Week 8: 2-24-13 Championship Week

Blue grabs 3rd over White; Red holds off Green for the championship

Game 1: 5. White vs. 1. Blue

In the 3rd meeting of these teams this season, Blue pulls away down the stretch and takes the rubber match with a hard-earned 53-43 win.

Deadlocked at halftime 28-28, White’s ensuing 11-minute lapse dropped them into a 15- point hole, 47-32, from which they almost but could not quite recover. With a series of 3-point plays, the top-scoring duo of Captain John Myrah and Carl Darcus had helped draw White to within 6, 49-43, with 3 1/2 min. remaining, but Blue played a successful game of keep away down the stretch, making key buckets and getting key rebounds, and managed to hold off the determined White club to earn third-place honors.

This game started off as an impressive exchange of long-range buckets, resulting in a 20- point production from the Myrah brothers alone in the 1st half. They were effectively silenced from then on however, with John Myrah's 3 free throws constituting their only second-half production. Teammate Carl Darcus, whose first-half contribution was mainly in the form of assists and playmaking, caught fire with 10 2nd-half points, but Blue’s tight defense and overall team play were enough to put the game away in the end.

Stephen Diggs returned to his early-season form with a game-leading 18 points, including three 3-pointers, to lead the winners. Captain Terry Staton added another 15 points. Andrea Harris had perhaps her best overall game of the season with 6 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, and 3 steals. Seth Perkinson helped match White's top rebounding duo of Darcus and Chance Snell with 11 grabs; he also added 5 points and one steal, and had one blocked shot as well. Kyle VanLear, Caleb Brown, and William Veny each dropped in 3 points for Blue, and contributed 5, 4, and 3 rebounds, respectively.

White was led by Darcus with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 steals, followed by Joe Myrah with 13, 1, and 1. Brother John added 11 points, 7 rebounds, and one steal. Snell totaled 3 points, 7 rebounds, and had 2 blocked shots. Amber Simmons was responsible for 1 point and one rebound; her sister Alicia grabbed 2 rebounds. Jakkar Harris pulled down 4 rebounds and came up with one steal for White.

Championship game: 3. Green vs. 2. Red

The Faculty-Staff crew once again gave an amazingly talented Red squad just about all they could handle. Just about… But in the end it was Red holding on with key buckets, steals, and rebounds when they counted most and earning the championship with a 65-61 victory.

Green relied primarily on the same strategy that has served them well all year and matches their team’s primary attributes: physical height and a coordinated team effort. And Red relied on their strengths: basically, every man and woman on the squad is a sharpshooter, and the combination of quick hands and quick feet makes any lapse in ball control fatal for their opponents.

With a barrage of three-pointers matching the dominant inside play of Green’s big men (most especially Benga Adekunle), Red led throughout most of the 1st half, but it took a 3-pointer at the buzzer by Zach Powell to give them a 26-23 edge at intermission. And back-to-back 3-point bombs by John "The Prez" Downey put the faculty-staff crew back out in front seconds later. However, Red then began a 19-10 run, extending into the opening minutes of the final period, primarily on fast breaks with the occasional outside shooting that is their trademark. The resultant 60-49 lead, the biggest of either team for the contest, quickly shrunk to 2 points, however, with Clay Philips and Adekunle leading Green to a frantic comeback over the final 3minutes. Holding on to a 61-59 edge with under a minute remaining, Red's Captain Cole Gibson came up with a critical steal and a coast-to-coast drive which push the lead to 63-59. With 17 ticks remaining Green's Tim Nicely was fouled from 3-point range and dropped in 2 of 3 attempts to cut the lead back to 2 points. Derek Shifflett sealed the fate for the faculty-staff team 6 seconds later however with a driving layup and a subsequence rebound of a last-second desperate shot by Green.

As mentioned, everybody on the Red squad can score, and did score: Cole Williams and Zach Powell led the team with 13 each, closely followed by Derek Shifflett's 12 and 9 by Captain Cole Gibson. Austin Shuler and Austin Painter each added 6; Kacy Kiser 3, and Nicole Mueller another 2.

Adekunle lead Green with 25 points, and in rebounding with 10. Nicely added 10 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and one steal. Phillips had 9 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 shot block. Downey contributed 6 points, one rebound, and one steal. Lloyd Meadows also had 6 points, as well as 2 rebound. Lowell Roberson added to points 3 rebounds and one assist. Jenny Harvey came up with 2 steals for Green, and Devon Genus grabbed one rebound. Captain Frank Moran came up empty on the scoreboard, but once again had put together and directed a game plan that was just about as good as it could have been. But not quite good enough.

Women's challenge match

This season, we have been blessed with the most impressive collection of female players I can remember, therefore we eagerly accepted a challenge from a team of girls from Norfolk representing the United States Navy. But giving me the 1st time to have ever had a reason to be being disappointed with the United States armed services, we received a cancellation call the Friday before the Sunday match was to take place.

So we substituted an inter-squad game, and with a little help from a few male players to complete the squads, the girls put on a fun exhibition to finish out our 2013 intramural season. After jumping out to an early 9-2 lead, the Blue squad was quickly caught by the Yellow team, and the match went into the final 2 min. deadlocked at 22-22. Nicole Mueller hit from mid-range to edge Blue in front by 2, 24-22 with a minute left. And seconds later, Stephen Diggs came up with a steal and fed to Andrea Harris for the final bucket and the final 26-22 margin of victory.

Amber Simmons led the winners with 7 points and 4 rebounds, followed by Kacy Kiser with 5 points, 2 rebounds, 3 steals, and one assist. John Downey added 3 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 shot block. Diggs had 2 points for rebounds one assist and 2 steals. Joe Myrah contributed 5 rebounds one assist and one steal, and Alicia Simmons pulled down 4 rebounds and came up with 2 steals. Terry Staton had 2 rebounds, one steal and one shot block.

Andrea Harris led the Yellow squad with 10 points and one rebound, followed by Mueller with 9 points, 2 rebounds. Criana Dunnings had another 6 points, Carter Thompson, 3 points and 2 rebounds, and John Myrah 2 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 shot block. Jakkar Harris contributed 3 rebounds 2 steals and one blocked shot, and Jenny Harvey 2 rebounds and 2 steals.

