It was another great weekend in the BBAL, folks.
8 Balls (2-2), Woodpeckers (3-1), Tropics (3-1), and Lanc Show (1-3) all picked up wins this weekend. Bullies (3-1) lost their undefeated title, Gremlins (0-4) remain defeated, and the Dragons (2-2) and Titans (2-2) left week four split at two a piece.
With all that being said, let's dive a little deeper into each game, shall we?
Game One: 8 Balls-78, Dragons-68
Full transparency: I missed the whole first half, and the first five minutes of this game because I was golfing with my family to celebrate my birthday.
With that being said, as soon as I entered the gym, I felt this special aura. The 8 Balls were down by thirteen with 15:00 remaining left in the second half, but then Ross (the sauce boss) Conway, Calan Titus, and Chris Richards did their magic.
In just ten minutes, the 8 Balls balled their way back into the game as R. Conway tied it up with a three ball. Once they tied the game, the 8 Balls didn't look back as they cruised to the finish line with a win.
R. Conway led the way with 33 points, eleven boards, and two swipes. Titus followed suit with 25 of his own, as well as Chris Richards (Editor's Note: this was the first game Richards played with actual basketball shoes on.) who chipped in a season-high, 20 points and eight rebounds. Those were the only three scorers for the 8 Balls.
The Dragons had four players in double digits. Andrew Makrides had a double-double with 20 points and eleven boards, respectively. Kevin Roldan followed up with 15 points, but fouled out in crunch time. Dwayne Caine dropped 13, and Jah Greaves scored an unusual 12 points.
Player of the Game: Ross Conway (33 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 47% from field)
Honorable Mention: Chris Richards (20 points, 8 rebounds, 40% from three)
Game Two: Woodpeckers-62, Titans-57
In, quite literally, the only close game of the weekend, the 'Peckers pecked their way to a win.
The Titans started off the first half with their 2-3 zone that proved to be successful last weekend, but hurt them early as they were down by double digits half way through the first. When they switched to man, the Titans were a whole new squad, led by Johnny Besecker, and entered halftime only down by two.
However, it was a nightmare for the Titans in the second half as they only scored five points in 15 minutes, thanks to lockdown defense from Jack Engle, and the two headed monster of Devin Atkinson and Nevin Roman. The Woodpeckers picked up a huge win and proved why they are a top team in the league.
D. Atkinson and Roman led the way with 14 a piece, and combined for 14 of the 'Peckers 24 rebounds. Trey Wells and Engle chipped in 11 and 10, respectively, too.
J. Besecker led the Titans with 26 points and hauled in eleven off the glass. Joe Chupick also chipped in 13 points and eight boards.
Player of the Game: Nevin Roman (14 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 36% from three)
Honorable Mention: Johnny Besecker (26 points, 11 rebounds, 1 steal, 45% from the field)
Game Three: Tropics-78, Gremlins-67
Brad Atkinson did it again, folks! He recorded his second triple-double of the season, and better yet, he now averages one for the season thus far.
The Gremlins do what they do and started this game off neck-and-neck with the opposing team, but the two headed dragon of Tyler Crespo and B. Atkinson eventually heated up and secured a double digit lead with ten minutes left in the first half. Unfortunately for the Gremlins, the Tropics never looked back as they cruised to victory.
The Tropics only had five players on the court this past weekend, and all five showed up.
B. Atkinson led the way with a triple double of 20 points, twelve boards, and fourteen dimes. Justin Baker put up 20 points with a block, Denny Atkinson scored 19 points and hauled in ten boards, Crespo had 12 points with three blocks and a steal, and finally Jaxson Weyforth with an important nine points and four blocks.
The Gremlins were led by none other than Makai Ortiz Gray with 35 points, five boards, and two assists. Austin Sauer and Gavin Sullivan also both dropped twelve.
Player of the Game: Brad Atkinson (20 points, 12 rebounds, 14 assists, 53% from the field)
Game Four: Lanc Show-47, Bullies-46
Undefeated no more! In an intense PrimeTime game, the defeated Lanc Show secured their first win of the season against the only undefeated team left in the league, the Bullies.
The game was tied as the buzzer sounded at 46; however, Liam Besecker committed a foul on Grant Conway as he chucked up a prayer from beyond half court. G. Conway missed the first, but made the second as the Lanc Show pulled off the upset.
The Bullies dominated this low scoring, dog fight for the majority of the game. In fact, the only lead Lanc Show held during the game was a 5-3 after the first five minutes of the game. However, show boating and lack of basketball IQ hurt the Bullies in the last few seconds of action.
Scott Slade made his return and dropped 13 points with seven boards to lead the Lanc Show. Brendan Bowen followed behind with nine, and G. Conway and Mark Goldbach both chipped in eight. G. Conway and Goldbach combined for seven of the team's nine total steals.
Denzel Kabasele had another MVP performance with 29 points, eleven boards, and a steal. The only other scorers for the Bullies were Eli Basegna and Alex Cruz who dropped nine and eight, respectively.
Player of the Game: Denzel Kabasele (29 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 44% from three)
Week Five Schedule
-Game One: Woodpeckers (3-1) vs Bullies (3-1)
-Game Two: Dragons (2-2) vs Titans (2-2)
-Game Three: Lanc Show (1-3) vs Tropics (3-1)
-Game Four: Gremlins (0-4) vs 8 Balls (2-2)