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| Day 7 Recaps |
| Day 7 of the NAABL didnt affect the standings at all but it was a fun day nonetheless. The Passions earned a come-from-behind victory, Dope Squad held on in the last minute of play to earn their second win, Red Storm seemed to be gettin their game back on, and United completed their sweep of the league. But with the playoffs around the corner, the championship contenders are gearing up for some tough games. And with the playoff format the way it is, the champion will have to win two consecutive games in the same day. So besides teamwork and skill, the champion will certainly have to display some endurance. Its all good though. There is an off-week to rest and shed those Thanksgiving pounds before the playoffs. |
| In Game 1, The Passions showed their fortitude by overcoming an early Raptors assault coming from behind to win 52-49. The Raptors got off to a good start with Mel Right's 9 first half points and with Dave Erichetto distributing the ball, gettin some buckets (6 first half pts; 11 pts, 3/4 FTs for the game), and sparking a harrassing team defensive effort. The Raptors went into halftime with a 26-19 lead. But for the second week in a row Ryan Driggers got hot in the second half scoring 14 of his 18 pts (2/2 FTs). With help from big buckets by Jun Madera (10 pts, 1/2 FTs, 1 three) and a pressure man-to-man defense that capitalizes off turnovers, the Passions soon took the lead and never looked back. Right scored just 5 pts in the second half(14 pts, 3/4 FTs, 1 three for the game) for the Raptors. Bugs Relopez continues to play big in the Passions stretch run by outhustling everyone on the court and contributing 10 pts of his own. Mike Seals scored 8 pts in a well balanced Raptors offense. NOTES: *15 of the 16 players on both teams scored. *Word is Raptors would rather play United than Red Storm in the semis... The Passions will face the Red Storm in the playoffs. And the Raptors will face the regular season champions, United. |
| Dope Squad escaped the jaws of defeat in their Game 2 victory over the G Stars, 50-48. Jerome Kubalewski simply dominated the lane on both ends of the court scoring with ease on the low block (22 pts, 2/6 threes) and getting rebound after rebound. But the G Stars stayed in it led by Phil Ratcliffe's 11 first half pts (13 for the game, 1 three). The Dope Squad took a 28-20 lead into halftime. But the notoriously slow-starting G Stars got back in the game quick with JR Macalino shooting lights out in the second half (13 pts, 3 threes, 2/2 FTs in the second half; 16 pts, 3/4 FTs in the game) and JB Balanza getting all 8 of his points in the second half. The G Stars managed to tie the game with less than a minute remaining but Rob Corsino's only bucket of the game put Dope Squad ahead for good, 50-48, after G Stars missed a few attempts to tie the game and a last second three pointer from the corner to win it just missed. Mark Lipumano helped the Dope Squad with 8 pts (2 threes). NOTES: *Dope Squad foul shooting woes continue: 2/8 FTs. *This was the only game in which the G Stars managed to score 20 pts in the first half. In all of their games they have scored 20 or more points in the second half. The Dope Squad face Skyhigh in a grudge match in the second consolation game. And the G Stars see if they can win their last game of the season against the Sharks in the first consolation game. |
| Game 3 started looking more like a marathon, but the Red Storm still imposed their dominance over the Sharks, 64-44. The Sharks suited up just 6 players for the game and the Red Storm didnt even have a sixth player until the first half was almost over. But the games must go on and they did. The Sharks hung tight for the first few minutes but Joe Flores, back from hiatus, picked up where he left off owning the lane, scoring 22 pts, 2/9 FTs, and cleaning the glass all day long. The Red Storm also bombarded the Sharks with 4 team three pointers courtesy of Chev Zaporteza (10 pts, 2 threes) and Ron Gozum (8 pts, 2 threes). Ant Bynum came in late to score 10 pts and Don Dimaiwat also contributed 10 pts for the Red Storm. Big Caesar Agustin (12 pts) and Vince Pascual (9 pts) led the shark scoring attack. The Red Storm face the Passions in a semi-final showdown. The Sharks will face a much improved G Star team |
| United overpowered an athletic Skyhigh team,70-49, to remain undefeated and claim victories over every team in the league. Skyhigh made it difficult for United at first with a speedy, aggressive defense. But Kenny Hermoso's 13 first half pts (20 pts, 2 threes, 4/7 FTs for the game) and Andy Sanderson's 10 first half points extinguished hopes of a Skyhigh victory early. Sanderson didnt stop there. He scored 13 pts in the second, splashing 3 threes, to finish with 23 pts, 4 threes for the game. Skyhigh should have known they were in trouble when low-post threat Joy Arenas got in on the three point festivites nailing 2 threes of his own (12 pts, 2/2 FTs for the game). Craig Bynum added 11 pts to ice the cake. Skyhigh's scoring was incredibly well balanced with 9 of their 11 players scoring 4 pts or more. NOTES: *United has outscored their opponents from the line all season long: 75/106 FTs compared to opponents' 28/57 FTs. United meet the Raptors in the first semifinal match. Skyhigh hopes to finish the season with a win over the Dope Squad. |
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| A successful inaugural regular season has finally come to a close with the most exciting and important games yet to come. All of the teams have shown tremendous improvement since the start of the season and should be commended for playing every game to the best of their abilities. But with the playoffs coming up, the level of play is sure to be more intense. Nothing changed in the order of the standings during Day 7 games, but the final day of the regular season did provide some exciting matchups and interesting moments. In the most relevant game of the day, the Passions rallied to overcome a Raptors' halftime lead and keep their #3 seed in the playoffs. The Dope Squad barely escaped with a win over the G Stars in a game which was decided in the waning seconds of the match. The Red Storm ended their two game losing streak with a win over the Sharks. United defeated Skyhigh to stay undefeated for the season, boasting wins over every team in the league. United will face the Raptors in the first semi-final game, a game which pits the league's best team against, arguably, the league's most dynamic offensive player, Mel Right. The second semi-final game matches up an athletic and tough Passions squad on a hot streak against the explosive offense of the Red Storm, who now have their anchor, Joe Flores, back to patrol the middle. The Sharks and the G Stars will battle it out to finish the season on a good note and attempt to get out of the NAABL cellar in the first consolation game. The second consolation game is sure to be well fought as Team Skyhigh and the Dope Squad both play for bragging rights. The Championship game will be the last game of the day. Once again, thanks for everyone's support during the course of the regular season; it is what keeps the league moving along so smoothly. Most of all, thanks to the players for playing tough basketball every Sunday. And as always, please feel free to let us know how you feel about the league, the players, the website, or anything. Or if you are interested in rounding a team together and would like information on next season, CONTACT: [email protected] or sign the guestbook at the bottom. The playoffs are sure to be hot. So show your support for your team, the league, and the community by coming out in masses in what is sure to be an exciting event, not only this year but years to come. Good luck to the ballers. See you at the gym. Ferd Dimaiwat League Director |
| Archives 13 |