(2) Calypso North Stars (62) v. (7) Run and Gun (29)

Calypso absolutely dominate Run and Gun to seize firm hold of title as favorite of the league

It was domination from the get-go for Calypso, as they started the game on a 15 to 0 run, forcing an immediate timeout by Run and Gun. Every single player was clicking after their win the previous night in the B1 league, as they brought the same intensity to their game with lowly 7-seed Run and Gun. Run and Gun's timeout didn't help all that much, as their first basket came nine and a half minutes remaining in the first half, with the game already well in hand for Calypso. Run and Gun did finish the first half on a relatively strong run, managing to put up 14 points by halftime, still paling in comparison to Calypso's 35 at that juncture. Every single player for the North Stars had a strong scoring performance, with the team playing excellent team-focused basketball that resulted in each person getting open shots that they were often able to convert into points that dug Run and Gun deeper into an impossible hole. 

The real fireworks started in the second half, with Run and Gun well aware that their season was basically over. Star point guard Eduardo Deleon, after scoring 18 of the team's total 29 points, began to talk an incredible amount of trash to the opposition, seemingly blind to the fact that he and his team were eating a massive L. Calypso initially hardly reacted but by the time the final buzzer sounded, was talking right back to Deleon, wanting him to know exactly how badly he was losing and the state of his team. In the end, Calypso will move on to the next round while Run and Gun will lick its wounds and work toward a better regular and postseason next time around. 

Player of the Game: Lucas Rathjens - 14 points, 12 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks

Run and Gun (43) v. Calypso North Stars (59)

Intriguing playoff preview as Calypso survive second half scare to secure 2-seed; Run and Gun comeback falls well short

We'll be watching this game again next week, as November 2nd's results locked Calypso in as the 2-seed and Run and Gun as the 7-seed. It was quite an encouraging start for the North Stars, as an initial 1 to 0 jersey-based advantage quickly bloomed to 22 to 7 just 9 minutes into the contest, forcing a quick timeout by a struggling Run and Gun squad. The T-based trio of Tony Caletti, Trevor Britton, and Trevor Larsen once again led the North Stars in scoring, with Larsen leading the pack with 18 points and Caletti and Britton each grabbing 14 points. Caletti had excellent efficiency as he shot less than usual, jacking up only 4 attempts from deep and making all but 1, while he also dished 4 assists to tie for the team lead with Brian Vogt. The Trevors each took 8 triples, each making 2, with Britton contributing heavily on the defensive end as well, easily leading the team with 4 of the squad's 6 steals. Vogt had an excellent all round game in this one, as his 4 points belied the size of his contribution - he grabbed 11 boards including a massive 6 on the offensive end, passed for the aforementioned 4 assists, and provided strong defensive energy. Lucas Rathjens was once again a mainstay in the middle, a strong visual reminder to the Run and Gun squad to not test its luck in the middle all that often. Despite letting Run and Gun back into the game somewhat after a ridiculously dominant first half that saw them up 39 to 13 at the first buzzer, Calypso has to feel confident about its chances to advance after a 1-loss regular season and a dominant victory over its first round opponent. 

Run and Gun on the other hand will have to cling to the slight positives it saw in the second half of this one. After scoring a frankly miserable 13 points in the first half and looking hapless against the Calypso offense, they scored 30 down the stretch and put a real scare into the North Stars as they cut the digit to single digits at one point. In general the second half saw Run and Gun come out with an energy they simply did not display in the first, as they put up 8 points in the first 3 minutes to nearly equal their scoring total in the first half immediately. With about 8 minutes left, they had shaved the lead to just 8 points, down 48 to 40 and forcing a North Star timeout. Unfortunately, the timeout seemed to galvanize the North Stars perfectly, as Trevor Larsen came out and hit back to back shots to raise the lead back to 13 points, from which Run and Gun could never recover to make the game a serious competition. Stevy Alves and Eduardo Deleon were key in the second half runs by Run and Gun, with Deleon leading the team in scoring with 17, making 3 of his 8 attempts from deep. Alves played much more of a starring role than last week, as he scored 11 points but more importantly was a significant presence on the interior on both ends of the court, pulling in 9 boards and securing the team's only block. Anton Polanco had an offensive resurgence in this game as well, as he seemed to find his stroke from deep, hitting 2 of his 5 attempts. We'll see if Run and Gun can build on its second half performance to pull off an upset against this same squad next week in what promises to remain a tough matchup with a top-2 team in the league.