Upcoming tourney action:

Please read below all the exciting details of some extraordinary play from the previous Sunday, as well as from the tournament's rounds on February 10th.

This Sunday, February 24th, will feature the consolation finals between White and Blue at 2 PM for 3rd place, followed by the championship match between Red and Green (faculty-staff) at 3 PM. Green earned their chance with a strongly-contested battle with Orange in the opening round, and then a most improbable upset over Black in the semi- finals. Blue lost to White in the opener, but then upset Black in the consolation rounds to learn a chance for 3rd place. After putting away Blue in the 1st round, White dropped a surprisingly-close 75-70 decision to Red in the 2nd round, but came back with a hotly- contested 58-52 when over Orange for their chance at 3rd place.

At approximately 4:45 PM, or shortly after the championship match, the women representing BRCC's teams, coached by Green’s Clay Phillips, will host a women's team representing the Navy from Norfolk, Virginia.

After reading below all you have missed we are sure you will not dare miss this certain- to-be extraordinary finale to a great season!

Week 7:2-17-13

Game 1: Black vs. Green

Black had few (6 total) players, but plenty of weapons, and trailed this game for only a total of around 30 seconds. The last 30 seconds of overtime in a 58-52 thriller. And although this was clearly a typical team effort for the faculty staff group, the heroes down the stretch were Tim Nicely, whose miraculous, off-balance three-point bomb with 2 seconds in regulation forced the extra period, and John Downey, who dropped in 5 of 6 free-throw attempts in the final seconds to seal the victory.

Normally only around 50% at the line, Downey had it when it counted with 7 of his 9 total points coming in the overtime period. Nicely also had a magic performance, nearly doubling his 11 point per game scoring average with 20 total, including the last second shot in regulation time…one that looked genuinely ugly until the instant it found its way through the net.

Black had jumped out in front early with a barrage of three-pointers from the league’s leading female scorer Criana Dunnings, at 12-6, and although the contest was tied at a couple points they led by as much as 9 early in the 2nd half and never trailed until those final seconds.

Joining Nicely and Downey on the scoreboard for the winners were Benga Adekunle with 15, Clay Phillips with 7, Devon Genus with 4 and Lowell Robertson with 2. Rebounding and inside play were once again a factor for Green, and their leaders were once more Robertson, Phillips, and Genus with 8 boards each, and Adekunle with 7. Lloyd Meadows contributed another 3, Downey 2, and Nicely, Jenny Harvey, and Captain Frank Moran 1 each. Green's Adekunle and Phillips also had 3 and 2 shot blocks respectively, and along with Robertson and Genus, made things difficult inside for Black all afternoon.

Salvador Alonso, with 20 points, and Criana Dunnings, with 13, led the outside attack for Black while Anthony DiMarchi, with 8 points and a game-leading 14 rebounds, provided most of their inside power. Malcolm Kier added 5 points and 6 rebounds, Cameron Williams another 3 points and 2 rebounds, and Captain Donald Tate 2 points and 6 rebounds. Alonso and Kier, Black’s defenses aces, accounted for 5 and 3 steals respectively.

Game 2: 4.Orange vs. 5.White

Somewhat ironically, this game was throughout a 3-point challenge, but was decided in the end at the free-throw line. Result: a hard-earned 60-52 win for White, and a rematch with Blue in the consolation final.

Orange's Maurice Yates (13 points and 9 rebounds for the game), and Mustaf Guled (16 points) led Orange's outside attack, and Captain Devin Sutton (14 points-all in the final half, and 7 rebounds), led an aggressive offensive and defensive performance which featured 13 teams steals (as opposed to 2 for their opponents). But a record 19 fouls by Orange resulted in 15 "free" points for White, 7 coming in the final decisive period.

White actually never trailed after the 1st few minutes, and held leads as large as 12 points on several occasions. However they were never able to put the game away, and the score was deadlocked at 42-42 with 11 minutes remaining. At that point Guled exited the game with his 5th personal foul, and Orange lost a big chunk of their firepower. Carl Darcus led a 13-4 run for a 9-point (55-46) White lead. Orange has made a habit of never "going away" however, and Captain Sutton dropped in a perfect 4 free throws in 4 attempts as well as one driving layup to close the gap to 55-52 with just under a minute remaining. At that point, White cashed in on a host of desperate Orange fouls for the last 5 points of the contest.

Darcus and Myrah led the winners with 20 and 19 points, respectively followed by Chance Snell, with 7, Monica Bell and Joe Myrah, with 4 each, Jakkar Harris, with 3, Jonathan Middleton, with 2, and Alicia Simmons with one. Chance Snell had a game- leading performance on the boards with 12 rebounds; Darcus, added 10 and John Myrah, 6 to lead a 37-27 dominance by White in that department. Amber Simmons went scoreless, but pulled down one rebound.

Orange placed 3 in double figures: Guled with 16, Sutton with 14, and Yates with 13. Carter Thompson added 5 and Joshua King another 4. Katlin Veny pulled down one rebound.

Game 3: 1.Blue versus 6.Black

This game had to be the biggest upset of the season, and one of the hardest for the loser to take. Black had humiliated Blue 95-49 in their regular-season meeting, and had this apparently wrapped-up until the last 12 seconds. A head-to-head struggle from start to finish, this still looked all but over after a couple long-range bombs from Black’s Criana Dunnings and Salvador Alonso put Black up 60-57 with under a minute remaining. Things looked even worse when Black regained the ball and began to milk the clock. But with 12 ticks left, Blue's Captain Terry Staton came up with a steal and a quick bucket, and one rebound (and 7 seconds) later found himself at the foul line with a 1-and-1 opportunity. Staton sank the first to tie the game at 60-60. The 2nd shot rimmed off, Kyle Van Lear muscled up for the rebound, and dropped it in just before the buzzer. After some consultation between officials, 1.5 seconds was put back on the clock, but a 50-foot heave never threatened the net.

Blue has come together as a real team as the season has progressed, and this contest was the best example of that to date: all 8 players hit both the scoring column and the rebound chart, and all but 2 came up with at least one steal. Leading the attack was Staton, with 16 points, 6 rebounds, followed by Seth Perkinson with 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 steals, as well as one shot block, and Caleb Brown with 11 points, one rebound, and 3 steals. Stephen Diggs added 8 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 steal, Kyle VanLear 6, 8, and 2, and Josh White was responsible for 5 points and 7 rebounds. Andrea Harris contributed 2 points, one rebound, and one steal. William Veny added to points, one rebound, and one shot block.

