Round 20 of the TV game show (Match Prediction Contest) is in the books.
Game #1: Final Score: Hasting Hornets 81 @ Archers of Loafcross 111
Summary: The Archers got off the a crazy 1st quarter, out ahead by 19 points. Pushed it to a 36 point lead at that half. Then didn't take their foot off the gas until the 4th quarter when their backup center A. Pejanović went down with an injury (luckily it was nothing lasting). The biggest difference was the scoring and defense on the Archers. Originally the Hornets outside defensive prowess looked formidable, but the Archers attacked them inside going 59% from within the arc, and with that kind of scoring pressure alongside them outrebounding their opponent by 20. They needed no other weapons. The Hornets tried to keep the game alive by staying consistent at the charity stripe, but struggled to find a rhythm on offense.
Questions: This seals the fate of both sides. The archers are in the playoffs with their 3rd place position. They have the ability to move up to 2nd if needed or stay in the win column and control their own destiny in bagging 3rd. Meanwhile the Hornets may have been given a gift. The margin was not enough to knock them out of 5th and therefore have an incredible nice relegation battle against a most likely defunct Steppers come playoff time. The Skillz will most likely be looking to overtake them and secure that position. So the Hornets must stay vigilant now that the relegation matchups are on the horizon.
Hasting Hornets 81
Pos - Player of the Game (Pts, Asts, Rebs)
PF - B. Winston (12, 1, 14)
Team Ratings:
Highest - Perimeter Defense (10.7)
Lowest - Rebounding/Inside Defense (5.7)
Archers of Loafcross 111
Pos - Player of the Game (Pts, Asts, Rebs)
PF - A. Comacchio (15, 4, 9)
Team Ratings:
Highest - Inside Scoring (9.7)
Lowest - Rebounding/Offensive Flow (7.3)
Game #2: Final Score: Slabs 106 @ Bananahorns 131
Summary: Two outside teams came to play tonight. We saw 52 three-pointers taken in this game. Both teams were good too, both averaging 40%+ from behind the arc. Nonetheless you can't get outrebounded by 30 and expect to win and that colored the game this evening. That was most evident in the 3rd quarter as the half-time talk rekindled the Bananahorns to outscore their opponents 45-16. The coach was in the opponents huddle it seemed as the Bananahorns game-day prepped perfectly. As always the Slabs talented guards of Kantola and Rosa were incredible scoring 60 of teams points by themselves. Unfortunately the Bananahorns came to play too as their forwards Newton and Lively combined for 58 points themselves to give the Horns an inside attack that didn't show up in the ratings, but became obvious as they kept getting to the line and sinking everything.
Questions: The Bananahorns with this win find themselves safe in 4th, and with the River Monsters going bot. They are as safe as a team can be. Now they have 2 weeks to prep for the first round. Meanwhile the Slabs are in trouble as they appear to be the next team to go bot. They can save their season if they log back in but they most likely will succumb to attrition as well as becoming another tantalizing opponent for a Big 8 relegation series. The only real question now is can the Cougars make the 5th v. 7th matchup a nightmare for some unlucky foe in the Big 8 or will the Big 8 have the easiest cross-conference battles for relegation I have ever seen.
Slabs 106
Pos - Player of the Game (Pts, Asts, Rebs)
SG - B. Rosa (30, 1, 5)
Team Ratings:
Highest - Outside Scoring (10.7)
Lowest - Rebounding (4.3)
Bananahorns 131
Pos - Player of the Game (Pts, Asts, Rebs)
PF - W. Newton (30, 3, 12)
Team Ratings:
Highest - Perimeter Defense (10)
Lowest - Inside Scoring (5.7)
To be COntinued...
The doctor is in...