B2 5v5 TUE Week 3 Write-Ups
by Jason on
Week 3 Write-ups
By: DEVIN QUINLIN
WEEK 3 9/19
Game 1 | Splash City: 39 - Bear: 66
Bears Pick Up First Win in Dominant Fashion
After two fairly competitive games against the league’s top two teams, the Bears finally land a win against Splash City. Up 40-12 at the half, this game was never in doubt, and the Bears won by a decisive final of 66-39.
John Bowllan led the scoring with 17 points on three of five shooting from three, adding 11 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block. Bowllan has been extremely active on both ends for the Bears this session, but finally got his offense going in this game, making some impressive fade-away threes from the corner and finishing well inside on the break. Danny Shapiro put up 13 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists (game-high), and 2 steals in the win, going three of six from deep and facilitating well from the point guard spot. He also had a mean ankle breaker in the mid-range on a stepback, making his defender touch earth. Will Estes was on fire in the first half, finishing with another double-double of 10 points, 11 rebounds, and 1 assist. His offensive production has been a bright spot for the Bears this session, and his defensive rebounding has always been stellar. Will Ross still looked a bit rusty, but shot three of five from three to finish with 9 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists, while Paul Cooley finished with 5 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal with some nice passes and finishes inside (even though Mark took one away). Baris Durgun added 5 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 3 steals in the win, bringing solid defensive play, while Ted Blake was instrumental in the win with only 2 points, but 8 rebounds (4 offensive), 4 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. He facilitates incredibly well from the free-throw line extended and gets his team so many extra possessions with his offensive rebounding. Fill-in Rory Palmer added 5 points and 9 rebounds. Overall a strong game for the Bears, and the first win in the young career of interim head coach Sam Blomberg. It’s been reported that former head coach Jason Behrens shed a single tear upon hearing the news of Blomberg’s first career win.
Splash City just couldn’t get much going on offense in this one, going four of twenty-seven from three and generating only 5 assists as a team. Bryden Goings finished with 13 points, 1 rebound, and 1 steal, shooting an impressive three of five from deep and hitting both of his free-throw attempts. Definitely a solid game from him in the backcourt, while point guard Mike Pang also played solid with 8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal. He had some crafty finishes at the rim, converting two and-ones and definitely providing a steadying presence for his team. Other than that, there wasn’t much production from Splash City. Matt Wulbrecht finished with 5 points and 3 boards, Colman Shea added 4 points, 7 boards, and 1 steal, and Ben Bennet chipped in 4 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 steal. Just not a lot of cohesion among this group, though there is some talent on the roster. They will see better days.
Game 2 | Team Ahern: 54 - Pirates: 47
Team Ahern Pull Out Strong Win Against Pirates
Team Ahern have seemingly found their groove, moving to 2-1 on the season and looking like one of the top teams in this division. With the Pirates making their debut, I wasn’t sure what to expect from them, but they look to be a solid team as well. Still, Team Ahern led 25-20 at the half and maintained their lead to finish the game with a 54-47 win.
Nick Martin was impressive for Team Ahern, using his size to dominate both ends. He finished with 15 points, 11 rebounds (5 offensive), and 1 steal, finishing well inside but also showing off some Dirk-esque one-legged fadeaways in the mid-range. He will be their key player going forward. Anthony Scanzo-Masiero still needs to be added to the roster, but he is a long-range sniper, going four of ten in this one to finish with 16 points and 5 rebounds. This guy is a professional chucker, and as a chucker myself I absolutely love to see it. Does he take terrible shots? Yes. Did he hit four threes when no one else in this game hit more than one? Also yes. Shooters shoot! Ethan Collins finished with 10 points, 8 rebounds (3 offensive), and 2 blocks. He couldn’t quite get his mid-range shot going, but he still had a major impact on both ends. Eric Bauman finished with 6 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 steal, and I would love to see him look for his shot more, as he’s proven to be an efficient three-point shooter, albeit on low volume. Cam Letalien finished with 1 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists (game-high), 1 steal, and 2 blocks, showing off his versatility and distributing well to cutters and shooters, while Zach Gordon was tough inside with 3 points, 10 rebounds (4 offensive), 1 steal, and 1 block. Dave Bonaiuto hit a three to finish with 3 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal, while Doug Watford added 4 boards and 1 assist in the win. Strong performance from Team Ahern, who definitely seem to be getting more comfortable playing with each other.
The Pirates had a lot of unforced errors in this one, which I will chalk up to first game jitters. Other than that, they looked like a solid group and I expect them to be competitive. Nick Fay was getting his all game, putting up 20 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals on some strong takes inside. He also hit a three and shot three of four from the charity stripe, establishing himself as his team’s main offensive threat early in the season. Patrick O’Loughlin had a strong 10 point, 13 rebound double-double, plus 2 assists and 1 steal. As a guard, 13 defensive rebounds is impressive, and he also had some nice drives to the rim. Mike Cellucci added 10 points of his own to go along with 2 boards, 2 assists, and 2 steals. He shot zero for five from three, but his form and the eye test tell me that he will be the main shooting threat on this team, and I expect him to start canning a few threes every game once he finds his rhythm. Ian Vieira finished with 3 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists, but he should’ve had more dimes as his team missed some easy layups. Either way, he did well driving and facilitating. Tom Banks added 2 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, and 2 blocks, while Myles O’Loughlin chipped in 2 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 1 block, with both guys making a strong impact on defense. A lot of bright spots here for the Pirates, who look to be a solid team but will need to show out against one of the other top teams to establish themselves as a top team instead of a middle team.
Game 3 | Plenty of Lotion: 65 - The Substitutes: 36
POL Move to 3-0 In Easy Win
Much like the first game, not much to say here. Plenty of Lotion are a top two team in this division and they just outmatched the Substitutes in every facet of the game. With a 43-14 lead at the half, this game was never close, and POL win by a decisive 65-36 final score.
Guy Pistone continues to do his thing, finishing with 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists. He shot five of nine from three, even though someone on the Substitutes kept yelling to let him shoot, which was just strange behavior given that they shot seven of thirty-four from deep as a team. Either way, Pistone is the clear second best player in this division, and he will continue to lead his team game after game. Drew DeBari got his three ball going, shooting three of seven to the tune of 13 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal, always solid and reliable in the backcourt as a shooter and facilitator. Anthony McDaniels added 10 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals, while Yancy Brown was active with 8 points (two of four from three), 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 2 blocks. Dan Ollquist and Garrett Vinett were in a rebounding battle with each other despite being on the same team. Ollquist finished with 4 points, 16 rebounds (4 offensive), 2 assists, and 3 steals, while Vinett came up with 3 points, 17 rebounds (5 offensive to get the edge), 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block. Even without the scoring, both guys were instrumental in the win, and absolutely dominated the glass. Solid performance from POL, who face off against Miyagi-Fang next week in the battle of the top top teams.
The Substitutes just didn’t have it tonight without Yianni Grupen. Doug Law stepped up with 14 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 assists, shooting four of thirteen from deep and making some nice passes from the top of the key to penetrate POL’s zone defense. Other than that, no one else scored in double figures. Matt West hit two threes for 6 points and 5 rebounds, Ryan Pitcher put up 5 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block in a well-rounded game. Gal Hulli grabbed 11 rebounds to go along with 4 points and 2 assists, while Lexi Kimball put up 4 points and 3 boards in the loss. M. Rutherford (add him to the roster please), was active with 2 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block, but the Substitutes will need more offensive production to win some games this session.