SPECIAL GUEST ARIEL G

Game 1 – All the Smoke vs Motha Effect

Our Tuesday night games kicked off with a 63-49 Motha Effect win over All the Smoke. Both teams started off pretty slow offensively and All the Smoke had a ton of turnovers early in the game which allowed Motha Effect to take the lead and never look back. Jack C. for Motha Effect was doing the dirty work early and carrying his team in the first half until Nate G. started going and once he got going, he was unstoppable. All the Smoke pulled within 8 points going into halftime behind the big first half efforts Dainis D who had 16 of his teams first 29 points. Despite his huge offensive production, All the Smoke trailed Motha Effect 29-38 going into the second half.

After going on a 12-5 run to end the half, Motha Effect really struggled to put the ball in the basket at the start of the second half and only scored 3 points through the first 13 minutes of the concluding period. All the Smoke used this offensive lull to go on a 7-3 run to bring the them within 5 points with 14:32 left in the second. Unfortunately, this is the closest All the Smoke would get as Nate G. rattled off 14 points in the second half. He, Jeff M., and Kunal C. for Motha Effect all finished in double digits as only two players from All the Smoke finished with 10 or more points.

Game 2- Primetime 2.0 vs. Can’t Miss Keramaris

In the second game of our tripleheader, Can’t Miss Keramaris gave Primetime 2.0 everything they could handle and then some as they handed them a 79-53 blowout loss. Can’t Miss went up 10-2 early and forced Primetime to call an early timeout as they had gone down 2-15 with 15 minutes left in the first half. It is not for lack of effort however, Primetime was getting great shots at the rim but seemed as though there was a lid on their basket. Chris J. started to come alive late in the first half but no one could stop Jacob H. as he posted an 18 point 12 rebound double double in the first half. Despite going on a 10-1 run to close out the half, Primetime trailed 22-44 heading into the second half.

After an intense pump up speech from John M. and Chris J., Primetime came out firing on all cylinders putting together a 20-4 run to cut the deficit to 6 points. However, they had no match for the big guys on the class and got absolutely crushed on the O boards, giving up 17 that led to 20 second chance points. As much as Jacob H. did in the first half, it was Tommy S. that was the unsung hero of the second half for Can’t Miss. He stuffed the stat sheet with 17 points, 11 rebounds, 4 steals, 1 block, and 3 assists. This team was a lot of fun to watch and truly played team basketball!

Game 3 – Cambridge Rats vs. Victorious Secret

Game 3 brought a ton of emotions to the court as the Cambridge Rats took on Victorious Secret. There was a ton of back and forth this game, but ultimately Cambridge Rats pulled out the 72-67 win. Brian H. for Cambridge Rats came out absolutely smoking hot as he scored the first 8 of his teams points and went on to knock down four first half 3’s. Not only did his hot shooting get them an early lead but they were able to convert 6 offensive rebounds to 11 second chance points. As soon as Cambridge Rats started to pull away, Rich D. put the team on his back and really used his athleticism and length in both halves to finish around the basket. As soon as Victorious Secret would make runs, the Cambridge Rats sliced and diced the defense behind the vision of Marquis V. who finished the first half with 3 assists. Cambridge Rats 34, Victorious Secret 30.

As the second half started, you could sense that Victorious Secret was getting a little chippy with one another and the 10-5 run they started the half with, slowly dissipated as they started playing more individually. This turmoil within the team led to late careless TO’s in the half which equated to second chance points, miscommunications on screens in big moments, and poor shot selection. The saving grace for Victorious Secret was the ultra-smooth Ronnie C. who tried his best to keep his teammates head in the game late down the stretch. He was the ultimate teammate, leading vocally and by example, posting 18 points to end the game. Two huge 3’s from Marquis V. late in the game on bad communication on a ball screen put the nail in the coffin for Victorious Secret as they were scoreless in the last minute of the game.

BY DRUFF

Before I get to the Power Rankings I just have to say the Boston Celtics smh like seriously WTF. I love Brown, Smart and even Horford but you gotta trade those guys. This unit isn’t winning a championship. Sign and trade Brown include Smart/Horford for Lillard/Nurkic/and whoever else fits salary wise. I’m literally sick to my stomach just thinking about a damn sweep. Anyways I digress, allow me to get to the topic at hand.

5 Platano Power are they actually the worst team in the league? I’m not totally sure. I believe last week was the first week they had everyone in attendance. This team reminds me a lot of my team from last season. We eventually figured it out but it was too late. Will they suffer the same fate? Only time will tell. I do like the combo of Jorge, Alan and Tim. If they can be consistent and get Chris, Neil and Rob to contribute, I can see them sneaking into the loffs and being a tough out.

4 DANIELS can we get an actual team name? If we don’t, I will name this team and you may or may not like it. DANIELS is really talented but another team that I think hasn’t figured out how to play together. I think the key for this team is just figure out a style of play then stick to it. When doing that though someone has to be willing to sacrifice. Who is that someone? That’s for you to figure out. If I wasn’t actually playing in the league I would easily give you an answer. I will say this, I think they all know that Ghost is their primary offensive scorer but there’s more to basketball than this. I don’t think Cam, Adam, Joe, Dre or Andrew have played bad but collectively they have to figure it out.

3 Nair can we get an actual team name? If we don’t, I will name this team and you may or may not like it. I honestly think this team at full strength and healthy is the best in the league but we haven’t seen that yet. Nair should be back soon and hopefully it doesn’t take him much time to get back to his MVP level of play. Nick makes everyone’s job easy. DTO is playing extremely well. Ben and Pat are doing all the little things. As for me, I’m just happy to be a part of it.

2 Stull Here while they also haven’t really played their best or at full strength, they have an excellent 1-2 combo in David & Devin. Steve has been the key though. In the 2 games he’s played well they’ve won. When he hasn’t they lost. EJ has been basically a no show but gives them an outside threat. Jordan and Stull will also need to be somewhat productive if this team is to win it all. I’m pretty confident they will make the playoffs. I’m interested to see how far they go.

1 COSTA can we get an actual team name? If we don’t, I will name this team and you may or may not like it. No surprise here as COSTA has the leading MVP candidate in Jamil and everyone knows their role and has played it well. Dylan anchors the front court defense, rebounding and everything else in between. Charlie shoots threes and does a little bit of everything else. Emmanuel is their backcourt defensive leader and contributes across the board. Cam and Dan come in off the bench and make contributions. The real story though is Jamil. Guy has been on a mission this season. Maybe being the # 1 pick fueled him even more but I feel like this team is a lock for the playoffs. Will they win it all?

BY ALEXA S

Game 1 - We Have Fun (42) vs Gino Time (67)

Gino Time easily dominated this game for all of the 40 minutes of play and it was never really close. Greg E. took advantage of his matchups all game and was crafty in the paint, going for a team leading 17 points, 8 boards, 3 assists, 3 steals and a block. Gino Time had a good balance of the inside-out game with most of their shots from 3 point range dropping in the second half. Jack C. contributed 13, 9 and 2 while Darren H. added 10, 6 and 2. Going into halftime, Gino Time held a comfortable lead 32-17 and would only increase that margin into the second. Despite the score not being in their favor, credit goes to We Have Fun for still playing with effort and hustling to try to get back in the game. Marc N. for We Have Fun was a scoring threat early on and he finished with 16 points and 8 boards, including going 4/6 (66%) from deep. Tom also did what he could for his squad putting up 17 points and 7 rebounds in the loss.

Game 2 – Brick Squad (54) vs Eastie Hoops (78)

Eastie Hoops came out the gate launching triples and although they were not falling at first, they were still able to maintain the lead for almost all of the first half. Brick Squad was able to keep up for the most part getting as close as down 5 but couldn’t convert open looks, getting themselves into a 9 point deficit at halftime. Adam G. put up 6 threes before seeing one go down but was not discouraged as he would go to attempt 23 3 pointers in the game. Adam ended up with 26 points, 9 rebounds while shooting 26% from 3PT. Ryan W. and Lucas F. took on much of the offensive load in the 2nd for Eastie Hoops as they started to run away with the game. Ryan attacked the rim often and got himself to the line, making 9 out of 10 FT’s. He was also able to get his teammates involved going for 24 points, 5 boards, 6 dimes, 2 steals and 3 blocks. Lucas F. got hot from beyond the arc, cashing in 5 treys and chipped in 19 points and 7 boards. Brick Squad didn’t have the offensive juice to keep up on this night, however they did get solid play from Zach M. who had 14 and 14 as well as 3 assists. Andrew M. and Chris D. also scored in double figures with 13 and 12 points respectively.

