B2 Summer 2008 Champs: XXL

From left to right: Zack Shultz, Shubert Austin, Jamil Ball, Matt Monroe

Shubert Austin wins the B2 Finals MVP for stepping his all-around game up (19 points, 15 boards)

XXL 73 (B2 West) Genzyme 59 (B2 East)

XXL Knocks off Heavily Favored Genzyme for B2 Title

XXL backed up Jamil's bravado on the message boards and claimed the B2 Unification Title (The Dish!) for themselves and established the Westside's legitimacy in the B2. As the 5 seed, they were a long shot to get out of their division, let alone knock off two 1 seeds on their way to the title.

Without Easy Ed Miller, I thought this game wasn't even going to be close, and not in favor of XXL.

The absence of Matty O balanced that equation, but I still thought XXL had a long way to go to compete in this game. But Jamil (28 points, 5 steals) carried the banner early, scoring at will against Genzyme's guards. With Matt Monroe (19 points, 6 boards) still playing the role of unsung hero for XXL, they established an early lead. Kmiec, playing with a broken finger in his shooting hand, put for a valiant effort. Heck, superhuman, considering he managed to score 27 points and grab 14 boards. Is there anything he can't do?? But despite his, and Van Tran's (23 points) best efforts, XXL held a 12 point lead at halftime.

After the break, it was the Shubert Austin Show. Shub exploded for 19 points and 15 boards, taking advantage of mismatches and never backing down on either end of the floor. For a guy that played the season off the bench for XXL, this was the perfect time for him to have a breakout game. With his hardwork on the glass and in the paint, Shub easily took home the B2 Finals MVP for stepping up when it mattered most, and nearly single-handedly keeping a Genzyme comeback at bay.

That's right, of course Genzyme tried to mount a comeback, but with only 3 guys scoring on the night, that's tough to do. Yea, Nate (9points) was the only other guy to crack the points column. XXL's 14 steals as a team makes it difficult for any team to score, and despite their speed being someone negated at Wall Ball Arena, they take home the B2 Banner in just their first season of action, congrats guys!

XXL 73 (B2 West)
Player	Pts	O Reb	D Reb	Asts	Stl	Blk	FTM	FTA
Jamil Ball	28	4	1	4	5	1	2	7
Matt Monroe	19	4	2	2	2	2	2	3
Shubert	19	4	11	0	3	2	3	4
Zack Shultz	6	4	6	2	4	1	0	3

Genzyme 59 (B2 East)
Player	Pts	O Reb	D Reb	Asts	Stl	Blk	FTM	FTA
Van Tran	23	2	3	0	2	0	4	4
Mike Gerrity	0	2	6	1	1	0	0	0
Joe Jeffrey	0	3	1	1	0	0	0	0
Nate Batchell	9	1	3	2	1	0	2	3
Mike Kmiec	27	7	7	2	2	1	5	9

Zack Shultz takes it to the hole against fearsome Genzyme and Mike Kmiec