Salvador Alonso led Black and all scorers with 27 points, pulled down 4 rebounds, and came up with 2 steals. Dunnings was the only other Black player in double figures with 15; she also had one rebound and 2 steals. Malcolm Kier dropped in 9 points, had 9 rebounds, 4 steals, and 2 assists. Captain Donald Tate added 1 point, 9 rebounds one assist, and 3 steals. Only Cameron Williams failed to score, but he came up with one steal.

Week 6: 2-10-13

Game 1:1.Blue vs. 5.White

These 2 teams look-alike, play alike, and score almost alike. With appropriate apologies to both squads, who played their hearts out for 40 minutes, we will just skip to the "punch-line": Chance Snell’s clutch basket on an assist from Carl Darcus just beat the buzzer, and the Blue squad’s hopes, 49-48. Only 14.5 seconds earlier a three-point bucket by Kyle Van Lear had apparently won the game for his team, 48-47.

White’s atypical balanced attack featured scoring or rebounds from all 9 players: Darcus led his team with 13 points, 4 rebounds, Chance Snell and Joe Myrah each added 10 points, with Snell dominating all rebounders with 12 grabs. Captain John Myrah contributed 9 points and 10 rebounds, Jonathan Middleton added 3 and 1, Alicia Simmons 4 and 1, and Amber Simmons one rebound. Jakkar Harris at 3 rebounds, Jason Eubanks 3 rebounds and one steal.

Captain Terry Staton led his team and all scorers with 20 points and 9 rebounds, and was backed-up by Kyle Van Lear with 10 points, 3 rebounds. Stephen Diggs, William Veney, Andrea Harris, and Seth Perkinson each added 4 points. Josh White and Caleb Brown both went scoreless but accounted for 5 and 3 rebounds, respectively.

This game was the first step in an unlikely scenario that set up a rematch for the same 2 teams in the third-place game.

Game 2: 3.Green vs. 4.Orange

The faculty – staff crew jumped on top early and then just managed to hang on, holding off a desperate Orange range rally with good ball handling, and near-perfect foul shooting to advance to the next round with a 45-36 win.

Orange found themselves behind 12 to 3 in the 1st few moments, as Green’s Clay Phillips dropped in 10 of his 23 point total in the 1st quarter. From that point on, with Maurice Yates spearheading the Orange arrange effort, his team outplayed their opponents and drew to within one point, 37 – 36, after Ray Yates 3 pointer with 2 minutes showing. That would be their last bucket of the game however, as Tim Nicely, a 90% free-throw shooter, help seal the win with 6 consecutive foul shots down the stretch.

Joining Phillips in double figures for the Green squad were Nicely, with 12 points, and Benga Adekunle with 10. Devon Genus added 1 bucket; also pulled down 6 rebounds, which, added to 8 from Lowell Robertson, 7 from Clay Phillips, and 6 from Genus helped lead Green to their typical rebounding advantage. Don Taylor went scoreless but contributed one rebound; John Downey came up with one steal.

Orange was led by Yates with 18 points and 11 rebounds, supported by Carter Thompson, who got all of her 9 point total on 3-pointers. Captain Devin Sutton had another impressive all-around game with 6 points, 4 rebounds, one assist and one steal. Mustaf Guled added 3 points and 4 rebounds. Andrea McLeod had 5 rebounds and 4 steals, leading her team in the one category where they bested their opponents. Kendall Veny had 2 steals and Joshua King one steal, as well as 3 rebounds.

Game 3: 2.Red vs. 5.White

This was a surprisingly close match between number 1-ranked Red and number 5-ranked White, largely due to some extraordinary play from Carl Darcus (36 points and 7 rebounds) and Captain John Myrah (21 points and 8 rebounds), as well as a 3-to-2 rebounding advantage.

When it was over, however, Red had survived, 75-70, and advance to the finals (they received a 1st-round bye).

Both teams started off red-hot, trading mid and long-range field goals. Red "enjoyed" a two-point edge at halftime, 41-39, which slipped to a 41-41 deadlock moments later. They managed to convert a series of steals into their biggest lead of the game, 54-46, late in the 3rd period, but needed near-perfect shooting from the floor and actually perfect shooting from the file stripe to preserve the win.

Red was led by the league's leading scorer, Derek Shifflett, whose 26 point total was just short of his 30 point average. Captain Cole Gibson added 16 points, Austin Painter 15, and Cole Williams 11. Austin Shuler contributed 3 points and 3 rebounds, and Kacy Kiser 2 points, one rebound. Red’s tight defense and quick hands were instrumental in the win, with Shifflett, Gibson, Painter, and Williams coming up with 4, 4, 1, and 1 steals as the Red team lead their opponents 10-2 in that category.

For White, Darcus and Myrah were joined in the scoring column by Jason Eubanks with 3, Jonathan Middleton with 3, and Joe Myrah with 2. Chance Snell grabbed 6 rebounds, Jakkar Harris 3, and Alicia and Amber Simmons had one each.

Week 5: 2-3-13

Black survives Green, Red holds off Orange, Blue outlasts White

The season finale was, at least somewhat, “grande”: all three matches went down to the wire, and at least two “should” have been (at least on paper…) blowouts. But, of course, “that’s why they play the games”!

Game 1: 3.Green versus 6.Black I was reminded by this match of an oft-quoted saying from my time supervising adult basketball games in the early 70’s: “old age and guile beats youth and skill every time”.

Well, it was almost true then, and it was almost true Sunday.

The faculty staff squad once again managed to craft an effective defense against Black’s high-powered offense, play “over their heads” start to finish, and push the regular-season champs (undefeated ‘on the court’) into overtime before dropping a 48-46 thriller.

Green’s Benga Adenkunle, Devon Genus, Clay Phillips, and Lowell Roberson were largely responsible for holding Black’s big men in check, with Malcolm Kier managing less than half his season’s scoring average (at 9), while Tony DiMarchi and Kier were both denied double-figure rebounding for the first time. Meanwhile Adenkunle and Phillips combined for 18 boards and helped Green dominate that category by a 32-23 margin. And Tim Nicely, always consistent, elevated his modest frame to new heights with a game leading 17 points, including 3 threes and 11 points in the frantic final period.

