Teams
White Doves- Matt Beecher*, Kane Robinson, Benedetto Nappi, Andrew Falconer, E.Z Cordiero
OVO Money Team- Jordin Jackson*, Sam Troiano, Dejan Tisma, Ben Conti, Anthony Degifico
Predators- Loro Lako*, Remi Sedjro, Cam Deiley, Ahmed Suja, Xavier Mills
Brotherhood- Silas Zechman*, Gordon Whittemore, Alex Livingston, Ben Tucker, James Ellis
Sigma Pi Pi- Sean Wyman*, James Falconer, Xander Keiter, Drew Bradbury, Milos Tisma
Winged Pegasi- Finn Zechman*, Andrew Whipple, Josh Sardinha, Noah Malone, Liam Coyne
Fab Five- Jacob Brown*, Taylor McFarquar, Jackman M., Doc Roberts, Austin DeBoe
Purple Haze- Bryan Currie*, Joe Genesio, Jack VG, Max Carr, Anthony Salafia
White Doves- Matt Beecher*, Kane Robinson, Benedetto Nappi, Andrew Falconer, E.Z Cordiero
OVO Money Team- Jordin Jackson*, Sam Troiano, Dejan Tisma, Ben Conti, Anthony Degifico
Predators- Loro Lako*, Remi Sedjro, Cam Deiley, Ahmed Suja, Xavier Mills
Brotherhood- Silas Zechman*, Gordon Whittemore, Alex Livingston, Ben Tucker, James Ellis
Sigma Pi Pi- Sean Wyman*, James Falconer, Xander Keiter, Drew Bradbury, Milos Tisma
Winged Pegasi- Finn Zechman*, Andrew Whipple, Josh Sardinha, Noah Malone, Liam Coyne
Fab Five- Jacob Brown*, Taylor McFarquar, Jackman M., Doc Roberts, Austin DeBoe
Purple Haze- Bryan Currie*, Joe Genesio, Jack VG, Max Carr, Anthony Salafia
Congratulations Predators!!!! 2015 ZBA Champions!!!!!!
Last Updated 3/29/15
Standings
1. Predators 6-1
2. Winged Pegasi 5-2
3. Purple Haze 4-3
4. Fab Five 4-3
5. Brotherhood 4-3
6. OVO Money Team 3-4
7. Sigma Pi Pi 2-5
8. White Doves 0-7
Standings
1. Predators 6-1
2. Winged Pegasi 5-2
3. Purple Haze 4-3
4. Fab Five 4-3
5. Brotherhood 4-3
6. OVO Money Team 3-4
7. Sigma Pi Pi 2-5
8. White Doves 0-7
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Write Ups
Championship Game
Predators Vs. Purple Haze (64-38) Pred
The Predators only lost one game this season. And it was too the Purple Haze. But the Predators were the number one seed for a reason and they proved it at 8:20. Remi Sedjro was the man of the night, he was hot right from the get go. All the energy the P.H seemed to have earlier just dissipated. The Predators lived up to their namesake with steal after steal. Remi by himself gave the Pred. a 12-0 run and the P.H wouldn't get on the board until a jumper from Joey would make it 16-2. Max Carr then drew a foul and they started to get their legs under them. Remi, Ahmed, Loro and Cam all scored in a first quarter that gave them a 24-4 lead. Joe Genesio scores the first points of the second, he would lead his team with 13 and Jack V.G follows it up with two tough, contested layins. Cam Deiley and Xavier Mills made up for any lost ground though rattling off 4 consecutive points. Remi would not miss a shot until late in the first half and with Cam splashing NBA range threes the P.H could not catch a break. Bryan Currie would enter the game and make some challenging and entertaining shots but even this early you could see the game had been decided. The Predators started off the second half with a 8-0 run and the route was underway. Xavier would grab a board and go up for two and Ahmed showed off his ball handling skills. Loro calmly drilled shots and the Predators played some of the best basketball they had all season. Joe hits a three to start the fourth but the rest as they say is history. With stand out rebounding performances from Ahmed with ten and Xavier with 6 and Remi scoring 26 points, 9 more than his previous season high, the Predators coasted to victory. Becoming the last champions under my reign as commissioner. The Purple Haze played great basketball down the stretch and you can't take anything away from their play that night. Loro got his ring a year after coming in second place and two first time captains took their teams to the final, a thrilling way to end the season. Congratulations to both the Predators and Purple Haze. P.O.G. Remi Sedjro 26 pts, 11 Reb, 3 Stls Bryan Currie 8 Pts, 8 Reb, 1 Ast
Monday, March 2nd
Fab Five vs. Purple Haze (52-50 2O.T) P.H
The second game of opening night started out with an assist from Jacob from Jackman, the first of many to come this season I would assume. Max Carr responded with a floater
to which a cold streak ensued for both teams. A Bryan Currie 3 ends the first quarter 11-8 P.H. The Fab5 miss their first three shots of the 2nd quarter all in succession and Anthony Salafia finds Joe Genesio for two in transition. Anthony would then hit a deep jumper to make it 18-10 P.H and the half ends 28-14 P.H. Jacob would score his teams first 4 points of the half but Joe responds with a jumper in Jackman's eyes and after a rally by the Fab5 the score is left at 37-all a minute into the fourth. Jacob Brown, always clutch would hit a contested layup to tie the game with 2 minutes left and Doc draws a controversial charge call. The charge leads to nothing after two missed layups by the P.H Jacob takes the ball up the court and cooly strokes a 3 with 20 seconds remaining to tie the game at 44. In the first O.T Jackman scores on the fastbreak for a two point lead with a minute remaining. In one minute, Bryan hits a 3, Jacob scores for 2, Bryan hits 3, Jacob scores 2 and the game heads into 2O.T. The Fab5 run out of gas though and Jack V.G hits the go ahead layup to end a tightly contested match up. P.O.G Jack V.G 10 Pts, 4 Reb, 1 Stl Jacob Brown 20 Pts, 6 Reb, 4 Ast
Brotherhood Vs. OVO Money Team (54-48) BH
The Brotherhood started out hot while OVO Star Jordin sat out the first segment. James Ellis, one year removed from ZBA resumed his form as one of the top rebounders in the league gathering 5 boards in the first quarter, his putback with 2 minutes left would make it 9-0 BH. A Dejan Tisma layup would be the first points for OVO but when
Jordin and Sam Troiano entered the game the BH lead quickly dwindled to 1 to start the second. A J.J 3 pointer would give the Money team their first lead and at the end of the half they managed to keep it, up by 1 to start to the third. J.J scores 4 straight to start the half but Gordon of the BH stops the bleeding with a layup of his own. Sam Troiano one year removed himself was a invaluable asset to the Money Team with his quick hands and soft touch around the rim, he would end the game with 2 steals and 16 points. A furious BH comeback was in the making at the end of the third though fueled by five straight from Alex Livingston. In the fourth a Silas Zechman layup increases their lead to 7. and J.J and Alex score the next two buckets consecutively making the score 42-35. A beautiful assist from Ben Conti to Sam T. would cut the deficit to two but a cross court pass from Silas to Alex, taking advantage of the tiring big man Jordin would prove key as Silas then finds Gordon for 2. The Money Team could not respond and were stunned at the result of their first game, losing even with 28 points from Jordin. P.O.G Gordon Whittemore 19 Pts, 12 Reb, 3 Stls Jordin Jackson 28 Pts, 8 Reb, 2 Blcks
