After four great games this past weekend, the BBAL season is officially under full swing. With new faces and jerseys, but the same ole competition, the beauty of BBAL is back. Needless to say, Week One did not disappoint.
The Dragons, Bullies, Tropics, and Woodpeckers all secured wins in the first week of action. However, we may have the most competitive league to date.
Game One: Dragons vs Gremlins
Gavin Sullivan made the first bucket of the season for the Gremlins, but that would be the only lead they held all game before losing 62-60 to the Dragons.
Kevin Roldan led the way for the Dragons with 13 points followed by Jah Greaves and Andrew Makrides each with 12. David Kamwanga finished with nine, and Jon Ware shot a team-high (tied with Makrides) 60% from the field.
For the Gremlins, Makai led all scorers with 26 points, two steals, and shot an impressive 5-for-8 from downtown. Sullivan was the only other double digit scorer with 15, and he hauled in six boards.
Player of the Game: Makai, Gremlins (26 points, three rebounds, two steals.)
Honorable Mention: Andrew Makrides, Dragons (12 points, eight rebounds, three assists)
Game Two: Bullies vs 8 Balls
In the only "non-competitive" game of the night, Denzel Kabasele and the Bullies absolutely dominated the 8 Balls.
Denzel dropped a whopping 37 points and shot an impressive 7-for-11 from beyond the arc. Eric Goldbach notched 17 points and shot 41 percent from the field.
Ross Conway and Calan Titus seemed to be the only players to show up for the 8 Balls as they put up 24 and 14, respectively. Also, they collected 17 out of 8 Balls' 30 total rebounds, and five of their seven total team steals.
Player of the Game: Denzel Kabasele (37 points, four rebounds, 63.6 3P%)
Game Three: Tropics vs Titans
Titans showed up early as they opened up the game with a 12-2 lead, but as Brad Atkinson and the Tropics fought back, the Titans kept their lead going into the half by three.
However, it was an all-around team effort for the Tropics in the second half as they fought back and overcame the Titans, 83-78.
The Tropics had five players score in double figures. B. Arkinson led the way with 24, followed by Jaxon Weyforth with 19, Tyler Crespo with 14, Justin Baker with 12, and finally Denny Atkinson with 10.
Weyforth shot lights out as he finished shooting 75 percent from deep . B. Atkinson dropped a near triple double with ten boards and seven assists. Even Bubba Dubs stepped up and dropped four points and grabbed four boards.
For the Titans, Johnny Besecker led the way with 30 points and shot 5-11 from three point land. Bam Aikens and Elijah Bynum each dropped 17, and Aikens grabbed ten boards to secure a double-double. Joe Chupick also dropped ten points.
Player of the Game: Brad Atkinson (24 points, ten rebounds, seven assists)
Game Four: Woodpeckers vs Lanc Show
Finally, the primetime game of the night was the defending champs, Lanc Show, against the new expansion team, Woodpeckers.
The game was back-and-forth all throughout the first half with the Woodpeckers only up by six points when the first buzzer sounded.
However, it was Jack Engle and the Woodpeckers who would hold off the defending champs and secure the W with a final score of 69-57.
Engle dropped 25 points, eight points, and three assists on the night. Devin Atkinson dropped a double-double with 19 points and eleven boards. Kenny Huhn (Flow Jesus) also scored in double figures with 11 with two steals.
2021 Finals MVP, Scott Slade, led the Lanc Show with 22 points, 10 boards, and two steals. Grant Conway followed behind with 13 points and six dishes. Konrad Lojewski scored in double figures as well with 11.
Player of the Game: Jack Engle (25 points, eight rebounds, three assists)