hauled down five rebounds. Assistant coach Simon Cote was content after the performance: "Our big guys showed a really fine effort. We allowed the ball too often to the low post, but our centers played good team defense and forced a lot of turnovers under the basket." Badiane has had extended minutes the last two games, but center Bernd Kruel thinks the competition factor is healthy. "The competition will always be there. Malick had some bad games, as did I. However, the team supports each other really well. Even if I played a little today, I am very happy that the team won."
There are three games remaining and the OPEL SKYLINERS next travel to Braunschweig on Saturday April 16th. Forward Mladjen Sljivancanin did not dress for the Oldenburg game due to a thigh injury he received in pratice last week, but he will miss only a few days and should be ready for the Braunschweig game. The playoffs are coming nearer, but the last thing the OPEL SKYLINERS want to do is think about the playoffs now. "We need to work hard day in and day out. We can´t focus on the playoffs now, but just on the next game", said Kavossy Franklin. The team is on a three game winning streak and with their current confident and smart play, continuing their winning streak in Braunschweig should be manageable.
Miles Schmidt-Scheuber reporting for the OPEL SKYLINERS