And the 43 point regulation time total represented about ½ of the Black team’s average, largely due to Green’s tight zone defense which also crimped a normally potent outside attack.

So Black was slowed down, surprisingly and greatly, but they have too many weapons to be stopped: Salvador Alonso’s high percentage mid range shooting accounted for 14 points, including the deciding two overtime free throws. Crianna Dunnings, who leads the league’s women in scoring, dropped in 3 threes en route to a 13 point total. Captain Donald Tate added 6 more, and DiMarchi another 2, and all contributed to a stifling defense that accounted for 10 steals and 3 blocked shots, as well as a lot of pressure- induced turnovers.

In the end, all that could be said was that Black won because they kept cool in the face of a frantic Green final period comeback, and managed to score two more points in overtime.

This actually looked like a typical Black runaway early on, with Alonso, Kier, and Tate seemingly unopposed while leading their team to a 16-4 lead at the 10 minute mark. Green finally settled down and matched their opponents from then on, however, actually closing the gap to 6 on several occasions. But Black did what they had to, and still held a somewhat comfortable 43-33 edge with only 2:40 left. However, a mad finish by the faculty-staff squad, spearheaded by Adenkunle’s inside play, Nicely’s near-perfect outside shooting, and a determined all-around effort by Clay Phillips, accounted for 22 fourth period points (one more than their entire first half total). Still, it took 2 clutch free throws (of three chances) by Nicely after being fowled on a three-point attempt just in front of the buzzer to keep Green alive and force the season’s first overtime at 43-43. Black’s Dunnings opened the 2 minute period with a quick 3 and Faculty-Staff was in trouble once again. But not quite dead: Don Taylor hit the second of two free throw attempts to make it 46-44 with one minute showing. Black’s Alonso extended the margin back to three with the first of two chances at the stripe, but then Adenkunle battled for an offensive rebound and dropped it in; back to one point separation at 47-46. Desperate fouls by Green put Alonso back on the line for another 1 for 2 trip; 48-46 Black, 25 ticks left.

Green actually had one last gasp when Phillips came up with a key rebound in the last 10 seconds, but a steal by Alonso as Green raced desperately up the court sealed the victory, and gave Black the regular season championship and first seed in this Sunday’s opening tournament round.

Blacks’s Cameron Williams added 2 points to his team’s effort as all 6 players hit the scoreboard. They also all hit the boards, with DiMarchi and Kier grabbing 8 each, Williams 3, Alonso 2, and Dunnings and Tate 1 each.

For Green, Akenkunle joined Nicely’s 17 in double figures with 14 points, followed by Phillips, with 9, Taylor, with 3, Roberson, with 2, and Genus, with 1. Frank Moran contributed 1 rebound, Lloyd Meadows one rebound and two steals, and Jenny Harvey one rebound and one steal.

Green goes into the tournament ranked 3rd at 3-2

Game 2: 2.Red versus 4.Orange

A 1-4 record doesn’t sound too impressive, but Orange is at the very least looking like the most improved team this year. Embarrassed 63-22 by Green in their opener, they fared somewhat better as Black rolled past them 82-56 in week 2, actually were in the contest for awhile before falling to White 75-42 in week 3, then took Blue to the wire before falling 6 points short at 48-42.

Likewise, allowing an opposing player 20 points wouldn’t normally be something to celebrate. Unless, of course, that player was Derek Shifflett, the league’s leading scorer at nearly 35 points per game.

In the end, Red’s overload of talent proved too much for Orange’s overload of hustle, as they secured the second tourney seed with a remarkably close 61-53 win.

Orange went full-bore from the opening tip off, matching Red through the first period and putting their opponents in a totally foreign position…actually trailing…for brief periods in the second period (14-12 and 17-16). However a Shifflett and Zach Powell barrage powered Red’s typical surge from the middle of the second period and left Orange 20 points back, and seemingly out of the contest, at 47-27 heading into the final 10 minutes. Orange refused to go away quietly, however, and stormed back with “scrap” rebounds, diving recovery of loose balls, heightened aggressiveness on defense, and driving inside play during a 14-3 run which closed the gap to 10 and still left 5 minutes on the clock.

Led by Dutton’s 8 and Mustaf Guled’s 10 final quarter points, Orange had outscored Red 25-14 during the final period. “Too little, too late”, however…Red doing just enough to hold off the charge and emerge with a 61-53 win.

Powell and Shifflett split 40 points as the top two scorers for Red and the game. Bryant Carter added 10, Captain Cole Gibson 9, and Nicole Mueller 2. Kacy Kiser and Austin Schuler made their loudest noise on defense with 1 and 3 steals, respectively.

Orange’s top overall performance came from Maurice Yates, with 16 points, 9 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 assist. Guled added 15 points and 6 rebounds. Joshua King, whose most visible contribution is a tenacious defense and inspirational 110% effort, also contributed 7 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 steal in his best overall effort to date. Captain Sutton clearly “led from the front” with 8 points (all in the final period), 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, and 1 shot block. Kendall Veney added 3 points; his sister Katlin 2 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist. Carter Thompson (still one of the leagues’ leading female scorers at just under a 9 point average) had an uncharacteristic cold shooting night with only 2 points but came up with 3 steals as well as 1 rebound. Only Brandon Sweet failed to get a bucket, but his 3 rebounds contributed to a surprising Orange lead in that category: 31 as opposed to 30 for Red.

Game 3: 2.Blue versus 5.White

White started strong (9-0 after 5 minutes), suffered through a 19-4 Blue run, then played their opponents better than even until the final 3 minutes. When they essentially disintegrated, giving up the last 11 points to fall 64-53 and finish the regular season next- to-last at 2-3.

The hero and the goat for captain John Myrah’s squad was the same man: Carl Darcus’s driving inside game resulted in a game high 35 points, including 75% free throw shooting and 14 points during a fast-paced 3rd period which ended in a 47-47 tie.

But it was also his back to back technicals which set off a final 2-minute collapse for White and put their top offensive threat on the bench when he was needed most.

White actually led 53-52 after a Jakkar Harris bucket at 2:45, but that would be their last score for the contest. Meanwhile, Blue was camped out at the foul line, where they scored 11 of their last 15 points as they pulled away to the 11 point margin of victory.