Game 3 – Tomahawks (46) vs Wyld Stallyns (42)

This matchup brought some much needed excitement on this Monday night with the Tomahawks pulling out a win in the closing minutes of the game. The Tomahawks jumped out to an early lead, courtesy of Sam B. who couldn’t miss to start the game as he scored his team's first 11 points. The Wyld Stallyns managed to keep Sam B. in check for the rest of the half and after a few ties and lead changes, they took the lead 30-24 at the end of the 1st. Wyld Stalllyns would stretch the lead to 10 shortly after the start of the 2nd but that would mark their largest lead of the game. The Tomahawks responded by going on their own 8 point run to cut the lead to 2. Zach S. had some important buckets for the Tomahawks and he would end up with 12 points. Sam B. added to his quick start by totaling 18 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists. The score would remain 34-32 for a long 6 minutes with no baskets made and the Wyld Stallyns holding on to their 2 point lead. Many turnovers for both sides would ensue and bodies were falling all over the place revealing the intensity of the game at that point. Anthony S. on the Wyld Stallyns (5 assists on the night) was finding his teammates with smooth no-look passes and helping his team get easy buckets to maintain a slim 3 point lead. The momentum shifted when Zach S. on the Tomahawks converted a huge 3 to put them up 43-42. The Tomahawks sealed the deal with another clutch triple this time by Pat with less than 1 minute to go. Patrick G. on Wyld Stallyns would miss a point black layup and the Tomahawks eked out the 46-42 victory.

Game 4 – It Doesn’t Matter (68) Vs Thank You University (39)

It Doesn't Matter put away their opponent early in this one and took a commanding 17-5 lead in the game. Although there were moments where Thank You Uni seemed to be just in reach and about to go on a run, It Doesn’t Matter squashed those opportunities. Ryan was the star in this contest and was lights out from mid range. There seemed to be one specific spot on the right elbow that he couldn’t miss from. He stacked up 21 points, adding 11 rebounds and 2 assists. Taiye and Miguel M. were throwing dimes with 5 apiece. After Ryan’s scoring barrage in the second half, Thank You Uni were down big and ultimately it turned into the night’s 3rd blow out. A few guys that showed up for Thank You Uni were Eli V. with 10 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block. He was the only one on his team to manage double figures, but Andrew P. had a close 8 points and 4 boards. Kevin T. managed 6, 9 and 2 assists.

BY CHAS & HANKS

Week 3 Game 2 ShawHanks Vs Astrik 

Ray Trey right away with and 1 3-0, then adds spin shot 5-0.Matty in the building at the 17 min mark, but Joel makes hook7-0. Hull working hard gets a scoop, then Paul $ a corner 3 7-5. Joel doing post things gets 2, but Hanks reposnds with a trey 9-8. Ray gets a 3 to go,but Hanks goes off glass for 2 12-10 10 min. Ray with tough taken Slim Reaper finally in on the cat with a 3 17-10. Matty slashes in but Feinstein gets lay up 19-12. Hanks post bucket, then Hull 2-2, then Hull hustle leads to matty trey we were all tied at 19 all! Matty gets to cup, but MJ ties things with floater. Peteet J , Frano J, Joel gets scoop, but Peteet sticks another J Hanks up 27-23 half. 

Joel Gets to post work right away, and than again 27-27. Hull 1-2, but there goes that man Hook shot Joel, but Hanks gets his own 2 in the post. Some crazy action but after Joel obrd hustle it was 34-30 Astrik up. Frano gets middy, but Ray to rack, Hanks not backing down gets 3, and Frano ies it with hook 37-37. Joel just magical tonight gets another lay in, MJ runner, followed by ray smooth move 43-37, then ray $ a 3. Team Shawhanks would not quit, Frano gets 2 off cut, Hull 2-2, Hull 3, and then again and they had the lead 47-46! Ray to rizack, but Hull balling obrd put in 49-48. Joel gets 2 with nice run, Ray hits J, Ray deep 3, MJ jumper, Matty would get 2 t’s and that would be the ball game, Asterisk comes  away 64-51. 

Asterisk 

Ray-B+- Didnt shoot efficenly, but his engine/efoort level is crazy. He is a unstoppable force 
MJ-B-) Didnt shoot as well as he had, but had some nice floaters/J’s. Like to see more dimes
Joel-A- Solid day from joel, very good on bothe ends. He plays like this they are very tough to beat. 
Fein-C- Seems frustrated with lack of looks, saw some eye rolls 
Danner-D+- My main man got the yips right now
Carey-D- Not much impact tonight, needs those 3’s to go down 

ShawHanks 

Hanks-C+- Scored /rebounded fine but Joel really got the better of him in the post. 
Frano-C-) This team needs way more than 10 pts 
Peteet-B-) Always does the little things, 4 nice dimes
Hull-A- He was ballingggggggggg 17 rbs!! Looks like he is getting his legs. 
Paul-C- Cashed a 3, struggled outside of that
Matty-D- The techs didnt cost them the game, but hes gota keep his head. 7 pts aint gonna cut it. 

Week 3 Game 3 Overhated VS EJ

Big Lu gets busy in the post right out of the gate, Ghost nails jimmy 4-0 17 min. Dutton widow work, than Kielley dives in, followed by Lane of glass 6-4. Kielley continues run with obrd finish 8-4. Ghost does Ghost things with j, but Dutton keeps pcae with middy of his own, Skelley post work, Dutton drive, Kielley 3 off Dutton hustle 17-8. Cavano finnay in on the act with runner, Dias gets scoop to go, Cavano 1-2, but Skeeley stops run with p n toll 19-13, Dutton adds obrd put in 21-13. Dias leans in, then Ghost hits J 21-17 half. 

Lindsey trey ball to start half 24-17. Ghost sticks J, but Dutton foster, Keilley j Overhated was balling, kielley gets 2 more in the post, and then Kielley was nailing 3’s by the time I looked up it was 40-27, and team slick never got close or recovered. Overhahted proving the haters wrong 46-37 as they go to 2-1. 

Overrated 

Skelley-B- Didnt score it, but did everything else at a high level. 
Kielley-A- Dude is balling right now, showing he was worth that 8 pick. 
Dutton-A-) Really coming into his own, looking liek the elader and heart of this squad. 
Lane-C- Hustled hard not much results 
Lindsey-C+- Hit a big 3 to send his team on the run to win. 

Team Slick 

Cavano-B- Would not quit, kept hustling his ass off. I had to love it. 
Fraher-C+- Started red hot than went ice cold 
Lu-C-) Really struglled tonight, Skelley struggled. 
EJ-D- Really rough game 
Stull-D+- Hustled but not results 
Dias-C-)Passed well, cant get a 3 to be close. 

Week 3 Game 4 Brothers VS Drop Step 

Cody gets this party started with middy, but than Civale 1-2 2-1. Cody gets a 3 to go 5-1 18 min. Dany $ 3, J.Mul $ 3, then dany $ 3 holy holy 8-7. Cody banks ina  3 , this is a 3 party!! Frongo scoop 13-7. Joey tough take, but Cody trey ball money, but Joey not quitting gets another tough drive 16-11. Dany walking fire ball hits 3 16-14. J.Mul post, but Dany…….you guessed it hits another 3 18-17. Cody wants to be on fire as he hits another 3, Frongi hook shot 26-18 8 min. Frongi gets hot now as he hits 3, than 3-3 from the line after foul, followed by J.Mul 3, then J.Mul obrd hustle it was a god awful  36-21. The half did not get much better as Cody contunued being a walking fire ball, Dany hiting a bunch of 3’s trying to keep pae but it was 50-33 at the break. 

Drop step showed impressive fight here Joey and 1, Murphy post, Joey tough mofoen take, suddenly it was 5-40 they were within striking distance. J.Mul j, and Cody 3 put and end to the run though, and they would run away. Closest things got was 68-59, but the Brothers were just too good, too hot tonight. They win 85-74 go to 3-0. 

Brothers

S.Mul-B-) He was fine, just a soectataor of the 3 ball magic
J.Mul-A-) Rock solid night, they are tough to beat when he plays like this. 
Frongi-A- 11 dimessssssssss, and was very efficient all over the court.
Cody-A+++++++++++- 11 +’s for 11 3’s 
Tomar-C-) Rough shooting night

Drop Step

Joey-B+- Dude showed nice fight, never quits, just keeps making plays
Civale-B-) liked his activity tonight, need more 3 attempts though. 
Dany-A- What a light outs shooting night 8-13 wow!!
Murphy-C+- took him awile to get going, sparked a mini run but that was it.
Clarke -C+- Hustled hard, missed some bunnies

BY JAMIL

Week 3 - Write Up The Cambridge Rats VS. The Motha Effect

The Cambridge Rats came into this matchup undefeated, but unfortunately for them, that streak would come to an end after a fantastic battle between two teams very evenly matched teams. 

