Sofa King Good – Alex Koong 24, Kevin Rasmussen 21, JJ Bath 20
Agaveros – Oscar Salvador and Ayhab Farhat 16 each
As a part of the week 3 matchups, this game was circled on the calendar as a potential game of the week candidate! New as they are, Agaveros have proven to have the potential to be a title contenders. On the flip side, Sofa King Good are not only champs but two time champs!
Like a wild “Brush fire in Saskatoon”, Sofa King Good was all over Agaveros out of the gate! Even with Agaveros missing two of the talented big men, the still had the decided height advantage in this matchup. However, as they have usually been able to do, SKG made that height advantage “Null and Void”! The first half was almost a complete walk for SKG. Agaveros continued to have chemistry issues on offense and defense without their key pieces.
Agaveros would make a good account for themselves in the 2nd half, but not without some “inner team” turmoil. While the Agaveros opened up on offense, SKG put their foot to the metal in this game. What was sorely missed last season were the comical hijinks of Metro League’s own “Shaqtin a Fool” weekly candidate JJ “No Knees” Bath! JJ usually finds new ways to make the cut every single game, but in almost totally different ways! His first half three point attempt that hit the edge of the backboard started the festivities off, and it would culminate in an airball followed by barking at a teammate for being in the wrong spot. It turns out…JJ was in the wrong spot! Yet, if you get nothing from JJ on offense, he always has a high motor on defense! That defense would help continue to bewilder the Agaveros offense and lead to a 20+ point win!
Side Note: During the 2nd half, a brief conversation happened around the SKG bench area. Someone asked an undisclosed player on the SKG bench, “What in the world are you doing to this team?” The prompt reply was “We’re sorry….but we’re not sorry”! Which was understood immediately after the comments were made! Men, Women, and/or Children…when you step in between those lines and the ball goes up at the center circle…You Can Get It!
Stallions – Jit Locham 34, Prince Carino 23, Mark Halfnight 12
YM – Tony Lau 19, Dru Creightney 16, Jack Ho 11
The Stallions and YM are a rematch from the very first Championship game in the Richmond Oval back in 2011! Oddly enough, the faces haven’t changed much for both teams. YM lost that finals, but put up a great fight in that game. The teams looked to be ready for another epic battle, but The Stallions were on a big time run to start the season. 80+ points is what the Stallions are averaging through 2 games and are one of the only teams in league history to hit 100+ points in a running score clock game!
The Stallions started out in a controlled fast break with Brody Grieg back at the helm. They would control the tempo at the beginning of the game, but it was a controlled tempo. This same pace fell right into YM’s original pace, and they were successful with it so far this season. The obvious height advantage benefited The Stallions decently in the first half, but were unable to shake the scrappy YM squad.
The Stallions came out of halftime with an 11 point lead, and look to expand lead early to put the game away. YM went on a three point barrage in a matter of about 3-4 minutes in the middle of the 2nd half, that would rival any ever seen in this league! Tony Lau and Jack Ho seemed to take turns knocking down three pointers, bring the game within single digits! The Stallions would quell that run, and go on a 20-3 run to put the game away.
Both teams have a title, but one team has multiple titles and the difference was on display in this game!
Sonic Boom – Max Barkeley 26, Jason Harris 12
Flight – Tremaine Slawter 21, Kevin Larzibald 11
Sonic Boom’s evolution continued forward in week 3, with a number of new faces in uniform. No Shamir, no Connor, No Gabe Gibbs, No Ian Pierre-Louis….No problem! As far as roster depth goes at least. Flight looked to add a few players to their active roster, even with that they still were short-handed in the front court department.
This game was projected to be Rough and Tough, and it didn’t disappoint in that fashion. The Metro League is not for kids, it is for men that can take man sized contact. Both teams are no strangers to that type of game, but they also “express” themselves in unique ways when dealing with the extra contact. Flight had a great team effort throughout, but their defense did not have an answer for Sonic Boom’s Max Barkeley! Max hit from everywhere, and took a lot of damage while he did it! One foray to the hoop ended in a double forearm shiver that was deemed a regular foul. Flight’s Tremaine Slawter tried to match basket for basket with Jermaine helping out on the boards, but Sonic Boom would be too much in the end.
This marks a big turning point for Sonic Boom in the introduction of so many new faces in uniform. Just think when the original crew shows up again!
TTP – Matt Anza 23, Matthew Yue 12, Andre Anthony and Matthew Jackie 9 each
Ball So Hard - Brandon Hoyem 17, Eric Kung 10, Joe Tozzi 7
Here are the facts: TTP has improved by leaps and bounds, but Ball So Hard are the defending champs! In a surprising turn of events, BSH would be the team with a short-handed for this matchup for a variety
of reasons. Sounds like the March Vacations are hitting some teams hard, especially for BSH in this matchup.
TTP’s mentality is one of the strongest in the league, and is backed up by a much improved squad. Even with key players missing, BSH would welcome back Adi Baybay (former leading scorer on the team). What was painfully obvious to most of us was that TTP was hungry, but BSH was not in sync. To make matters worse, one of their key all around players was forced into action while nursing a recently turned ankle!
The game was competitive throughout, and the Three Matthews of TTP (Anza, Yue, Jackie) would light up the scoreboard with the help of Andre Anthony! The secret to BSH championship run last season was their ability to stretch the floor with great three point shooting efficiency. Unfortunately, the rim had a lid on it for BSH, and they were not able to see the ball fall through the hoop in the last minutes of the game. A few missed jumpers and a missed layup sealed their fate.
Another good win for TPP under the circumstances, but they will take it!
The Party – Niko Motius 22, Chris “Zebo” Loreth 17, Zach San Felipe 14
Talisman – Brian Tang 25, Amin Benkadmir 7
Curiously after a bad loss to the defending Metro League Champs Ball So Hard, The Party team members were very calm. Oddly in a sense, but didn’t have any sort of concern or panic in their demeanors. First thing week 3, we all found out why…..ZEBO WAS BACK!!! Chris Loreth was back in uniform, and ready to start The Party’s climb to the Promise Land! Talisman had a good out last week, but were not ready with the battle they were in for with Zebo patrolling the paint!
Niko Motius would take the lead for The Party hitting on a team high 22 points. Chris would draw a lot of attention, which opened up shooters to hit on a few three pointers. Talisman used their explosiveness and young legs to keep the game close, but The Party was re-energized with the return of one of the best inside players in the entire league! The Party would get on the winning track with a much needed win!
COMMUNITY
