A 5v5 THU Week 1 Write-Ups
by Jason on
By DEVIN QUINLIN
WEEK 1 9/7
Game 1 | Suffolk: 79 - Spida Men: 73
Suffolk Hold Off Spida Men in OT Win
Suffolk jumped out to a big lead the season opener, up 50-37 at the half. Even without their full roster, this group was looking dangerous on both ends. The Spida Men, also without their full roster, battled hard in the second half and managed to tie the game with under a minute. After some misses from both teams, the game headed to OT, where Suffolk took control to pull away with a 79-73 lead.
Bolden Brace led the way for Suffolk, cementing himself at the top of the MVP ladder after only one game. He put up 27 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 7 steals in a strong effort on both ends. Even with his shot slightly off (five of thirteen from deep), he was just a step ahead of everyone else on the court, garnering 7 steals and even more pass deflections while moving the ball well and getting to his spots when necessary. George Grillakis wasn’t far behind, dropping 25 points of his own to go along with 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 4 steals, terrorizing Spida Men in transition and once again, driving to his right. He converted five of seven free-throw attempts and hit two threes as well, but also decided to foul out with 1:30 left on the clock by running at Mazz and grabbing him for no reason. Logan O’Donnell had a monster double-double inside with 12 points, 13 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 blocks, showing off some nice footwork on some post moves and playing good defense, while newcomer Nick Budesheim had some strong takes to the hole to finish with 12 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals. Throw in Holtze and McEneney, plus a much improved Bret Edwards (3 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist) and this is a seriously dangerous roster.
Spida Men fought hard and kept this game close, especially in the second half, even without Jamal Brown. Newcomer John Lithio was impressive, hitting shots and creating for himself while moving the ball well and just generally playing smart. He finished with a team-high 17 points, plus 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals, and I see him as a huge addition to this roster. Danny Martin Jr. and Cedric White both had big games as well with 16 points each. Martin Jr. added 7 boards, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block, while Ceddy hit a few threes, plus 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks. Nick Mazzeo played very well at the 1, hitting five of his ten threes to finish with 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists, while Tim Gallivan added 9 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal. The ball movement looked good for the Spida Men, and I was impressed that they took Suffolk to OT. Could be a big season for them if they can continue to click offensively.
Game 2 | We The Ones!: 85 - Zards: 94
Zards Return with Victory Over WTOs
Zards return to Thursday A League as a consistent, well-oiled machine on both ends, and this game was no different. They held a 52-36 lead at the half, showing off their crisp ball movement and shooting prowess on offense, while relying on their aggressive zone defense to force turnovers. Big credit to WTOs, who battled back late in the second half with a barrage of contested threes, but this game was never really in doubt, as Zards held on for a 94-85 win.
In the preseason rankings, I put Zards at #4, but that’s because I forgot about Sam Longwell, despite giving him MVP like 3 sessions ago. Either way, he now ranks #1 in scoring (31 points), #1 in made twos (12 2ptm), #3 in assists (6 assists), and somewhere in the top 10 in rebounds (10 total, 2 offensive), while adding 1 steal. He was simply unstoppable inside the arc, getting to the rim at will and operating smoothly in the mid-range. He shot only two of eight from deep, which will only improve as the season progresses, and I expect him to be a nightmare for opposing defenses every game. Dan Wohl is another matchup nightmare, finishing with 25 points, 11 boards, 4 assists, and 1 block, shooting three of six from three and four of five from the line. Impressive distribution to go along with his usual stellar scoring. Craig Melillo was a menace on defense, finishing with 15 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks while shooting three of eight from three. Matt LaBove was a monster down low, putting up 14 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal, but altering plenty of shots and discouraging WTOs from even attacking the rim. High IQ player who really fits well in this system. Newcomer Milan Prodanovic added 9 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals, but I think he has more to give with his smooth shot. Either way, Zards pick up right where they left off, and will be among the favorites this session.
WTOs benefitted from some great guard play, particularly from Jalen Bruce. Bruce was solid all game, but really took over at the end, hitting several pull-up threes to finish with 27 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. He shot six of ten from three and did well to get to his spots and hit tough shots. Ty Moore added 20 points on five of eleven from downtown, plus 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals, while Grady Levi chipped in 15 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal. Jordan Carter found his rhythm in the second half to finish with 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists, hustling and making plays on defense as well. As usual, no one knows who Keith will bring to ACEC on any given Thursday, but this core group, plus Garrett Stanowicz and myself, make up a much improved roster from previous sessions. Still, this group will need to win some games to prove they deserve to be moved up in the standings.