Tuesday, March 17th
Predators Vs. Sigma Pi Pi (46-28) Pred
The Predators entered the game on a three game win streak, as opposed to a two game slide from their adversaries Sigma Pi Pi. And yet the game remained neck and neck until the last five minutes. In the first quarter defense was the style of play but also poor offense. Loro did not have a point in the first and Xander and Mosh combined for their teams 6 in a 6-2 game at the end of the first. Xavier drives to the rack and has a nice finish to start the 2nd as back to back scoring is the story of the quarter. Ahmed Suja, the rookie better known for his soccer ability was a force on the boards using hustle to counteract his size disadvantage. He provided a spark which kept the lackluster Predators in the game. A buzzer beater three from Xander Keiter would end the half with the score 11-10 Pred. The score would remain close throughout the third, but a surprising three from Suja would increase the lead to 4. The quarter featured another three from Suja, two points from Xavier Mills, and a couple of buckets each for Milos and Xander of Sigma Pi Pi. In the Predators last game they scored 86 points and Loro had 49. By the start of the fourth the score was only 24-22 Pred and Loro had been held to less than ten. Sean Wyman would reduce the deficit to 4 after a layup from Loro started the action. That would be the last points for Sigma Pi Pi. The game was defined by a 16-0 run by the Predators in which Remi and Loro ran wild, with Loro and Remi scoring 8 apiece in the closing minutes. It was an encouraging display for the Sigma Pi Pi though as we near playoffs and each team tries to work out the kinks. P.O.G Ahmed Suja 14 Pts, 5 Reb, 4 Stls Milos Tisma 6 Pts, 6 Reb, 1 Blck, 1 Stl
Championship Game
Predators Vs. Purple Haze (64-38) Pred
The Predators only lost one game this season. And it was too the Purple Haze. But the Predators were the number one seed for a reason and they proved it at 8:20. Remi Sedjro was the man of the night, he was hot right from the get go. All the energy the P.H seemed to have earlier just dissipated. The Predators lived up to their namesake with steal after steal. Remi by himself gave the Pred. a 12-0 run and the P.H wouldn't get on the board until a jumper from Joey would make it 16-2. Max Carr then drew a foul and they started to get their legs under them. Remi, Ahmed, Loro and Cam all scored in a first quarter that gave them a 24-4 lead. Joe Genesio scores the first points of the second, he would lead his team with 13 and Jack V.G follows it up with two tough, contested layins. Cam Deiley and Xavier Mills made up for any lost ground though rattling off 4 consecutive points. Remi would not miss a shot until late in the first half and with Cam splashing NBA range threes the P.H could not catch a break. Bryan Currie would enter the game and make some challenging and entertaining shots but even this early you could see the game had been decided. The Predators started off the second half with a 8-0 run and the route was underway. Xavier would grab a board and go up for two and Ahmed showed off his ball handling skills. Loro calmly drilled shots and the Predators played some of the best basketball they had all season. Joe hits a three to start the fourth but the rest as they say is history. With stand out rebounding performances from Ahmed with ten and Xavier with 6 and Remi scoring 26 points, 9 more than his previous season high, the Predators coasted to victory. Becoming the last champions under my reign as commissioner. The Purple Haze played great basketball down the stretch and you can't take anything away from their play that night. Loro got his ring a year after coming in second place and two first time captains took their teams to the final, a thrilling way to end the season. Congratulations to both the Predators and Purple Haze. P.O.G. Remi Sedjro 26 pts, 11 Reb, 3 Stls Bryan Currie 8 Pts, 8 Reb, 1 Ast
Monday, March 2nd
Fab Five vs. Purple Haze (52-50 2O.T) P.H
The second game of opening night started out with an assist from Jacob from Jackman, the first of many to come this season I would assume. Max Carr responded with a floater
to which a cold streak ensued for both teams. A Bryan Currie 3 ends the first quarter 11-8 P.H. The Fab5 miss their first three shots of the 2nd quarter all in succession and Anthony Salafia finds Joe Genesio for two in transition. Anthony would then hit a deep jumper to make it 18-10 P.H and the half ends 28-14 P.H. Jacob would score his teams first 4 points of the half but Joe responds with a jumper in Jackman's eyes and after a rally by the Fab5 the score is left at 37-all a minute into the fourth. Jacob Brown, always clutch would hit a contested layup to tie the game with 2 minutes left and Doc draws a controversial charge call. The charge leads to nothing after two missed layups by the P.H Jacob takes the ball up the court and cooly strokes a 3 with 20 seconds remaining to tie the game at 44. In the first O.T Jackman scores on the fastbreak for a two point lead with a minute remaining. In one minute, Bryan hits a 3, Jacob scores for 2, Bryan hits 3, Jacob scores 2 and the game heads into 2O.T. The Fab5 run out of gas though and Jack V.G hits the go ahead layup to end a tightly contested match up. P.O.G Jack V.G 10 Pts, 4 Reb, 1 Stl Jacob Brown 20 Pts, 6 Reb, 4 Ast
Brotherhood Vs. OVO Money Team (54-48) BH
The Brotherhood started out hot while OVO Star Jordin sat out the first segment. James Ellis, one year removed from ZBA resumed his form as one of the top rebounders in the league gathering 5 boards in the first quarter, his putback with 2 minutes left would make it 9-0 BH. A Dejan Tisma layup would be the first points for OVO but when
Jordin and Sam Troiano entered the game the BH lead quickly dwindled to 1 to start the second. A J.J 3 pointer would give the Money team their first lead and at the end of the half they managed to keep it, up by 1 to start to the third. J.J scores 4 straight to start the half but Gordon of the BH stops the bleeding with a layup of his own. Sam Troiano one year removed himself was a invaluable asset to the Money Team with his quick hands and soft touch around the rim, he would end the game with 2 steals and 16 points. A furious BH comeback was in the making at the end of the third though fueled by five straight from Alex Livingston. In the fourth a Silas Zechman layup increases their lead to 7. and J.J and Alex score the next two buckets consecutively making the score 42-35. A beautiful assist from Ben Conti to Sam T. would cut the deficit to two but a cross court pass from Silas to Alex, taking advantage of the tiring big man Jordin would prove key as Silas then finds Gordon for 2. The Money Team could not respond and were stunned at the result of their first game, losing even with 28 points from Jordin. P.O.G Gordon Whittemore 19 Pts, 12 Reb, 3 Stls Jordin Jackson 28 Pts, 8 Reb, 2 Blcks
