Fall 2011: A 5v5 League Champs: Boneyard

Commentary by ROACH & NATE...

Who's Next 57  Invasion 69

Championship caliber perfomance from Invasion

In a meeting of two streaking teams Invasion came out with more urgency and were the clear aggressors in this battle against Who's Next. WN was coming off a big win and at the beginning this may have seemed like a let-down game as they failed to close out on shooters and fell behind early. After taking a timeout and regrouping, Reece Freeman got Who's Next going with a couple big fastbreak buckets to cut the deficit to only 2 (20-22). Lew Finnegan contributed with some tough baskets in the lane and MacDonald is always productive in the paint, but Invasion was able to take a 5 point lead into the half.

Invasion got production from Owings as usual, and Miller was a huge defensive presence early on. However they also got important production from Nick Manzo off the bench, who immediately contributed with a steal, assist, and a couple three balls. This was especially important because Balcetis continued to struggle from deep and Pagliuca couldn't connect either at the start, but Invasion finds a way to get it done on offense.

The second half saw a very balanced attack from Invasion's scores as they moved the ball and racked up 10 assists as a team. Balcetis was not phased by the low percentage he was shooting, he just continued to put them up and hit a big shot to push the lead to 13 points. Even when Who's Next fought back Invasion had an answer as Pagliuca drained a contested 3 to push their lead to double digits once again. Owings and Miller had a good high-lo connection going and David Mok played with excellent poise to help control the tempo and never allow Who's Next to grab the momentum.

This led to frustration from WN, and Yusuf Screen got pissed enough at a no-call to get a Tech. Mac disappeared from the second half offense and Finnegan had a couple rough bounces on three-point attempts, it seemed like it just wasn't their night. Now they're back in the middle of the pack and .500 and have to win a big game next week against Hand Down Man Down.

Middlesex Magic 74  Zards 61

Griffin steals the assist show as Middlesex run the Zards

The Zards had a tough matchup tonight and missing their sharpshooter Schultz did not help matters as they came out with very cold shooting. That is everyone except Mark Phillips who was just wet from mid-range and deep, finishing with 19 points and 3-4 from 3pt range. They also got a lift from the versatile Kyle Jackson who created a few second chance opportunities to manufacture some offense.

So you'd think Middlesex would be running away with this game, however both teams struggled to score in the first half. Chuck couldn't bottom a three and MM also struggled from the FT line, but Crotty took the initiative on offense and hit a couple big transition threes to push their lead to double digits. Still, nobody scored for the final three minutes of the half and Middlesex held their lead 38-27.

In the second the Zards made their push- led by Mike Kearney's timely three and foul shots they cut the deficit to 45-53. The offense began to sputter for Middlesex and it became a one-possession game at one point but then Craig Griffin the assist mistro checked back in. This guy was looking for the first triple-double at BSC-Wellington and he got it by dishing inside and out. Everytime he got the ball he made something positive happen on offense and when Chuck finally connected on a three you knew MM was gonna coast in this one.

Next week the Zards will try and finish with a win against SHU and Middlesex travels to Charlestown to take on the home team.

Grown Man Move 67  Charlestown 54

Charlestown runs out of steam against Grown Man Move

Charlestown and Grown Man Move met for the first and only time in Fall 2011 and Grown Man Move still showed they could handle Charlestown with a 67-54 win. Charlestown is now eliminated from playoff contention with the loss and one week left.

The first half was where Charlestown made their mark on Grown Man Move. Charlestown came back with multiple runs to take leads early on, but lost momentum as the half progressed. Derrick Coleman hit a huge three to make the Charlestown lead 16-13 to cap off an 8-2 run. Grown Man Move took over from there and went on a 22-8 run to take the 35-24 lead. The halftime lead was 37-28.

The second half was all Grown Man Move. The lead was pushed to 54-34 after Sean Walsh hit a jumper. With 4:25 left to play, Derrick hit a deep three that cut the lead to 63-51, but that is as close as Charlestown could get.

Grown Man Move was led by Tony Awad with 16 points and eight rebounds. Dan Duggan finished 3-8 from downtown with 11 points. Royce Henry added 12 points and 12 rebounds. Ben Max may have only had three points, but he also dished out seven assists.

Charlestown was led by Derrick with 19 points, but was only 3-13 from distance. Jason Gallagher wax 3-3 from deep with 11 points and seven rebounds.

Charlestown will face a tough Middlesex Magic team at 8:05 p.m. next week. Grown Man Move will face Invasion at 9:05 p.m. also at the Boys and Girls Club.

3v3 Tournament - Coming up in December, but the dates have changed to December 17th and 18^th. Link is here: http://cacbasketball.com/3on3_basketball_tournament.php

Hand Down Man Down 57  Boneyard 69

Boneyard gets on track after late start to get a big win

Hand Down Man Down made this a shortened game so I will keep it to the point. This was a must win for Boneyard but they allowed HDMD to jump all over them with their outside shooting and the inside presence of Matt Christensen. Ryan Cane was the offense early for Boneyard because he can create buckets out of nowhere. When Marois checked back in and hit a few key buckets they were able to end the half with a push and cut the deficit to five.

The second half was mostly Boneyard doing what they do- drive, kick, three ball. Vetrano and Brett Dickson ended with 7 assists each and they did well to pick the right pass. This was a loose game with a lot of contact and HDMD is a scrappy team, especially Matt Flynn who likes to throw it off the glass and crash his own misses. However it seemed like playing two games in a row was too much for 3 of HDMD's players and they didnt have the energy to run with the quicker Boneyard. In the end made free throws and clutch threes iced the game for Boneyard and they took it home 69-57, setting up a tough test next week against Market Boston. Sure to be a lot of threes in that contest.

SHU Program 63  Market Boston 71

Market Boston survives late push from SHU Program

SHU Program and Market Boston were in a fight for playoff seeding, but Market Boston pulled off the win, 71-63.

The first half brought out the best in both clubs as neither team could pull ahead as the game was tied 24-24. Market Boston ended the half on a 7-3 run to take the 31-27 lead at the half.

This run continued in the second half as the lead was 48-27 after Market Boston held SHU Program scoreless for the first five minutes. The run to start this first half was a 17-0 run. SHU Program began to get their selves together and cut the lead to 51-40 and just kept cutting away Market Boston’s lead. The lead was only 67-61 after Ant Thomas hit a layup. Market Boston had trouble making free throws, but was 4-5 in the last 30 seconds of the game.

Market Boston was led by James Lambert with 17 points and eight rebounds. Adio Asafa added 16 points.

Cecil Gresham had a game-high 21 points and was 4-5 from the free throw line for SHU Program.  Ant Thomas scored 17 points.

Market Boston will head back to BSC-Wellington for their final game of the regular season against Boneyard at 8:00 p.m. next week. SHU Program will take on the top-seeded Zards team at 9:00 p.m. also at BSC-Wellington.

3v3 Tournament - Coming up in December, but the dates have changed to December 17th and 18^th. Link is here: http://cacbasketball.com/3on3_basketball_tournament.php