These 2 teams actually looked a lot alike, at least for most of the game. Both can shoot, neither dominates inside (each, in fact, had exactly 35 rebounds), both had runs but neither could run away very far, neither wasted any time going for the basket. Blue, however, features a much more balanced attack, with point production from all but one player, while Darcus accounted for 2/3 of all White’s points (including one amazing 50 foot heave at the halftime buzzer..it was almost his night..).

Blue’s scoring was led by Stephen Diggs, Seth Perkinson, and Captain Terry Staton with 17, 16, and 15 respectively, followed with 7 from Andrea Harris, 4 from Caleb Brown, 2 from Josh White, and 1 from Kyle Van Lear. All players hit the boards: Perkinson had 10 grabs, Diggs 8, Staton 5, VanLear 4, Brown 3, Harris and White 2 each, and Alejandra Rodriguez 1. Staton also had an impressive 5 steals.

Darcus also led his White team in rebounding with 11, followed by Chance (Bobby) Snell and John Myrah with 7 each, 3 from Alicia Simmons, 2 from Harris and Jason Eubanks, and 1 each from Joe Myrah, Amber Simmons, and Jonathan Middleton.

Next Games: Sunday, February 10th: First tournament day starts with a Blue-White rematch at 2PM, followed by a Green-Orange contest at 3. The Blue-White winner will face #2 ranked Red at 4:00.

The tournament is single elimination but with a consolation round, thus all teams will play at least two games, please see the tourney chart (on the website) and make your own predictions. Then come watch and see how you do!

Week 4: 1-27-13

Green outlasts White, Orange upsets Blue in thriller

Game 1: 3.Green (Faculty-Staff) versus 5.White

It took three periods for the Faculty-Staff team to find a way to slow down the outside bombing barrage of White captain John Myrah (his 28 point total included 8 three’s), but a tightened zone and Green’s reliable inside game finally proved the key in a hard-earned win that was much closer than the final 50-33 score would indicate.

Myra drained 7 of his 3’s in the first half, and added a couple more buckets in the third period, while Green managed to keep pace with their typical team effort and the inside dominance of Genus Devon, Benga Adekunle, and Clay Phillips.

And while Green led for all but a couple minutes to that point, they held only a one point edge, 32-31, with 9 minutes remaining. However a more determined effort to smother Myrah, who finally proved human, and an unconscious 4th period assault from Clay Phillips powered the veterans down the stretch as they picked up their 3rd win against one loss.

Phillips picked up 16 of his 26 in the final period…on near perfect inside shooting and perfect (2 for 2) work at the foul stripe, while White’s Myrah was held for one bucket and his whole team for only 2 points in the final 9 minutes. White was also deprived of the services of inside-weapon Carl Darcus, which left only Bobby Snell to match up with Green’s dominant height and power. And although Snell gave a good account of himself with 11 rebounds…trailing on Adenkunle’s 12…Green’s overall 42-37 edge was another factor in the win.

Backing up Phillip’s 26 for Green were 10 from Adenkunle, 6 from Tim Nicely, 5 from Devon, and 2 each from Jenny Harvey and Don Taylor. Lowell Roberson and Lloyd Meadows went scoreless but helped make the difference in rebounding with 4 and 3 respectively, captain Frank Moran earned credit for one steal and one assist, and one more well-orchestrated win over a talented opponent.

White got additional scoring contributions only from Joe Myrah (3) and Bobby Snell (2), but all 6 players were factors in the rebounding department, with Snell’s 11 supported by 8 from John Myrah, 5 each from Monica Bell, Joe Myrah, and Jonathan Middleton, and 3 from Jakkar Harris (who also led all players with 3 steals).

Game 2: 1.Blue versus 4.Orange

Trailing for 36 of 40 minutes, Orange’s needed a frantic finish to overcame a 9 point fourth period deficit and earn...the hardest way…their first win against a taller, talented Blue squad. It was the classic, “out-played but just hanging-around” picture for most of the game, Blue getting points from 8 of 9 players as they seemingly controlled, but could never put away, a much shorter but quite scrappy..and previously winless…Orange squad.

And from a 38-29 deficit early in the final period, Orange hustled and dove and scrapped to an improbable 17-2 run and a final 48-42 win.

It was a classic team effort, with all but one of the 8 person Orange quad scoring, all rebounding, and 5 coming up with steals…most in the final minutes. But Captain Devin Sutton clearly proved his leadership status as he made all of his 10 points in the final half, and 8 in the final period, and was a perfect 4 for 4 from the line down the stretch. And more importantly, sparked the comeback with aggressive and determined play on both ends of the court (and in fact all the floor in-between). Carter Thompson (all, maybe, 5 feet of her) also came up big down the stretch, hitting a key 3 and another outside 2- pointer during the final 6 minutes to wind up as the game’s leading scorer with 15.

Meanwhile, Blue lost the battle for the loose balls and (misnamed) “scrap” rebounds down the stretch, and made only 1 of 8 free throw attempts in the final period while they watched a solid lead disappear in a blur. And while their dismal performance at the foul stripe was crippling, oddly, a nearly foul-free game on their part worked against them as well, as they maintained “fouls to give” and couldn’t put Orange on the line to stop the clock. Still, the game was very much in question almost to the buzzer. A back-to-back driving layup by Sutton and a 3-point bomb by Thompson gave Orange their first lead of the day, 42-40, with 3 minutes remaining. And a steal by new addition Joshua King (whose exceptional hustle also accounted for another steal and 4 rebounds for the game), set up another Sutton drive 30 seconds later (with Maurice Yates getting the assist on the flash play). 44-40 now, still 2:30 remains. Another Orange “scrap rebound”, then Sutton drops in both chances from a Blue intentional foul; 46-40. Blue’s Captain, and the games leading scorer with 13, Terry Staton, hits to cut the lead back to 4 at 46-42. But once again the short but “wired” Orange team come through, with a key rebound by Brandon Sweet setting up another Sutton bucket, and a key rebound by Sutton sealing the win at 48-42.

Behind Thompson’s 15-point showing for Orange were Sutton’s 10, 9 for Maurice Yates, 5 from Mustaf Gulad, 4 from Brandon Sweet, 3 from Kendall Veney, and 2 from sister Katlin Veney. Maurice Yates led the rebounding effort with 9, supported by 5 from Gulad, 4 each from King and Kendall Veney, 3 from Sutton, and 1 each from Thompson, Katlin Veney, and Sweet.