Tuesday, March 17th
Predators Vs. Sigma Pi Pi (46-28) Pred
The Predators entered the game on a three game win streak, as opposed to a two game slide from their adversaries Sigma Pi Pi. And yet the game remained neck and neck until the last five minutes. In the first quarter defense was the style of play but also poor offense. Loro did not have a point in the first and Xander and Mosh combined for their teams 6 in a 6-2 game at the end of the first. Xavier drives to the rack and has a nice finish to start the 2nd as back to back scoring is the story of the quarter. Ahmed Suja, the rookie better known for his soccer ability was a force on the boards using hustle to counteract his size disadvantage. He provided a spark which kept the lackluster Predators in the game. A buzzer beater three from Xander Keiter would end the half with the score 11-10 Pred. The score would remain close throughout the third, but a surprising three from Suja would increase the lead to 4. The quarter featured another three from Suja, two points from Xavier Mills, and a couple of buckets each for Milos and Xander of Sigma Pi Pi. In the Predators last game they scored 86 points and Loro had 49. By the start of the fourth the score was only 24-22 Pred and Loro had been held to less than ten. Sean Wyman would reduce the deficit to 4 after a layup from Loro started the action. That would be the last points for Sigma Pi Pi. The game was defined by a 16-0 run by the Predators in which Remi and Loro ran wild, with Loro and Remi scoring 8 apiece in the closing minutes. It was an encouraging display for the Sigma Pi Pi though as we near playoffs and each team tries to work out the kinks. P.O.G Ahmed Suja 14 Pts, 5 Reb, 4 Stls Milos Tisma 6 Pts, 6 Reb, 1 Blck, 1 Stl
Thursday, March 19
Winged Pegasi Vs. White Doves (55-48) WP
The second game Thursday provided an interesting matchup. Both teams had lost their first two games but now seem headed in very different directions. Max Baker hits two to put his team on the board first but Andrew Whipple, the rookie responds with a three! not usually his forte Whipple would go on to make two threes tonight in a 6 Pt and 3 Ast night. Max Baker would score 7 of his teams first 9 points in a quarter which ended with the White doves on top by one. In the second qaurter Noah Malone the outstanding scorer made his presence known as the Winged Pegasi go on a 10-0 run but Max continues his torrid shooting to keep his team in the game. In E.Z Cordiero, the rookie from Portlands ZBA debut, he would get a steal and 10 reb as the White doves attempt to mount a comeback down by 11 at the half. Max, Kane and Benedetto try to combat hot shooting from Noah and a three pointer from Benedetto cuts the Doves deficit to 6. Noah and Finn score 2 and 1 points consecutively to start off the fourth but a three pointer from Kane brings it within 6 again. With 2:55 remaining the Pegasi's lead is cut too two but a three pointer from Finn forces the Doves to start fouling at which point they never can get any closer. It was another close game but another loss for the embattled White Doves who lost their second player after the game in a mid season swap of Matt Beecher for Max Baker just a week after Griffin was out for the season with a concussion. The Winged Pegasi now have a two game win streak. P.O.G Kane Robinson 10 pts, 2 reb, 2 stls Finn Zechman 20 Pts, 13 Reb, 1 Ast
Predators Vs. Brotherhood ( 57-54) Pred
The Predators had a scare on Tuesday against the Sigma Pi Pi but even with a target on their back they remain calm under pressure and knock off tough opponents. The Brotherhood came into the game upset minded and until the final seconds it seemed possible. The Brotherhood set the tone early with a 10-0 run mostly coming off the hands of Gordon Whittemore but a long two from Remi Sedjro puts the predators on the board. Alex hits a lay up though and a rebounded miss gets back to Gordon as he calmly swishes another three putting the Brotherhood up 15-2 but Loro snaps out of his cold spell like he is apt to do and with a nice display of teamwork and sharing the ball the Predators make it 13-17 to end the high scoring qaurter. The second started with a beautiful display of passing leading to a deep assist from Alex to Silas who hits the tough reverse layup for 2 of his 18 points on the night. Silas would then hit his first three of the season as the Brotherhood remain hot ending the half up by 8. In the third Xavier makes his presence known for the Predators getting his first two points of the night but with a minute remaining in the third the Predators found themselves still down by 8. But Loro goes off and scores 8 points to end the qaurter including two threes in the face of tough defense. Silas Zechman putting on a euro and hopstep clinic while taking it to the rack as teams trade scoring in a sequence of Ahmed for 2, Ben Tucker for 2 and then Loro with three straight. With 3 minutes let Silas misses two free throws his third and fourth misses from the stripe on the night. He would make up for it though with a clutch three pointer to tie the game at 54 with a minute left. Loro would be fouled and makes both of his free throws, two misses from Silas allow for Loro to get another chance at the line where he makes 1 out of 2. Up by three Silas, Gordon and Alex all miss chances to tie the game in the closing seconds and the Predators remain undefeated. P.O.G Loro Lako 24 Pts, 3 Reb, 2 Ast. Silas Zechman 18 Pts, 10 Reb, 3 Ast
Tuesday, March 31
Winged Pegasi Vs. Purple Haze (41-39) W.P
