Fall 2016 Opening Night

We had two great games to kick off the opening night of the Play Hard or Go Home’s Fall Season.

The first game was between Team White (West End House Club members) and CASH.  Despite some early uneasiness from the White squad, they were able to pull it together in the second half.  Mykeal had a great night, going 8-15 from the field, and finishing with 19 points and 6 rebounds.

Overall, Cash’s defensive prowess was too much from Team White, and Cash was able to take a 56-52 come from behind victory.  Akeem Hanson was the team’s most efficient player, scoring 14 points and snagging 12 rebounds in the victory.

 

The second game featured two West End House teams, in Red vs. Pink.  Red was able to control the tempo early, unleashing a brutal full-court press, never allowing Pink to easily get the ball up the court.  Ultimately, Red went on to win 51-18.  Thomas had a great night for his squad, scoring 12 points, while Joshua St. Germain was able to record 5 steals in the victory.

For Team Pink, they were able to show flashes of control when they entered their half court offense.  If they can simply find a way to navigate double teams and traps, they should be all right moving forward.

CHAMPIONSHIP

The Championship Game for the Spring 2016 Play Hard or Go Home Basketball league featured Yellow (Boston United) and Navy (Blue Hill Boys and Girls Club).  These are two non-West End House squads that play very different types of basketball.  Navy is a run and gun team that likes to get out on the fast break and attack the rim.  Yellow plays at a much slower pace, works the ball around and prefers to attempt outside shots.  In this Championship battle, both teams played to their strengths.

To start #5 on Yellow, Ibrahim did an excellent job of getting to the rim, blowing past his defender and using his left hand to finish strong.  He enabled his team to get out to an early lead, a lead they kept for most of the first half.

Although Navy’s first bucket was a three point shot from Daron, they were unable to sustainably connect from long range.  Instead, they should have been driving to the rim and taking shots they have proved they can make.

At the end of the first period, Yellow led by a score of 31-25, as they were more confident slashing, and never wasted offensive possessions on outside shots.

In the second half, the entire dynamic of the game began to change.  The calm demeanor that Yellow showcased initially was erased by erratic plays and missed layup opportunities.  The shots they were making simply weren’t falling in the second half.  This poor play, combined with Navy’s change of mentality, allowed the latter to go on a 12-0 run with 13 minutes left in the contest.  Although Yellow called a timeout, Navy had already secured the lead, and were not willing to let it go.

Late in the second half, Yellow’s Ibrahim began to turn it on again, and scored 2 consecutive baskets, which gave his team some hope.  But eventually, Navy’s relentless up-tempo pace led by Daron, Odi and Tubbs allowed the team to take the victory.  They went on to win 59-48 and secured the Championship trophy.

Playoffs – 4/24

In the first round of the playoffs, we had two close games that went down to the wire.

In the first match-up, the #4 seed Yellow (Boston United) went up against the top ranked Black squad.  Early on, Yellow never settled for outside shots against Black’s 2-3 zone.  Instead they drove into the paint and were able to create easy layup opportunities.  Black played extremely hard on the defensive end however, boxing out on every Yellow attempt, and fighting for every missed shot.  This defensive intensity kept them in the game when their shots weren’t falling on offense.  At halftime, Yellow was able to take a 33-31 lead.

Neither team could get it going to start the second half.  Sloppy offensive possessions and turnovers characterized every possession..  Yellow did an excellent job of defending Black’s Javaughn Edmonds, not allowing him enter the paint at will or finish easy shots.  Despite this hard-nosed defense, Javuaghn was finally able to score and get to the foul line.

During the last 5 minutes of the game, both teams were trading baskets and the lead.  With 47 seconds remaining, Yellow’s Romell was able to hit a big and-1, putting his team up by two points.  On the following possession, Javaughn was fouled on a layup opportunity.  He connected on both free throw attempts, tying the game up.

Yellow held the ball for the remaining time, and, with only a few seconds left, took a shot that missed it’s mark.  Black snagged the defensive rebound and immediately called a time out with .2 seconds on the clock.  However, Black was out of time outs, a technical foul was administered to their coach, and a Yellow player went on to make both free throws, essentially ending the game and securing the upset victory.

This was a big winfor Yellow, a team that struggled all season and finally started playing solid basketball over the past few weeks.

For Black, Calvin Howe had a nice game of the bench providing his team with consistent offense.  Overall, he finished with 5 points.

 

The second game of the night also featured an intense ending. To start, both Light Blue and Navy (Blue Hill Boys and Girls Club) were playing at an extremely uptempo pace.  Navy went to their bread and butter offensive early – transition offense and slashing towards the rim.  This type of game play gave the team an early lead.

