I can see clearly now….

Coming into this game I had Angelos & Demons (A&D) as a 7 point favorite.  I thought A&D had 5 guys versus Trey’s R US (TRU) who only had a confirmed 4 guys.  Come to find out A&D also only had 4 guys.  In my mind I still saw A&D as the favorites.

First half:

The game was competitive, close and just an outright battle.  Not sure if the 18-16 lead at the 9:28 mark by A&D was a result of good defense or bad offense but here we were.  As the half continued the scoring picked up slightly but TRU was able to flip the script and take a 29-25 lead into the half.

Halftime stats:

TRU:

Craig Baranowski 7 pts, 1 stl, 1 dreb, 2 fouls

Patrick Blaike 3 pts, 2 drebs

Tyrone Mullings 3 pts, 2 stls, 3 drebs, 1 ast

Josh Lax 16 pts, 1 ast, 1 foul

A&D:

Chris Hanks 4 pts, 8 drebs, 1 foul

Emmanuel Okharedia 6 pts, 2 drebs, 2 asts

Angelo Cerbone 15 pts, 2 orebs, 3 drebs, 1 foul

Jake Darby 1 dreb, 2 fouls

Player of the half:

Josh Lax

Secone half:

So for the first 5 minutes and 40 seconds TRU went on a 16-5 run.  This was probably a direct result of their sniper-like three point shooting.  It felt like the game was over even though there was a lot of time left. While A&D definitely didn’t quit they just weren’t able to get back into the game or make it respectable, TRU wins this one easily 67-48.

Player Grades:

Craig Baranowski B although his three ball was off, he came really close to a double double game.  I liked that he was able to not commit any additional fouls in the second half and just played his role.

Patrick Blaike A after going 1-5 from three in the first half he got hot in the second going 3-4 (3 in a row too).  His shooting really opened up the game for TRU.  I also liked his rebounding numbers.

Tyrone Mullings A he’s definitely capable of scoring more but he did what was required in helping his team secure the win.  It also helped that he stuffed the stat sheet.

Josh Lax A his free throw shooting percentage cannot be ignored but anytime you can bring your Discord game onto the court and back it up that helps your grade tremendously.  He also led the game in scoring and tied the game leaders in steals and assists.

Chris Hanks B- really close to a double double but the 1-7 from three is what hurts his grade here.

Emmanuel Okharedia B his three ball was off but outside of that stuffed the stat sheet.

Angelo Cerbone A- arguably the second best player on the floor but his three ball left more to be desired.

Jake Darby C he did manage to score in the second half but didn’t really do much else unfortunately for him and his team.

Player of the game:

Josh Lax bravo to you sir.  Discord delivery received.

Our next game was a track meet between Save the best for Last and Treys r Us where Best for Last came out victorious 80-73 after trailing most of the game before a tie game at 66 let them go on a beautiful 6-0 run to take a commanding lead and never look back. A tightly contested matchup makes me think these teams could meet again in the playoffs. 

For Save the best for Last it was a very balanced team effort as they worked the ball around finding open shots and nobody forcing any offense. They were led by Kevin R with a game high 33 pts 5 asts 4 boards on 5/10 from deep. He combined a deadly three ball with a handful of post moves and mid range fadeaways to score efficiently throughout. He was joined by Keith B who played a fierce big man down low finishing with 26 pts 13 boards 6 asts to go with some lock down defense. Additional shoutouts to Josh B with 12 pts 9 boards 5 asts and Chris S with 9 pts 5 boards. 

For Treys R Us they played a great first half maintaining a lead until Best for Last made a late run changing up the game plan. They were led by Greg T who finished with 20 pts 6 boards 6 asts on 4/8 from deep. He looked like the x-factor for stretches of this game with his ball movement and finishing ability but went a little cold late. He was joined by Josh L with 20 pts 11 boards 4 asts on some great work down low mixed in with the three ball on 3/8 from deep. Additional shoutouts to Pat B with 15 pts 7 boards on 3/8 from deep and Ty M with 12 pts 3 boards on 2/4 from deep.