We got blessed with another beautiful weekend on the Sport Court, and the boys showed out.
Despite the Huskies and Lanc Show’s game getting cancelled, we still witnessed some great basketball with the 8Balls, Cherrypickers, Woodpeckers, and Gremlins all picking up wins.
With that being said, let’s take a closer look at each game from the Week Two slate.
GAME ONE: 8Balls – 68, Titans – 65
In their second game without Ross Conway, the 8Balls seemed to be the underdogs when entering their matchup against the Titans. However, some strong play from Aleer Gonzalez and Grant Conway gave the 8Balls a seven-point lead at halftime.
The Titans tried to mount a comeback and even got this game within a single possession down the stretch. However, an abysmal shooting performance from Johnny Besecker was the ultimate downfall for the Titans as the 8Balls picked up their first win of the season by three.
The 8Ballls had an all-around team effort performance with Gonzalez leading the way with 21 points, seven rebounds, and a steal. Grant followed behind with 13. Luke Pierson put up 12 with eight rebounds and two blocks. Joe Stengle dropped 11 with three huge three-pointers. Finally, Calan Titus had 8 points, five rebounds, and a block.
Ant was the only one that showed up for the Titans as he dropped a 30-bomb to go along with 12 rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
Takeaways:
-Ross Conway may be the happiest man of the weekend. His team dropped one last week but took down the Titans despite him being sidelined. He’ll be out for the next two-three weeks, but these wins will help the 8Balls down the stretch.
-This game saw 19 offensive rebounds. Just an insane number. Pierson had the most with four despite being one of the smallest on the court. Just thought that needed to be said.
What’s Next:
-8Balls will play Woodpeckers
-Titans will play Bullies
GAME TWO: Cherrypickers – 75, Dragons – 60
Not much really needs to be said about this one. Cherrypickers got out to an early lead and were up by 15 at halftime.
Dragons were able to cut that to single digits in the second, but it was an all-around team effort as the Cherrypickers sucked the fire out of the Dragons to claim their first victory in the BBAL.
Tyrell Melendez led the ‘Pickers with 25 points to go along with six rebounds and four assists. KJ Brownlee shot a perfect 5-5 from deep and finished with 20. John John Gilispi tacked on 14 points with three steals, and Mcleary added 12 of his own with eight boards.
For the Denzel-less Dragons, Kevin Roldan dropped 23 points with five rebounds and a steal. Samir also neared a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds.
Takeaways:
-The jitters are gone for the Cherrypickers as they collected their first win in the BBAL. Shout out to KJ Myers for his win.
-On that note, the Cherrypickers were my personal pick for Team of the Week. Melendez was an offensive threat, Brownlee could not miss, and John John was a menace of defense. They also scored the most points out of anyone this week.
-Denzel was definitely missed, but I’ve been hearing rumors that he wants out. If he does then the Dragons may be the new Gremlins (of last season) of the league.
What’s Next:
-Cherrypickers will play Lanc Show
-Dragons will play Tropics
GAME THREE: Woodpeckers – 77, Tropics – 70
The Woodpeckers were obvious favorites for this game with Brad Atkinson out for the Tropics. They jumped out to an early lead and didn’t lose it throughout the first half as they went into halftime with a four-point lead.
Although the Woodpeckers held the lead, the Tropics, led by Tyler Crespo, kept this game close throughout the majority of the second half. The role players, who seemed to come out of the boondocks, kept hitting shots from deep.
However, the trio of Devin, Nevin, and Elijah were just too much for the Tropics.
Devin led the ‘Peckers with a near triple-double with 21 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists. Elijah and Nevin both dropped 19 with Elijah adding 13 rebounds and four assists. Trey Wells rounded it out with 11 points and seven boards.
Tyler Crespo had a league-high 32 points to go along with eight rebounds, three assists, and a block. Mellinger chipped in 15 points with an impressive 4-9 from deep for the Tropics.
Takeaways:
-The Woodpeckers played with their food for a bit. They were the better team this game, but Crespo almost willed his way to victory. The ‘Peckers are going to need to fix this when they play future games, especially with a squad at full strength.
-The league definitely missed the classic matchup between Devin and Brad, but honestly, the Crespo show made it that much better. I know I showed Elijah some love for MVP, but Tyler is always going to be in those discussions. Must watch basketball.
-The whole reason why this game was close was the role players on the Tropics. I mentioned Mellinger above, but not counting Tyler, the Tropics shot 42-percent from deep. Brad must feel good about that for his return.
What’s Next:
-Woodpeckers will play 8Balls
-Tropics will play Dragons
GAME FOUR: Gremlins – 58, Bullies – 56
Not only was this the game of the year so far, but it might’ve been one of the best games in BBAL history. Both teams battled to the very end, and the energy from the crowd was deafening.
This match started close with both teams going back-and-forth, but Makai Ortiz-Gray pulled the Gremlins ahead by six at halftime. The Gremlins continued to hold onto their two-possession lead until the Bullies tied it up with around ten minutes of second half action to go.
Suddenly, the Bullies took and held the lead down the stretch, thanks to the season debut of star forward, Jah Greaves. However, with the time winding down and the Bullies up two, Ortiz-Gray drilled a three-pointer that ultimately put this game away.
Makai led the Gremlins with 23 points, four rebounds, and shot 50-percent from downtown. Elijah Terry followed behind with 15 points, five rebounds, and two steals.
For the Bullies, Jah filled the stat sheet with 20 points, five rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block. Joe Chupick was the only other scorer to reach double figures with 11 to go along with five boards and a block.
Takeaways:
-I was wrong about the Gremlins. This team is legit in my eyes and I’m even putting them as my second-best team in the league. Makai finally has some help and Ajani brings energy to the court that I’ve never seen before.
-I don’t think it’s panic time yet for the Bullies. Jah’s debut was huge, but we have still yet to see Eric Goldbach adjust to his role. He needs to find it quickly, but I think once he can do that, the Bullies will be right on track.
-Can we please have more games like this? It was f#$%ing awesome.
What’s Next:
-Gremlins will play Huskies
-Bullies will play Titans
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