YM – Tony Lau 22, Jack Ho 19, Glen Shung 13
TPP – Andre Anderson17, Dan Mazkov 14, Matthew Jackie 9
Maybe last year this game would have been a mismatch…on paper, but not this season! TPP (formerly Van Rain) has made a noticeable upgrade to the roster, bringing in more offensive weapons and size to their usually short roster year in and year out! YM needs little introduction! With the return of Jack Ho and additions of Jermaine “Fresh” Foster and Max Neuman, this team has gotten much better. Gone are the days of Anthony “Lebron James” Lao! This season brought the resurrection of YM!
The matchup was more even than most people thought it would be as both teams slugged it out in the first half. TPP had some early success in the paint against YM, until Max subbed in! Max turned out to be a one man “Mount Mutombo” in the middle. He didn’t block 10 shot, but he disturbed many and threw off the rhythm that TPP was starting to establish on the inside. The half would end in a stalemate, but YM would hold the slight advantage.
The 2nd half looked to turn in YM’s favor, as their veteran players like Tony Lau and Jack ho began banging down long three pointers. Glen Shung also woke up in the 2nd half, hitting on a few open jumpers that would push the lead to double digits. While the Anza brothers were semi silent in this game (Matt and Kevin), they would help facilitate a late game comeback that gave them a chance to steal this game. With less than 2 minutes left, TPP was down 4 and the ball found its way to Matt Anza on consecutive possessions! Usually a sure scorer, but Matt would go 0-6 in those two possessions. TPP would lose a tough one, but still showed that they are on the rise.
SKG – Will Chaing 21, Alex Koong 15
Sonic Boom – Jason #13 23, Davor Isic 15
This battle never gets old, as it is a rare treat yet it is usually a game that entertains. Both teams are long time members of Vancouver Metro League, and both teams bring a lot of excitement when matched up against any team in the league.
Sofa King Good was suffering from a height disadvantage as they usually do, but it rarely stops them from racking up big scoring numbers on their opponents. SKG usually surprises with their aggressiveness on the defense and offensive end of the court. One of the only teams that plays 95% zone, but is near the top in fast break points out of the zone! SKG would take Sonic Boom by surprise and race out to a 12 point halftime lead.
Sonic Boom would go off in the 2nd half for 43 second half points on the backs of Jason #13 and Davor Isic! Both combined for 6 made three pointers in the game, and was able to get the game within a two possession game. The veteran SKG squad would be able to knock down clutch free throws down the stretch to ice the game.
SKG bounces back from their week 1 loss, while Sonic Boom loses a close one but had a good showing without two of their best players.
Talisman – Sylvester Appiah 26, Elvin Owusu-Ansah 21, Brian Tang 10
Flight – Jermaine Adwyinka 24, Kenny Son 21, RJ Base 16
One of the more intriguing matchups of the night had a lot of familiar faces attached to it. Talisman had veterans Dejan Stanic and Sylvester Appiah suiting up for the spring version of “The Grind”. Flight would be led by Captain RJ Base, who would welcome back one of their best all-around players in Trey #5.
Talisman outnumbered Flight in the “Young Leg” category! Flight’s veteran experience kept them in this game in the first half. RJ Base fired away from the three point line to keep the game close, but Talisman running legs were just getting warmed up. They would take a 3 point lead into the half.
The second half was a start of the track meet that only Talisman could run! Appiah and Elvin Owusu- Ansah burned up the nets for 47 of Talisman’s 79 points, and would fly past “Flight” for the win.
Flight is still short-handed, and hopefully they will get healthy sooner than later.
BSH - Brandon Hoyem 24, Alan Hogan 19, Devon Carney 11
The Party – Zach San Felipe 12, Lukas Domingo and Larry Chong 8 each
Even without their captain (and founder), Ball So Hard continues to show their reigning “Championship Pedigree”! The Party is always the “Life of the Party”, but in recent seasons they have been flirting with signs of breaking through! The addition of “Zebo” a few seasons ago, put them on a path that saw them touch the path of greatness only to crash and burn like two Hippos fighting over a water hole!
Ball So Hard’s high energy attack is hard for most teams to compete with, as they are constantly putting pressure on the defenses they face. Alan Hogan and Branden Hoyem absolutely exhaust their opponent’s front courts by their constant sprints down the middle of the floor on makes and misses. By the time the 2nd half comes around, Brandon and Alan are working on “new moves” they can use in their next game! This game would be closer than the score would indicate, but more of the same for BSH!
Brandon and Alan combined for 43 of BSH’s 79 points. The Party would stay in the game off and on hitting on 12 made three point in the game. It still would not be enough, as BSH would dominate them in the rebounding category too 41-16!
The best thing for The Party right now is knowing that…..ZeBo is coming back!!!!
Stallions – Jit Locham 24, Mark Halfnights 14, Roger Sheung 13
Agaveros – Oscar Salvador 15, Pepe 14, Charlie #10 13
Well, the one thing I can say about this game to start with is…..THE CHAMPS ARE BACK! A little worse for wear after taking a hiatus from Metro League, The Stallions have come back without missing a beat! The Agaveros are the new kids on the block, and looked impressive in their 3rd place finish last season. However, they are still reeling from a key injury to one of their key cogs. You never want to go short handed into a game vs the multi time champion Stallions!
Both teams didn’t have an arsenal on their bench, but that was a huge advantage for The Stallions. Everyone they had on the floor could grab the rebound and lead the fast break…which they did on just about every play. The Stallions ability to run a 2 and 3 man fast break on nearly every possession, has been the key to their championship run! The Agaveros were stuck in the driveway in this game, and they trailed at the half by 27!
They would pick it up in the second half to score 35 points in the half, but it wasn’t enough to make the big comeback vs The Stallions. The Stallions are still warming up right now, and that is a scary thing for the league!
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