Evergreens 118, Urban Legends 97
Facing a Legends team they entered the game tied with for second place, the Evergreens wanted to send a message to the rest of the league: despite their expansion status, they were a team to be reckoned with. Message received. The Evergreens once again showcased a powerful offense and perfectly executed a defensive gameplan to stifle the Urban Legends’ attack, cruising to an easy victory.
After the teams traded shots early on, the score was tied at 20 when the Evergreens went on a 14-0 run to really take control of the game. As usual, Joe Petrino (game-high 38 points) was at the center of the scoring for the Greens, converting two penalty shots during that run. The Evergreens also looked strong on the defensive end, led by Ryan Maley (9 points, 11 saves on 19 attempts) and Vince Rota (11 saves on 23 attempts) in net. The Evergreens maintained a 42-31 lead after one period.
The Urban Legends continued to struggle to find consistent offense against the Evergreens. The Greens were determined not to allow shots from the points and the Legends only finished with 12 points from the cross area as a result. Without Kevin Glover in the lineup, the Legends had no threats from the flex area outside of Brian Sperling (10 points). Players like Greg Ermold (team-high 21 points) and Dan Vignola (12 points) continued to find success on the ground in the wedge zone, but the Legends remained too one-dimensional offensively overall. Mike Ragan (12 points, 10 assists) did manage to connect on two cross shots in the second period to stay within striking distance, as the score was just 74-61 after two periods. However, the Evergreens continued their consistent play, pulling away little by little until they had built a 22 point lead at 100-78. With minimal scoring options outside the wedge area, that deficit was too large for the Urban Legends to overcome.
The biggest question for the Urban Legends is ‘What has happened to Kevin Clark?’. The former MVP shot 2 for 24 in this contest and is now shooting just 16.8% on the season. If you exclude his 31 points in week one, Clark is averaging just 6.3 points per game. The Legends don’t necessarily need last season’s Kevin Clark, but they definitely need more than this from him to assist Ragan and Glover in stretching opposing defenses outside the wedge zone.
On the other side of the field, the Evergreens look like a juggernaut and keep improving each week. They have plenty of versatility offensively, and feature the team speed and steady wedgeback play to hold serve on defense. Their upcoming match this weekend against the Nimble Jacks will be a huge measuring stick game for them and might be a preview of a late playoffs match-up.
Throwbacks 111, Work Horses 90
One of the toughest things to do in sports is come back from a heart-breaking defeat, to get your mind right after you give something your all to just barely end up with the short end of the stick. The Throwbacks’ last-minute loss to the Nimble Jacks in round 5 certainly qualified as the prototypical ‘gut-punch’ loss. However, instead of packing things up, the Throwbacks bounced back with their best all-around performance of the season. In the process, they served notice to the rest of the Kronum league that much like mankind in Independence Day, they will not go quietly into the night.
The Throwbacks decided to play man defense on Work Horses leading scorer Phil Cavalcante (24 points, 4 blocks), which really put pressure on their wedgebacks to come up with some big saves. Fortunately for the Throwbacks, that group was more than up to the challenge. The wedgebacks saved 57.7% of shots faced as a team, led by Steve Botta (16 points, game-high 18 saves on 26 attempts) and Jim Bradley (9 saves on 13 attempts). Steve Fariss (team-high 27 points) and Brian Marron (12 points) paced the offense early on to build a 32-23 lead after one period.
The Throwbacks really opened up things on the offensive end in the second period. Steve Botta connected on a pair of shots from the cross area and Ryan Kirby (18 points) established himself in the wedge zone, adding a necessary dimension to the Throwbacks’ attack. When Kevin Casero kicked home a 6-point ring goal off a penalty shot (believed to be a Kronum first), it appeared things were well in hand for the Throwbacks, as they led by 23 after two periods.
Then, with the score 72-50, the Work Horses went on a 10-minute run that represented their best run of the game, and possibly the season. Luke Dougan (10 points) converted a four-pointer off a steal, Mike Small (team-high 32 points) made an 8-point kronum, Dave Slusser (8 points, 9 assists) converted a four-point ring shot, and Cavalcante connected on two cross shots. Scott Salvatore (4 steals) and Ryan McGlensey (9 saves on 14 attempts) did a nice job on the defensive end to earn the Horses extra possessions. After the dust had settled, the Horses had closed to within four at 82-78 with 10 minutes left in the game.
