5v5 Draft Week 4 Write-Ups
by Jason on
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.
B1 5v5 WED Week 3 Write-Ups
by Jason on
Game 1- Gravy Trains 2.0 vs. Orange OG’s
By: Ariel G.
What a way to kick off our Wednesday night with this high offensive octane match up against Gravy Trains 2.0 and Orange OG’s.A hard fought game but Orange OG’s were able to squeak out a 64-55 win. Both teams came out firing on all cylinders, specifically Gravy Trains 2.0 being carried by the hot shooting of Eric P. who went ⅘ from 3 in the first half. To combat the hot shooting of the Gravy Trains, Orange OG’s were able to knock down 7 first half 3’s of their own. On top of the hot shooting, Orange OG’s really utilized their pick and roll action to get good looks at the rim and kick outs to open shooters on the perimeter. Both teams were all over the floor, diving for loose balls, and snatching rebounds out mid air. Alex K. for Gravy Trains had 10 rebounds in the first half alone. It was a back and forth battle in the half, but Orange OG’s head into the 2nd half with a 32-27 advantage.
Gravy Trains would not be denied going into the second half, as they went on a 13-7 run out of the gates to take a 40-39 lead and force Orange OG’s into an early timeout. Both teams exchange offensive blows throughout the second half and the hot shooting continued as the teams combined to knock down 18 long range balls. As hot as Eric P. was in the first half for Gravy Trains, it was Brett A. and Zach B. who carried a lot of the offensive load in the second half finishing with 18 points and 11 points, respectively. Jesse O. had an all around game or the Orange OG’s as he packed the stat sheet with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Orange OG’s also had a secret weapon in Judah who came off the bench to give them 17 points. Orange OG’s outscored Gravy Train 25-15 in the second half to take the victory.
Game 2- Intramural Heroes vs. G League
Intramural heroes jumped out to an early league and never looked back as they put up 91 points in a 91-73 win over G League. Tim G. dominated from the tip off to the last buzzer as he finished with a double double with 20 points and 14 rebounds. He was an elite three level scorer in this game and G League had no match for him. The game went back and forth and Bradley R. was able to keep G League in the game in the first half from his hot shooting from 3, knocking down 3 in the first half. Not only was he an offensive terror, him and Giannis V. were both terrors on the defensive end as they combined for 12 steals between the two of them. Jamal B. also started to get going offensively and he finished the half on a 6-0 run. Despite their efforts, G League headed into halftime down 33-51.
Not at all discouraged by the 18 point deficit, G League came out with a spark and went on a 9-0 run to start the half and cut the lead to single digits. However, they did not have the fire power to keep up with the Intramural heroes who had four players who put up 20 points or more. G League got hot late from 3 and got contributions from behind the arc from Jack A., Colin M., Patrick K., and Bradley R. Although the second half was dead even with each team scoring 40 points, the 18 point first half deficit was too much for G League to overcome.
Game 3 - Commando vs. Jelly Not Jam
Commando came out smoking hot to start the game as team captain Max scored the first 12 points of the game to put them up 12-3 early. Jelly Not Jam was not helping their own cause as they turned the ball over on the first 4 possessions of the game and could not hit a shot from the field to start off. After a collision, Max has to go to the bench and Jelly Not Jam takes full advantage by going on a 12-6 run to take the lead. These 12 points mainly came from transition buckets at the rim or from beyond the arc. Dave R. was starting to come alive for Jelly Not Jam and he and Max were both in double digits in the first half. Despite the hot start, Commando goes into half time with only a 5 point lead.
Similarly to the first half, the second half is the Max show as he finishes the game with 26 points and 7 rebounds. His ability to score at will is frustrating for Jelly Not Jam so they start to play a little more physical with him. This physicality leads to 10 trips to the free throw line, where he was able to capitalize on 7 of them. Thankfully, Marcken L. and Griffin M. got hot late in the second half from 3 as they both knocked down two triples to keep the game within reach. Jake H. also did damage on the offensive end in the second half for Commando as he finished the game with 18 points. Slow start for Jelly Not Jam leads to a tough 8 point loss for them.
Game 4- Big Tuna vs. Tuesday Night Selects
This game between these two teams started off very slow. Both teams combined for only 8 in the first 5 minutes of the game. But when Big Tuna decided to turn it on, they really turned it on. They knocked down back-to-back-to-back 3’s on ensuing possessions to go up early. However, Kyle C. had a few tricks up his sleeve as he then hit back-to-back 3’s to get himself going. Late in the first half it seemed like fatigue set in for Tuesday Night Selects as they started to give up easy transition buckets and they ended the half giving up a 14-2 run.
Chris L. and Billy A. were the dynamic duo you never knew you needed as they put on an offensive clinic the entire game. Billy A. even tried to throw a lob for Chris to dunk from half court, unsuccessful however. Both finished with 24 and 26 points, respectively. Tuesday Night Selects would not go down without a fight though as they were making huge plays on offense and getting gritty stops on defense when needed. The defensive charge was led by Ben C. and Cam O. as they both came up with two steals a piece in key moments. Quinton D. tried to carry the team as he finished with 14 points, team high honor. However, 3 late triples from Bill, Chris, and Matt C. put the exclamation point on what turned out to be a 22 point blow out win for Big Tuna.