The first half was a back-and-forth affair, with neither team able to create any real breathing room. For the Cambridge Rats, Marquis led all scorers with 12 points in the first half, Alex B chipped in 8, and Shawn Wise made his presence felt on the defensive end with 3 steals and 1 block.

The Motha Effect led by Guzzi and Hamza would go into the half leading 34-30 and were really controlling the pace of the game. The most notable accomplishment of the Motha Effect was the defense played on Marquis. They were throwing body after body at him and did the most effective job of any team this season slowing him down.

Nika, Motha, and Hamza led them in scoring with 7 points each, as they went into the half with a lot of momentum on their side. 

The Mothat Effect led by their dynamic trio of Motha, Hamza, and Guzzi dominated the pace of the game in the second half, as they’d pull away from the Cambridge Rats and never look back. As a team, they all played well and controlled the pace of the game. 
 

Marquis would finish with 18 and Alex B would score 11, but no other players would achieve double-digit scoring as their offensive struggles continue. Nevertheless, this was a fantastic team victory for The Motha Effect, as they move to 2 - 1 on the season.

Week 3 - Write Up Victorious Secret VS. Can’t Miss Keramaris

Victorious Secret notches their second victory of the season behind MVP leader Rish DiSola. Rich would go on to score 30 points and grab 15 rebounds in a game against a very tough opponent in Can’t Miss Keramaris. 

Can’t Miss Keramaris led by Eric Li (19 points) would jump out to the early lead. Eric and Mazz continue to be a very potent backcourt combination, as they managed to dictate the pace very early on in this matchup. 

Despite their offensive prowess, Victorious Secret would go into the half leading 29 - 26. With both teams jockeying for the lead I knew this game would come down to final seconds. Eric Li was more assertive than I’ve ever seen him, scoring 6 consecutive points to put Can’t Miss Keramaris up one in the closing minutes, but it wasn’t enough as this battle was destined for OT. 

Ronnie and Chris B lead the way in OT for Victorious Secret combing for the first 4 points and Can’t Miss Keramaris never recovered.

Other notable performances include Ronnies 10 points, 2 steals, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists. His clutch steal helped Victorious Secret force OT. Chris B was a steady presence on both ends of the floor, as he looks to be getting better week to week, Thomas Skates also had a fantastic game despite suffering the tough loss. Thomas had 7 points to go along with 14 rebounds, 7 of which were offensive.

BY JAMIL & RUFF

Coasting to another victory

Coming into this game COSTA was clearly the best team in the league.  Having won 3 straight games and just playing well on both ends of the floor.  DANIELS on the opposite side were coming off of a very close loss and win but when they faced COSTA in week 1 they looked overmatched.

With approximately 9 minutes gone from the game, Costa was already up double digits 22-11.  The game never became close and to add insult to injury, the Jamil/Dylan halftime buzzer beater combo occurred again (I believe it’s three straight weeks) with this time Jamil being the recipient of the pass from Dylan for the layup.  Costa up 38-25 at the half.

First half stats:

Team Daniels

Andre Jones 1 stl, 1 blk, 2 drebs

Michael “Ghost” Fraher 12 pts, 1 blk, 4 orebs, 1 dreb, 1 ast

Andrew Marra  2 dreb, 1 ast

Cameron Daniels 7 pts, 1 blk, 1 oreb, 4 drebs 

Adam Ellabidy 4 pts, 1 blk, 2 orebs, 3 drebs, 3 asts

Joseph Breda 2 pts, 2 stls, 4 dreb, 2 asts

Team Costa

Jamil Ball 12 pts, 2 stls, 1 blk, 1 oreb, 2 drebs

Charlie Maneval 8 pts, 1 blk, 8 drebs, 2 asts

Cameron Daniel 1 oreb

Emmanuel Okharedia 5 pts, 1 stl, 1 blk, 1 oreb

Dylan Costa 9 pts, 1 blk, 8 drebs, 5 asts

Dan Waldman 4 pts, 1 oreb, 2 drebs

Player of the half: Dylan Costa

Second half was more of the same COSTA dominance.  I liked that DANIELS went with a lineup switch but this team is too talented to get blown out like this.  Final score 70-51 COSTA wins.

Player Grades:

Andre Jones B- I liked his aggressiveness in the second half but they needed it for a full 40 minutes.  I don’t think he played badly but his team just lost.  I added the minus to his grade for not having a complete game that his team needed.
Michael “Ghost” Fraher A I seriously can’t even pinpoint what Ghost did wrong.  He played his usual consistent game.  I think it’s up to his team to get him more looks on offense and to get more out of him in general.
Andrew Marra C got a few stats and played his role.
Cameron Daniels C his defense on Jamil wasn’t good and no assists I don’t like.  Overall though he didn’t play that bad but I’d like to see numbers in the stl and ast categories.
Adam Ellaby C- struggled with his three ball and at this point I just have to say he’s not a three point shooter.  I do like Adam’s game and think he should be the PG for this team.  He clearly can do almost everything, just had a bad shooting game which happens to everyone.  I’d also like to see him turn up his aggressiveness.  You don’t have to be a nice guy on the court.
Joseph Breda C— Ok lets start with the minuses.  The first one comes from his complete disappearance in the second half.  If I didn’t have him down as 0-2 from three I wouldn’t have even known he played.  The other minus is for asking me to add a steal to your stats.  First, you couldn’t even name the play and second your team is down by double digits.  I say all this to say I like Joe and his game and especially his energy.  Today I didn’t see it.

Jamil Ball A although he didn’t shoot the three ball well (yes I said the same exact thing before) but he played a really solid overall game.  The things I love about Jamil are his competitiveness and overall thought process of the game he plays.  Today was a feast on Cam day 🤣.
Charlie Maneval B stuffed the stat sheet.  I think he’s still capable of playing better but had a solid game.
Cameron Daniel A- was scoreless in the first half and he turned it on in the second.  Had to deduct a little from his grade for going 0fer from three.
Emmanuel Okharedia B it felt weird not hearing any trash talk from E and in the first half he was basically non existent.  In the second half though he really played well and was in his scoring bag.  He surprised me with a left hand in and out step back jumper that bounced in.
Dylan Costa B I feel like I’m grading him too high because I like him.  He went scoreless in the second half and to my surprise didn’t have any offensive rebounds but still had great dreb numbers and led the team in asts.
Dan Waldman B- I feel like 2 of his 4 pts was a nifty layup and he did a good job getting some stats across the board but I have to add the minus to your grade for the 0fer from three and the free throw line.
 

Player of the game: Jamil Ball no lengthy words just a great job playing again.

Week 2 - Platano Power VS. Nair

Platano Power had their full team in attendance for the first team this season, so I came into this matchup expecting big things, but team Nair had an entirely different game plan in mind. Led by DTO (18 points) and Ruff (13 points) Team Nair got off to a scorching start and very quickly jumped out to an 11-point lead (25 - 14) halfway through the first half. Ruff and DTO combined for 6 threes in the first half and Platano Power didn’t really have a counter.

Tim’s 7 points and Jorge’s 10 points paced Platano Power in the first half. No one else on their team really developed any rhythm offensively. Team Nair would go into the half with a double-digit lead, in a game that was trending towards a blowout.

In the second half, led by Tim Roberts and 8 second-half points by Chris Agresti Platano Power mounted an epic comeback to pull within 3 (52 - 49) with 9 minutes left in the second half. Most teams would start to get agitated, but Ruff got pissed off and more vocal than he had been all game. “I don’t know what yall excited about, this game is already over,” the grizzly vet said shouted with absolute conviction.

That’s when the Nick Lynch show started. After only scoring 5 points in the entire first half, Nick was absolutely dominant in the second half and finished with 23 points and grabbed 19 boards. Team Nair has continued to thrive despite missing, arguably the best player in the entire league. I can’t wait to see this team at full capacity. 

