2017 WEEK 8 VANCOUVER METRO SPRING LEAGUE SCORES AND RECAP
TTP – Matt Anza and Dan Mazcko 12 each, Ali Jamal 10
SKG – Max Neuman 11, Will Chaing 9, Alex #11 7
Flippity, Floppity, Floop! Wasn’t sure why this game would be titled that, but I soon found out from both teams how that came about. TTP continues their “Magical Resurrection” in this season’s Metro league. After 0-10 last year, TTP changed it’s name and partially changed their team “Color” scheme, and as surprised a lot of people in the league! Sofa King Good came in with the “swagger” they always have, short handed or not. Missing yet another one of their team members, SKG went in with a limited bench.
The game started slow, which favored TTP. SKG has had a bad habit of not warming up to start games this season, for the most part it hasn’t hurt them this season until this game. In a violent encounter, Will Chaing collided with Jeff Chan of TTP. Will got the worst of it with a sprained ankle and was out for the game! This helped TTP just enough to put themselves in a good position to pull off the upset!
SKG went into halftime with an 11 point lead, nearly dispelling the fact that they were down their leading scorer. TTP would turn the 2nd half into their own personal “Playground”! TTP began taking advantage of 2nd chance points led by the rebounding of Dan Mazcko. Dan was beating everyone to the ball, getting second chance buckets and possessions. SKG scrambled to get good shots, but the TTP defense was energetic and smothering. Matt Anza was able to take a charge in the 2nd half. Some said he looked like he took 2 charges on the same possession! After a change of possession, Mad Man “Eddie Fan” yelled out “I have “flip-flop”! As a range of laughter rang out, TTP would have the last laugh with an 11 point victory over the former league champion SKG!
BSH – Alan Hogan 19, Devon Carney 10, Mike Luchenko 8
Talisman – Dejan Stanic and Sly Appiah 16 each, Elvin Owusu-ansah 13
This game seemed to be academic on paper the way Talisman as played lately. The young team has a ton of talent, but has not lived up to expectations. Yet, their ability to put points on the board in the right game, makes them dangerous. The defending champs are always ready, from top to bottom and they would be off to the races like they were on the Horse Track!
Back and forth it went! Layup here, a yelling shot block by Alan “Spiderman” Hogan! 3 giant swat blocks by Mike Luchenko which propel him to the title of Top Blocks leaderboard, but Dejan was all over the court for Talisman. Showing his athleticism in selective games this year, while on the other side of the ball Adi, Jason, Mike, and Alan would match Talisman blow for blow.
BSH would have a 5 point halftime lead, but Talisman would battle to the end. The end of the game had a weird vibe to it as BSH was a few possessions away from locking the game up, but Talisman would make a big play followed by a missed opportunity! BSH would squeeze a much needed rebound in the end to secure a 1 point win! ESCAPE is the word of the day for BSH!
The Stallions – Prince Carano 29, Roger Sheung 22, Mark Half 18
The Party –Niko Mattus 16, Chris Loreth 13, Ryan Shams 12
Relegated down to Court #6, The Stallions faced a slightly different challenge than usual. The shorter court presented a possible advantage for The Party, in the sense that they would not have to defend a wider area as on the main courts. At the start of the game, it looked like a wise assumption, as both teams were able to “bottle up” each other’s offense.
The half court movement of The Party was an early challenge for The Stallions, and the first half was almost a stalemate. Chris “Zebo” Loreth started out strong for The Party with a few close in buckets, followed by a few long range bombs by Ryan Shams! Without their leading scorer, The Stallions engine began to hum midway through the 1st half. Prince Carino and Roger Sheung went ballistic on the Party’s defense, including a little defense with Sheung “Smack” block shot to start a fast break. Mark Halfnights would add a double-double, and 5 Stallion players would score in double figures!
The second half was all the galloping Stallions. Led by Brody “Westbrook/Harden” Greig, the Stallions took off like a rocket – Greig is averaging almost 10 assists game this season! Brody had his hands in everything including assists, and rebounds! In the end, the Stallions ran off with the game in the end and find themselves still at the top of the heap.
YM – Andrew Creightney 56, Jermaine “Fresh” Foster 8, Ace #17 7
Sonic Boom – Davor # 21 28, Gabe Gibbs 23, Connor #29 12
Sonic Boom is in a precarious place these days. Can’t remember the last time a Sonic Boom team fluctuated in roster sizing and playing intensity. Sonic is no stranger to being short-handed on occasion throughout their Vancouver Metro career, but this seemed different. With a front line of Isic and Gibbs, they looked ready to battle YM for the game. YM came to the game with twice as many players and twice as much energy to match!
YM ran off with this game early on the back of “Dru” Creightney! Always a threat to explode on the scoresheet for big numbers, Dru found a gulf stream to the land we like to call “The Zone”! Dru exploded on Sonic Boom from the three point line and I guess you can say, from all over the floor! His shot chart may have resembled an entire game’s worth of shots for the other team! Kelly Lo and Jack
Ho recognized this early, and began feeding him like gasoline on a fire! The 20 point halftime lead looked insurmountable as YM was clicking on all cylinders, as Sonic Boom looked stuck in the mud.
Sonic made a little bit of a run of it in the 2nd half as they finally warmed up. Gabe, Davor, and Connor were solid big man talent that would give most teams problems. However, without their standout point guard (out of this game due to injury), the continuity of the game favored YM. YM would continue to feed the bear that was Dru, and it would pay off in a 56 point effort (9 shy of the new scoring record set last week). Dru, who I would remind every game, broke the old record of 11 made threes in a game….one week too late with the new record being 19 (set last week)! Dru tops the leaderboard with 27.3 points per game and averaging 14 points from 3 across 6 game.s
Agaveros – Omid #22 37, Oscar #5 26, Pepe 12
Flight – Trey #5 30, Anto 10
At the tip, I “gently” reminded both teams that this was a “Must Win” game for them. As the action took off, it was evident which team had truly acknowledged the Must Win part of my statement. Agaveros were sharp and on point, even though they only had 6 players it was more than enough to have their best scoring output in their Vancouver Metro history. Their 33 point halftime lead was self-explanatory!
The attacking tempo of Agaveros was too much for Flight, as they did not look back at any point in this game. RJ Base was noticeably missing, but Trey did his best to fill the void with a game high 30 points! Agaveros does not care too much about how they get to a playoff spot. They just want to get there!
Agaveros set a number of team records with 55 first half points, and 103 in a game! The Agaveros have one more game in two weeks to determine if they are going to make the 8th and last spot for the playoffs!
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