Winter 2010: A1 League Champs: Purple Haze

Excuse Me...While Purple Haze Kisses The Brick to Become A1 Champs
Gonna Get Snooki'D 60 Purple Haze 67

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Recap: For the ultimate draft league in the area, this game turned out to be a riveting affair that came down to the last minute. But in the end, it took some perseverance, and maybe a little magic, for Purple Haze to be crowned the Winter 2010 A1 champions on April 12, 2010.

Early on, Haze jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first two minutes. Their opponents, Gonna Get Snooki'd came back to make it a 7-6 game. Sean Osgood was the man all night long for his team as he couldn't be stopped in the scoring column. Even Pasty Lefty, aka Jason Tibbetts, hit two tough shots inside early and this game looked like it would be a bad Michael Vick joke waiting to happen.

Still, everyone knows that Chris 'Majic' Maciejczak is probably the best pure scorer in the league. And if there was any wiggle room for debate, the three treys that he hit in about a 4:00 stretch (while solidly defended) proves he's the Alpha Male. Haze was up 22-13 with 6:00 to go in the 1st half thanks to Majic's 3 triples.

Then, Chris Harvey added a huge lay-up. And, somehow, Brad Mulholland seized every rebound on the court. BMul had a whopping 13 rebounds to go with 9 points in the first half. His huge 3 gave Purple Haze a commanding 31-15 lead with 3:00 before halftime. But then, the Haze shot themselves in the foot by calling an extra timeout.

The result was a technical, two Osgood FTs, and momentum for Snooki'd going into halftime. Osgood had 10 at the break and Roger Lau added a huge 3 to trim the margin. Haze led 33-22 at the break, Majic with 15/8, BMul, 9/13, and Harvey with seven huge points.

There's a good chance some Red Bulls, Starbucks, or some type of uppers were passed around because we saw some freakin' offense to start the second half (even the wrong way inbounds, that was fun). Osgood and Mario were hot to trot from beyond the arc, while BMul added his 2nd trey and Majic nailed his 4th. 16:00 left, Snooki'd trails 42-34. The faster pace seems to benefit them or does it?

Purple Haze really broke the game up with an epic 8-0 run at this point. Harvey hit a beatiful twisting fadeaway near the block to get it started, while BFrat hit some unbelievable shots out there. A sick fading bank in traffic and a deep 2 got the party started for the pHs. We don't need no stinkin' smoke clouds! Frank added a huge lay-up and a short jumper to pad it. Haze up 17 with 7:00 to go. In the bag?

It looked to be over, Osgood's 3 made it 60-46 with 7:00, but then the scoring stopped for awhile. We were under 5:00 to play, and there was nothing going right for Snooki'd. Then, we saw the will of a champion at play. Mario Casal, the Snooki'd captain/the sub, was the absolute spark plug down the stretch. Mario's 3 jumpstarted a 7-0 run with a minute. Osgood had a nice drive, Lau with a steal and breakaway. 60-53, Haze leads with 4:00 to go.

Suddenly, Mario pulls up and NAILS a huge three with 2:00 to go. Purple Haze hasn't scored in five minutes and we have a 60-56 game! We then would see BMul at the line next trip down to miss his only free throw of the night. Snooki'd came down with a chance to make it one posession, but the Majic made the play of the night by grabbing a big steal in the post. Majic and Brad hit their free throws down the stretch (Snooki'd would get it to 4 again, but never closer).

And that's the story. Game effort from Snooki'd. Osgood was the man, getting 19 of his 29 in the second half. The man just wouldn't quit. And Mario Casal really stepped up, getting 13 of his 18 in the second half. His 3s really made this a tight game. Still, shots weren't falling and the size matchups with the Haze bigs were too much for Gonna Get Snooki'd.

Chris 'Majic' Maciejczak earned the coveted Finals MVP with an uber-impressive 25 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks as his impact was immeasurable throughout. Brad 'BMul' Mulholland almost took back-to-back A1 Finals MVPs, but he'll gladly take the consecutive titles. BFrat really did the job at point, getting five dimes, and he's smart enough to give Majic the ball (not everyone would do it). Chris Harvey put his name on the next banner with his clutch offense. Frank Mandelsben's shots were huge in the 2nd half as he gave his team a big lift emotionally. Serge's (he really had a dime) bunch had one hell of a season. Let the gloating begin on our fair message boards...

Congrats to all on a fantastic A1 season! 'Twas a great season with a lot of good basketball that was played. We'll see you all in a few weeks when A1 kicks back up again. And once again, congrats to Purple Haze, your A1 Winter 2010 champions!

Scores, Box Scores & Write-Ups

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A1 Winter 2010 Basketball League