Platano Power
Jorge Morel (B+) - Jorge did a fantastic job against Nick Lynch. Despite his displeasure with the officiating. 16 points and 8 rebounds are fantastic numbers, but we all know Jorge is capable of more.
Alan Orellana (B-) - 11 points and 8 rebounds are solid, but the stats that jump out to me are 0 steals and 1 assist. Maybe I’m biased, but I consider AO to be one of the best guards in this league and I know he has another gear.
Neil Aggarwal (B) - Neil’s 4 points and 6 rebounds were solid contributions, but I would love to see Neil play much more aggressively on both ends of the court. I know this team has no shortage of talented guards, but I have no doubt he can be highly effective within the team offense.
Tim Roberts (A) - Led all scorers with 22 and shot the three ball well. Tim continues to be one of the top scorers in the league and makes it look effortless.
Chris Agresti (A) - Chris played with a great deal of effort, energy, and toughness. Chris made things extremely difficult for Nick in the post and with 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists, his stat line is a clear indication of the difference he made in this game.
Rob Lunder (C-) - I love Rob, but this was not his best game. Mostly, because he didn’t pay very much. (edited)

Nair
Nick Lynch (A-) - The big dawg struggled from three, but still scored 23 points and grabbed 19 boards. Did I mention he had 3 steals and a monster block?
Damian Ruff (A+) - Ruff gets an A for overall play and an A+ for banter/shit-talking. Only Ruff would say “This game is already over” with 9 minutes left in the second half and a three-point lead. Needless to say, he wasn’t wrong, as they went on to win by 7.
DTO (A) - Was second on the team in scoring with 21, as his impressive season continues. He helped them jump out to the early lead and was a huge part of this victory.
Ben Mitchell (B) - Per usual, Ben was solid and steady for them on both ends of the court. He didn’t contribute a bunch, but he also didn’t do anything to hurt them.
Patrick Blaikie (C+) - Patrick went 2 for 7 from three. His breakout game is more than overdue, if pickup was any indication I wouldn’t want to be the team playing Nair next. Wait, we are the team playing them next

Week 2 - Platano Power VS. Stull Here

For the second consecutive week, Stull Here gets an opponent on their second of back-to-back games. Clearly, David Pendergast has an in with the commish, nevertheless, this game would be the highest-scoring affair of the morning as absolutely no defensive was played. Not a single block was registered and Platano Power didn’t even register a steal.

Getting to the action, David Pendergast had 28 points at the half and I was certain he was destined for a 50-piece. Rak, Quinlin, and DP dominated Platano Power in transition and dictated the pace of the game from the tip. Rak (11 points) and Devin (13) would both score double-digits in the first half. AO was the only player on Platano Power to score double-digits in the first half finishing with 13.

Despite not playing their best ball, Platano Power would go into the half down 11 (53 - 42). This game was still very much within reach. In the second half, Devin Quinlin (23 points) got it going for Stull Here and Platano Power was never able to recover. Stull Here would go on to win 96 - 71 as they move to 2 - 1 in this very early season.

Platano Power
Jorge Morel (B-) - In back-to-back games, Jorge had by far the toughest matchups having to guard Nick Lynch and then David Pendergast. Jorgre struggled mightly offensively, but I can’t imagine it’s easy being the lone big man on the squad. The B- is because I know Jorge is way better than the way he played in this game and I look forward to seeing him rebound in their re-match against Stull Here on June 3rd.
Alan Orellana (A-) - Alan led the team in scoring with 22 points and 9 rebounds. His play really kept the game semi-interesting. I would have loved to see Alan a bit more aggressive defensively, but the second of back-to-back is always the hardest!
Neil Aggarwal (A) - 10 points and 6 rebounds were both highs for Neil on the season. Like always, he left it all on the court. I couldn’t ask for more.
Tim Roberts (B+) - Tim was second on the team with 15 points and 7 rebounds. Despite being down a lot early, he never stopped fighting.
Chris Agresti (B+) - Chris played well defensively and scored within the flow of the offense. When Chris is on the floor they really seem to play better.
Rob Lunder (B+) - Rob played much better in the second game scoring 6 points and grabbing 6 rebounds. I’d love to see him play more aggressively on both ends of the court. (edited)

Stull Here
Steve Rakusin (A+) - Steve was as dominant as I’ve seen him. 18 points and 25 rebounds to go along with 5 assists! Fantastic effort on both ends of the court and was the biggest difference in this matchup against Platano Power.
Devin Quinlin (B+) - Struggled early on with his shot, but would find his groove in the second half scoring an impressive 23 points. Despite his shooting struggles, he excelled defensively and found his teammates for easy looks in transition. All-in-all fantastic game for the # 2 pick in the draft.
David Pendergast (A+) - DP was a man amongst boys out there. 46 points, 2 steals, 12 rebounds, and 4 assists. There is no doubt who the player of this game was.
Christopher Stull (B+) - Stull got off to a slow start, but his three treys were backbreakers and really killed any momentum Platano Power was building. He also grabbed 2 rebounds and dished out 2 assists.

BY CUNDALL & HARRY

Kenny Tricks 5 Weeks into giving him Treats after dominating display

Going in, my expectations for this game were very low. 5 Weeks and Counting had been blown out every game, while Trick or Treat is the clear top team in the league. Jamil being out further lowered my expectations and made me regret not making the line higher than the 19.5 I set it at. To the action!

The start of the game was interesting as 5 Weeks and Counting came out flying. Troy and Maneval were active on both ends, forcing turnovers and knocking down a few shots early, while Trick or Treat was sluggish. Eventually they got the pick and role game going with Sam and Mike, but 5 Weeks held the lead 12-8 after the first five minutes. A Troy steal and Maneval 3 would push the lead to 6 at 17-11 and Guns would follow with a three to make it 20-13! Harry was definitely not pleased at this point, but I wasn’t sure how sustainable this was as 5 Weeks were hitting everything, while Trick or Treat was missing wide open shots (or just throwing the ball away). Things were due to flip soon and they did almost immediately as Trick or Treat ripped off a quick 7-0 run to tie it up at 20. Stat was getting whatever he wanted in the paint (still no guarantee he’d finished it) and Weinstein couldn’t miss. 

Guns stopped the run with a crazy put back while falling behind the hoop and out of bounds. I’m not sure he knew much about it, but it was a very impressive play. Things remained level as we finished up the first quarter of the game as we sat at 25-25 after 10 minutes. As you can see, defense was optional at this point and for as hard as 5 weeks was working, I was skeptical they could keep up that effort for the entire game. It seemed a run was coming for Trick or Treat and it started after a Harry dime led to an easy bucket. Weinstein would add a three, which was good because Pollock was throwing up bricks from deep. With six minutes left Harry’s team led 38-28 and then Kenny was unleashed. Over the rest of the half he’d hit three threes to push the lead, yet he couldn’t make a wide open layup in transition. One person who could make layups during this time was Big Guns who had two really impressive right-handed finishes. Guns and the rest of 5 weeks were working hard, but Trick or Treat just had far too many weapons and at half they found themselves down 54-34. Everyone but Harry (he wasn’t shooting at all) was scoring for Trick or Treat, led by Weinstein with 21 and Pollock with 14. Meanwhile, 5 weeks was lead by Maneval with 16 and Guns with 9.

The second half was more or less a scrimmage with both teams trying on offense and providing limited resistance on defense. Harry’s team was putting on a passing clinic with the ball flying around and leading to easy shots on pretty much every possession. Sam finally hit a three in this period and Kenny continued to go off. 5 Weeks meanwhile was fatigued and started turning the ball over frequently. This led to more easy buckets for Trick or Treat as they started to run up the score. Guns and co fought hard in the second half as he hit a really nice setback three, but it wasn’t enough as Trick or Treat walked away with a 94-55 win.

Trick or Treat

Pollock B: Nice game, but struggled from three

Weinstein A: Led the team in scoring and was able to do pretty much whatever he wanted.

Kenny A+: Awesome game even with several blown layups. A treat to watch.

Stat B: Dominated the glass, but still forces a few too many shots for my liking and doesn’t finish efficiently.

Harry B: Kept the ball moving and rebounded well.

5 Weeks

Maneval A-: 23 points on efficient shooting from deep, but would have liked to see a little more activity on the glass and getting others involved.

Guns A: Great game from Tommy on both ends. Had four steals and eight boards and added 14 points and showed off a nice range of moves to get those points.

Troy B: Quiet second half, but worked hard throughout.

Alan C: Struggled with his shot, but passed the ball well.

Cavano calls shot from his death bed

The second game of the evening was the toilet bowl championship between Ian's Gray Matters and Calderan's Danner-18. Both these teams looked quite awful through two weeks, although Danner-18 had a better excuse than Ian's with Casey missing their second game. Casey, was there this week as was everyone else (for a time). Taha aka the electric one was out for Gray Matters. TO THE ACTION!

Gray Matters came out like a team thirsty for victory in this one, sprinting out to a 20-3 lead over Danner-18. Everyone was contributing to start off this half, Koller had 12 points, Ian had 8, Lamaar returned to score 5 and Issac plus Ian had three steals apiece. What a start for a team that really needs a win. They were really bringing the energy out there and it got them a big lead.

