Subject: The Defense Rests mounts furious comeback to extend their win streak to 4

I had Riggin’ For Higgins as the early favorite, due to the absence of Angelo and Big Lou. Despite R4H’s recent struggles, I was optimistic that the return of France and improved play from Skelley, would give Adwaith the firepower he needed, but I was wrong. Let’s get to the gameplay.

R4H’s would jump out to the early lead (9 - 3), as their smothering defense set the tone early for them. Adwaith (6), Branch (5), and Darrien (2) would combine for a ridiculous 13 steals. The forced turnover led to easy baskets offensive and Skelley (8 Points), Adwaith (11 Points), and France (13 Points) would be the primary beneficiaries.

Civale (14 Points) and Ty (12 Points) combined for 26 first-half points, to help keep TDR within reach. Despite their struggles offensively, they were never out of this game. Riggin’ For Higgins would lead the entire second half and enjoy a slight 2-point advantage (34 - 32). 

The Defense Rests 

• Brian Civale: 14 Points

• Noah Landy: 3 Points

• Tyrone Mullings: 12 Points

• Damian Ruff: 3 Points

Riggin’ For Higgins

• Derek Skelley: 8 Points

• Adwaith Nair: 11 Points

• Darrien Higgins: 2 Points

• Jay Branch: 0 Points

• Josh France: 13 Points

After 4 minutes of play in the second half, TDR would take their first lead (40 - 37). Offensively, TY and Civale led the way, but it was the play on both ends of the court from Ruff and Noah that helped TDR distance themselves from R4H. Ruff’s (2 steals) and Civale’s (1 steal and 2 blocks) helped TDR raise the intensity on the defensive end. 

TDR would take the lead and never look back, as they strolled to their 4 consecutive win of the season.

The Defense Rests 

• Brian Civale: Civale was ridiculous! Not only did he shoot the ball well, but he was unguardable in the paint. His 25 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal performance can all be described as dominant. 

• Noah Landy: Noah had a quiet first half, but found his stride when his team needed him the most finishing with 8 points, while playing with his usual grit on the defensive end.

• Tyrone Mullings: Ty was catching bodies for the second consecutive week. No fans in attendance, but still managed to be assertive and aggressive offensively. I’m sure Keith is still kicking himself in the ass for trading out of 4 (LOL). 

• Damian Ruff: Ruff shot 50% from deep and played outstanding defense. His stats may not jump out at you, but his impact on the game was not negligible. 

Riggin’ For Higgins
 

• Derek Skelley: Skelley had another double-double as his production continued to improve from game to game. Despite finishing with 14 points, he could have easily had 20+ if was able to convert some of those easy layups he missed.

• Adwaith Nair: Adwaith did enough to help his team to win. He was impactful on both ends of the court, to the tune of 25 points, 14 rebounds, 6 steals, and 4 assists.  What else can you ask for?

• Darrien Higgins: Darrien scored 5 points, but I think his biggest impact came on the defensive side of the basket totaling 2 steals and 1 block.

• Jay Branch: Branch was absolutely dealing, as finished with 8 assists to go along with some fantastic defense. I know as a first-round pick, some folks are expecting more gaudy scoring numbers, but this dude can really facilitate the offense. 

• Josh France: France played well in his return, and finished with 18 points (13 in the first half). I think fatigue got the best of him, as he ran out of gas in the closing minutes. I don’t think TDR is mathematically eliminated from the playoffs yet, so I’m sure he’ll be back in full swing next week. 

The Spring 2024 season is right around the corner and sign-ups are now open! Sign-up information can be found here: https://cacbasketball.playbookapi.com/programs/register/

All teams looking to return need to sign up and pay for the league by Friday, April 19th. Email Tibbs @ jason@cacbasketball.com with any questions.

Title: Harding explodes for 41 as Spice Channel’s dominance continues in a blowout victory  

The matchup between Adwaith and Harding highlighted the matchup of two teams heading in different directions. Spice Channel has been nothing less than dominant, as they sit firmly in first place as we approach the final games of the regular season. 

On the other hand, RIGGIN' FOR HIGGINS' had won their previous 2 games after a dreadful 0 – 5 start to the season. Adwaith and R4H would jump out to a quick 10 – 0 run after 2 minutes based on stellar play for Adwaith.  

Both he and Harding would be matched up against one another early, and neither would disappoint as both players would lead their respective squads in scoring. Despite picking up 2 very early fouls, Harding didn’t lose any aggressiveness as he was in attack mode on both ends of the court. 

He would finish the first half with 25 points, but his defense and ball distribution (7 assists) were just as impressive as his offensive onslaught. With 6 minutes left in the first half, SC would find back from the early deficit to take a 5-point lead (28 – 23).  