The Winged Pegasi and Purple Haze was the most highly touted match up of the night and it certainly lived up to the hype. Without Liam Coyne and Josh Sardinha the W.P entered the game short handed but confident. Noah and Jack V.G trade buckets to start the scoring after 4 misses in a row from both teams. Max would score for the P.H then Andrew Whipple for the W.P. The final score of the first quarter was 15-12 W.P after a nice dish from Noah to Whipple who hits an open layup at the buzzer. The W.P would stay in the lead for the first part of the second but after trading bucket for bucket Bryan Currie would find his shot hitting two jumpers and then a rim rattling three to give his team their first lead at 25-22. They would hold that lead until well into the third quarter. Max collects a board and goes up for two which is followed by five straight points from Joe. To start the fourth the score would be 36-35 W.P. Noah Malone makes a rare mistake and turns the ball over on a poor pass but a string of missed shots from both teams, the result of fast paced, out of control play allowed the W.P to remain in the lead. Noah draws a foul and goes to the line late in the fourth and makes both his free throws putting the W.P up by 3. Noah is then fouled again and makes the score 41-36, just two of his 26 points on the night in a low scoring game. A three pointer from a very clutch Max Carr would bring his team within three and Andrew Whipple at the line would miss his first free throw resulting in a time out called by the Purple Haze with 2 seconds remaining. Bryan Currie would find space but his half court heave landed just right of the rim and the W.P survived for a rematch with the Predators. P.O.G Bryan Currie 14 Pts, 6 Reb, 2 Stls Noah Malone 26 Pts, 14, Reb, 1 Ast
White Doves Vs. Fab Five (56-48) W.D
The white Doves entered the game as large underdogs. Having not won a game all season and playing with only three players the odds were stacked against them. And yet the Fab Five seemingly would do everything in their power to ensure the Doves got a chance to move on. Benedetto would get his first points at the line after drawing the foul and connecting on both to make the score 8-6 F5 with 2 minutes remaining in the first. He then hit two more from the line. Benedetto would finish the game with 28 points, beating his previous season high by 14. A Matt Beecher three and Benedetto jumper would end the first with the Doves leading 13-9. EZ would then get in on the scoring, he ended the night with 17 points benefiting from the facilitating Beecher who dished out 6 assists on the night. a 20-9 lead was built by the Doves. Austin Deboe, a mid season replacement for Patt Graph would be a key contributor for the Fab5. Making numerous hustle plays and getting to the line he fought to keep his team in it on a night where Jacob, normally a prolific scorer only tacked on 10. The Fab5 would come creeping back though reducing the deficit to 10 to start the third. Jackman was a spark as well for the 5 adding another double double to his season leading 6. During one stretch he had a block, rebound and put back and then a steal to make the score 20-26 W.D. Benedetto in the end though proved too much for the 4th seeded Fab5 as he hit a jumper and then clinched the victory at the line down the stretch. Doc would hit a pretty jumper in traffic to make it a five point game and a sweet dish from Taylor to Jacob had them thinking comeback but alas it was not to be as the White Doves avenged a regular season loss and look forward to adding to the win streak against the Purple Haze. P.O.G Ez Cordeiro 17 Pts, 13 Reb, 5 Stls Jackman Mickiewicz 12 Pts, 10 Reb, 2 Ast
OVO Money Team Vs. Sigma Pi Pi (50-43) OVO
OVO Money team was a game removed from an O.T loss to the Purple Haze and they seemed determined to not let this game slip away as well. In the early goings the $ team scored 4 points to start the scoring off buckets from Dejan and Jordin. Upon Seans entrance into the game late in the first and after a smooth jumper from Milos the score was a respectable 13-9 OVO. Sean would then draw a foul and hit two from the line. Sean would have one of his best scoring nights of the season, scoring 16 points and grabbing 5 boards in an effort to upset OVO and King Jackson. While many teams have to game plan around the 6'4 Jordin Jackson but it was Ben Conti who really did the damage to the Sigma Pi Pi throughout the game. Scoring was evenly distributed but his second chance efforts and fast break opportunities earned him 14 points in the contest, a flash back to last years Spartans where he had his best games of the season in the playoffs. Down by 4 late in the second quarter Milos Tisma would knock down a three as he is known to do on occasion but his younger brother Dejan for the $ team would respond to bring the lead back to 4. Dejan and then Ben would both score to end the half giving OVO a 7 point lead. Jordin Jackson started the scoring in the second half with a layup followed by a short jumper from James Falconer at the other end. James would grab 7 rebounds and score 4 points in the game against taller defenders. A jumper from Sean brings the Pi Pi within 3 but the OVO would rattle off 6 straight points, 4 coming from the hands of Jordin Jackson backing down the much smaller Xander Keiter in the post. Just as the game seemed in hand though Xander found his touch knocking down three three pointers in a row with less than four minutes remaining. his final point total of the night was 16. The OVO money team won the game at the line though, knocking down free throws late to fend off the upset bid by the Sigma Pi Pi and move on to face the Brotherhood Wednesday night. P.O.G Sam Troiano 11 Pts, 13 Reb, 1 Ast Xander Kieter 16 Pys, 6 Reb, 2 Ast
Wednesday, April 1
Purple Haze Vs. White Doves (56-54) P.H
The Purple Haze and White Doves would square off in the second round of elimination games on Wednesday night and the end of the first quarter reflected an evenly matched game as the White Doves led 15-13. E.Z Cordiero remained a hot shooter following his 17 point performance last night, and hits a layup to put the W.D up by four to start the second. Bryan would respond though and gets hot in a hurry. A flurry of steals and three pointers would put the P.H up by 7 until a three from Kane Robinson ends the drought. Bryan Currie gets another steal to start the third but a jumper from Andrew Falconer would keep the margin a respectable 3 points. The third quarter then turned into a 9 point lead for the P.H with buckets from Jack V.G and Joe Genesio. In the last thirty seconds of the third quarter though the W.D would turn on the heat. Kane hit a jumper, Matt Beecher then gets a steal and coast to coast finish followed by a Kane jumper at the buzzer to give them a 6-0 run to end the third and make the game 37-33 P.H. Kane would end his night with 24 points and 7 rebounds. In the last quarter Matt and Benedetto Nappi would find their groove hitting back to back three pointers. Max Carr, a clutch player for the P.H would respond with a steal and two points. He had 4 blocks in the game, one away from the season record. The score was 49-48 P.H and the ball finds its way into Max Carr's hands, never afraid to take the big shot, he splashes a big, arcing three from NBA range to give them a 4 point lead. Bendetto then hustles through traffic to put up a difficult shot and bring it to within two. Max Carr would then be intentionally fouled, missing his free throw the W.D are unable to capitalize on the miss and Max goes to the line again. And misses again. This time Matt Beecher makes it count hitting a layup as time expires and sending the game into overtime. Over time started with a steal and two points for Bryan Currie who finished the night with 23. In hectic back and forth action with no scoring Benedetto would end the minute drought with a layup with 5 seconds remaining. The ball then finds it's way into Bryan Curries hands and under intense defense with a hand in his face hits a turn around jumper as the buzzer sounds to advance his team to the final night of the playoffs. P.O.G Bryan Currie 23 Pts, 7 Reb, 6 Stls Kane Robinson 24 Pts, 7 Reb, 3 Ast