On the other end of the floor, Danner-18 was out to lunch the first 10 minutes of the game. Falling down double digits so early to a bad offense isn't a good thing. They looked out to lunch a game that they really needed too. What the hell were they doing? Then Cavano got hurt, falling hard to the ground doing something Cavano like, forcing him out of the game. Not great for a team that relies on its stars to get shit done. Cavano did some up to me as he was leaving and guaranteed victory. Odd thing for a man to say leaving the gym and his team to fend for themselves.

HOWEVER, the game started to turn a bit as Danner-18 went on a 18-9 run to close the half behind Chaos Casey, who was launching the ball at will and flying all over court with no real plan in mind. Danner-18 went into the half trailing 29-21 with the hopes they could ride Casey to a victory. Could they? BACK TO THE ACTION!

Chaos Casey returned in the second half, securing 8 offensive rebounds and a whole bunch of rebounds on the defensive end too. Obviously, Ian learned nothing from our game plan on Mondays last season to assign someone to box out Casey at all times.

Of course, he doesn't have me on this team. Anyways, Casey shot like shit, not surprising, but the second and third and fourth chances he got his team were starting to pay off. Calderan joined the game, scoring 18 second half points after puking on himself in the first half. Calderan also got frisky out there, picking up four fouls and technical! He also started chirping at Koller about being a man. I will say this, all you guards are cheap fucks down low and push/pull/hold all the time. Nonetheless, THIS IS A MEN'S LEAGUE BABY and the winds of change in this game's momentum were blowing.

After a 'good for them?' first half, Gray Matters reverted back to struggling mightily on offense. They didn't hit a three in the entire second half. Ian didn't score and Issac/Lamaar only made 3 fgs the rest of the way. I mean what can you say about this offense? No one can handle the ball consistently, no one can shoot consistently and therefore no one can really score consistently.

Down the stretch Gray Matters finally gave up the lead after a Calderan free throw and then Casey a bucket gave them a 2-point lead. Then somehow Ryan Glynn ended up with the ball on the ground and called a timeout his team didn't have. Therefore proving forever he shouldn't be in charge of timeouts. Koller tied the game from the line after the T, but Glynn redeemed himself okie doking Koller for a bucket, but Koller answered for 2. After some other plays recorded in discord Danner-18 had the ball up 2 and Casey did something stupid, got his shit thrown back in his face and lost the ball for his team. Koller found Gray for 2, Calderan missed one up close, Gray Matters got the ball and ran the same play that tied the game, but this time Calderan threw Gray's shit. Off to OT we go!

Gray Matters won the tip in OT, but couldn't convert and were forced to play from behind after a Calderan bucket gave Danner-18 the lead. After a Koller 1-2 from the line, Casey scored a 2 and Glynn got a board and was fouled. He made his free throws and Koller answered with a 2, then Glynn split a pair. Lamaar would hit a huge three to make it a one point game, Calderan went to the line and made the first, but the second got rebounded by Casey. Ben "Casey" Simmons went to the line and bricked both free throws. Man, does this guy suck at the free throw line. He didn't use to be this bad. Gray Matters had the ball down 2, they got the ball to Koller who dribbled around until he could attempt a 3 and it was off. 64-62 Final.

Another horrific loss for Ian's team and a great win for Danner-18 to overshadow Casey being the worst free throw shooter of all-time.

Grades:

Koller A; Now this what an "A" effort looks like when your team is counting on you to consistently get buckets, not disappear from half to half.
Ian C: Ian looked quite good early, but speaking of disappearing Ian did his own in the second half and OT. This team really needs Ian's best from half to half as a captain and player.
Lamaar C+: A mixed bag from Lamaar, he hit a big shot, but fouled trouble hurt his night.
Issac B-: His best game so far, but he really needs to rebound on this team. What's that height for?
Gray B: Gray made some big plays out there, but he really needs to make his threes. Again, it isn't his fault he's been thrusted into a huge role.

Danner-18

Casey A-: This an 'A+' game, but his outrageously bad shooting brings him down.
Cavano A+: Sees into the future like no man.
Calderan A: Hit some really big shots and made a game saving block.
Marcellus D: I need one bucket or a block or a fight with an opposing player.
Danner C+: I'm sure Danner made some hustle players out there.
Glynn B-: Glynn was a mixed bag of chaos like Casey.

Nothing Great without The Great One

Our last game of the evening featured an AJ and Joel less Counselors taking on the Great Clasby without the Great One. This didn't seem like a promising end to the evening for our games, but we played the game anyway. TO THE ACTION!

Any time a Noah team knows it's in peril means they're going to be chucking 3s relentlessly for 40 minutes, because Noah has his built in excuse. This game was no different in the first half, with the Counselors shooting 22 3-point shots. They were able to hit 7, all from Noah and Jack, who the team welcomed back this week. Those 7 made 3s were 5 more than the amount of 2s they made in the half, so these guys fit in perfectly with today's NBA.

On the other side of the court The Great Clasby was throwing up a whole lot of trash. They went 0-9 from deep in the first half and looked about awful as one can in a half against weak competition. Scroggins, Clasby and Angry Ian combined for all the scoring in this half, plus the next one and OT. That tells me the ball wasn't moving if Robel and Silva didn't get on the board. 

They moved the ball well last week in victory, but perhaps they thought the ball movement played no role in their victory.  

The Counselors went into the half up 25-21. My feelings were this lead wouldn't last and Scroggins would turn it on, but I've been wrong once before (just once!). 

The second half began much like the first of GC, they couldn't hit a shot to save their lives. Scroggins and Robel were the only ones to attempt a 3 in the second half/OT. I don't know what's going on with this team's offense, but it sucks. I thought this would be a good game for them to build some momentum, but boy was I wrong. There wasn't one positive for these guys in this game. 

The score fluctuated a bit in the second half, neither team was pulling away by any means. That's when Jack got hurt on a 3-point jumper that Robel was trying to contest. Zaza Pachulla thought it was perfect defense, but others might be disagree. Obviously, Robel didn't do it on purpose and now the Counselors needed a guy. That's when the King stepped off his throne to play and Robel did the scoring. 

It was a pretty ugly game from there, I remember Bret hitting a huge 3 to get the lead to 5 or maybe a little more. Then Scroggins turned it up a bit and got some lay-ups. Eventually, the game was tied and I drove on Silva, using my new move, I went right up into his arms. There was no call and we went to OT! 

Noah hit a big 3 in OT and Bret made a nice short jumper or lay-up. We got into free throw territory, but I missed a front end and Bret missed one. The Great Clasby got within 2 and went for the win at the buzzer, but Angry Ian's shot fell off. 

Grades

Counselors:

A+: Any time you get a win against another team without your two best players, then your third best, you deserve an A+. 

Great Clasby:

F-: No positives from any player on this team and as a team a collective awful performance. F---------

2 guys and a Cam

Coming into the night this was my game of the evening between two contending teams. Both coming into the game 2-0, both coming off impressive wins. Finally, a game wasn't ruined by absences, everyone was there. TO THE ACTION!

The Young Bucks came out hot behind their 3 headed monster of Lynch-Miller-Cam. Apparently. Civale didn't get the memo that Lynch was a shooter and even if we did, God knows he wouldn't have done anything about it. Lynch, would hit four three pointners in the first half, going 4 for 7. Cam added 10 points of his own, while Miller clocked in at 11. No one else on the team scored in the first half for the Young Bucks, which tells me Civale's team did a poor job noticing what was happening. Again, not surprising with a Civale led team.

On the other end of the floor, MacDonald notched 8 first half assists for his team. I was beginning to wonder though if maybe this wasn't a good thing, because James was the only person who registered an assist. You have to wonder if MacDonald bogarting the entire offense is a good thing, when it leads to other guys going invisible. James did score 8 first half points. Young Bucks went into the half up 39-33. I thought this game could go either way. I expected MacDonald to turn up the scoring. BACK TO THE ACTION!

MacDonald, would step up his scoring in the second half, going bonkers for 20 second half points. He even flirted with a quadruple-double, but one other person registered a second field goal. Again, I have to wonder if this Luka like offense is good for the team as a whole. They were trailing this whole game.

Meanwhile, this was Cam's best game of his CAC career, even if he continues to blow free throws. Cam had 12 second half points, hitting a three and a bunch of 2s. Miller continues to be a force down low, scoring 13 second half points. By the time season ends Miller is going to have a whole lot of free throw attempts. He's a magnet for contact in this league.

Lynch, kind of disappeared though, only scoring 4 points this half. He still refuses to ever enter the post, which I guess is a big thank you to the rest of the league. The Young Bucks just kept MOOM at a distance in this game. The deciding blow was when DTO finally made a FG for the supporting cast. It was a huge 3 that was pretty much the dagger in the game. Everyone, but Cam hit their free throws and that was all she wrote. Another huge win for the Young Bucks, while MOOM needs some answers.