Aside from Adwaith, Skelley (10 Points) was the only real threat for R4H offensively, as they relied heavily on the duo for any offense production without France in attendance.  

Once Djordje (8 points) arrived fashionably late, the offense really found its stride! Can’t forget about my man Chas (7 Points) who set the tone defensively and helped re-energize his team after the slow start. Spice Channel would go into the half with the momentum on their side leading 41 – 31.  

Spice Channel 

• Tommy Ng – 0 Points 

• John Harding – 25 Points 

• Chas Belliveau – 7 Points  

• Djordje Vlajkovic – 8 Points 

• MICHAEL Fraher - 4 Points  

RIGGIN' FOR HIGGINS'  

• Kevin Gillooly – 5 Points 

• Derek Skelley – 10 Points 

• Adwaith Nair – 16 Points 

• Darrien Higgins – 0 Points 

• Jay Branch – 0 Points 

Spice Channel would carry their momentum into the second half, as they would go to win this game convincingly on back the of Harding's game-high 41 points. It was another stellar team victory, but John’s offensive onslaught was the true difference in the game as he was unstoppable.    

RIGGIN' FOR HIGGINS'S  

• Kevin Gillooly – Had was quiet offensively. Didn’t play with the confidence I’m accustomed to seeing him with.  

• Derek Skelley – Played his best game of the season. I couldn’t have asked for more.  

• Adwaith Nair – Scored 31 points despite being doubled and tripled teamed at times. He played well, his team was just overmatched.  

• Darrien Higgins - Didn't have a huge impact on this game on either end of the court. 

• Jay Branch – Didn't have a huge impact on this game on either end of the court.  

Spice Channel 

• Tommy Ng – Huge buzzer beater to end the game in regulation! Big Gunz!  

• John Harding – One word to describe his outing and it’s “Dominant”. 

• Chas Belliveau – Played his ass off with fans in attendance. I love his game!  

• Djordje Vlajkovic – Showed up late, but still managed another double-double in a monster effort on both ends of the court.  

• MICHAEL Fraher – Was quiet offensively but did a great job feeding the hot hand.  

"The Spring 2024 season is right around the corner and sign-ups are now open! Sign-up information can be found here 
https://cacbasketball.playbookapi.com/programs/register/
All teams looking to return need to sign-up and pay for the league by Friday April 19th. Email Tibbs @ jason@cacbasketball.com with any questions"

What a game, what a comeback, what a win…

Coming into this game I had Eman Mentality (EM) as a 5 point favorite over Riggin’ for Higgins (RFH).  Admittedly I could’ve picked RFH as the favorites based on the last games played by each team.

First half:

Early on it looked like EM was still trying to recover from the time off and their previous loss.  At the 11:54 mark RFH was up 19-9.  As the half continued I was waiting for the moment for EM to turn it on and make the game interesting, it never happened in the first half and RFH was up 42-26

Halftime stats:

RFG:

Kevin Gillooly 11 pts, 1 drebs, 2 asts

Derek Skelley 6 pts, 1 blk, 3 orebs, 2 drebs, 2 asts

Adwaith Nair 16 pts, 1 stl, 3 dreb and 4 asts

Darrien Higgins 2 pts, 1 dreb

Josh France 4 pts, 1 orebs, 2 drebs, 1 ast

Keith (Jay) Branch 3 pts, 2 stls, 1 oreb, 3 drebs, 1 ast

EM:

Jorge Morel 6 pts, 1 oreb, 3 drebs, 2 asts

Steve Rakusin 3 drebs

Andrew Marra 2 pts, 1 dreb

Charlie Maneval 7 pts, 2 asts

James Mulvehill 6 pts, 1 oreb, 1 dreb

Emmanuel Okharedia 5 pts, 1 oreb, 1 dreb, 3 asts

Player of the half:

Adwaith Nair

Second half:

Not gonna lie I never sensed the game as being over.  With 9:47 left in the game EM was only down 48-41 forcing RFH to take a timeout.  Another timeout at the 6:20 mark by RFH but now they were only up 50-47.  Down 53-50 with less than 20 seconds left my man Charlie had another opportunity to tie the game and cash ruled everything around him.  The game was tied at 53 with 6.2 seconds left.  While RFH had an opportunity to win this game it was unsuccessful and we were headed to overtime.

Overtime:

In overtime as in the case in most games it wasn’t too exciting.  Not much can be done in 3 minutes.  A Nair basket put RFH up 55-53.  Another Charlie 3 put EM up 56-55.  Baskets were hard to come by and Emmanuel had some opportunities at the free throw line to essentially seal the game but he was only able to convert on one of those.  Down 2, RFH got the ball to Nair who took a tough contested three that didn’t go in.  Game over EM wins 57-55.