For Blue, captain Staton’s 13 point production was backed up by 9 from Caleb Brown and 8 from Seth Perkinson. Travis Dull added 3, and Andrea Harris, William Veney, Josh White, and Stephen Diggs had 2 each. A balanced rebounding effort featured 7 from Perkinson, 6 from Staton, 5 from Dull, 4 from Brown, 3 from Kyle Van Lear, 2 each from White and Diggs, and one from Harris. Next Sunday, Feb 3: League-leading Green and Black, both 3-1, face off at 2PM, followed by a Red-Orange match at 3PM; Blue goes after White at 4PM.

Looking ahead: Next week completes the regular season, with tourney action taking place the following three weeks (Feb 10, 17th, and 24th).

And as a special feature..first time this season…on February 17th at 1PM our “all-star” women’s team, coached by Green’s Clay Phillips, will host a visiting women’s team from Norfolk representing the U.S. Navy!

Week 3: 1-20-13

Red passes first real test, White and Black roll

Game 1: 2.Red versus 3.Green

This game could not be anything but a route: Red was averaging well over 100 points per game, average margin of victory over 40 points. Their top two scorers, between them, accounted for 65 points per game…25% more than Green’s entire team averaged in their two wins…

Green’s strategy? Other than praying that Red got the game time confused, their best chance, and obvious plan, was to play a tight zone, keying primarily on Derek Shifflett and Dada Johnson (no mean feat as both can score from anywhere), try to slow the tempo and draw Red into a half-court contest, dominate the boards (the only apparently realistic goal), and hope to keep it reasonably close. And then, just maybe, get a few fortunate bounces at the end.

Remarkably, it almost worked. Red’s tandem of Johnson and Shifflett combined for only 38…which sounds like a big number but represented just over half of their season average. Red’s 63 point team total was 41 less than their lowest tally to date. And they found out what it was like to actually trail…and trailed for most of the first half, needing a late surge to edge out by one point, 29-28, at intermission.

So compliment captain Frank Moran on the perfect battle plan, and all 9 players for sticking with the plan, with determination, spirit, and hustle. And thanks, to all, for treating us to one exciting match.

But credit Red with, well, still just being the better team. Shifflett and Johnson were slowed down but by no means stopped, dropping in 25 and 30 points, respectively. And both, as well as Captain Cole Gibson, could be counted on for a key drive or 3-pointer when needed. And the ultimate victors refused to choke on their multiple free thow attempts in the final minute, where a desperate Green squad accumulated 6 of their total 10 fouls.

So while Green did, indeed, keep it a contest, Red slowly forged ahead in the second half, although never farther than 8 and as close as 3 at several points, and the Faculty-Staff team ultimately got too few of those “fortunate bounces”, dropping their first decision by a final score of 63-55.

Supporting Red’s top three scorers were Austin Painter with 6 (including 2 of 2 clinching free throws in the final seconds), Cole Williams with 4, and Kacy Kizer and Nicole Mueller with 2 each. Johnson and Painter led a balanced rebounding effort with 7 apiece. Williams’ greatest contribution was his quick hands and feet, as he harassed Green ball- handlers all afternoon and was credited with 4 steals. Austin Schuler was alone in missing the scoreboard, but hauled down 5 of his team’s 35 rebounds and contributed one steal to Red’s formidable 10 take-aways.

The characteristically balanced Faculty-Staff attack featured 3 in double figures, with Clay Philips (15), Benga Adekunle (11), and John Downey (10) getting support from Tim Nicely (8), Lowell Roberson (6), Lloyd Meadows (4), and Genus Devon (2). The formidable rebounding effort was led by Adekunle and Devon with 8 each and Phillips with 6, supported by Nicely’s 4, Meadows’ 3, and 1 each from Jenny Harvey, Downey, and Roberson. Captain Frank Moran’s contribution did not show up in the books but certainly did on the court, as he developed and directed a remarkable effort that had a seemingly untouchable and previously dominant league leader fighting for its life… and barely escaping with it.

Game 2: 4.Orange versus 5.White A short-handed Orange squad, missing their top scoring threat (Maurice Yates) and losing top overall contributor Andrea McLeod at half-time, was simply overwhelmed by a taller, faster, and better-shooting White squad as they absorbed their 3rd consecutive loss by a 75-42 score.

White’s top scorer Carl Darcus found his way inside Orange’s zone defense consistently and continuously, dropping in 8 first period and another 14 second period points…nearly all from within 6 feet of the basket. Darcus’ inside damage, along with a dominant rebounding effort (White would more than double Orange at 63-29) and a strong overall team effort from the 9-person squad had pretty much decided the contest by halftime at 42-16.

With leads approaching the 40 point mark at points, Captain John Myrah’s squad coasted to their first “on the court” win and showed promise for a top-contending team.

Darcus finished with 33 to lead all scorers, but White put 6 more on the scoreboard, led by Jonathan Middleton and Joe Myrah with 9 each, Myrah’s brother and captain John with 8, Monica Bell with 7, Bobby Snell with 6, and Jason Eubanks with 5. Snell was totally dominant under the basket at both ends, allowing his team multiple chances while denying Orange more than one in accumulating a league-high 19 boards. Darcus grabbed another 16 (many from his own shots).

Orange’s Captain Devin Sutton led his team with 18 points and 8 rebounds, as well as 4 steals, and was joined in double figures by new-addition (Ms.) Carter Thompson, who drilled 2 threes en route to a 12 point game. Kendall Veney added 9; his sister Katlin dropped in one 3-pointer. Brandon Sweet went scoreless but hauled down 8 rebounds; Kendall Veney also had 8. McLeod, remarkably one of Orange’s top rebounders at not much over 5 feet tall, pulled down 2 in the first half before exiting for a previous commitment.

Game 3: 1.Blue versus 6.Black

Blue’s problems were simple but fatal: an inability to hold onto the ball long enough to get a shot off (Black accumulated 18 steals), denial of any second chances at the basket (Black’s top two rebounders, Tony DeMarchi and Salvador Alonso, hauled down just one less than the entire Blue team), and no answer to their much taller opponents’ inside game.