Predators Vs. Winged Pegasi (57-45) Pred
The Predators and Winged Pegasi squared off as the 1 and 2 seed to see who would clinch a championship berth. Right off the gate the Predators got hot as Remi started the game with three followed by a steal and 2 points from Loro. The Winged Pegasi would miss their first three shots of the game which allowed the Predators to jump ahead 7-0 in the early goings. Andrew Whipple would grab a rebound and put it up getting the W.P on the board but a long arcing three from Cam Deiley, deadly from outside, would end any momentum for the W.P. Noah Malone would start to heat up at the end of the first though and two threes from Liam Coyne would end the first with the score 17-14 Pred. Cam starts the second quarter with his third three of the game and Xavier gets his first points shortly after. Finn and Liam would take over most of the scoring duties in the second for the W.P. Liam would finish the game with 15 and Finn put up 20. The second half started with a 2 point W.P lead. Xavier would start the scoring in the second half by cutting the deficit to 1 with a free throw and Remi would follow up with a three on the next possession. Remi would finish the game with a season high 17 points. Down by 1 late in the third Finn hits a three. On the next possession down Finn manages a crazy and 1 and makes the free throw. The final score of the third quarter was 38-35 W.P. The fourth quarter would be all Predators. Turning on the heat late as they are so ought to do the W.P had no answer while Finn sat the bench during the fourth. Loro scores five straight in the opening minute to bring his team within two. Ahmed then knocks down a jumper followed by one from Liam Coyne to make the score 44-40 W.P. Liam's jumper at the four minute mark would be the last time field goal the W.P would make the rest of the game. Cam, Loro and Remi then overwhelmed the W.P with a barrage of steals and three pointers, coasting to the victory after trailing for most of the game. P.O.G Finn Zechman 20 Pts, 7 Reb, 1 Stl Cameron Deiley 12 Pts, 5 Reb, 1 Blck
Thursday, April 2
OVO Money Team Vs. Purple Haze ( 54-51) P.H
The final night of ZBA kicked off with a very competitive game, a rematch from the first round of the playoffs where the OVO Money Team lost in a thrilling game by three. The outcome and final deficit would be the same tonight as well. Jordin Jackson wins the tip and then hustles to get in position to make a layup to give his team the lead. Anthony Degifico makes a short jumper to put them up by 4 early. Joe would get the P.H on the board with a jumper but Anthony responds on the next possession. Anthony Salafia would be the player to watch all night as he makes his first of five threes to tie the game at 12, Joe Genesio was putting on an offensive clinic for the P.H. A floater from Anthony, who had 6 points and 2 Ast on the night makes the score 16-12 But a jumper from Bryan Currie allows for Joe to tie it at the buzzer with a sweet layup. The second quarter started with a jumper from Joe to give the P.H their first lead. A steal from the shifty Jack V.G would result in no points but Joe Genesio scores on the next possession to put them up 4. The half would end with a 29-24 lead for the P.H with even scoring throughout as Max and Jack V.G would get in on the scoring and Anthony Salafia answers a two from Ben Conti with a three of his own. Jordin then Dejan Tisma would score to start the second half. Jordin gets another two and Ben Conti hits his first three of the game to put the money team up by 4. On the next couple of possessions the OVO Money Team would out rebound the P.H by a large margin but could not capitalize. Ben alone would have 15 Reb to go along nicely with his 9 Pts. The P.H would take the lead going into the fourth after a beautiful no look pass from Joe to Jack V.G to beat the buzzer. Jack V.G then Jordin would trade buckets to start the fourth. Bryan Currie would then rattle off 5 straight points. Sam Troiano who can hit the deep three on occasion would connect to make it a one possession game with three minutes to play. Jordin Jackson would then carve through the P.H defense for 2 but Max Carr takes it to the big fellow on the next possession and hits both his free throws to put the P.H up by three with 1:30 left. After tying the game OVO loses track of Jack V.G who hits a clutch three with 17 seconds left. After an OVO timeout Jack then steals the inbound pass but is fouled. He misses his free throw but a desperation heave from Sammy doesn't go near the hoop at the P.H move on to face the Winged Pegasi in the losers bracket championship. P.O.G Ben Conti 9 Pts, 15 Reb, 1 Stl Joe Genesio 12 Pts, 3 Reb, 2 Blcks
Purple Haze Vs. Winged Pegasi (46-35) P.H