Game 3 | Ronin Blood Warriors: 68 - Not A Dime Back: 73
NADB Best RBWs in Closely Contested Game
Tibbs is one sick mf matching these two up in the first game, as NADB and RBWs have previously matched up in both the B1 Unification and A League Unification Championship. All of their games are closely contested, and this one was no different, as NADB took a 37-35 lead into halftime despite being up big early. They managed to hold on at the end of a wild game, winning by a final of 73-68.
For NADB, Chris Connor stepped up majorly. Everyone knows he can score, but he put up 27 points (three of eight from deep, no FTs) against tight defensive pressure to go along with 9 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block in highly impressive game. His mid-range was unstoppable, with his teammates doing well to find him at his spots, and he took care of the rest. Dom Black was in attack mode early, getting to the rim at will to finish with 18 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals, applying serious pressure on both ends, while backcourt mate Jon Luster came alive in the second half to add 14 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists (game-high), and 1 steal. Probably the worst I’ve ever seen Luster shoot (two of eight from three, which isn’t even that bad), but he still had an overwhelmingly positive impact on both ends. Chris Cusano added 6 points, 3 boards, and 1 assist, while Marcus Giese was strong inside with 4 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Jeff Coulter and Mike Synott also played their roles well, and even without Dre Kontopidis, NADB pulls off an impressive win and look primed to repeat.
RBWs got strong contributions, with Deven Palmer leading the way. Palmer finished with 24 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 2 blocks, shooting five of eight from three and five of seven from the line despite showing up late and not warming up. Talent-wise, he’s up there with the best in the league. Arinze Obiora added 21 points, 10 boards, 3 assists, and 2 blocks, doing most of his damage inside on both ends and relentlessly attacking the rim the whole 40 minutes. Juran Ligonde added 14 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals, while Guy Pistone chipped in 3 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, but led his team with 5 assists. I’m definitely less familiar with RBWs roster than the other teams, but I do know that these guys can play, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them make a deep playoff run.
Game 4 | Team Takeover: 75 - West Coast Shooters: 88
WCS Shoot A Lot, Win
WCS put up 56 threes in this one, making 22 of them (39%) and they therefore won the game. That’s really it, as no other team put up more than 31 attempts on the night. They also lead the league in assists with 25 total, and they really just do the same thing every time but they’re all proficient shooters, so there just isn’t much other teams can do. They led 46-35 at half and went on to win 88-75.
Collin Sawyer led the way with 29 points on seven of twelve from three and a perfect four for four at the charity stripe, plus 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. Sawyer often leads the team in scoring because, while he’s an excellent shooter, he is also willing to take layups. Eric D’Aguanno does not take layups (unless he’s posting up apparently), and he shot seven of thirteen from three to finish with 27 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals, while Derek Retos shot five of fifteen for 15 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal. Matt Pattyson added 8 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks, while Stephen Tam added 5 points, 12 rebounds (5 offensive), 3 assists, and 2 steals. In the highlight of the game, Tam encouraged defensive effort from his squad during a dead ball, which made D’Aguanno look like the Nick Young meme. Jack Fay had a funny game with 4 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, and a league-high 12 assists. He played a strong game, but just couldn’t hit any shots, going zero for eight from deep, the Ying to the rest of his team's Yang. This group is fun to watch, but we’ll see if they can translate it to postseason success later in the season.
Team Takeover played the beginning of this game with only four players, putting them at an early deficit, but they battled hard and made this game somewhat competitive. Trevor Parker finished with 27 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists, shooting five of eleven from three. His talent is off the charts, and he will need to propel his team to a few victories this season. Jared Johnson also had a strong showing, dropping 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists with some strong finishes inside and some nice defensive effort as well. Michel Toney got going late, finishing with 12 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block, but he will need to be better if this team wants to win games. He’s more than capable. Julian Beach was active inside with 8 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block, battling for rebounds and finishing some nice takes around the rim Zach Scott was late and didn’t get a chance to warm up, but his activity on both ends was a big boost, as he added 7 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals from the guard spot. With their bigs back next week, we’ll see if Team Takeover can string together some wins before their huge October 19th matchup with a shit-talking Keith and his We The Ones team.