Telekom Baskets Bonn celebrate home win

“Let’s do it again. It’s my first time,” Jonas Falkenstein called into the microphone from the grandstand. A brief slip of the tongue, but then we celebrated. What a night for the Baskets youngster. All rejoiced with him; team and 4870 spectators. Finally, he was even given the Humba honor. After all, he had granted the fans a wish. They wanted to see the 100 points – and Falkenstein had ended the game against the Crailsheim Merlins with a three-pointer to 101:83 (32:22, 30:22, 17:13, 22:26).

It was a never-threatening victory for head coach Tuomas Iisalo’s team against his former club. However, one with a moment of shock. In the last quarter, playmaker TJ Shorts, who was outstanding again with 15 assists and 17 points, fell down after a basket action and hobbled off the field. But then he was back at the Humba.

The game started with a minute’s silence for Mubarak Salami. The player from the Baskets cooperation partner Dragons Rhöndorf died in a traffic accident last Friday.

Iisalo saw no reason to change his starting five and initially sent Shorts, Karsten Tadda, Tyson Ward, Finn Delany and Leon Kratz onto the field. The coach still had to do without returnee Javontae Hawkins; the American had to travel back to Limoges for personal reasons, as the Baskets announced in the afternoon before the game.

Shorts opened the scoring with a difficult long two, in which he was fouled and used the free throw to make it 3-0. The guests countered from the line of three through Mo Stuckey and twice James Batemon. Tadda and Shorts also scored from outside, after three minutes it was 11:11, the offensive ran on both sides.

But then the Baskets gained more of the game through effective rebounding and, thanks to Mike Kessens, took a double-digit lead for the first time (22:12, 7th). The superiority was now noticeable, scratches blocked Bogdan Radosavljevic in a three-goal attempt and stuffed the captured ball through the ring to make it 28:17 (9th). A statement. With a 32:22 lead and a rebound balance of 12:3, the second quarter started, in which the highlight numbers fell like ripe fruit.

First, Shorts managed his ninth and thus a total of 500th assist in the BBL, after just 15 minutes the small Bonn playmaker had a double-double from twelve points and ten assists on the account. And Crailsheim had little to stop the whirlwind. The score was also spinning: Zach Ensminger got the Baskets over the 50-point mark (50:33) from a distance after just 16 minutes. And basically that was the end of the matter.

The guests continued to try to shorten the gap, but the effectiveness was lacking. Especially against the Bonn offensive. However, the Baskets didn’t manage to pull away either. Iisalo made a lot of changes without the Bonn game suffering as a result. There was never a break. Deane Williams provided a few highlight dunks that put the audience in the best mood.

But nobody got a reaction like the first points from Falkenstein. Iisalo brought the 22-year-old on shortly before the end of the game and he also fitted seamlessly into Bonn’s game. With a try that was as difficult as it was cheeky, he scored 97:80, which triggered a veritable hurricane in the stands. He also converted a free throw that was due before he then started the three to 101:83. The ball bounced up the ring, then decided Falkenstein deserved this final and went into the net.

On Sunday, Ceftrainer Iisalo’s team continues with the game against the Fraport Skyliners (6 p.m.). Possibly as the leader of the table, because the direct competition will go head to head on Saturday. Should FC Bayern win at Alba Berlin, the baskets would overtake the capitals again. From the coming week, the people of Bonn will be driving on two tracks again. In the Champions League, Vilnius will play in the Telekom Dome (8 p.m.).

Telecom Baskets: TJ Shorts 17 points/1 treble/15 assists, Tyson Ward 10/2, Jonas Falkenstein 6/1, Zach Ensminger 8/1, Mike Kessens 8, Sebastian Herrera 12/3, Karsten Tadda 8/2, Collin Malcolm 6, Leon Scratches 9, Deane Williams 11, Finn Delany 6.