Grades

Miller A-: Another good game, but his shot was off from deep. Lynch: B+: Great first half, but what happened in the second half and why can't I get any post-ups?
Cam A: He'd get a plus if he could make a free throw.
DTO C+: Big three late gets him a plus, but only one made FG? Gross. He needs to make an impact for his team.
Landy C-: I have no memories of anything he did in this game. Was he there?
Bauman C: Notched 2 assists, but I need a make too.

MOOM

MacDonald A-: Hard to argue with the numbers, but where's my defense?
James C+: Listen, James was a monster on the boards, but no second half FGs? Does James only play the first half to score?
Civale A: 7 threes is above board, HOWEVER does this guy ever rebound or do anything but stand on the 3-point line? Just a waste of a big body. Make an effort out there.
Hanks D: Sucked again, but apparently did better yesterday. So good for him.
Ottomatic C: No Ottomatic buckets, boooooooo.

POWER RANKINGS

Better luck next year tier:

8. Gray Matters

Somehow Ian put together a team that can’t score, rebound and shoot. They also have three horrible losses. I don’t feel a pulse. One guy might save you in the first round:

7. The Great Clasby:

If Ian’s team wasn’t so pathetic I’d have this team last for tonight’s performance alone. Wtf is this team doing?

6. 5 weeks and counting:

Somehow this team gets to 6th because they haven’t had a chance to win anything. I feel confident in saying at full strength they’re better the teams below them. They might be better with just 5 too.

5. Danner-18:

Huge win for these guys tonight even with Cavano getting hurt. Casey is definitely good enough to Will his team past the ones blow them as tonight provided. GIANT GAP These teams can win it tier:

4. MOOM

Tough loss for these guys tonight, but they’re still clearly better than the ones below them.

3. Counselors

You can argue they still belong in the 2 spot, but I’m putting them here. Big win for them tonight, you’re welcome. Although, I’d argue it had move to do with the awful play of their opponents. Nonetheless, they’re quite good at full strength.

2. Young Bucks

Huge win for these guys tonight too. They beat a full strength title contender. Their supporting cast has questions though. No one besides the top 3 made a FG tonight.

1. Trick or treat mother fucker

I mean, come on. 1 through 6 we have the best team. The end.

WEEK 3 Write-ups by ALEXA S.

Game 1 - Clever Trevors (57) vs Rock Lobsters (29)

Clever Trevors showed up with a whole team effort with everyone getting involved in the win. CT never trailed in this game and put away the Rock Lobsters from the jump. Early in the 1st half, CT hit 3 consecutive three pointers to pad a comfortable lead into halftime 27-7. Trevor B. had 3 triples in the game finishing with 12 points along with 4 rebounds and 3 dimes. Tony C. contributed 14, 4, 4 assists and 2 steals. Besides dominating as a team from outside the arc, CT also had a clear size advantage in the post. Luke R. and Danny H. made their presence known in the paint and cleaned up the boards. Luke R. had 11 rebounds, including 5 offensive and Danny H. grabbed 9 boards and 9 points to match. Rock Lobsters got it going offensively in the second but it wasn’t enough to overcome their slow start. Camen P. had a double-double going for 13 and 11 with 3 steals.

Game 2- Seal Team 69 (72) vs Furious Rim Ticklers (42)

The second game of the night proved to be another blow out with the Seal Team sealing the win early on. They would take a commanding 20-1 lead which was fueled by scoring 15 unanswered points. Two players on the Seal Team were especially dominant all game long, with Jack S. having a team leading 25 points with 11 rebounds and Caleb G. adding 19, 17 and 6 assists. As a team, they shot well from deep making 10 3’s and converting sloppy plays by the other team into easy transition points. The Furious Rim Ticklers really struggled to make shots with their first field goal only being made after 14 minutes of play. Jeff Y. was jacking up lots of three’s early on but they started dropping in the second making 5/15 (33%). He finished with 19 points and was the only double digit scorer for the Furious Rim Ticklers as they ended losing by 30.

Game 3 – World Ball (71) vs Terminator (72)

This was by far the most entertaining and heated match up of the night that came down to the wire. Remy B. got off to a great start for World Ball by knocking down shots early and helping this team maintain the lead for the entire first half. Remy would go on to score a game leading 25 points. Dylan C. was also active throughout the game converting his free throws and ended up only missing one, shooting 90% (10/11) on FT and tallying 20 points total. The game remained close through the end of the 1st with Fozan S. on Terminators keeping defenders on their toes with his speed and shiftiness as well as knocking down jumpers. Carl B. also helped keep the game close for the Terminators with 18 points and 4 steals. The Terminators were able to keep themselves close, only being down 44-37 at the half.

 Coming right out of halftime, Fozan S. hit a 3 point shot to get them only down 4, but World Ball would continue to apply the pressure and hit shots going up by as much as 12. Terminators would slowly chip away and showed lots of grit and tenacity to stay in the game. With less than 2 minutes to go, they were only down one point after clutch plays by Carl B. with a steal for a wide open layup and a clutch 3 following that. After a pair of made three throws by Dylan C. on World Ball, the Terminators were down by 2 with 30 seconds left. In search of a bucket, they went to Fozan S. who drove hard to the hoop and was hacked. He only managed to convert one FT, but somehow the Terminators secured the offensive rebound and Fozan was the hero of the night for this team hitting the game winner with a last second pull up jumper to go up 72-71! His big night ended with 23 points, 4 rebounds and 4 steals.

Game 4 – A Team Has No Name (70) vs. Lexington Steals (56)

This game was neck in neck until the 2nd half where the Lexington Steals could simply not keep up with the other teams shooting and great ball movement. Thomas F. on Lexington Steals scored the team’s first 7 points and James L. took advantage of his matchups in the post getting great looks. They both had 16 points in the contest. Their efforts kept the Steals in the game going into halftime as they were down by a mere 5 points. A Team Has No Name didn’t take long to put away their opponent, with Navid S. catching fire from deep with 5 treys to end up 17 points, 7 boards and 2 assists. Micah E. also had a solid game with finishing well around the rim with 14, 4 and 5 assists. Mike C. chipped in 12, 6 boards and 3 dimes. A Team Has No Name would go on to win the game handedly by a 14 point marg

WEEK 3 BY LAMARR

Game 1: Mens league (69) - Treys 4 Days (58)

Welcome back to week 3 of the season which has been pretty competitive up to this point of he season. This week was really surprising with some results that I didn't see coming. Starting with the first game of the night with Mens League getting an eleven point win over Treys 4 days. The first half of this game was the definition of a back and forth game, with no team gaining a lead over 5 points. Both teams traded buckets from the beginning of the half, with Mens league being led by PG Phil Mcgloin who was a huge factor all night. With his penetration, mid range game and ability to get to the line, he was a handful to deal with. Trey 4 Days was having a really difficult time from the field, missing some really open looks that they usually knock down. Big man and MVP candidate Kevin Lefrancis was his typical rebounding machine, but this game Men's League fouled and forced him to the line. This was probably a big reason for there win, as LaFrancis went 3-11 in the first half from the line. Just happened to be one of the days for the big man. But back up big George Thissel came off the bench and gave T4Ds a huge boost. Especially with his rebounding. But overall as a team, T4Ds mainly just struggled to hit the shots they were hitting in the first two weeks. Mensleague on the other hand was extremely efficient on the offensive end, with every player scoring at least a bucket in the first half. What kept Trey 4 days in the game was the offensive rebounding. 8 in the first half as a team, which allowed them to stick around.. The halftime score was 34-34 after a big 3 by Wes Scholl tied the game. 

Second half couldn't have started better for Men's League, with McGloin scoring 5 quick points and then hitting T. Smith for a nice 3 to bring the lead to 8 two minutes in. They didn't look back from that point forward. Mcgloin controlled the game and basically did whatever he wanted. He ended the game with an amazing 11 for 11 from the free throw stripe. Along with some timely buckets from Smith and forward JP Wilkinson, the game was theirs to lose. Trey 4 Days stayed as close as they could by continuing to get to the line, but the miss just kept coming. They ended the game going 15 for 30 from the free throw line. Which basically killed there chances. The game ended with Mens league taking it 69-58. 

