The Party – Chris Loreth 19, Ryan Shams 13, Nika Mottus 11
TTP – Matt Anza 14, Ali Jamal 13, Matt Jackie 6
These two teams may have the best story lines in the entire league! Both teams are sleepers from their last appearances in the league. Both teams have identical records. The only difference is that TTP is sneaking up on their opponents, while the other team is “The Life of the Party”!
This game had vital implications in the playoff race as these two teams are knotted up at 3 wins each! The Party continued to put themselves on the radar, by coming out and absolutely attacking TTP! From the outside with Ryan Shams, Ethan Wong, and Niko Mottus, to inside with this season’s return of Chris “Zebo” Loreth!
The Party would come out in the 2nd half with a 15 point cushion, and looked to be cruising along. Matt Anza and Ali Jamal would do their best to close the gap, but The Party was having none of that! They would continue to control the pace, and hold on for a double digit lead.
YM – Jack Ho and Dru #2 16 each, Torean #1 12
Talisman – Brian #3 25, Sly #1 19
An unnamed source from YM was asked a Vancouver Metro related question, and it was met with this response, “I don’t know about all that, we’re just here for the W!” After knocking off Ball So Hard last week, the team had the ultimate confidence in themselves on this night, and it didn’t matter who was on the court with them on this night! YM would be on the floor and ready to do battle….like always!
This game looked like you through two WWE wrestlers in a cage, and let them go at it! Both teams were grinding it out throughout the game, and almost drew to a draw. Bryan and Sly anchored the Talisman, while Dru, Jack, and Torean paced the YM squad. Even with Talisman tallying more blocked shots, YM would have some key defensive stops late in the game including a Jack Ho steal to help secure the victory.
Some players from this game left “covering their head and neck” area, but they have nothing to be ashamed of. This game was up there with one of the best of the night!
Stallions –MATT MADAWAN 65, Elliott Mason 24, Jeff #7 18
Flight –Trey #5 21, RJ Base 18, Curtis #11 12
Word got out last week that The Stallions would not be at full strength for week 7. More info poured out later in the week that The Stallions would be sending out their “B” Team! In any basketball language, this sounded like they would be sending in the players that rarely play. Henceforth, their opponents would have a better chance of defeating them. This was not the equivalent of The Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, and Cleveland Cavaliers resting their big 3s. However, word got out that the reserves were showing up and a least one player on Flight’s team was optimistic!
The Stallions would have regular starters Mark Halfnights and Brody “The MVP” Greig, but the “B” team would need to be relabeled! The “B” team for the Stallions would consist of Jeff, former National Champion Elliot Mason with Mark and Matt Madewan! Matt was also on that Langara National championship game with Elliot and Brody! The surreal moment was just after tip off when the Stallions went on a 14-2 run with within the first part of the first half! Elliot is arguably the best shooter Vancouver Metro has ever seen, and looked to be the main threat to the three point record held by his teammate Prince Carino (11). As the game went on, it wasn’t Mr. Mason that was challenging for the three point record, it would be Matt Madewan! Matt had been out of the rotation for work purposes, but came out firing like he was in “Mid Season” form. Flight came out in a zone against one of the deadliest three point shooting lineups Vancouver Metro has ever seen! The lead was out of hand before you could go grab a drink from the water fountain. With nearly no shots inside the three point line, Matt hit on 7 three pointers just past the half way mark of the 1st half. With a 38 point lead going into halftime, the only thing left in suspense was “When” would Matt break the three point record!
The 2nd half would be even worse for Flight than the first half! Matt went on an unreal “Enfuego” tear that would see him hit 12 three pointers in the 2nd half, mixed in with a few open layups because of the amount of three pointers he made! Matt would make the “Shaqtin a Fool” blooper reel with a wide open missed layup, but no one will remember that on this historic night!
Matt would finish the night with a record 19 made three pointers, most threes made in a half with 12, and most points in a game with 65 (previously held by Demi Harris)! This game was almost like Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 point game, because there was only one usable picture that we could add to this post! No one had an idea that this would happen, but for the people that were there, they saw history!
BSH – Gene Wolff 19, Brandon Hoyem 14, Devon Carney 6
SKG – Max Neufeld 15, Will Chaing 8
With the other late game tilt “Rained Out”, two of the marquee teams in the league would meet for an epic matchup! Both teams came into the game brimming with confidence with Sofa King Good edging out The Party last week, and BSH losing a close one to YM last week!
This week’s game had possible playoff seeding implications going forward. While every game is important, this game went towards possible tie breaking implications! By all accounts, BSH looked like they realized what was at stake as they came out “stalking” SKG on every possession. Both teams have the high intensity that the champions of this league are known for, but BSH defense was on “Vice Grip” Status! Brandon Hoyem and Max Neufeld battled it out down low to a near standstill, but one of the key players in this drama was Gene Wolff! Gene is without a doubt one of the most fit players we have in the league, as being one of the unofficial Tour De France bike riders in all of the Lower Mainland (when it comes to basketball players). Even with old tread, but revitalized knees, Gene’s skill and high basketball IQ is a formidable match vs anyone on any given night. He would have a nice one dribble step back three pointer “contested” from the left side of the court, that only saw the bottom of the net. He would also go on to hand out a few assists and a steal. The first half would see BSH go into halftime with a slim lead, and the 2nd half looked to have drama written all over it!
The grind would continue in the 2nd half, as SKG would attempt to gain the upper hand in this game. SKG’s leading scorer Will Chaing was held to 8 total points in the game, and that was not just being an off night but the addition of BSH active defense. JJ Bath’s hit on a few highlight real layups, but his efforts were a little off on this night too. In the end, the defensive grind went in favor of BSH, and they would go on to win by double digits! A very good and symbolic win for the defending champs, but SKG will bounce back in a big way going forward.
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