Result: Black puts 5 in double figures and threatens the century mark while racing to a 95-49 win.

The winner’s attack was lead by Alonso’s 23, with Donte Montague (19), Malcolm Kier (17), DiMarchi (15), and Crianna Dunnings (13…including one 3 and the rest perfect fast-break finishes) close behind. Donald Tate’s 5 all came in the first minutes. DiMarchi, Alonso, and Kier (with 15, 11, and 8) had the lion’s share of Black’s 45 rebounds, eclipsing Blue’s team total of 27. Cameron Williams was credited with one steal as all 7 players on Black made it into the scorebook.

Blue’s Captain Terry Staton led his team’s valiant but quite overpowered effort with 18 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 4 steals. New addition Seth Perkinson was also impressive with 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals, but nearly all of that was accumulated in the final period when the game was well out of reach. Kyle VanLear contributed 8 points; Josh White and Travis Dull added 2 each. Stephen Diggs, who had been averaging 18 points per game, found the rim surprisingly small and was held to a single 3-pointer. Andrea Harris and Alejandra Rodriguez failed to score but contributed 4 and 2 rebounds, respectively.

Next Games: This Sunday, January 27: Green (Faculty-Staff) faces White at 2PM; Blue takes on Orange at 3; and a much-anticipate “clash of the titans”, Red versus Black, tips off in the 4PM finale. All games are at Clymore Elementary gymnasium at Fort Defiance…come early, seats are starting to fill!

2013 Intramural Basketball Game Summaries: Most Recent to Most Distant

Week 2: 1-13-13

Green and Red stay perfect, Black impresses as well

Game 1: 1.Blue versus 3.Green

Despite making less than 50% of their foul shots and, we estimate (no official stats), perhaps 25% of their field goal attempts (most of which were from inside 5 feet), the Faculty-Staff squad was able to survive a “never-say-die” Blue squad 41-35 to notch their second win of the young season.

This game was won on the boards, with Green’s leading “big men”, Clay Phillips and “Benga” Adenkunle, combining for 50% more rebounds than the entire Blue squad, and contributing to a 46-23 advantage that consistently allowed 2nd, 3rd, and even fourth offensive chances while frequently forcing Blue to hit on their only attempt.

Green also enjoyed a numerical advantage, allowing frequent substitutions which negated the better part of the youth advantage of the student team.

Still, the win was anything but easy, and Blue went down any way but easily. In fact, with the exception of the ultimately decisive early second-period Green run, extending a 15-15 deadlock to a 23-15 lead, the contest was even start to finish, the Faculty-Staff bunch needing some surprisingly crafty clock-killing and clutch free throws in the final 2 minutes to preserve the win. The characteristic balanced attack of Green was also a factor, as 9 of the 10-person squad made the scoreboard, but only three hit double figures..and those only marginally with 10 apiece. But Blue could made a similar claim, with 4 of their six players scoring and all pulling down rebounds.

With the first period ending in an 11-10 Green edge, Blue managed only two field goals in the second period, while Green’s Tim Nicely dropped in 6 of his 10-point total, Adenkunle added 4 and Clay Phillips 2 for a 23-15 half-time advantage.

From that point on the Faculty-Staff lead never exceeded 11 but never dropped below 5, with the older fellows doing just enough, and Terry Staton’s squad just a tad short on height, rebounds, and points, despite a desperate stretch run which saw Staton drop in 11 to equal Green’s total team scoring for the period.

But with Captain Frank Moran calling, and credibly pulling off, a game of keep away mindful of Dean Smith’s famous “four-corners” stalling tactic (we have no shot clock), Green got inside one minute clinging to a 38-33 lead. And from then on the rebounding dominance, and one key free throw each by John Downey, Adenkunle, and Phillips were enough..just enough..to seal the victory. Green’s scoring was led by 10 each from Nicely, Adenkunle, and Phillips, with ample support from Faison Dana (4), Jenny Harvey (3), Lloyd Meadows (2), and John Downey and Lowell Roberson (1 each).

On the boards it was Phillips and Adenkunle with 16 and 15, assisted by new addition Don Taylor’s 4, 3 from “The Prez” John Downey, 2 each from Harvey, Nicely, and Dana, and 1 each from Meadows and Roberson.

Captain Terry Staton led all scorers with 18. Travis Dull’s 8, Stephen Digg’s 7, and Kyle Van Lear’s 2 rounded out the scoring for Blue. Josh White led their rebounding effort with 6, followed by Diggs and Staton (5 each), 4 from Van Lear, 2 from Alejandra Rodriguez, and 1 from Dull.

Game 2: 2.Red versus 5.White

A short-handed White squad off-set the talent-laden Red’s scoring machine for most of the afternoon with an extra dose of hustle before eventually succumbing to talent and numbers and absorbing a closer-than-it-looks 105-72 loss.

With captain John Myrah and new-addition Carl Darcus leading the attack, the 5-man White squad led a heavily favored Red team throughout the opening period, until a 14-0 run..consisting mostly of 3’s by eventual high scorers Dada Johnson (41 points) and Derek Shifflett (35) bolted Cole Gibson’s squad to a 31-18 lead. Falling back by as many as 17 later in the half at 43-26, White then pulled off a run of their own, with Carl Darcus’s inside scoring leading a 14 point run to close the gap to 3 at 43-40. Johnson’s 13 3rd period production helped extend that edge back to 8 moments later, however, and after an even exchange of scoring Red edged out by as many as 19, 67-58, by the end of the quarter. Bobby Snell’s scoring and rebounding, combined with Darcus’s inside game (8 final period points), and a couple 3’s by John Myrah allowed the underdogs to stay within reach through the opening moments of the final period, but a 16 point lead mushroomed to 30 down the stretch as Red made triple figures for the second straight week with a 105-72 win.

Supporting Johnson and Shifflett on the winners side of the scoreboard were Cole Williams with 7, Austin Schuler with 6, Austin Painter with 5, and Kacy Kizer and Captain Cole Gibson with 4 each.

Johnson also led his team in rebounding with 9, followed by Shifflett and Williams with 7 each and Schuler and Painter with 5 each; Kizer hauled down two and had one assist as well.

Darcus led Blue’s scoring with 32, followed by 18 from captain John Myrah, 10 from Bobby Snell, 8 from Joe Myrah, and 4 from Carl Bonafe.