Player Grades:

Kevin Gillooly C+ looked like he was going to go on a scoring tear after his amazing first half.  Unfortunately for him and his team didn’t accumulate one single stat in the second half or overtime (aside from 7 missed threes).  Honestly none of the shots were bad, they just didn’t go in.

Derek Skelley B+ was his best game on the season but I think he can play better.  Was an absolute monster on the glass.

Adwaith Nair A did everything in his power to help his team win they just didn’t get it done.

Darrien Higgins B all his production was in the first half but also wasn’t a liability in his limited minutes.

Josh France C got some stats but this game was nowhere near what I expect of him and what I’ve seen thus far this season.

Keith (Jay) Branch B- I have to knock his grade for the Chris Webber moment.  I don’t really care what he says about the 50 shots a game thing he still has to do more for this team.  The 45 year old dad of 2 gets it though you’re old and out of shape.

Jorge Morel B- his free throw shooting wasn’t good but overall I think he was solid.  I think he spent too much time on the bench though.

Steve Rakusin B- got the rebounding numbers but didn’t deliver on his discord guarantee of a double double.  His team did win the game though.

Andrew Marra C+ minimal contributions but also in limited action so I’m not mad at his game or what he did.

Charlie Maneval A- did miss a couple of free throws but overall had a great shooting day.  His clutch shot making secured the victory for his team.

James Mulvehill B- didn’t make a three which was surprising to me but still did some nice things out there.

Emmanuel Okharedia C+ only because he’s been playing at an MVP level and this wasn’t his best performance.  He did manage to get some good stats and obviously was instrumental in the team win.

Player of the game:

Charlie Maneval.  Made two incredibly clutch threes and in such a low scoring game was the constant scoring threat his team needed to secure the win.

Summary: Riggin' For Higgins extends win streak in victory of Pushing P

Despite being without Tim Preston, Pushing P came into this matchup as slight favorites. Jamal predicted they’d win by +4.5. Admittedly, you’d have to be foolish to bet against, Adwaith, so I took that bet. 

Early on I was feeling good about my pick, as Riggin' For Higgins jumped out to the early 9-point lead (11 - 2). Adwaith was on pace for a huge game, and Pushing P couldn’t buy a basket. Just as I started to feel good about my chances, Dan Waldman proceeded with an unassisted 5 - 0 run of his own, which would pull Pushing P back within 2 points.

Despite their offensive struggles, Pushing P would go into the half trailing by 2 (24 - 22), which was a victory on its own based inability to generate much offense. On the other hand, Aside from Adwaith (14) and Branch (6), Riggin' For Higgins had some offensive struggles of their own.

Riggin' For Higgins

• Higgins: 0 points
• Nair: 14 points 
• France: 2 points
• Branch: 6 points 
• Kevin: 2 points 
• Skelley: 0 points

Pushing P

• Hanks: 2 points 
• Josh: 10 points 
• Dylan: 2 points 
• Dan: 8 points 

Led by Adwaith and France, Riggin' For Higgins would go 9 - 2 run during the opening 5 minutes of the second half, which allowed them to extend a 2-point lead to double-digits. Outside of Agent 00 (Dan Waldman) 14 second-half points, Josh, Dylan, and Hanks would combine for 6 points. 

As a result of their (Pushing P’s) ineffective offense, the lead would eventually ballow to 20+, as Riggin' For Higgins would extend their win streak 2, after starting the season 0 - 3. 

Riggin' For Higgins

• Higgins: continues to see his production increase, as he’s off to a fantastic start. 7 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 block. 
• Nair: had another fantastic outing finishing with 23 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists just missing out on the coveted triple-double. 
• France: despite falling short of some of his season averages, France still notched a double-double (11 points and 10 rebounds) playing a huge role in his team’s victory. 
• Branch: I love to see Branch playing with much-improved confidence. Despite only scoring 7 points, he had some good looks that rattled out. A lot of people focus on the offensive production but lose sight of the fact, he’s a fantastic defender. He would lead the team with 4 steals, to go along with 6 rebounds and 4 assists. 
• Kevin: struggled to start the game, 

Pushing P

• Hanks: Despite his struggles from three, I think Hanks had a pretty solid game. 12 rebounds is great production from the big fellas. 
• Josh: had a very uncharacteristic game offensively, but still was a menace on the defensive end. Selfishly, I hope his offensive struggle continues as we face off in a couple of weeks. 
• Dylan: Very quiet game offensively, but he did a fantastic job rebounding and creating havoc defensively. 

Dan: was outstanding offensively, and continues to be my personal favorite for the Most Improved Player award. For a while, I thought he was delusional and possibly a bit misguided, but after another dominant offensive outing, you cannot deny the production and consistency with which he’s playing with.