Light Blue went on a 6-0 run late in the first half, prompting Navy to take a time out.  Light Blue looked extremely solid, working well together, playing as a cohesive unit and simply having fun, enabling them to take a 35-31 HT lead.

Despite being down early in the second half, Navy fought back, and with 12 minutes remaining, took a 1 point lead.

With 5 minutes left, Light Blue’s Bradley was fouled going to the rim, finished the layup and connecting on the free throw.  Immediately following, Broadway nailed a three of his own, giving his team a solid lead.

After being down 8, Light Blue pulled within a single point with only a few minutes remaining.  Light Blue’s Bradley then hit a big 3 point shot with 40 seconds remaining to tie up the game.  After holding the ball for the remaining time, Navy’s Elijah nailed a three from the corner, essentially sealing the game and giving his team a 66-61 victory.

Emperor had a big game for Light Blue, crashing the offensive glass and finishing on most of his put back attempts.  Overall he finished with 12 points and 7 rebounds.

 

Championship Game:

Thursday, 5/26 at 6:30.

#4 seed Yellow (Boston United) will go face the second seed Navy (Blue Hill Boys and Girls Club).

PLAYOFFS

Welcome to the playoffs.    Here are the standings for the regular season:

  1. Black
  2. Navy
  3. Light Blue
  4. Yellow (Boston United)
  5. Grey
  6. Purple (O’Bryant)
  7. Red
  8. Green (CASH)

Only the top for seeds have made the postseason, which will begin tomorrow, 5/24:

Black vs. Yellow (Boston United) at 6:30

Light Blue vs. Navy (Blue Hill Boys and Girls Club) at 7:30

 

The Championship game will be held on Thursday, 5/26 at 6:30.

Week 7 Games – 5/19

In the final night of the regular season, we only had one game between two teams that were fighting for their playoff hopes.  Grey needed a W to get in, and Light Blue was playing for their playoff seed (either 3 or 4).

The game started out as a back and forth battle for control, with both teams trading baskets and turnovers.  Neither squad was able to edge the other, and, as a result, the score remained close.

After Herlain Germaine connected on a long range bank shot to end the first half, the score was tied at 31.

Coming out of half time, Grey’s Darai Bey started to get going. He was hustling on both ends of the court, and was doing an excellent job snagging offensive rebounds and connecting on the resulting layups.  Overall, he finished with 13 points on 6-7 shooting.

With 3 minutes to go, Light Blue went on a 5-0 run, stretching their lead to 9 points.  It looked as if they would run away with the W, but Grey’s Jonah St. Germaine responded with a big 3-point shot, narrowing the gap.  Following that connection, Grey was unable to make any additional shots, and Light Blue came away with a 61-54 victory.

Steven Bouyer had a nice game for Light Blue, controlling the offensive flow, and finding open looks for this teammates.  He will definitely be a key player as Light Blue moves on.

With the win, Light Blue locks up the 3rd seed in the playoffs, where they will face Navy (Blue Hill Boys and Girls Club). Grey has been eliminated from post-season play.

Week 7 Games – 5/17

With playoffs fast approaching, these week 7 games were extremely important to some teams.

In the first game of the night between Black and Green (CASH), the offensive firepower of Black was way too much for Green to handle.  Even though this was by far the best game Green played all season, they were unable to overcome Black’s presence.  Eventually, Black was able to take a 62-54 W.

In the second half, Black’s Denny Lopes really went off on both ends of the court.  His defensive energy really radiated throughout his entire team. On offense, he was able to create and finish great shots at the rim.  He is a big, physical player who should not be taken lightly on Black’s roster.

A big surprise came from Green’s Stanley, who proved to be a solid rim protector on the defensive end.  He was able to alter any Black player’s shot that was at the rim, truly disrupting the teams offensive flow.

With this win, Black has locked up the number one seed for the playoffs.

 

The second game of the night featured one team, Red, that was fighting for their playoff spot.  Their opponent, Yellow (Boston United), was extremely reluctant to let Red enter the post season easily, as they easily played their best basketball we’ve seen in a while.  They were connecting well as a team, clicking on all cylinders, playing defense and taking good shots.  They looked impressive the entire night.

For Black, Robert Severino came out shooting strong, making his first three shots from 3, but his team failed to find him later in the game when they needed points.

To start the second period, Red faced a small deficit, but Deon Singletary started to get hot.  He stopped taking outside shots and began driving to the rim, which set him off from deep.  With 2 minutes left in the game, he was able to hit back-to-back three pointers, pulling his team within a point.  But Yellow was not willing to give up easily, and they pulled together a string of solid offensive and defensive possessions, which allowed them to take a 65-60 win.

The loss for Red does not immediately disqualify them for the playoffs, and we will need to wait and see what happens Thursday night before anything is finalized.