We are into the thick of it now, folks.
The fifth weekend of the 2023 BBAL season did not disappoint as the Gremlins improved to a 5-0 record, the Huskies proved to be a force to be reckoned with, the 8Balls are back-on-track with Ross Conway back behind the wheel, and the Titans finally grabbed their first win.
Let’s not waste any more time and take a closer look at each game.
Game One: 8Balls – 71, Tropics – 65
I had some family matters to attend to, so I missed this game completely. However, after some deliberation, it seemed that the 8Balls led most of the game, and despite a late-game Tropics push, the 8Balls came out with a win.
To no one’s surprise, Ross led with 22 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, two steals, and a block. Danny Bomberger was right behind him with 21 points, seven boards, and two blocks.
R. Swat (sorry but blame Johnny because this is the name on the stat sheet) led the Tropics with 15 on a crazy shooting clip from beyond the arc as he made 5-7 of his attempts. Brad Atkinson had 13 and six rebounds, and Aaron rounded it out with 10 points and seven boards.
Takeaways:
- Good to see Ross healthy. 8Balls are one of those teams that no one talks about enough but should be, but I'm sure Ross is starting to wake everyone up now.
- Tropics lost, yet again, without a fully healthy (or should I say, fully attended) squad. Still gives no excuse to Brad and Tyler, who shot a combined 9-36 from the field and scored a combined 21 points. I expect them to bounce back, but it needs to happen soon.
What’s Next:
- 8Balls will play Lanc Show
- Tropics will play Bullies
Game Two: Huskies – 71, Woodpeckers – 54
I also missed this game, but what the heck?! Who expected this to be the outcome? I guess only the Huskies.
The Huskies had four players reach double figures, and all of them shot exactly 50% from the field. Eli Washington led the way with 24 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. Timmy Edwards dropped 21 points, captain Justin Baker chipped in 12, and Cipalla had a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Only Elijah and Devin Atkinson showed up for the Woodpeckers as they both dropped double-doubles. Devin had 20 and 14 rebounds, and Elijah had 18 and 10 boards.
Takeways:
- The Huskies are legit. They have the best big three in the BBAL of Timmy, Eli, and Jordan Tyson. I didn’t even mention Tyson before, but he had five steals. For a team that didn’t exist a year ago, JBake may be hoisting the trophy in a month.
- I believe this is the first time that a Devin led team in the BBAL has lost back-to-back games. We shall see if the losing streak continues; however, I know for a fact that Nevin Roman won’t have another 6-point, 2-18 field goal split game for the rest of the season.
What’s Next:
-Huskies will play Dragons
-Woodpeckers will play Cherrypickers
Game Three: Bullies – 68, Dragons – 56
Finally, a game I was here for, and I’m glad I did.
This game started off with a Liam Besecker ejection. Him and Tyrell were getting chippy and the refs were having enough. Luckily for Liam, Marqel is a certified BUCKET. Dragons tried to go one some runs, but that man just controlled the tempo of the game. Samir was having none of it and he stormed off the court mid-game after picking up only his second foul. He ripped off his jersey and never returned. (Trade request incoming?)
From there, HoodieQel and the Bullies took the fire out of the breath of the Dragons and walked off the Sport Court with their third straight win.
Marqel dropped 26 points, shot 71% from the field, hauled in nine rebounds, and picked up four steals. Joe Chupick stepped up and notched 17 points, had six rebounds, and just missed two out of nine shots. Eric Goldbach finished it off with 12 points on 60% from three-point land.
Ricky Cruz continued his dominance on his new squad as he dropped 26 points with seven rebounds to go along with it. Samir was the only other player in double figures with 10.
Takeways:
- The ejection was stupid, I will give Liam that. However, there have been way too many ejections and players and refs going back and forth. I know its competitive, but remember the refs are people, too. Always take the high road at the end of the day.
- Marqel is not only making himself a candidate for the MVP debate as he willed the Bullies to three-straight wins, but he’s taking this whole league over. No, I’m being serious. How many people are wearing his MJM Hoops shorts? Johnny better get a shorts collab rolling.
- The Dragons are a mess right now. They got rid of Kevin Roldan for Jyzell and Tyrell, but now I’m hearing Tyrell already wants out. Then, you just have Samir taking his jersey off mid-game and walking out. Jebby has a lot to figure out with this team because it’s starting to feel like a Walmart Bullies squad.
- I believe Liam is now 2-0 in the battle of the Besecker's. Jeb is 1-1. Johnny is 0-2.
What’s Next:
- Bullies will play Tropics
- Dragons will play Huskies
Game Four: Titans – 62, Lanc Show – 61
The Titans finally did it! Johnny Ant-Man proved that this team could win a game!
This was a fantastic game. It was competitive all the way through and was exactly the type of battle you wanted to see on the Sport Court. Jack Engle and Ant were going toe-for-toe down the stretch, and it was quite fascinating to see.
With ten seconds left on the clock, the Titans were down two with the ball. Ant drove to the rim and was fouled as his layup attempt as the clock struck four. It was a controversial call, but Ant sunk both, and the Lanc Show was unable to get a good shot off and the Titans escaped with their first win of the season.
Ant had a double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds. He also led the team in steals with three. Johnny Besecker dropped 15 with seven rebounds and two blocks.
Jack Engle led the Lanc Show with 26 points and five steals. Deshaun followed behind with 14 points and a block.
Takeaways:
- Good on for the Titans. Would have been super embarrassing for Johnny’s team to go defeated in his own league.
- Jack Engle doesn’t get a lot of love. He’s a silent killer on the court. The dude led the game in points, but he had FIVE steals in this game, and no one talked about it. Lanc Show may not be a powerhouse, but every team must remember who they’re going up against in Jack Engle.
- I really don’t know what the future looks like for both teams.
What’s Next:
- Titans will play Gremlins
- Lanc Show will play 8 Balls
Game Five: Gremlins – 64, Cherrypickers – 59
Primetime games really haven’t disappointed at all this season.
The Gremlins and Cherrypickers continued the hype this past weekend and put on a show for us. The Cherrypickers held a strong lead at halftime, but a mix of letting off the gas from the ‘Pickers and Ajani hyping up his squad allowed the Gremlins to storm back and pick up a win as they remain undefeated.
The Gremlins did crawl back; however, Matt Mcleary had a chance to tie the game up when the Cherrypickers were down three in the final seconds, but he airballed it. Gremlins then hit two free throws and it was game over.
The Gremlins had four scorers show out for their fifth straight game as Makai led the way with 17 points and three assists. Elijah Terry dropped 15 with seven rebounds and three steals. Ajani had 13 points and Isiah Thomas put up 12 points and shot 75% from the field.
Newcomer Kevin Roldan led the Cherrypickers with 18 as he was the only player that reached double figures. However, the ‘Pickers did share the wealth as six (including Kevin) scored seven or more points.
Takeaways:
- Fact check me, but I believe this is the first time that a team has won their first five games in the history of the league. Wow. What a story with this team. Defeated to undefeated, you couldn’t have written it better. We shall see how long this fairytale rolls on. They play Titans and Woodpeckers to end their season. There is a decent chance, with recent Woodpecker struggles, that this team could be the first undefeated BBAL team in history.
- The Cherrypickers were without, arguably, their two best players in Devonne Pinkard and John John. Not saying the outcome would have changed, but we still haven’t seen a complete Cherrypickers squad since the first half of Week One.
- This is the first time we saw Kevin not in a Dragons jersey. He played well in his debut, but I do question how he works with John John and KJ Brownlee.
What’s next:
- Gremlins will play Titans
- Cherrypickers will play Woodpeckers
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