For the second straight year the team with the hardest run to the championship would be fighting for the title. The winner of the first game on finals night then has to win two more games in a row to be crowned champion and the Purple Haze looked like they weren't going to be slowing down anytime soon. Liam Coyne would score the first 8 points of the game, another talented rookie in stocked draft class, for the W.P. The Purple Haze could not get into a rythm early but 4 points from Max made the score 9-6 W.P to end the first. Finn would get a bloody nose early in the second quarter after a hard foul on Joe. He would return shortly but not after allowing the P.H to get two offensive boards and a three from Jack V.G. Noah Malone would dish a pretty behind the back pass to Josh Sardinha for two who ended the night with 5 rebounds. The second was all P.H from then on as they jumped out to a 20-11 lead with 4 steals in the later half of the quarter and a three from Max Carr who would end the game with 10 points. The W.P got off on the right foot in the third with a three from Liam but Anthony Salafia would score 4 straight followed by a steal and coast to coast layup from Max Carr. Anthony Salafia would have a season high ten points in the game. Noah Malone hit a three in the quarter but remained relatively silent throughout. A competitor for league leader in scoring he would end the night with only 5 points. The quarter ends on a three from the hot shooting Anthony Salafia and the deficit is ten. Finn tries to bring his team back with great hustle plays and after grabbing lots of rebounds, he had 12 on the night, the winged pegasi go on a 7-0 run early in the fourth. The Purple Haze played just well enough to keep the lead a respectable margin though and the the W.P could not quite bring the game within ten points even with Finn scoring 8 of his 11 points in the quarter. The Purple Haze would knock off last years champ and advance to the Championship in convincing fashion. P.O.G. Anthony Salafia 10 Pts, 3 Reb, 1 Stl Liam Coyne 17 Pts, 9 Reb, 4 Stls
(Championship Game below team pictures)
Winged Pegasi Vs. White Doves (55-48) WP
The second game Thursday provided an interesting matchup. Both teams had lost their first two games but now seem headed in very different directions. Max Baker hits two to put his team on the board first but Andrew Whipple, the rookie responds with a three! not usually his forte Whipple would go on to make two threes tonight in a 6 Pt and 3 Ast night. Max Baker would score 7 of his teams first 9 points in a quarter which ended with the White doves on top by one. In the second qaurter Noah Malone the outstanding scorer made his presence known as the Winged Pegasi go on a 10-0 run but Max continues his torrid shooting to keep his team in the game. In E.Z Cordiero, the rookie from Portlands ZBA debut, he would get a steal and 10 reb as the White doves attempt to mount a comeback down by 11 at the half. Max, Kane and Benedetto try to combat hot shooting from Noah and a three pointer from Benedetto cuts the Doves deficit to 6. Noah and Finn score 2 and 1 points consecutively to start off the fourth but a three pointer from Kane brings it within 6 again. With 2:55 remaining the Pegasi's lead is cut too two but a three pointer from Finn forces the Doves to start fouling at which point they never can get any closer. It was another close game but another loss for the embattled White Doves who lost their second player after the game in a mid season swap of Matt Beecher for Max Baker just a week after Griffin was out for the season with a concussion. The Winged Pegasi now have a two game win streak. P.O.G Kane Robinson 10 pts, 2 reb, 2 stls Finn Zechman 20 Pts, 13 Reb, 1 Ast
Predators Vs. Brotherhood ( 57-54) Pred
The Predators had a scare on Tuesday against the Sigma Pi Pi but even with a target on their back they remain calm under pressure and knock off tough opponents. The Brotherhood came into the game upset minded and until the final seconds it seemed possible. The Brotherhood set the tone early with a 10-0 run mostly coming off the hands of Gordon Whittemore but a long two from Remi Sedjro puts the predators on the board. Alex hits a lay up though and a rebounded miss gets back to Gordon as he calmly swishes another three putting the Brotherhood up 15-2 but Loro snaps out of his cold spell like he is apt to do and with a nice display of teamwork and sharing the ball the Predators make it 13-17 to end the high scoring qaurter. The second started with a beautiful display of passing leading to a deep assist from Alex to Silas who hits the tough reverse layup for 2 of his 18 points on the night. Silas would then hit his first three of the season as the Brotherhood remain hot ending the half up by 8. In the third Xavier makes his presence known for the Predators getting his first two points of the night but with a minute remaining in the third the Predators found themselves still down by 8. But Loro goes off and scores 8 points to end the qaurter including two threes in the face of tough defense. Silas Zechman putting on a euro and hopstep clinic while taking it to the rack as teams trade scoring in a sequence of Ahmed for 2, Ben Tucker for 2 and then Loro with three straight. With 3 minutes let Silas misses two free throws his third and fourth misses from the stripe on the night. He would make up for it though with a clutch three pointer to tie the game at 54 with a minute left. Loro would be fouled and makes both of his free throws, two misses from Silas allow for Loro to get another chance at the line where he makes 1 out of 2. Up by three Silas, Gordon and Alex all miss chances to tie the game in the closing seconds and the Predators remain undefeated. P.O.G Loro Lako 24 Pts, 3 Reb, 2 Ast. Silas Zechman 18 Pts, 10 Reb, 3 Ast
Tuesday, March 31
Winged Pegasi Vs. Purple Haze (41-39) W.P
The Winged Pegasi and Purple Haze was the most highly touted match up of the night and it certainly lived up to the hype. Without Liam Coyne and Josh Sardinha the W.P entered the game short handed but confident. Noah and Jack V.G trade buckets to start the scoring after 4 misses in a row from both teams. Max would score for the P.H then Andrew Whipple for the W.P. The final score of the first quarter was 15-12 W.P after a nice dish from Noah to Whipple who hits an open layup at the buzzer. The W.P would stay in the lead for the first part of the second but after trading bucket for bucket Bryan Currie would find his shot hitting two jumpers and then a rim rattling three to give his team their first lead at 25-22. They would hold that lead until well into the third quarter. Max collects a board and goes up for two which is followed by five straight points from Joe. To start the fourth the score would be 36-35 W.P. Noah Malone makes a rare mistake and turns the ball over on a poor pass but a string of missed shots from both teams, the result of fast paced, out of control play allowed the W.P to remain in the lead. Noah draws a foul and goes to the line late in the fourth and makes both his free throws putting the W.P up by 3. Noah is then fouled again and makes the score 41-36, just two of his 26 points on the night in a low scoring game. A three pointer from a very clutch Max Carr would bring his team within three and Andrew Whipple at the line would miss his first free throw resulting in a time out called by the Purple Haze with 2 seconds remaining. Bryan Currie would find space but his half court heave landed just right of the rim and the W.P survived for a rematch with the Predators. P.O.G Bryan Currie 14 Pts, 6 Reb, 2 Stls Noah Malone 26 Pts, 14, Reb, 1 Ast
