Playoff Fever
Teams came ready to play and with only the winners advancing, the pressure and intensity were at an all-time high!! Games were extremely close and adrenaline (& testosterone) were pumping. Final scores were all within 6 points with the exception of #1 ranked 3D who continue to prove themselves as the top team in the league.
Run N Gun – Bullets, 71-65
Canada One – Sonic Boom, 88-82
3D – Celtics, 123-74
EA Sports – Swat, 68-62
Next week’s semifinals will feature:
3D (1) vs Run N Gun (4)
Canada One (2) vs EA Sports (3)
Playoff Summaries
Run N Gun’s Brian Scotland (29) picked a great night to have his best game of the season. Scotland came out gunning from the 3 (four 3′s on the night) and Mark Tasic continues to dominate the low post with 17 points in the first half. Bullets were within a few points in the first quarter with three treys from Ben Lee and 9pts from Jamie Robinson. But, Run N Gun were determined to take the win with a 9-2 scoring burst to finish the half 39-26. The Bullets fought to keep the game close with another four 3′s from Ben Lee (21) and hoops from Ian Sheffield (10) and Jamie Robinson (14), but they had trouble defending the slashing offense of Run N Gun. This foul trouble put Run N Gun on the line a whopping 29 times in the 2nd half alone. Another win by free throws, coaches around the world are saying “I told you so”.
Run N Gun 71 – Bullets 65
Canada One 88 – Sonic Boom 82
This game was really tight, especially considering this is the #2 seed up against #7. Sonic Boom fought to advance in playoffs, but Canada One’s big defenders forced them beyond the arc. Igor Dutina (33) and Paul Rother (30) hit some big 3′s, but the team was unable to get many points inside the paint due to Canada One’s towering team. Sonic Boom held Canada One to their lowest score of the season, but last year’s chanps sealed the victory with tough defense and some clutch free throws. Hmm, I am sensing a theme.
EA Sports 68 – Swat 62
So, the theme continues. 6 point victory and the game ends with made free throws. This was a highly energetic game played with a lot of a passion and heart. EA’s Mike Baxter (22) and Matt Ng (19) continue to lead the scoring for EA and Mike Mahar joined in with his best score of the season with 15 points. Swat’s Chris Peerless took it to the hole for 17pts with big man Jeremy Alexander hitting inside and out for 16. Monjeff Peters added another 12 points, with an epic dunk in the first half. In the dying moments (both teams in bonus), EA was up 65-62 and hit 3 freethrows to finish the game.
3D 123 – Celtics 74
You can always count on 3D to play an incredibly fast paced game - both on offense and defense! Celtics fought hard to stay close with 3D early in the game, but 3D’s unselfish team play continues to prove unstoppable. David Wicks had a great night inside with 18pts and Pat Caffrey has been heating up in the last few game and hit for 22pts. Melvyn Mayott was back into his usual flow with 20 points, but 3D just has too many offensive threats to handle. Graeme McCallum (35) and Jason Hubbs (26) controlled the paint with the rest of the team spread the defense by firing from the outside. Alex Zabori nailed four 3′s in the second half and Taylor Cherris-Wilding nailed six 3′s, finishing the night with 32pts.