MVP: Phil Mcgloin (27 points, 6 rbs, 6 ast)

 

Game 2: Big Phil from the hill and team (72) - Terminator 2 (60)

I can't lie, I thought that this was going to be a good match up for Terminator but boy was I wrong. Big Phils squad came out on a mission this week to get that first W of the season, Beating T2 with a convincing 12 point win. Big Phil came out and looked like an entire new team with the ball movement, they really shared the ball from the beginning of the ame that helped them get out to an early 18-10 lead. PG Hernon Perdomo was really running the show for BIg Phil and the team, his passes led to forward Jonathan Freund (who scored 8 quick buckets) and others. That really got the team going and feeling confident. Scott Jensen and Thomas Bissel were there typical selves, crashing the boards and getting some easy looks. But as a team from three, this team really really struggled. They were 4-15 from the 3 point line in the first half, something we aren't accustomed to seeing. If they made even a few of those threes the game would be much different. But instead T2 went into the half down 36-20, Big Phils squad also picked up 5 team steals in the first half that led to some easy transition buckets. But never count on the Terminator. 

Second half was a completely different team for T2, they came out much more aggressive and started to push the pace, outrunning the bigger Big Phil squad. This helped to some easy baskets but still missing threes and Nick Roseetii grabbing two offensive rebounds and put backs kept for Big Phil kept the lead at 12 with 17:00 to go in the game. Two quick 3s by Freund and Concannon and I thought that would be the game, but a 14-5 run by T2 got them right into the game. Led by combo guard Carl Bunge, who had a steal and block on back 2 back possessions along with some big shots, gave his team the confidence they needed. They also started to knock down the 3 ball. Bissell knocked down three 3s under the 7:00 mark and BIg Phils squad finally got cold from the field, next thing you know the score was only 62-58, T2 down by 4. At this point I was thinking “Yeah Terminator 2 gonna make this incredible comeback” but that wasn't the case. Again T2 couldn't find their touch from 3, and with Nick Rosseti and Concanon knocking down everything they put up in the half the game was officially over. BIg Phil from the Hill and team wound up with the win, 72-60. Terminator 2 shot a horrendous 8-38 from the three point line, but dont expect that to be the case for the rest of the season.

Game MVP: NIck Rosseti (18 pts, 10 rbs, 2 ast)

 

Game 3: Mid Range Magic (63) 0 FCHWPO (45)

This was another big win that I didn't see coming into the week. Not because MId Range does not have the talent, but the size of FCHWPO would be a lot of Mid range to handle. Boy was I wrong. Mid Range took advantage of FCHWPO not having there 3 best players, and easily destroyed there opponent 63-45. Even if FCHW had its full roster, the way Mid range played im not sure it would have even mattered. First half was a pretty close game with no team really gaining any big lead. Mid range was their typical attacking selves, getting to the line and attacking the rim. The Zahner brothers were especially aggressive with both grabbing multiple offensive rebounds and knocking down mid range jumpers. With no rim protector from FCHW, mid range use this game plan over and over. FCHWPO stayed right there with MId range tho, with 2 big threes by guard Meech Ramirez and strong drives by AIden Cyr, FCHW was in position to take the lead. But two big offensive rebounds and putbacks by big Man Clifford Bouchereau kept the lead at a reasonable distance going into the half, with MId Range up 30-24 at the half.

Second Half started off similar to the first half, mid range being aggressive and FCHW making timely baskets to stay in striking distance. BIg Man Bouchereau was having none of that thought. He really turned it up in the second half, FCHW couldn't score in the paint as long as big cliff was roaming around. Plus the 3 ball not falling for them, and things got pretty ugly pretty quick for FCHWPO. Mid Range stayed on the gas, hit 6 second half 3s to their opponents 1, and only gave up a total of 15 points the entire second half of the game. Stifling defense led by Cam Kelley and Bouchereau. But let's not forget about the big second half for 6 man Sean Mahoney, who hit 2 big threes and added 6 rebounds in the second half of the game.. Real great team performance by Mid Range, and ended up getting the blowout win with a score of 63-45. MId Range had 5 different players score in double figures.

GAME MVP: Clifford Bouchereau (18 pts, 10 rbs, 1 ast)

WEEK 3 WRITE-UPS

Week 3 Game 1 Super VS Poor 
By Chas

Frongi dives in right away to kick us off, and Oully followed his lead $ a 3, Rosi TD ass to Frongi after steal, then Frongi another lay up sheesh it was an ugly 11-0.Ini goes 1-2 to finanly get them on the board. Mulv goes 2-2 to keep the pressure 13-1. Matty gets a 3 to go thank god! Ini scoop shot, Mazone drives in , Ini 1-2 again, but Oully 3 brakes the run 16-9. Amazon filthy lefty drive, but Oully going step for step wih and 1 19-11. Ini bank shot.19-13. Kap hustle elads to Mulv lay in, then Mulv in the right place at the right time for 2 23-13. Stull 3 ball splash alert, than Keith Obrd put in 26-18. Kap zooms in, but Mazone Trey makes it 28-21. Amazon $ another trey, and another 28-27 we got ball game baby! Frongi calms things with cut, but Ini hook keeps pace. Oily feeling it gets a 3, but Mazone in his bag gets the lefty lay in. Rosi finally in on the act with a J, Frongi running well gets another deuce, but that Ini hook was falling, Frongi just gashing them with another running hoop, then a Kapadon steal 3 ball magic it was a crazy 42-33 at the break. 

Ini grown man lay in, Keith grown man lay in it was 42-37. Mulv brakes mini run with lay in. Mazone sneaky down the base line. Mulv, and smooth Matty J trade 3’s, but Keith gets floater 47-44. Puller big 3 to stretch the lead 50-44. Stull crafty to the line gets 1-2, Mulv would get a J, but Keith sees a 3 go through 52-50. Kap strong righty drive, but Stull not taking no shit $ 3 54-53 what a game! Kap answers with veteran 3 , but Mazone obrd converts, then Matty nice cut we were knotted at 57 all! Mulv obrd leads to big Rosi 3, than Rosi 3 again , after some fts Matty would get a 3 to go making it 64-61. Poor had good 1 n 1 ft chances but kept missing them, and that was huge as Rosi really got going down te stretch, Pulley would add a 3 and that was good night Irene. 77-69 Super stays unbeaten 

Super 

Rosi-B-) Took him way to long to get going, and it almost cost them. As alway he knew when to turn it on and and got out of there with the W. 
Oully-A- Vintage Oully here, he was the efficient assassin we all love. 
Frongi-B+- Run , run, run he knows how to keep pressure on the D, and it gave great results. 
Mulv-B- Solid day, hustled hard , and made an 2nd half impact 
Kap-B+-He’ssssssss back. Much more impactul, getting swipes/3’s,and dimes. 

Poor

Matty-B-) Dude can shoot it, and its beatuful. But needs to get out on shooters more. 
Stull-A-) Really likes his fight/actvity out there.
Ini-B+- Scored the rock well, still not the most efficient from the line. 
Mazone-A-Holy moly this kid is a baller, would have got the A+ with a win. Left drives, just filthy 
Keith-B- Came late but still filled up the stat sheet, rebound excellently maybe one to many 3 down the stretch.

Game 2: Mulholland Drive vs. FTR

ReKAP:

We had a good one in game 2, featuring Mulholland Drive taking on FTR. Houston was out for MD, missing his second straight game, while FTR was fully staffed with Dru making his season debut. It was tight to start, with both teams exchanging baskets. Chas was looking to be more assertive, hitting an early 3 and delivering a number of bellowing screams that hurt my ears. JDM and Harding were exchanging blows as expected and DP delivered a nasty patented drive and spin on LeBlanc. Welcome to the spin cycle LeBlowby! FTR led 15-13 after the first 10 minutes of play.

That’s when it got ugly for FTR. MD ripped off a 22-6 run to close out the final 10 minutes of the first half. Their offense looked much improved, with JMul providing a nice facilitator role. He was moving the ball well and while he didn’t rack up a lot of assists, he did provide a number of “hockey” assists. The assault resulted in a 35-21 MD halftime lead.

FTR has a bunch of guys that can play though, and Harry’s halftime speech must have done something to inspire his team. FTR opened the second half with a 13-4 run to cut the deficit to 5. Harding led the charge as usual with some long balls and nice drives to the cup. He looked to be more assertive out of the intermission and it paid dividends. Vladi got in the act as well after a quiet first half and just like that we had a ball game on our hands!

After a timeout, Chas would calm the troops though MD was able to weather the storm. A LeBlanc 3 would push the lead back to 9 and MD remained pretty much in control for the rest of the game. FTR battled their asses off but every time they seemed to get closer, MD had an answer. I am not going to speak on the “self-pass” play by JDM because it was the right call, but I know FTR will be pointing to that play as a pivotal moment late in the game.

Down the stretch JDM and LeBlanc were lethal from the free throw line combining to go 15/16 in the game. Not too shabby! These two would end up combining for 50 points and ultimately it was too much for FTR to overcome. MD comes away with a very solid win, 70-61.