White Doves Vs. Fab Five (56-48) W.D
The white Doves entered the game as large underdogs. Having not won a game all season and playing with only three players the odds were stacked against them. And yet the Fab Five seemingly would do everything in their power to ensure the Doves got a chance to move on. Benedetto would get his first points at the line after drawing the foul and connecting on both to make the score 8-6 F5 with 2 minutes remaining in the first. He then hit two more from the line. Benedetto would finish the game with 28 points, beating his previous season high by 14. A Matt Beecher three and Benedetto jumper would end the first with the Doves leading 13-9. EZ would then get in on the scoring, he ended the night with 17 points benefiting from the facilitating Beecher who dished out 6 assists on the night. a 20-9 lead was built by the Doves. Austin Deboe, a mid season replacement for Patt Graph would be a key contributor for the Fab5. Making numerous hustle plays and getting to the line he fought to keep his team in it on a night where Jacob, normally a prolific scorer only tacked on 10. The Fab5 would come creeping back though reducing the deficit to 10 to start the third. Jackman was a spark as well for the 5 adding another double double to his season leading 6. During one stretch he had a block, rebound and put back and then a steal to make the score 20-26 W.D. Benedetto in the end though proved too much for the 4th seeded Fab5 as he hit a jumper and then clinched the victory at the line down the stretch. Doc would hit a pretty jumper in traffic to make it a five point game and a sweet dish from Taylor to Jacob had them thinking comeback but alas it was not to be as the White Doves avenged a regular season loss and look forward to adding to the win streak against the Purple Haze. P.O.G Ez Cordeiro 17 Pts, 13 Reb, 5 Stls Jackman Mickiewicz 12 Pts, 10 Reb, 2 Ast
OVO Money Team Vs. Sigma Pi Pi (50-43) OVO
OVO Money team was a game removed from an O.T loss to the Purple Haze and they seemed determined to not let this game slip away as well. In the early goings the $ team scored 4 points to start the scoring off buckets from Dejan and Jordin. Upon Seans entrance into the game late in the first and after a smooth jumper from Milos the score was a respectable 13-9 OVO. Sean would then draw a foul and hit two from the line. Sean would have one of his best scoring nights of the season, scoring 16 points and grabbing 5 boards in an effort to upset OVO and King Jackson. While many teams have to game plan around the 6'4 Jordin Jackson but it was Ben Conti who really did the damage to the Sigma Pi Pi throughout the game. Scoring was evenly distributed but his second chance efforts and fast break opportunities earned him 14 points in the contest, a flash back to last years Spartans where he had his best games of the season in the playoffs. Down by 4 late in the second quarter Milos Tisma would knock down a three as he is known to do on occasion but his younger brother Dejan for the $ team would respond to bring the lead back to 4. Dejan and then Ben would both score to end the half giving OVO a 7 point lead. Jordin Jackson started the scoring in the second half with a layup followed by a short jumper from James Falconer at the other end. James would grab 7 rebounds and score 4 points in the game against taller defenders. A jumper from Sean brings the Pi Pi within 3 but the OVO would rattle off 6 straight points, 4 coming from the hands of Jordin Jackson backing down the much smaller Xander Keiter in the post. Just as the game seemed in hand though Xander found his touch knocking down three three pointers in a row with less than four minutes remaining. his final point total of the night was 16. The OVO money team won the game at the line though, knocking down free throws late to fend off the upset bid by the Sigma Pi Pi and move on to face the Brotherhood Wednesday night. P.O.G Sam Troiano 11 Pts, 13 Reb, 1 Ast Xander Kieter 16 Pys, 6 Reb, 2 Ast
Wednesday, April 1
Purple Haze Vs. White Doves (56-54) P.H
The Purple Haze and White Doves would square off in the second round of elimination games on Wednesday night and the end of the first quarter reflected an evenly matched game as the White Doves led 15-13. E.Z Cordiero remained a hot shooter following his 17 point performance last night, and hits a layup to put the W.D up by four to start the second. Bryan would respond though and gets hot in a hurry. A flurry of steals and three pointers would put the P.H up by 7 until a three from Kane Robinson ends the drought. Bryan Currie gets another steal to start the third but a jumper from Andrew Falconer would keep the margin a respectable 3 points. The third quarter then turned into a 9 point lead for the P.H with buckets from Jack V.G and Joe Genesio. In the last thirty seconds of the third quarter though the W.D would turn on the heat. Kane hit a jumper, Matt Beecher then gets a steal and coast to coast finish followed by a Kane jumper at the buzzer to give them a 6-0 run to end the third and make the game 37-33 P.H. Kane would end his night with 24 points and 7 rebounds. In the last quarter Matt and Benedetto Nappi would find their groove hitting back to back three pointers. Max Carr, a clutch player for the P.H would respond with a steal and two points. He had 4 blocks in the game, one away from the season record. The score was 49-48 P.H and the ball finds its way into Max Carr's hands, never afraid to take the big shot, he splashes a big, arcing three from NBA range to give them a 4 point lead. Bendetto then hustles through traffic to put up a difficult shot and bring it to within two. Max Carr would then be intentionally fouled, missing his free throw the W.D are unable to capitalize on the miss and Max goes to the line again. And misses again. This time Matt Beecher makes it count hitting a layup as time expires and sending the game into overtime. Over time started with a steal and two points for Bryan Currie who finished the night with 23. In hectic back and forth action with no scoring Benedetto would end the minute drought with a layup with 5 seconds remaining. The ball then finds it's way into Bryan Curries hands and under intense defense with a hand in his face hits a turn around jumper as the buzzer sounds to advance his team to the final night of the playoffs. P.O.G Bryan Currie 23 Pts, 7 Reb, 6 Stls Kane Robinson 24 Pts, 7 Reb, 3 Ast
Predators Vs. Winged Pegasi (57-45) Pred
