Spring 2016: Franchise “A” League Champs: Flint Tropics

It took overtime but they got the well-deserved win
A47 66 Flint Tropics 72

Pre-Game: 

Ok this was it, game 3 and for as many game we had another new ref on hand.  I guess this could be considered good but I personally wouldn’t have had a rookie ref on this game but it is what it is.  Both teams had all their players and were ready for action.

First-Half:

A lot of back and forth for the duration of this half but it was mostly the Phil DeSeignora versus George Skelton show and we were all just witnessing.  At one point Flint Tropics (FT) was up 23-17 but that was the biggest lead of the half.  Phil had the biggest crowd on hand with 3 fans so he knew he had to step up and did which resulted in FT up 31-30 at the half.

Halftime stats:

Grimble 4 pts, 2 blks, 3 drebs and 1 ast

Walsh 1 dreb

Popko 9 pts, 1-3 from three, 1-2 from the free throw line, 2 blks, 3 drebs

Skelton 16 pts, 1-2 from three, 1-2 from the free throw line, 1 stl, 1 blk, 3 orebs, 4 drebs and 2 asts

Kelley 2 pts, 0-3 from three, 1 stl, 2 blks, 1 dreb, 1 ast

Rohman 0-1 from three, 1 stl, 1 blk

Jackson 3 pts, 1-5 from three, 3 stls, 2 asts

Sovis 1 pt, 1-2 from the free throw line, 1 blk, 1 oreb, 2 dreb

Swecker 5 pts, 0-1 from three, 3-4 from the free throw line, 1 dreb

Khaled 7 pts, 1-1 from three, 2 blks, 1 oreb, 8 drebs

Phil 13 pts, 1-4 from three, 1 blk, 2 oreb

Hughes 2 pts, 2-2 from the free throw line, 1 oreb

Player of the Half:

Skelton

Second Half:

Again the game was mostly back and forth but FT had complete control of the game.  One thing I have to mention is there were a lot of plays that both teams seemed to disagree with but I don’t think the ref had any impact on the game.  Wait lets fast-forward to a very crucial play.  FT were up 2 as Khaled was in-bounding the ball it was under a minute left FT were up 62-58.  George made a swipe at the ball which everyone knows is a tech but the ref didn’t see it so after he stole the ball he scored on a layup forcing FT to take a timeout.  All I can really say is Khaled definitely wasn’t happy with what happen.  Next possession FT actually got the ball in pretty easy but Pat made a great defensive play stealing the ball from Phil.  Pat then got the ball to George who scored again tying the game up.  Both A47 and FT were unable to score again so we were headed to overtime.

Overtime:

As with most overtimes at CAC not much action.  Phil scored the first basket.  A47 was struggling to score and was forced to foul.  FT guys who shot free throws were Swecker who went 2-3, Billy who went 3-4 and Khaled who went 1-2.  Mixed in all this was a score by George but the game was over as FT go on to win the game and the league 72-66 in overtime.

Player of the Game:

Phil DeSeignora I mean he did most of the scoring which is what FT needed.

Grades:

Alex Grimble B he had a solid game for the most part.  I know he fouled out when the game was basically over and maybe if he hit 1 more free throw it makes a difference.

Bryan Walsh C was smart not to play much but could’ve been a little more aggressive.  I know you don’t want to make mistakes in a crucial game but also stick with what you know.

Daniel Popko B his numbers are a little deceptive because he missed a lot of layups but overall he did do more positive than negative on the court.  Unfortunately for him his team lost though.

George Skelton A- did nothing in overtime, which kind of explains the final score, but overall he was just a damn pit bull out there on both ends of the floor.

Pat Kelley B made some really big plays in this game but would’ve liked to see him shoot better from three, overall though he had a nice all-around game.

Rev Rip Rohman C pretty much played his role didn’t go too crazy out there.

Billy Jackson B- shot well from the free throw line and had some nice defensive plays in the first half, however his three point shooting cannot be ignored.  Who really cares though your team won.

Jeff Sovis C can’t really hate on him since he basically just played the role of reserve player and didn’t do anything wrong.

Kevin Swecker B+ he made his free throws during the most crucial moments of the game.  Yeah I know he missed the three he took but he only took 1.

Khaled Abukhidejeh A I liked his overall game and did a good job of keeping his cool (for the most part) even in adverse situations.

Phil DeSeignora A did what he does best which was put the ball in the hoop.

Robert Hughes C+ played his role perfect.  I couldn’t go higher with the grade because he had much better performances during the season.

Takeaways:

A47 made a good run of things.  It sucks to lose but that’s just how the game of basketball is.  Congrats to Brian on getting back to the finals and I am interested to see what he does next season.

FT I have nothing but respect for Billy especially after this win.  There may have been some players he overpaid for but overall he put together the perfect team that ended with a championship.  You can’t ask for much more.  The only question is will he be able to do it again?

Scores, Box Scores & Write-Ups

Playoff: week 16

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