The run ended there though, as Steve Fariss took the game into his hands. With a wide-open chamber gaping in front of him, Fariss instead opted to shoot for the crown and sank a 4-point ring shot. On the next possession, Fariss collected his own rebound in the goal zone and threw home a dunk for two. The sequence fired up the Throwbacks after a listless half-period of play and they regained control of the game from there. The Work Horses had seemingly expended all their energy making their big push to get back into the game, and didn’t have enough left in the tank to complete the comeback.
Coming out of their bye week, the Throwbacks have looked like a different team. They nearly took down the undefeated Nimble Jacks before playing a full 60 minutes against the Work Horses to earn their first victory of the season. The key for them is to continue attacking teams from different angles offensively. Guys like Kirby, captain Joe Ferrigno, and wedgeback James Thomas will need to draw attention in the wedge zone, while Botta and others have to keep defenses honest at the points. If they maintain their recent level of play, the Throwbacks should find themselves moving up the standings.
Regarding the Work Horses, any future success starts on the defensive end. During their 10-minute run in the third period, guys were flying around the field, making stops, and collecting steals which led to easy offense in transition. They need to play a full game with that level of defensive intensity to beat the upper-echelon teams in the league. Otherwise, the Horses may find themselves at home come the end of June.
Nimble Jacks 150, Night Owls 139
In Case of Emergency: Break Glass. For the second week in a row, the Nimble Jacks found themselves down double digits in the first period, an unwelcome position for a team accustomed to steamrolling opponents in league play. However, just as they did in their last-minute comeback against the Throwbacks, the Jacks broke out their most dangerous and enigmatic weapon, as Jared O’Donnell extinguished hopes of victory for the Night Owls.
The first 19 minutes-plus of gametime was all Night Owls. With Kyle McGrath manned up by the Jacks defense, the Owls’ secondary scoring options used the extra open field to inflict major damage on the scoreboard. Chris VonTanhausen (20 points, team-high 12 assists) carved up the defense, finding teammates Brett McGlensey (team-high 22 points), Tyler Katz (20 points), and Bob Zane (18 points) on the outside. McGrath even fought through his individual defender to tally 21 points and 6 assists, well off his 55 points from the previous week but still an impressive effort. The Night Owls built a 48-32 lead before Jacks captain Scott Kennedy (28 points, league-high 19 assists) connected on a huge 8-point kronum as the first period ended, cutting the lead to single digits and giving the Jacks a boost of confidence heading into the break.
In the second period, the Nimble Jacks decided to fully unleash O’Donnell (league-high 43 points, 3 blocks). The Jacks moved their star ranger all over the field, as O’Donnell tallied 12 points from the cross zone and generally looked more active than at any other point this season. The move also pushed Scott Kennedy toward the outside at times, which accounted for Kennedy having his best offensive performance of the season. The Jacks’ offense was once again firing on all cylinders as they regained the lead midway through the period, but their vaunted defense could still not figure out how to stop the Owls. Brett McGlensey drilled a 4-point ring shot at the second period buzzer to close the gap back within one at 98-97.
Unfortunately for the Night Owls, the third period was more of the same from the Jacks. Aside from Chris Custer in net (game-high 15 saves on 31 shots), the Owls had no way to slow down O’Donnell and friends. Chris VonTanhausen connected on a kronum of his own to pull the Owls back within one at 122-121, but it was the last substantial threat the Owls would mount as the Nimble Jacks pulled away down the stretch.
This latest performance was a mixed bag for the Night Owls. On the one hand, it was encouraging to see a number of guys aside from McGrath step up and score the ball efficiently on the offensive end. However, the defense is still an area of concern for them, as their 41.9% save percentage on the season ranks second-worst in the league. For the Nimble Jacks, this game was easily their worst defensive effort of the season. More troubling for them is the slow start to the game for the second week in a row. It’s great that they have O’Donnell and other great scorers to get themselves back in these games but you can’t always count on that happening. Still, they remain undefeated so it’s tough to find too much fault in their efforts.
Week 6 Leaders:
Points – Jared O’Donnell (43), Joe Petrino (38), Mike Small (32)
Assists – Scott Kennedy (19), Chris VonTanhausen (12), Mike Ragan (10)
Saves – Steve Botta (18), Chris Custer (15), Adam Forster (13)
Blocks – Shaun Stevens (5), Phil Cavalcante (4), Jared O’Donnell (3)
Steals – Scott Salvatore (4), Kevin Clark (3), 8 players tied with 2
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