| 03 December 2002 Tension in the NAABL standings continues to escalate as we enter crunch time--Week 7. All the teams have played excellent basketball thus far and all the teams--no matter how many wins or losses-- should be proud of the improvements they have made. And ALL the teams have made great strides as players and, more importantly, as TEAMS. Thanks to all the players for playing balls out every week and making this season an exciting one. But there is more basketball left to play. Get ready to grind it out for these last two weeks. For Team VA and the Mavericks the postseason starts NOW as all their records and point differential are thrown out the window. Both are tied at 3-3 and the winner of this game is gonna be the #4 seed and continue to be in the hunt for the championship. But the loser will be doomed to the consolation bracket as the #5 seed. Both teams have played tough basketball all season long but now it's game time. Put up or shut up. Another pivotal Week 7 matchup is the final game of the regular season. The 6-0 Raptors will attempt to get through the NAABL Regular season unscathed as they face 5-1 Maymar. If Maymar wins, there could be a threeway to atop the standings with Wolfpack being the #1 seed because all the teams would have beat each other and because of the Wolfpack's huge point differential. (Get it? If not, let me know.) If the Raps win, they will duplicate what United did last year by going undefeated in the regular season. But as we all know, that doesn't guarantee a championship. United lost last year in the finals to the Passions. Anything can happen. Wolfpack still needs to get by a reloaded Sharks team which is upset-starved and playing well. The winless Lightning, who lost in a close battle against the undefeated Raptors, look poised to get their first win of the season against an undersized Dope Squad. Dope Squad will be without the services of Big Kubes on the low blocks who went out with a knee injury battling down low in last Sunday's game against Maymar. Get back on the court soon, Kubes. The NAABL would like to thank all those who have helped support the league in this very successful second season. Everything has run so smoothly this year that it would be crazy not to think of expanding the league with more teams, more games, more fans, and more excitement. We have big plans coming up to improve the league significantly. Our long-term goals are to be the most dynamic, exciting, and unique league around showcasing high-caliber talent. There has been a dramatic increase in the level of competition and the level of talent since last year's rookie season. With more education and actually playing and watching basketball games, competition and talent will continue to increase. And please continue to show support for the league by visiting the concession stand. The stand helps provide trophies for the league. The people who run concessions are volunteering their time for the sake of the league, so make sure you are EXTRA nice to them. Good luck to all the teams in Week 7. Don't get caught sleepin and bring your A+ game. |
| 2002 archives 7 |
| POINTS PER GAME 1. Mel Right, Raptors 2. Calvin Morris, Raptors 3. Joy Arenas, Maymar 4. Anthony Gaviola, Mavericks 5. Joe Burgess, Mavericks 6. K. Barnes, Sharks 7. Andy Sanderson, Wolfpack 8. Lee Harrelson, Sharks 9.Chev Zaporteza, Wolfpack 10.Kevin Ladia, Team VA |
| STATISTICAL LEADERS WEEK 6 |
| TEAM SCORING 1.Wolfpack 2.Maymar 3.Raptors 4.Mavericks 5.Team VA 6.Sharks 7.Dope Squad 8.Lightning |
| AVG 60.3 53.7 53.7 53.0 52.0 41.7 39.0 38.5 |
| TEAM DEFENSE 1.Team VA 2.Raptors 3.Maymar 4.Wolfpack 5.Mavericks 6.Dope Squad 7.Sharks 8.Lightning |
| AVG 45.0 46.2 47.2 47.5 48.0 51.2 54.2 54.5 |
| TEAM 3pt made 1.Wolfpack 2.Raptors Team VA 4.Sharks 5.Maymar 6.Mavericks 7.Dope Squad 8.Lightning |
| TOT 34 23 23 19 16 12 11 11 |
| TEAM FTs 1.Maymar 2.Raptors 3.Team VA 4.Wolfpack 5.Sharks 6.Mavericks 7.Dope Squad 8.Lightning |
| M/A 49/74 49/81 45/77 38/67 35/70 31/66 17/42 14/44 |
| PCT 66.2 60.5 58.4 56.7 50.0 47.0 40.5 31.8 |
| AVG 19.2 18.0 15.4 14.8 12.8 12.4 11.2 10.8 10.8 10.2 |
| 3PTS MADE 1. Chev Zaportera, Wolfpack 2. Calvin Morris, Raptors Mel Right, Raptors Andy Sanderson, Wolfpack 5. Lee Harrelson, Sharks 6. Jeff Grice, Maymar Mikey Sinchongco, Team VA Manuel Wilson, Sharks 9. 4 tied with 6 |
| TOT 14 10 10 10 8 7 7 7 6 |
| FREE THROWS MADE 1. Mel Right, Raptors 2. Joy Arenas, Maymar 3. Kevin Ladia, Team VA Nick Torres, Maymar 5. Lee Harrelson, Sharks Jun Madera, Wolfpack Calvin Morris, Raptors Mikey Sinchongco, Team VA 9. Dennis Limpin, Sharks 10. Ryan Driggers, Team VA |
| TOT 31/41 17/19 14/20 14/18 10/19 10/16 10/22 10/16 8/18 7/14 |
| FREE THROW PERCENTAGE Minimum 5 Attempts 1. Joy Arenas, Maymar 2. Jody Lowe, Mavericks 3. Nick Torres, Maymar 4. Mel Right, Raptors 5. Oscar Aujero, Mavericks Kenny Hermoso, Wolfpack 7. Jeremy Calazara, Team VA Dennis Laxa, Sharks 9. Kevin Ladia, Team VA 10. 2 tied with 66.6 |
| M/A 17/19 5/6 14/18 31/41 6/8 6/8 5/7 5/7 14/20 |
| PCT 89.5 83.3 77.8 75.6 75.0 75.0 71.4 71.4 70.0 66.6 |
| INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS |
| Games Played 6 5 5 5 5 3 6 6 6 6 |
| TEAM STATISTICS |
| GAME 1: Team VA Sharks |
| Week 6 games continued to display NAABL talent and competition at its best. But there are two more weeks left in the season and things are only gonna get hotter. So teams need to get ready for the stretch run. |
| GAME LEADERS Team VA (3-3) Points: 24- Mikey Sinchongco 3-Pts: 5- Mikey Sinchongco FTs: 7/8 (87.5%)- Mikey Sinchongco Sharks (1-5) Points: 26- Keith Barnes 3-Pts: 1- Keith Barnes FTs: 2/7 (28.6%)- Lee Harrelson |
| Team VA kept their playoff hopes alive with a decisive victory over the Sharks. But it wasn't as easy as the score made it seem. Undersized Team VA, which took just a 29-22 lead into halftime, had to fight off a relentless low post Shark attack which was led by Keith Barnes's 26 pts. Team VA countered with hot shooting from the outside. Mikey Sinchongco was on fire scoring 24 pts, including 5 threes and 7/8 FTs. Kevin Ladia contributed 22 pts, including 2 threes and 4/7 FTs. He also provided a big body down low on the defensive end. Team VA outscored the Sharks 41-31 in the second half, their three point barrage being too much for the Sharks. Team VA finished with 9 threes for the game. VA's Ryan Driggers contributed 10 pts. Sharks got help from Jay Harris's 11 pts and Lee Harrelson's 10. VA will face-off against the Mavs in a Week 7 must win. The Sharks will be upset minded against the #2 seeded Wolfpack. |
| GAME 2: Maymar Dope Squad |
| GAME LEADERS Maymar (5-1) Points: 19- Patrick DeMesa 3-Pts: 2- Jeff Grice FTs: 4/5 (80.0%)- Nick Torres Dope Squad (1-5) Points: 14- Jose Malpaya 3-Pts: 2- Jose Malpaya FTs: 3/4 (75.0%)- Daniel Cacitian |
| Joy (Arena)-less Maymar had just enough fire power to continue their march to the NAABL championship. Playing without leading scorer Joy Arenas, Patrick DeMesa picked up his play finishing with 19 pts. Nick Torres also contributed 14 pts, 4/5 FTs, against the smaller Dope Squad team. But Dope Squad didn't go down easily as Jose Malpaya did what he could to keep his team in the game (14 pts, 2 threes). But after Jerome Kubalewski left the game with a severe knee sprain, Dope Squad was drastically outsized by the big bodies of Maymar. Daniel Cacitian provided 9 pts, 3/4 FTs for the hard fighting Dope Squad. Maymar faces undefeated Raptors in Week 7. Dope Squad will attempt to salvage some pride against the winless Lightning. |
| GAME 3: Raptors Lightning |
| GAME LEADERS Raptors (6-0) Points: 23- Mel Right 3-Pts: 3- Calvin Morris FTs: 7/9 (77.7%)- Mel Right Lightning (0-6) Points: 12- Jeff Egnot, Bugs Relopez 3-Pts: 3- Jeff Egnot FTs: 1/2 (three players) |
| The Raptors continue to prove that it isn't easy being #1. The Lightning played inspired basketball, playing tough D and effectively containing the top two scorers in the NAABL in the first half, Mel Right (9 pts) and Calvin Morris (5 pts). The game was tied up at 28 going into halftime. But then Right and Morris took over. Right scored 14 second half pts (finishing with 23 pts, 7/9 FTs) and Morris chipped in 3 threes (14 pts for the game). The Lightning played tough ball til the end with help from Jeff Egnot's 12 pts, 3 threes and Bugs Relopez's 12 pts and tough D from Corey Dutko, who limited the Raps interior game effectively. But it all wasn't enough. Mike Seals added 8 pts, 2/2 FTs for the undefeated Raps. The Raptors are headed for an anticipated Week 7 matchup against Maymar. The Lightning is running out of time to get a win, but they will try their game against the Dope Squad. |
| GAME 4: Mavericks Wolfpack |
| GAME LEADERS Mavericks (3-3) Points: 15- Anthony Gaviola 3-Pts: 2- Joe Burgess FTs: 2/2 (100%)- Anthony Gaviola Wolfpack (5-1) Points: 12- Jun Madera 3-Pts: 3- Chev Zaporteza FTs: 2/2 (100.0%)- Andy Sanderson |
| The Wolfpack got a scare from the Mavericks but they showed grit and determination late in the game to overcome a late-game deficit. Trailing 24-19 at the half, the Mavs applied a 3-2 defense in the second half, effectively shutting down the Wolfpack offense. Also, the Mav's big bodies of Anthony Gaviola (15 pts, 1 three) and Joe Burgess (14 pts, 2 threes) made it difficult inside for the Wolfpack all game long. The Wolfpack was unable to score for a long stretch in the second half, and they soon found themselves trailing with a few minutes left. That is when Chev Zaporteza (11 pts, 3 threes) found the weakness in the 3-2 defense, hitting back-to-back threes from the corner, to help regain the lead. The Mavs were still in the game with Louie Atangan at the foul line, down by 2 with less than a minute to go. But Lou missed both shots and the Wolfpack walked away with the win. Jun Madera added 12 pts, 2 threes and Joe Flores played big when he needed to adding 10 pts. The Wolfpack will attempt to cruise into the playoffs with a win over the Sharks. It all comes down to the last game of the regular season for the Mavs who face Team VA in a pivotal showdown. |
| 70 53 |
| 55 41 |
| 62 55 |
| 44 50 |