The Predators and Winged Pegasi squared off as the 1 and 2 seed to see who would clinch a championship berth. Right off the gate the Predators got hot as Remi started the game with three followed by a steal and 2 points from Loro. The Winged Pegasi would miss their first three shots of the game which allowed the Predators to jump ahead 7-0 in the early goings. Andrew Whipple would grab a rebound and put it up getting the W.P on the board but a long arcing three from Cam Deiley, deadly from outside, would end any momentum for the W.P. Noah Malone would start to heat up at the end of the first though and two threes from Liam Coyne would end the first with the score 17-14 Pred. Cam starts the second quarter with his third three of the game and Xavier gets his first points shortly after. Finn and Liam would take over most of the scoring duties in the second for the W.P. Liam would finish the game with 15 and Finn put up 20. The second half started with a 2 point W.P lead. Xavier would start the scoring in the second half by cutting the deficit to 1 with a free throw and Remi would follow up with a three on the next possession. Remi would finish the game with a season high 17 points. Down by 1 late in the third Finn hits a three. On the next possession down Finn manages a crazy and 1 and makes the free throw. The final score of the third quarter was 38-35 W.P. The fourth quarter would be all Predators. Turning on the heat late as they are so ought to do the W.P had no answer while Finn sat the bench during the fourth. Loro scores five straight in the opening minute to bring his team within two. Ahmed then knocks down a jumper followed by one from Liam Coyne to make the score 44-40 W.P. Liam's jumper at the four minute mark would be the last time field goal the W.P would make the rest of the game. Cam, Loro and Remi then overwhelmed the W.P with a barrage of steals and three pointers, coasting to the victory after trailing for most of the game. P.O.G Finn Zechman 20 Pts, 7 Reb, 1 Stl Cameron Deiley 12 Pts, 5 Reb, 1 Blck
Thursday, April 2
OVO Money Team Vs. Purple Haze ( 54-51) P.H
The final night of ZBA kicked off with a very competitive game, a rematch from the first round of the playoffs where the OVO Money Team lost in a thrilling game by three. The outcome and final deficit would be the same tonight as well. Jordin Jackson wins the tip and then hustles to get in position to make a layup to give his team the lead. Anthony Degifico makes a short jumper to put them up by 4 early. Joe would get the P.H on the board with a jumper but Anthony responds on the next possession. Anthony Salafia would be the player to watch all night as he makes his first of five threes to tie the game at 12, Joe Genesio was putting on an offensive clinic for the P.H. A floater from Anthony, who had 6 points and 2 Ast on the night makes the score 16-12 But a jumper from Bryan Currie allows for Joe to tie it at the buzzer with a sweet layup. The second quarter started with a jumper from Joe to give the P.H their first lead. A steal from the shifty Jack V.G would result in no points but Joe Genesio scores on the next possession to put them up 4. The half would end with a 29-24 lead for the P.H with even scoring throughout as Max and Jack V.G would get in on the scoring and Anthony Salafia answers a two from Ben Conti with a three of his own. Jordin then Dejan Tisma would score to start the second half. Jordin gets another two and Ben Conti hits his first three of the game to put the money team up by 4. On the next couple of possessions the OVO Money Team would out rebound the P.H by a large margin but could not capitalize. Ben alone would have 15 Reb to go along nicely with his 9 Pts. The P.H would take the lead going into the fourth after a beautiful no look pass from Joe to Jack V.G to beat the buzzer. Jack V.G then Jordin would trade buckets to start the fourth. Bryan Currie would then rattle off 5 straight points. Sam Troiano who can hit the deep three on occasion would connect to make it a one possession game with three minutes to play. Jordin Jackson would then carve through the P.H defense for 2 but Max Carr takes it to the big fellow on the next possession and hits both his free throws to put the P.H up by three with 1:30 left. After tying the game OVO loses track of Jack V.G who hits a clutch three with 17 seconds left. After an OVO timeout Jack then steals the inbound pass but is fouled. He misses his free throw but a desperation heave from Sammy doesn't go near the hoop at the P.H move on to face the Winged Pegasi in the losers bracket championship. P.O.G Ben Conti 9 Pts, 15 Reb, 1 Stl Joe Genesio 12 Pts, 3 Reb, 2 Blcks
Purple Haze Vs. Winged Pegasi (46-35) P.H
For the second straight year the team with the hardest run to the championship would be fighting for the title. The winner of the first game on finals night then has to win two more games in a row to be crowned champion and the Purple Haze looked like they weren't going to be slowing down anytime soon. Liam Coyne would score the first 8 points of the game, another talented rookie in stocked draft class, for the W.P. The Purple Haze could not get into a rythm early but 4 points from Max made the score 9-6 W.P to end the first. Finn would get a bloody nose early in the second quarter after a hard foul on Joe. He would return shortly but not after allowing the P.H to get two offensive boards and a three from Jack V.G. Noah Malone would dish a pretty behind the back pass to Josh Sardinha for two who ended the night with 5 rebounds. The second was all P.H from then on as they jumped out to a 20-11 lead with 4 steals in the later half of the quarter and a three from Max Carr who would end the game with 10 points. The W.P got off on the right foot in the third with a three from Liam but Anthony Salafia would score 4 straight followed by a steal and coast to coast layup from Max Carr. Anthony Salafia would have a season high ten points in the game. Noah Malone hit a three in the quarter but remained relatively silent throughout. A competitor for league leader in scoring he would end the night with only 5 points. The quarter ends on a three from the hot shooting Anthony Salafia and the deficit is ten. Finn tries to bring his team back with great hustle plays and after grabbing lots of rebounds, he had 12 on the night, the winged pegasi go on a 7-0 run early in the fourth. The Purple Haze played just well enough to keep the lead a respectable margin though and the the W.P could not quite bring the game within ten points even with Finn scoring 8 of his 11 points in the quarter. The Purple Haze would knock off last years champ and advance to the Championship in convincing fashion. P.O.G. Anthony Salafia 10 Pts, 3 Reb, 1 Stl Liam Coyne 17 Pts, 9 Reb, 4 Stls
(Championship Game below team pictures)