Leading Blue’s 45-37 rebounding advantage over Red were Snell and Darcus with 17 and 16, followed by John Myrah’s 5, Bonafe’s 4, and Joe Myrah’s 3.

Game 3: 4.Orange versus 6.Black

Take away the first 12 and the last 6 minutes and Orange actually wins this for-the-most- part-even contest. However, sleeping through the opening period and fading down the stretch cost Orange their second straight loss by an eventual margin of 82-56.

Black’s complete dominance of the boards (their leading big man Tony DeMarchi, with 21, was just 6 boards short of Orange’s total team production) was also a major factor.

Jumping out in front 31-13 by early second quarter, Black basically matched Orange’s hustle and outside shooting with the inside play of DeMarchi (21 points to match his 21 rebounds) and Malcolm Kier (13 rebounds and a game-leading 29 points), preserving a 15 point lead deep into the final period.

At which point the 5-person Orange squad understandably faded while Black made it look like a route with a final 82-56 margin.

Behind Kier and DeMarchi on the Black side of the scoreboard were Crianna Dunnings with 7 (all outside, one 3-pointer), Dante Montague with 6, and Captain Donald Tate with 4. Dunnings also contributed 5 rebounds, Montague and Salvador Alonso 4 each, Tate 2, and C.J.Williams 1. Alonso led Black in assists with 6.

Katlin Veney bombed in five 3’s and one other field goal, all in the second half, to tie teammate Maurice Yates for top scoring honors among the Orange squad with 17, followed by Captain Devin Sutton’s 12, 10 from Andrea McLeod, and 3 from Kendall Veney. Yates was the only Orange player in double figures with 10 rebounds, but all hit the boards: Kendall Veney, McLeod, Sutton, and Katlin Veny added 6,5,4,and 2.

Next Week, January 20th: Undefeated Red and Green face off at 2PM, 0-2 Orange entertains 1-1 White at 3, and winless Blue faces 1-1 Black at 4. All games are played at Clymore Gym, Fort Defiance, all are free and open to the public, and all are worth your time…see you there!

Week 1: 1-6-13

Green Rolls, Red Roars! (but records a default loss…)

Same formula works for the Faculty-Staff bunch, while Red puts on a clinic…

Game 1: 3.Green (Faculty-Staff) versus 4.Orange

An organized if methodical attack, a full squad allowing free and frequent substitution, and complete domination of the boards at both ends has worked for the somewhat older…but “wiser”…. faculty-staff team in the past, so why not again?

Why not indeed, as the short-handed but game students on the Orange team found out the hard way…victims of a 63-24 drubbing in the league opener Sunday.

Green took a 17-3 command in the first 12 minutes with their typical balanced play… featuring points by 7 of the 10-person team in the opening period. Still “mathematically” in the hunt at halftime (26-9), a badly fading Orange squad managed only 6 third period points, while Green pumped in 27 in the final period alone for the final 39 point margin of victory.

Remarkably, every single Green player hit the scoreboard, and only captain Frank Moran failed to pull down on of his team’s 66 rebounds…quite understandable as he played all of about 70 seconds. Clay Phillips led the onslaught with 14, followed by “Benga” Adekunle with 9. John “The Prez”dropped in 9 as well. Tim Nicely added 8 and Devon Genus 5, while both Lowell meadows and Faison Dana contributed 4 each. Two more by Captain Moran and Jenny Harvey rounded out the scoring for the winners.

The most noticeable difference was under the boards, however, with both Phillips and Genus hitting double figures at 10, Adekunle, Downey, and Roberson each pulling down 8, Dana right behind with 7, and Nicely, Meadows, and Harvey garnering 6,4, and 3 respectively.

Captain Devon Sutton led his team with 8, followed by Kendall Veney’s 6, Andrea McLeod’s 4, and Kaitlin Veney and Tyler Williams with 3 each. Other than an apparent lid on their basket for the first 10 minutes, the low rebounding total of the much shorter Orange squad contributed to the lop-sided score. However, a hustling Andrea McLeod hauled down 9 to lead her team, and trailed only Green’s Phillips and Devon Genus, and then only by 1, despite giving up over 1 ½ feet in height. Sutton added 7, Kendall Veney and Brandon Sweet 3 each, Williams 2 and Kaitlin Veney 1.

Game 2: 1.Blue versus 2.Red

Stumbling through a disastrous first period which included a dozen turnovers and ended in a 26-6 deficit, Blue recovered enough to play their opponents better than even until early in the third period, but Red ran wild down the stretch to, literally, fill the scorebook spaces in a 106-58 route.

Stephen Diggs led Blue’s second period rally with 12 of his 28 in that 10 minute stretch, and along with captain Terry Statton’s 9 helped close the gap to 14 by mid-quarter; the half ending with Blue still quite alive at 43-27. Red’s leading scorers Derek Shifflett and captain Cole Gibson combined 3-point bombs with near perfect inside shooting throughout the rest of what quickly was not a contest, however, with a 69-44 third quarter command stretching out to the final 48 point margin.

Shifflett’s final 43 point tally led all scorers; he was joined in double figures by teammates Gibson, with 26, Dada Johnson, with 16, and Austin Painter, with 10. Zack Powell added 6 and Austin Shuler 5. Johnson led all rebounders with 11.

Diggs, playing about a foot taller than he stands, dropped in 28 for Blue…most, quite remarkably, working inside against his much taller Red opponents. Captain Statton added 17, Kyle Van Lear 7, Alejandra Rodriguez 4, and Travis Dull 2. Blue came closest to Red on the boards, with Statton’s 10, Digg’s 6, 5 each by Dull and Josh White, and 3 and 2, respectively, by Van Lear and Rodriguez.

In a preview of things to come, Red showed that they had just about everything: quick hands, a smothering defense, rebounding, and inside game, and long range shooting. Everything, that is, except the mandatory female playing time (they brought none). Thus credit this “default” win for Blue to their Alejandra Rodriguez, who made a significant difference on the court but an even more critical one in the record books.

Next Week: 1-13-12: 1.Blue versus 3.Green at 2PM; 2.Red versus 5.White at 3PM; 4.Orange versus 6.Black at 4PM

All games are at Clymore Elementary at Fort Defiance, all are free and open to the public, and all are fun to watch..join us!