Metro League - Division 2 Playoffs, Round 1

In season’s past, YMCMB would be favored in most of the matchups they were in...
April 27, 2016

MEN'S DIVISION 2 PLAYOFFS

YMCMB 59 - B.O.B. 77

B.O.B. - Andrew and Reese: 19 pts eachYMCMB - Jack Ho: 26 pts, Mike: 11 pts

In season’s past, YMCMB would be favored in most of the matchups they were in. However, in recent seasons, we have “Witnessed” the decline in this team one injury and one retirement at a time. B.O,B. came in primed to take the place of the once powerful juggernaut! 

Even with B.O.B. having 5 players, they were big and active throughout the game. Their size disrupted YM, and made a lot of their plays difficult to execute. The constant attacking by the B.O.B. big men (including 3 pointers made), was the sign of good chemistry and killer instinct. Every time they would look to put the game away, YM’s Jack Ho would not let it happen! Throughout this game, Jack Ho weaved in and out of the B.O.B. defense to keep YM in the game. His best move was a hesitation, inside out dribble for a layup.

In the end, B.O.B. would put the game out of reach and look forward to next week’s matchup.

 

Sofa King Good 77 - Ball So Hard 45

SKG - Antonio: 29 pts, Gurjit: 17 ptsBSH - Vikas: 11 pts, Michael: 9 pts

I for one did not see the outcome of this game coming! Ball So Hard, who is usually in the running as league champion contenders, came into this 1st round matchup with a handful of technical fouls, and a few “dust ups” in the last few games of the regular season. I thought this was a great sign for their potential push for a title. As the game started, I was immediately struck by how wrong I was!

From start to finish, this game belonged to Sofa King Good! Missing their former leading scorer in Amritpal Bath, Sofa King Good would act as if he had never been on the squad!  The best “Splash Bros” of the week imitation goes to Antonio and Gurjit of SKG! Antonio scored 21 of his 29 points in the first half! When Antonio went out, Gurjit would come in an knockdown 3s to fill the void. There was no break for Ball So Hard as they would start and finish this game “Ice Cold”! Some of that cold shooting can be claimed by the legendary SKG “Palmer Zone”! Ball So Hard dissected the zone several times, only to have several misses in the key.

In the end, SKG would stroll to a 33 point victory. One of the highest in Division 2 Metro league history!

 

B2B 66 - WH 59

B2B - Joeman: 18 pts, Joeco: 15 ptsWH - Brandon: 17 pts, Alex: 11 pts

To be honest, WH doesn’t look like a Division 2 playoff team. A lot of skinny guys running around on the court, until you actually see them play! B2B has Coach Ben Chan at the helm, running a hard ship as usual with a few comical cracks along the way. By far, one of the best coaches in Metro league, he would be needed to counter the youthful “exuberance” of WH!

WH put constant pressure on B2B in the form of Brandon, who scored 11 first half points. B2B would recover with its defense and interior scoring. The 2nd half would see B2B start to dominate inside with their two big men! WH continued to press for the lead late in the 2nd half, but B2B would hold on for the narrow win and advance to the second round of playoffs!

Western Union 67 - The Party 55

Western Union - Clancy: 17 pts, Karmal: 14 ptsThe Party - Ryan Shams: 15 pts, Chris Loreth: 14 pts

The Party snuck into the “Post Game” party in consecutive Spring league playoff sessions. Not sure which year was better than the other. The only good thing is that they are here again, and anything can happen! Western Union was all business, and looked to use every player they had to get the victory.

Western Union put pressure on the Party thru out the game. It looked like they would dominate the entire game, but Ryan Shams would knock down three first half 3 pointers to keep the game close.

The second half would belong to Karmal “Olidipo”! Karmal was all over the place and finished at the rim several times. The Party made a game changing mistake in going away from Chris Loerth, who scored a career high 36 points in his live outing. Yet, The Party seemed to forget all about him when the game was on the line!

Good win for Western Union! They move on to the next round.