Grades:
JDM (A): JDM was fantastic in this one. He posted a strong 30 point, 10 rebound double double. No offensive rebounds is kinda shocking but he still balled out and made a number of “OMG” shots.
LeBlanc (A-): LeBlanc is still trying to figure out the long ball this season, but he was excellent everywhere else. Floor generaled the game well and made all of his free throws.
JMul (B+): He didn’t take a single 3! He did however, play a really good game despite scoring only 2 points. He was basically the Draymond Green of this team. I don’t know if that’s a compliment or not. He did all the little things in this one really well.
Chas (B+): Pretty solid Chas game here. He was much more assertive on offense as Vladi was giving him ZERO respect on his shot. He ended up going 2/7 from deep but they were all good looks. A solid effort here.
Craig (A-): Craig didn’t get mentioned above, but he did play a really solid game. He went 1/2 from deep and had some nice 2-point buckets. This was definitely one of Craig’s best efforts of the season.

Vladi (C+): Kind of a mixed bag for Vladi. He didn’t shoot that well from deep, but he did make some timely ones. The 3 steals were nice. I am used to more dimes from Vladi but maybe we can blame his teammates for missing shots?
Harding (B): Expectations are high for this guy so I am going with an EH game here. I will cut Harding some slack because MD has a very good defense. Pretty much a run of the mill game here. I did like seeing the 3/5 from deep though.
DP (D+): You might be thinking a D here is harsh, but expectations have gone up! I don’t think DP necessarily played terribly, he was just kind of a non-factor. I feel like DP passed up some open threes as well, and he has been shooting the long ball well this season. Let’s fly homie!
Harry (C): See DP. Not much of a factor, outside of a couple nice mid-range jumpers early (and they were sexy). He missed some easy ones in the second half which hurt. Harry did make a nice play saving one of those misses from gong out of bounds though.
Liam (C+): A tough wide open missed layup late in the second half hurts Liam’s grade but I thought he played fine. He was kind of a non-factor outside his usual stellar defense, but when your team loses the grade suffers.
Dru (D): Would have been an F but it was his first game of the season. That said, woof, rough debut. Played about 5 minutes, had 3 rebounds, 2 ghastly turnovers, and a wild missed drive to the rim. Yuck.

Game 3: Kawhi Me A River vs. All Length, No Girth

ReKAP:

I looked to my left while scoring the previous game and who’s ugly ass do I see walk in…SAMUEL POLLOCK! I guess he got the Tibbs “don’t tell anyone else” approval. I thought this was kind of unfair at first, but after this game I was dead wrong. KMAR was fully staffed while ALNG was without John Reilly. I expected a pretty good game. Woops!

KMAR jumped ALL over ALNG right away behind a masterclass in shooting by the legend Tommy aka RoY Kahana. Holy moly what a show he put on, absolutely dusting Ruiz over and over again. Tommy was absolutely scorching to start the game and in the first half he pretty much hit every single shot he took. He dropped a cool 19 in the first half. Beast!

The Tommy surge really set the tone for the first half and this game overall. ALNG really struggled on offense, especially in the first half. Pollock had trouble fitting in with his new teammates, Ruiz was still looking for answers from deep and Joel couldn’t get much going. KMAR led 39-22 at the break.

The second half was a mere formality. KMAR was not fucking around, maintaining a double-digit lead throughout the half. Tommy cooled off, but his teammates had his back to keep the onslaught going. Koller got going, converting some tough drives at the rim. He was putting all that Djordje MVP buzz to bed. LaPorte continued his torrid three-point shooting and Ben Mac was working in the paint. He had a nice drive in the second half right into Djordje’s grill followed by a Mutombo finger wave. You ain’t stopping this train big fella! KMAR cruises to the 66-50 win with little resistance.

Grades:

Koller (A): Koller had an all-around very good game. 19 points on very efficient shooting. He didn’t miss a 3 or free throw and stuffed the stat sheet.
Ben Mac (A-): Very solid game for Ben Mac. Got the assists back up after last week and was a beast driving the ball to the rack.
Cavano (C+): Cavano wasn’t a huge factor in this game, but he did what his team needed to get the dub. Had a few buckets and hustle plays but otherwise was pretty quiet.
Tommy (A): Quiet second half, but he basically won his team the game in the first. What a showing by the vet. Loved to see it. Tommy is the frontrunner for steal of the draft right now.
LaPorte (A): Speaking of frontrunners, LaPorte is the clear frontrunner at this time for 5th man of the year. He has been stellar off the bench this season and tonight was no different. He is now 6/9 from deep on the season. Bang!
JJ (B): Quiet game for JJ, but he played his role. Didn’t do anything stupid and made a few plays. Can’t ask for much more from a bench guy.
Joel (D): Not a good game for Joel. No dimes, 2 TOs and 10 points. I expect more from a guy of his caliber.
Djordje (C): This was Djordje’s worst game of the season, but it was kind of expected with Koller on the other end. His line was actually pretty decent at face value, but his rebounding was way down. MVP stock…down!
Ruiz (D): Really rough game for Ruiz. Got abused by Tommy, had 4 TOs and went 1/9 from deep. The talent is there but I think he is trying to figure it all out.
Bakolas (B-): Shot well from deep to save his grade, but nothing special here. I like this guy’s game though and I think he has been a good piece for this team.
Pollock (D): Rough debut for Sammy boy. New league, new team so I won’t be too harsh, but he started the game with 3 TOs. Unacceptable.

Game 4: HOLLAND vs. The Corporation

ReKAP:

In the late game we had HOLLAND taking on The Corporation and this one stank of blowout city. Both teams were fully staffed so no excuses! I was looking forward to Devin taking on his idol in Mazz so that was a fun matchup to see.

We had a pretty good on our hands to start. HOLLAND looked a lot better this week, playing like an actual team and giving Corp all they could handle. Devin had an early beautiful high off the glass drive that impressed me. Mazz answered though as these two were exchanging blows. Corp led 17-14 and I thought maybe this could be a game?

Big Lou would spark a little Corp run, doing WORK in the paint. He was converting his little baby hook and when this shot is dropping you ain’t stopping it. He would end up with a solid double double in the game. Corp would push the lead to 11 behind Big Lou’s strong play but enter Civale. Oh baby what a shooting display. Civale nailed his first two treys and you could feel that this was going to be a Civale game. He was COOKIN’ in the first half, keeping HOLLAND within striking distance. Corp would lead by “only” 8 at the break.

Out of the break though, Corp would really start to exert their will. HOLLAND started to resort back to old habits, with a lot of 1:1 play that would result in empty possessions. Corp would capitalize, scoring on a couple Mazz-Walker pick and rolls. All of a sudden, I looked up and Civale was 6/6 from deep and HOLLAND was down 18. How is that possible!?

HOLLAND played hard and looked much better this week, but they couldn’t overcome the early second half run by Corp. The defense by Corp was too much and HOLLAND couldn’t manufacture consistent offense. Despite Mazz and Syd’s horrific three-point shooting, Corp comes away with the expected win 74-57.

Grades:

STAT (B): STAT played a solid game despite only scoring 8 points. He snagged 15 rebounds and only had 1 TO. I need to see more leadership from him though. This team needs some direction!
Devin (D): Devin was pretty quiet after a solid start. Only scored 12 and his team really needs him to get 20+. He will have better days ahead.
King (D): King was more or less a non-factor. He spent too much time complaining about the ref than actually playing ball. We have all been there though, god knows I have.
Bonvie (C): Went 0/5 from deep but part of that is because his team doesn’t really put him in positions to score. Bonvie can stroke with the best of them, and this team needs to figure out how to get him open looks.
Civale (A-): If you go 7/10 from deep, I don’t care if your team loses, that is impressive. Civale added 4 blocks too which was nice to see. Need more defensive rebounds though. One rebound?!
Robel (D): Not a good Robel game. His outside shot was way off tonight, and he just looked rusty overall. I need more!

Mazz (A-): Poor from deep but dominated the game. Dropped 20, had 8 dimes and 1 TO. I feel like he could have done anything he wanted against HOLLAND’s defense.
Cawley (B): Regular Cawley game. Some points, some rebounds, a nice block. The usual shit. Fuck him.
Syd (C): Rough shooting from deep. I liked how Corp’s offense became “feed Syd until he makes one” to keep his confidence up. Did other stuff though to contribute to the win.
Walker (A-): Walker was very good in this game. Made some nice shots around the rim and hit a middy. Also set some good illegal screens one that sent DQ into space.
Big Lou (A): Big Lou! Kid balled out tonight. Double double and a block. Love when he plays well.
EJ (A-): Nice game off the bench for EJ. Made 2 of his 4 from deep and played his role nicely. Two TOs hurt his grade a little.