Jet Sets 105, Urban Legends 87
“In all the research you do as a coach, studying other coaches and championship-type situations, you find that all those teams combined talent with great defense. You’ve got to stop other teams to win.” – Pat Riley
The Jet Sets have long been one of the most talented teams in the Kronum League. However, intermittent commitment on the defensive end has often offset any progress made on the offensive side of the ball. Maybe giving up 50 points to Kyle McGrath for the second time this season was the wake-up call this team needed, as the Sets came out against the Urban Legends with their best all-around performance of the season. Recognizing the Urban Legends were missing their two best flex shooters in Brian Sperling and Kevin Glover (for half the game), the Jet Sets did an excellent job of guarding the points (allowing just 12 cross zone points) and effectively limiting any big-play potential by the Legends. The Sets also played at a more measured pace on offense, limiting turnovers and thus, any potential easy points in transition. If the Jet Sets can carry this play over going forward and play well in both facets of the game, watch out Kronum League.
With only ten players on hand to start the game, the Legends opted not to man-mark Jeff Regensburg. Regensburg (game-high 37 points) was thrilled to finally have room to work with on the field, went off from the cross zone in the first period to jump the Jet Sets out to an early advantage. The Urban Legends hung tough by doing their usual work in the wedge zone, led by Dan Vignola (16 points, 9 saves on 19 attempts). Kevin Clark (team-high 24 points, 12 saves on 24 shots) also had one of his best offensive games of the season, taking more high-percentage shots in the flex and wedge zones. The Jet Sets led by five points at 37-32 after one period.
The second period was all Jet Sets as Stephen Vandenberg (16 points) got in a rhythm from the flex area. Back-to-back cross shots from Regensburg bumped the lead up to 57-40, when the Legends finally decided to have Frank Buffa faceguard Regensburg. Kevin Glover (13 points) arrived midway through the second period but his appearance didn’t do much to overcome the great defensive effort from the Jet Sets. Scott Reimer (10 saves on 18 shots) had a solid game in net and Ryan Skinner (3 steals) wrecked his usual havoc in the middle of the field. After two periods, the lead had ballooned to 71-54.
Holding a big lead, the Jet Sets salted the game away with their old bread and butter: plays in the goal zone. As he often does, Matt Parsons (12 points, 4 assists) found his teammates for some easy points and contributed one stylish dunk of his own. The Jet Sets led by 84-60 at one point and the Urban Legends never got closer than 14 points the rest of the way. Both teams are tied with the Night Owls for third place at 4-5. The first round of the playoffs await for each squad, seed and opponent to be determined based on the action in the final week of the regular season. The Urban Legends will take on the Throwbacks, while the Jet Sets face the Nimble Jacks.
Throwbacks 121, Nimble Jacks 120
“It’s never an upset if the so-called underdog has all along considered itself the better team.” – Woody Hayes
Regardless of their respective records, the Throwbacks always enter their games against the Nimble Jacks fully confident that they can emerge victorious. We saw that confidence in their win over the Jacks last season, in this season’s Round 5 game that required some late Jared O’Donnell heroics for the Jacks to remain undefeated, and in this latest installment of the league’s most intriguing rivalry. On this occasion, it was the Throwbacks’ turn to provide the last-minute thrills, hitting huge shots down the stretch to shock the Kronum world.
With the Nimble Jacks ahead three points with just over a minute remaining, Throwbacks ranger John Graham (21 points, 6 assists) shook a gambling Ryan Coyne to connect on a 4-point cross shot to regain the lead for the Throwbacks. Scott Kennedy put the Jacks back ahead by one point and Jacks wedgebacks initially made a handful of saves on the other end. However, with his team given one more opportunity off a turnover, Steve Fariss (12 points) received a pass in the flex zone and buried the winning shot home with just one second remaining. Another chapter in this rivalry yielded another hero. No one will consider this a David vs. Goliath match-up anymore; the Throwbacks never saw it that way.
The Throwbacks jumped out to a quick 8-2 lead, establishing what would be a theme throughout the day, Kevin Marron finding Jim Bradley for backdoor dunks in the goal zone. Bradley had a simple but effective game plan, waiting just outside the goal zone each possession on his way to tallying a team-high 26 points (all in the goal zone). The real star of the game was Kevin Marron, who recorded the first-ever Kronum triple double (24 points, 12 assists, 17 saves on 27 shots). Not only did Marron, with the help of Bradley, punish the Jacks defense in quad 3 all game, but he was a big reason the Throwbacks held Ryan Coyne and Scott Kennedy to just a combined 8 points on 3-30 shooting. The Jacks stayed in the game behind the scoring prowess of Jared O’Donnell (game-high 41 points, 7 assists) and Dan Geiger (16 points, 5 assists). The Jacks deficit was a manageable 5 points with the score 41-36 after one period.