Next up:
Calypso North Stars (8-1) v. Run and Gun (2-7) - 11/9 Time TBA

Player of the Game: Brian Vogt - 4 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists

Power Rankings:
1. Julius Swerving (0)
2. Calypso North Stars (0)
3. BADDIES (0)
4. A Team Has No Name (+1)
5. Furious Rim Ticklers (-1)
6. NNHS (0)
7. Run and Gun (0)
8. Lexington Steals (0)

NNHS (56) v. Calypso North Stars (70)

North Stars continue roll to stay at top of table; NNHS unable to produce enough offense to keep pace

Matt Wood led the way for NNHS with 21 points, hitting 5 of his 10 threes. Mike Gately brough incredible energy for the team, grabbing 10 boards including 4 offensive rebounds, also dishing 4 assists to tie for the team lead with guard Philip Barnett (7 points). Gately was also incredible on the defensive end, ending up with 2 steals and all of the team's 5 blocks. The 2 steals were tied for the team lead with nearly every player, with Jackson Eckenrode, Deven Labovitch, and Wood all also grabbing 2 thefts, and Barnett getting a steal himself as well. NNHS was in every passing late and had some really solid on ball defense for their 9 steals, as they really seemed to bother the North Stars' ball handlers at every possible opportunity. Despite the strong defensive stats, NNHS couldn't get stops at timely moments, as the North Stars, despite their loose handle on the ball, still managed a solid 70 points. For NNHS, the three ball from shooters outside of Wood was hit and miss, and likely spelled doom for the squad, as they went just 9 of 27 overall - a decent 33%, but a total they'll strive to build on to win more of these games in the near future. They'll face another .500 team next week in the No Names, coming off a solid win against the North Stars' next opponent Run and Gun.

Meanwhile, Trevor Britton had an excellent game from three to more than match NNHS' Wood, hitting 6 of his 8 attempts from deep on his way to 20 points. Britton generally had an all around game, grabbing 8 boards and tying for the team lead in assists with fellow star guard Tony Caletti. The other Trevor - Trevor Larsen - once again had a great game offensively as well, scoring 19 points, also nabbing 3 steals and the team's only 2 blocks. John Letteney (10 points) continued his recent streak of firing from deep and did so effectively, making 2 of 3 of his perimeter attempts, emblematic of the team's strong performance from the three point line as the North Stars finished 12 of 29 from deep, their 3 greater makes representing a large portion of the margin of victory. Lucas Rathjens was once again a crucial cog in the win for Calypso, providing huge interior defense as the team's sole big, while Ed Bernstein had a solid game on the interior, scoring 8 points all on makes from the paint. The North Stars look primed for a deep playoff run, and will have a final tune up and preview game against second worst Run and Gun to solidify themselves as the first or second overall seed in the league, potentially playing them again in the first round.

Next up:
NNHS (4-4) at A Team Has No Name (4-4) - 11/2 6:00p
Calypso North Stars (7-1) at Run and Gun (2-6) - 11/2 8:00p

Player of the Game: Trevor Britton - 20 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals

Power Rankings:
1. Julius Swerving (0)
2. Calypso North Stars (0)
3. BADDIES (+2)
4. Furious Rim Ticklers (-1)
5. A Team Has No Name (+1)
6. NNHS (-2)
7. Run and Gun (0)
8. Lexington Steals (0)

Calypso North Stars (50) v. Lexington Steals (47)

North Stars survive down to the wire matchup against feisty Lexington Steals squad

It was a well fought game from both sides in this one, as the result was in doubt until the buzzer sounded. The game had a relatively slow start, as the score was tied at 9 halfway through the first half, with Calypso taking a seemingly commanding lead from there with a 12 to 2 run to be up 21 to 11 with just 6 minutes left in the half, and taking a 9-point lead into the break up 24 to 15. Trevor Larsen once again led the team in scoring, this time with 16 points as he took fewer three pointers and instead worked the inside game, scoring 6 times from in close and sinking his singular free throw on an and-one; Larsen also grabbed 4 boards on the offensive glass to match teammate Lucas Rathjens. Tony Caletti was the second-leading scorer with 12 points, as he took a step back from shooting the ball and instead looked to distribute the rock early and often, grabbing a team lead with 5 of the teams total of just 8 assists. Caletti also hit 3 huge free throws down the stretch, including both legs of a one-and-one in the final 30 seconds to give the North Stars just enough breathing room with a 49 to 47 lead, and one final free throw followed by a Rathjens offensive board to put the nail in the Steals’ coffin. The North Stars look primed to head into the postseason with a top seed, but the winless Lexington squad at least made them really work for it in this one. Next up is a tough test against a well-rested NNHS team.

A well-attended team was crucial for the Lexington Steals here, as they had 7 solid players to mix and match. Thomas Finkenstaedt and James Long led the way with 12 points each, as Long once again proved to be the heartbeat for the struggling squad. He was all over the floor, leading the team in rebounds (10), assists (3), steals (2, tied with Jeremy), and blocks (2) to go with scoring prowess. Long also sank the only three for the team, which proved to be the biggest issue for the Steals as they struggled often to find enough points to compete; the team as a whole went just 1 for 13 from deep. The Steals will have to rue their missed opportunities from the charity stripe as well - each player that took a free throw (Long, Finkenstaedt, Andrew Pricto, and Scott Saveriano) shot just 50% from the line in a game in which points were at a premium. The end of the game saw some crucial mistakes occur as well, with the Steals being gifted a chance at two free throws and possession down just two with less than 30 seconds remaining in the contest. Both free throws refused to go down, and the ensuing inbounds pass was directed straight into the hands of a waiting Caletti. The Lexington Steals will look to grab their first win against first place Julius Swerving in a tough matchup next week.

Next up:

Calypso North Stars (5-1) at NNHS (3-3) - 10/26 8:00p

Lexington Steals (0-6) at Julius Swerving (5-1) - 10/26 7:00p