With just four games left until the playoffs, every game becomes more and more crucial. Frankfurt stays at #4 and will need to hold this position in order to start the playoffs in the Ballsporthalle. Kavossy Franklin demonstrated why Frankfurt signed him by leading the OPEL SKYLINERS to victory by scoring 26 points.
"Kavossy played with a lot of confidence and it was an all around great effort", expressed a very elated assistant coach Simon Cote.
The OPEL SKYLINERS controlled most of the game, except for a time in the third quarter when Quakenbrück staged a comeback. The strong play of Kavossy Franklin really made a difference. He was five for nine from three point land and shot 10 for 14 from the field. American Chris Williams scored 22 points and grabed 10 rebounds. He also impressively secured his 16th double double of the season. Assistant coach Simon Cote added that not only these two players were responsible for this important win. "This was a great team effort. We played strong team defense and had a lot of intensity which stemmed from three good practices." Captain Pascal Roller chipped in with 13 points and four assists. Guard Spyro Panteliadis continued his good play with ten points and six assists.
Marko Bulic led the Artland Dragons in scoring with 20 points and American Darius Hall added 18 points. Team leader Michael Hakim Jordan had a double double with 13 points and 11 assists. Even though the top players of Quakenbrück had good games, it really did not effect the outcome of the game. "Statisticaly there was not too much difference today. We played better as a team, had more free throws, moved the ball better and hit more open shots. They had to work harder to get points", emphasized Simon Cote. Frankfurt also recorded a team best of only seven turnovers.
Often when things are not going well for a team, the best cure for a turnaround is a change of somekind. Coach Didin did some experimenting by inserting three guards into the starting rotation and this really paid off. "Artland had two quick guards with Jordan and Bailey and we had to find a combination that could stop them. This lineup proved to be a successfull change", commented Simon Cote. Young Malick Badiane was also inserted into the new formation. Cote described that Badiane made mistakes but is making progress as a BBL center. "He played with a lot of intensity and he is getting better with each game and practice. I hope by the Play-offs, he will be a solid player that we can count on in every game."
There are only four games remaining in the 2004-2005 BBL season, and Frankfurt can not afford to lose any more games. Quakenbrück was a interesting test for Frankfurt, since they could be their opponent in the first round of the playoffs. After losing to Tübingen, the team seems to have understood how vital the last four games will be. "The next four games will be so important. We want home court advantage. Quakenbrück and Giessen are fighting for fifth and sixth place and could be our opponents in the playoffs. We have to take every team seriously", stressed forward Alex King. The next big BBL game is against EWE Baskets Oldenburg on Sunday April 10th at 19:30h in the Ballsporthalle. The OPEL SKYLINERS will next play on the road against second league team Schröno Baskets Paderborn in a Quarterfinal Cup play matchup. The atmosphere will be similar to the Dragons den in Qüakenbrück. The fans in Paderborn won´t be any kinder either. This will be another important test for Frankfurt in their quest for a Cup titel.
Miles Schmidt-Scheuber reporting for the OPEL SKYLINERS