The second period began more goal zone runs between Marron and Bradley and another big cross shot from John Graham. The Nimble Jacks responded with their best stretch of the game as O’Donnell scored 7 points on back-to-back possessions and Geiger hit a ring shot from the flex area to give his team their largest lead of the game at 63-57. Just when it looked like the Jacks were going to pull away, Graham answered with a game-changing 8-point kronum to put the Throwbacks back in front. They would preserve a tight 81-79 advantage after two frames.
The Throwbacks built the lead back up to double digits, pulling ahead by as many as 13 in the final period. However, the Jacks fought back to regain the lead and it looked like it would be another sluggish start for the league leaders that ultimately ended with another pull-away victory. On this afternoon, though, the Throwbacks had other plans. With the victory, the Throwbacks avoided being eliminated from playoff contention. They will need a win against the Urban Legends and a Work Horses loss against Night Owls to sneak into the playoffs. The Nimble Jacks have already clinched the first overall seed and will finish the season against the Jet Sets.
Work Horses 140, Evergreens 138
(Portions of this article will also appear on the official Kronum League website. Be sure to check out the site for additional Week 8 coverage and statistics.)
“In the closing seconds of every game, I want the ball in my hands for that last shot – not in anybody else’s, not in anybody else’s in the world.” – Larry Bird
Let’s set the stage. The Throwbacks have upset the Nimble Jacks to pull ahead of the Work Horses for the sixth and final playoff spot. To their credit, the Horses respond like a team with everything on the line, jumping out to a quick double digit lead. Still, the Evergreens are a talented bunch and keep roaring back, answering every Horses’ big run with a haymaker of their own.
So it was that the Work Horses found themselves trailing 134-130 with under thirty seconds left, their playoff chances slipping through their fingers. Phil Cavalcante, the captain of this Horses squad who has taken so much of his team’s struggles this season to heart, controlled the ball in the middle of the field. Charging toward an adjacent point, Cavalcante let loose with one shot that could potentially change the entire trajectory of his team’s season. The ball traveled through the air with all the weight of unfulfilled expectations, only to sail through the rings for a successful 8-point kronum that could not have come at a more opportune moment. The Horses and their captain re-gained the lead and captured this game against the Evergreens. The last set of games in Round 11 will determine whether the Horses have seized what they wanted: that last playoff spot and a chance at a championship run. My guess is Cavalcante will want the ball in his hands.
In the first period, the Work Horses came out firing from the cross zone. Cavalcante (team-high 44 points, 9 assists) and Luke Dougan both connected from that area in the opening minutes. The most encouraging sign for the Horses was the aggressive shooting of Dave Slusser (27 points, team-high 10 assists), who connected on an 8-point kronum to give his team an early 26-10 lead. The Evergreens would fight their way back into things behind an initial hot start from Dan Williams (12 points) and the customary efficient scoring from Dom Petrino (24 points) in the goal and flex zones. The Horses’ lead was down to just 55-51 after one period.
A Joe Petrino (team-highs 44 points, 11 assists) ring shot from the flex area gave the Evergreens their first lead at 57-55, but it was all Horses the rest of the frame. Dougan answered soon thereafter with ring flex shot of his own and the team got the strong right arm of ranger Mike Small (28 points) going from the flex area. It was also the best defensive period for the Horses, who were led on that side of the ball by wedgeback Ryan McGlensey (11 saves on 19 shots) and Scott Salvatore (3 steals). The lead was back up to double digits after two periods at 96-84.
The final period was all about Joe Petrino until the final minute. The Evergreens’ star hit two big cross shots early in the period to close the gap before hitting a huge 8-point kronum midway through the period to put his team back into the lead. The teams then traded shots until Cavalcante’s game-winning shot in the final minute. The Work Horses have a one-game lead over the Throwbacks for the final playoff spot; they will maintain the spot with either a win over the Night Owls or a Throwbacks loss against the Urban Legends in the final week. It was the final game of the season for the Evergreens, who have clinched the second seed and will await their second-round opponent following their playoff bye.
Week 10 Leaders:
Points – Phil Cavalcante (44), Joe Petrino (44), Jared O’Donnell (41)
Assists – Scott Kennedy (17), Mike Ragan (15), Kevin Marron (12)
Saves – Kevin Marron (17), Derek Clouser (14), Kevin Clark (12)
Blocks – Dan Geiger (3), Ryan Kirby (3), Steve Fariss (3), Todd Wampler (3)
Steals – Scott Salvatore (3), Ryan Skinner (3), Matt Charleston (3)
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