The OPEL SKYLINERS made a successful jump into the playoffs, winning game one against the Artland Dragons 75 to 69 in the Ballsporthalle. Now, Frankfurt has to prove that their first win in Quakenbrück earlier this season was no fluke. Game two is tonight at 20.00 in the hostle arena of the Artland Dragons. Game one was a real fight, but luckily the OPEL SKYLINERS prevailed at the end due to some lucky breaks. Ben Ebong missed two key free throws near the end of the game. Captain Pascal Roller is sure that game two will be a lot different than game one. "Artland was nervous in game one. It is their first time in the playoffs. They won´t be nervous at home, but they will play a lot different than in Frankfurt."
The Coach Chris Flemming of the Artland Dragons stresses that his team needs to focus on two areas if they want to go back to Frankfurt tied at one game a piece. "We have to shoot our free throws a lot better and we have to go more to our two go-to guys Jordan and Bulic."
The OPEL SKYLINERS will not only need top performances from their two stars, captain Pascal Roller and American Chris Williams, but need an allround effort from everyone else. In game one, center Bernd Kruel continued to play a reduced role, but he is accepting his role. "I only played a short time, but was able to contribute. We need support from all the players in the playoffs." Malick Badiane continues to have the upperhand at the center position, but he is fighting hard under the basket and is getting rewarded too, as he scored 13 points in game one and shot 71% from the free throw line. Matinen scored 14 points, including four three-pointers and guard Spyro Panteliadis chipped in with 11 points. These two players continue to have strong games and it will be necessary that their production continues, in order for Frankfurt to be successful.
Frankfurt must continue to demonstrate that teamwork is an important building block for winning games. "Game one was close, but we stuck together even when we were down. That is what makes a team successful and we proved that by winning game one", said Ibrahim Diarra.
Many have predicted that this will be a three to zero cakewalk for Frankfurt, while others have said this will be a close series. The OPEL SKYLINERS know exactly how they need to play in order to win game two. It is no secret that it is difficult to play in Quakenbrück, but Frankfurt already demonstrated once this season that they could get through the jungle of loud fans there. The game under the basket will be an important aspect. Ben Ebong and Darius Hall combined for 30 points and 20 rebounds and easily dominated the centers Badiane and Kruel ,who scored 17 points and only four rebounds combined.
"Ebong and Hall use their wide bodies very well. We will have to be more aggresive and physical under the basket", expressed forward Ibrahim Diarra. Assistant coach Simon Cote describes that we can not give up against Ebong and Hall. "We have to continue to battle them under the hoop and keep them off the block."
Even though the Artland Dragons dominated under the basket in game one, they prefer much more to excell with their outside shooting. This is an aspect that the OPEL SKYLINERS will have to watch closely. Even though Quakenbrück shot only 40% (8/20) from three-point land, they are capable of shooting better and breaking a game open at anytime. Their leading scorer Marko Bulic scored 27 points in the first game and killed Frankfurt with his six three-pointers. "He is a great shooter and is always lurking in the shawdows, but he makes his shots. We will have to focus more on him," warned Ibrahim Diarra. And if that was not enough warning, Marko Bulic was not happy after game one. Even though he had scored 27 points, he was looking towards game two and just said, "we need to win game two", but he said that with a real killer instinct.
The OPEL SKYLINERS still have an ace up their sleeve. Dallas native Tyrone Ellis has struggled his first two games after his long injury. In game one he went 1/9 from the field. Ellis is itching to see 30 points again in the scoring sheets. However, he knows that without hard work, his shooting will not get any better. "I have to start all over from the drawing board. I have to go back into the gym and shoot 500 shots a day, so I can regain my confidence."
All the top four teams, ALBA Berlin, Cologne, Bamberg and Frankfurt won their opening games at home. It will be interesting to see how well they do on the road. Frankfurt will need to have a very focused team to win. "This could be a series where every game is very close in the 60-70 point range. It will be interesting to see what will happen. We can still expect a lot more from Tyrone Ellis", observed captain Pascal Roller. A win in Quakenbrück, would give the OPEL SKYLINERS a commanding 2-0 lead in the best of five series and a step closer to the semi finals. However, a loss in Quakenbrück would even the series and add a spice of excitement into this quarter final matchup. The OPEL SKYLINERS have more playoff experience and roster depth so that a victory should not be out of the question.
Miles Schmidt-Scheuber reporting for the OPEL SKYLINERS
