Well it’s official…

Coming into this game I had the Perfect Strangers (PS) as a 25 point favorites.  Although this was essentially a playoff game for The Personnel Department (TPD), initially they were struggling with attendance and looking at a potential glorified pick up run.  However, they ended up having 4 rostered guys in attendance.  Too bad one of them wasn’t Phil.  Good news is they were getting Jamil back but the bad news was I still wasn’t changing the line 😂.

First half:

Early on you could tell PS was about their business today up 16-8 with 15:33 left in the half.  As the half continued it just became more and more apparent that TPD couldn’t win today.  PS led 51-26 at the half.

Halftime stats:

TPD:

Jamil Ball 16 pts, 2 stls, 5 drebs, 1 foul

Nate Mendes 1 oreb, 2 drebs, 2 asts

Steve Rakusin 4 pts, 1 stl, 1 oreb, 2 drebs, 3 asts, 1 foul

Josh Baines 6 pts, 1 stl, 1 oreb

PS:

Chris Hanks 14 pts, 2 drebs, 1 ast

John Reilly 2 drebs, 2 asts, 2 fouls

Darrien Higgins 2 orebs, 4 drebs, 1 foul

Greg Talbout 12 pts, 4 orebs, 1 ast

Ethan Good 16 pts, 1 blk, 2 orebs, 3 drebs, 4 asts

Ben-G Uzoma 9 pts, 1 blk, 1 dreb, 1 ast

Player of the half:

Ethan Good

Second half:

The only positive for this half for TPD was that they were outscored 24-22 but the final score was ugly 75-48.

Grades:

Jamil Ball A was the best player on the floor for his team and actually was the game’s high scorer.  Shot efficiently while also stuffing the stat sheet.

Nate Mendes C+ ended up scoring some buckets in the second half to go along with some other decent stats.  I think he is capable of playing better but unfortunately he won’t be able to show me that next season 😢.

Steve Rakusin B- aside from his three point shooting percentage he had a pretty good all-around game.

Josh Baines C his steals and other stats saved his grade.  Ultimately he just had a bad shooting day which happens to everyone.

Chris Hanks A didn’t get the rebounding numbers I am accustomed to seeing but still scored easily and shot efficiently.

John Reilly B played smart while getting some stats to help his team get the win.

Darrien Higgins C+ didn’t score but also didn’t force anything.  Had a monster rebounding day.

Greg Talbout B he has another gear he can get to but still played well.

Ethan Good A gets a + added to his grade if he gets the triple double but pretty much did whatever he wanted out there in a very efficient manner.

Ben-G Uzoma B- was hot from three in the first half then kind of coasted the rest of the game.  I still liked the game he played though.

Player of the game:

Ethan was really just too good 😂.  I know that’s a very corny way to put it but as per usual Ethan played a phenomenal game.  

Subject: Perfect Strangers hand Euphoria their first loss of the season

Euphoria came into this matchup as the only remaining undefeated team in the league, but a slow start would have them facing an early 8-point deficit (36 - 28). Perfect Strangers led by impeccable all-around play from their trio of Hanks, Ethan, and Greg controlled the boards and the overall pace of play. 

Hanks led the way with 15 first-half points, and Ethan and Greg would chip in with 9 each, but despite their stellar play, we all know Euphoria wasn’t going down without a fight. 

Ruff called a timeout to settle the troops down after the slow start and the team responded.  Dwyer (14) and Trevor (11) would combine for 25 first-half points and more importantly, build some momentum going into the half.

PS would go into the half leading 43 - 37, but this game was far from over, right? PS played outstanding D in the second half and held Euphoria to 16 total points, which is nothing short of amazing given the talent level of their opposition. 

Euphoria was blistering cold and struggled to generate anything offensively. Greg and Ethan would inflict a majority of the damage offensively in the 2nd half combing for 20 of their teams, 27 total second-half points. In addition to the offensive output, they combined for 9 offensive rebounds, which helped their team create multiple second-change opportunities.

PS would go on to win by 18. Despite it being an all-around team effort, Ethan would steal the show as he notched another triple-double on the season collecting 18 rebounds, dishing out 12 assists, and scoring 17 points.

But it was their willingness to play team ball and involve everyone, which was the true catalyst for this win. Including some huge threes from ​​Darrien when the momentum looked like it was starting to shift.

For Euphoria, I don’t want to overreact to a regular-season loss. I’m honestly, looking forward to the rematch, I know it’s going to be a battle, but nonetheless very entertaining.

They’re streaking now…

Although I didn’t have lines for this game, being that Perfect Strangers (PS) was missing their best player in Ethan Good and Girls Gone Wild (GGW) had their entire team.  I would’ve picked GGW to win.

First half:

It looked like GGW was ready to play on the day and was up 17-11 with 10 minutes left in the half.  At the 5:15 mark PS battled and fought back to only be down 19-17.  This was somewhat of a wake up call as GGW went on a run so much so that Ghost hit a 3 at the buzzer giving GGW a 31-26 halftime lead.

Halftime stats:

PS:

Chris Hanks 5 pts, 9 drebs

John Reily 1 pt, 1 blk, 4 drebs, 1 ast

Darrien Higgins 2 drebs, 1 foul

Greg Talbout 13 pts, 2 orebs, 2 drebs, 2 asts

Ben-G Uzoma 7 pts, 1 blk, 2 drebs, 1 foul

GGW:

Ben Mitchell 0-1 from three

Brian Civale 4 pts, 2 orebs, 4 drebs, 1 ast

John Harding 13 pts, 4 stls, 1 blk, 8 drebs, 4 asts, 1 foul

Chas Belliveau 3 pts, 1 oreb, 1 dreb, 3 asts, 1 foul

Michael Fraher 11 pts, 1 oreb, 2 drebs

Alan Orellana 1 dreb, 2 fouls

Player of the half:

John Harding

Second half:

While I don’t think PS gave up at any point they were never able to make the game itself competitive enough that it looked like they could win.  At the 15 minute mark GGW was up 37-29.  At the 10 minute mark GGW was up 46-37.  At the 3:56 minute mark GGW was up 55-47.  GGW would go on to win this one 61-53.

Player Grades:

Chris Hanks B his team needed him to score more but his three point shooting was efficient and he rebounded well albeit a loss.

John Reily B I can’t ignore his free throw shooting percentage but he did have a nice balanced game.

Darrien Higgins B efficient from three and got some other stats.

Greg Talbout A he was really good can’t point to anything he did wrong just unfortunately for him his team lost.

Ben-G Uzoma B- I’m knocking his grade down for his three point shooting percentage.  I also feel like he can do more and his team definitely needed it.

Ben Mitchell A- can’t go too high because of his three point shooting percentage but the one basket he did score was huge.  He also managed to get some other stats.

Brian Civale B- his poor three point shooting percentage can’t be ignored but fortunately it didn’t cost his team the game.  He did also manage to get some other stats.

John Harding A+ played a perfect game and was the best player on the floor.  I love that he plays on both ends of the floor but I was most impressed with his defensive rebounding today.

Chas Belliveau B missed a couple threes and a free throw but overall was good at all aspects of the game.  Made great contributions to help his team win.

Michael “Ghost” Fraher A can’t point to anything he did wrong and his team won.  Anytime he hits a three that automatically increases his grade especially when it results in a win.

Alan Orellana C+ I feel like one of his assists were huge but overall was just an observer for the most part.  He played a smart game nonetheless.

Player of the game:

John Harding his team won and he played extremely well.