(1.) SWAT 79 – (8.) Sonic Boom 69
SWAT hold strong and remain unbeaten this season with a first round win over the always scrappy Sonic Boom. Clayton Crellin’s 34 points were all but needed as SWAT couldn’t seem to shake the Boomer’s who were bombing from the outside, dropping 27 of their 69 points from downtown. SWAT jumped out the gate with 9-0 run, but Sonic Boom weathered the storm by going on a 9-0 run of their own backed by some hot-shooting from Joey Haywood (36 points) and Paul Rother (11 points). The lead bounced back and forth through the first half with SWAT taking a slim 40-34 lead into the break. The second half the intensity between the two teams began to heat up. SWAT’s Clint Lomax (19 points) controlled the glass and took to the lanes down the stretch while Sonic Boom’s Haywood countered by scoring in many different ways to keep the game within Sonic Boom’s reach. Late in the game out of frustration, Haywood took a technical that began to swing the momentum in SWAT’s favor. Jerome, SWAT’s shot-blocking machine, went to work on Haywood, locking him down defensively and giving the young CIS standout fits. The defensive stance by SWAT helped gain them separation in the final minutes with Sonic Boom being forced to foul to help keep the clock on their side, but it would prove to be too late. Sonic Boom play one of their best games of the season in a hard fought loss to the Metro League’s top team. SWAT keep their unblemished record in tact and move on to the final four.
(7.) Velvet Hoop 87 – (2.) Vancouver United 71
Velvet Hoop knocks off last season’s finalist Vancouver United with an impressive upset win. United, who were without most of their line-up including top-scorers Hardeep Bassram and Taylor Cheris-Wilding, only had five players on their roster and it proved to be their undoing. Velvet Hoop took advantage of the depleted United squad holding an eight point lead, 47-39, after the first 25 minutes. Velvet was doing it inside and outside, nailing 11 threes – a team high for the season. Nick led Velvet Hoop with 28 points, including six three-pointers, Jason Reynolds chipped in 19 points and Hunter Jordan supplied 15 points in the win. Jeremy Alexander led Van United with 20 points and Kerri Westmore added 19 points in the loss. The number two team in the Metro League is bounced while the Cinderella squad, Velvet Hoop, advance to the semi-finals.
(6.) Team Serbia 85 – (3.) Bullets 80
Team Serbia give their best performance of the year in a hard fought win over the Bullets. Serbia jumped out the gate scoring in bunches helping them earn a 10 point lead early on. Bullets would swing the momentum slightly when Ben Lee connected Jaime Robinson with an alley-oop dunk that would bring the Bullets bench to their feet. Serbia, however, wouldn’t let it faze them as top-scorer Igor Dutina lite up the floor dropping 28 points while teammates Thomas Wan and Srdjan Vujovic added 18 points. The Bullets really couldn’t get much going throughout the game. Ben Lee was the Bullets high-man with 21 points while Jamie Robinson added 14 points. Bullets are gone while Team Serbia is in the semis.
(4.) Heart, Hustle & Soul 143 – (5.) Remix 83
H.H.S. advance to the semis with an easy win over a mixed up Remix squad. Only three official players from Remix were available to play so Remix were forced to pick up three transfer players from SWAT and Vancouver United to play the game. H.H.S. took complete control of this game right off the hop, earning everything with relative ease. Jason Birring and Mark Tasic had their way for H.H.S., while the rest of the squad also got their points, in what was a game played with zero defense. Kuba Lupac and De’Shawn chipped in for Remix, while point-guard AJ Adusei was the games high-scorer. Remix’s inaugural season is finished while H.H.S. get their chance to battle for a Metro League title after losing in the first round last season.
