Game 1 | Fruitless Endeavor: 68 - Eman Mentality: 60

Fruitless Endeavor Outduel Eman Mentality in Shorthanded Battle

With Koller out for FE and Mulvehill and Marra out for EM, this matchup became a lot closer, starting off the CAC Cup with a competitive game from start to finish. The first half finished with EM up 29-26 behind 19 points from Eman, who shot three of five from deep, but was even more impressive on the attack. In the preview, I predicted FE would put Lucas on Eman, but they went with Gillooly instead. I love Kev’s game, and he stepped up in a major way in this one, but Eman was getting by him at will to get his team out in front in the first half. Maneval hit a three for 5 first half points and Rakusin was dominating the glass, but EM was heavily reliant on Eman for any offensive production. Dan Waldman filled in for a few minutes, registering 3 points on his only shot attempt plus 1 steal until Morel showed up. Jorge struggled to finish early on with no warm up, but still had a nice impact with a few blocks and tons of rebounds. It was difficult to assess how well EM was playing, Eman was responsible for nearly 70% of their points, but they still held a small lead.

With Koller out, FE turned to Civale to lead the offensive charge. Civale finished with 12 and 3 in the first half, hitting two threes and adding some nice takes inside. A matchup nightmare for EM, Civale’s shot was on early and his quick release is almost never impacted by a contest, you just kind of have to hope he misses. Gillooly had an excellent first half, going a perfect three for three from range for 9 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists. Even with Eman giving him the business, Gillooly stepped up to guard him and carry a bigger offensive burden, and I loved his fight in this game. Early in the game, he drove to the rim and got fouled by Rakusin, who immediately started talking to KD. Even with the entire gym telling him to stop and KD giving him more than enough warnings, Rakusin continued to argue the call. This obviously resulted in a tech, much to the chagrin of Eman, who looked defeated in his efforts to get Steve to stop talking. Gillooly proceeded to somehow miss all four free-throws, but it may have been exactly what he needed. More on that later. Hanks added 2 points and a bunch of rebounds, while Lucas hit one three and made some solid plays defensively. Even at a slim deficit, I had faith in FE with Civale’s efficient shooting start and a more well-balanced offensive attack.

To start the second half, Eman picked up where he left off, getting to the rim for some nice buckets and distributing effectively. He finished with a game-high 29 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals, bringing his signature defensive effort and trash-talking to both sides of the ball. I was most impressed with his shooting, as he finished five for twelve (41.7%) from deep, which doesn’t even fully account for the degree of difficulty or a few shots he started to throw up as the game got out of hand at the end. Ultimately, he was the best player in this game, but he ran out of gas as FE started to throw different looks at him. He was simply asked to do too much in this game, and to his credit, he rose to the occasion even if it didn’t result in a win. Maneval provided some help with 11 second half points, finishing the game with 16 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block. He shot four of ten from three, and his ability to knock down shots off the catch with no space on double teams was incredibly impressive. He also got better as the game went on, making a bunch of great plays down the stretch even in a losing effort. Rakusin, despite his antics, played pretty well. He finished with 6 points, all in the second half, plus a game-high 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks. His effort inside was admirable, and he did a decent job on Civale on the interior. Jorge finished with 6 points, 12 rebounds (6 offensive), 1 assist, and 4 blocks. His defensive effort was excellent, especially on Civale, and his motor on the offensive glass was a huge boost to his team. I think the fact that he showed up late and didn't get to properly warm up affected his finishing, as he missed a few bunnies in the first half, but I would have loved to see him attack more.

As EM slowed down offensively, FE didn’t do anything crazy. They did, however, work for good shots and apply constant offensive pressure from everyone on the roster. Civale failed to hit a three in the second half, but got two buckets and hit all four free-throws when EM started fouling at the end. Civale’s reliable free-throw shooting is an underrated part of his game, as everyone in the gym knows he can knock them down and close out the game. With Civale slowing down in the second half, it was Gillooly who filled that offensive void. He hit his first two threes in the second half to start the game out at a perfect five for five. He finished six for eight (75%) on his way to 20 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals, including two clutch free-throws late in the game. After bricking four straight free-throws, Gillooly found his rhythm and his confidence, leading his team to victory in the absence of their best player. Excellent performance from the smart, crafty guard in this game. Lucas also found his shot in the second half, finishing with 13 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal. With 10 second half points, tough rebounding, and solid, reliable play all-around, Lucas brought exactly what was needed to the second half for FE to pull out the win, notably a few key defensive possessions on Eman. Hanks found the range in the second half, finishing two of five from three for 9 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal. Hanks does well as a reliable big body inside who can stretch the floor, playing his role well in this game. Dennis Puskas came off the bench with the reputation of a knockdown shooter, and after doing little in the first half, Puskas shot two for four in the second, going for 6 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 impressive block on an opposing jump shot after battling around a screen. I actually loved what I saw from Puskas in this one, as he battled defensively, made the shots he was expected to, and proved to be an excellent passer, finding guys in their spots while also making simple reads to generate good ball movement and opportunities for teammates. Altogether a stellar performance from FE, as they shot fourteen of thirty-two (43.8%) from deep and generated 14 team assists, with four players having 3 assists each on the way to a nice 68-60 win.