MEN'S DIVISION 1

Underwater Squad 76 - Sonic Boom 89

Sonic Boom – Derreck Mooney: 28 pts, Nenad Lojpur and Aron Sawyer: 16 pts each

Underwater Squad – Will Ondrik: 27 pts, Andrew Morris: 24 pts

With a few key players not in the lineup that meant more shots for Sonic Boom’s Derreck Mooney! Unlike in previous years, Sonic Boom was not relegated to 1 or no subs. They had 2 subs! The Underwater Squad was missing their leading scorer in Tommy Nixon, and it looked like half of their team had the “It’s sunny outside” flu!

Sonic Boom shot out of the game like Usain Bolt with his feet on fire! Rarely seen by this team, but it looked like a well-oiled machine at times in the first half! The second half would see both teams hit each other over the head with bucket after bucket! Looney would be joined in the scoring festivities by his counterpart Will Ondrik's 27 for Underwater.

Sonic Boom would go on to get a good win, missing key players from this game. They seem to be primed for an upset or two in the playoffs!

Blues 90 – Coquitlam Boys 51

Blues – Mo: 17 pts, Grady: 14 pts

Coq Boys – Nikolay: 19 pts, Accom: 9 pts

Nikolay did what he could to help the Coquitlam Boys stay in the game, but it was a lost cause on this outing. The Blues were on from the beginning and didn’t let up. With the playoffs looming, no team can take their foot off the gas pedal! Especially if there is a point spread tiebreaker at the end of the season!

SB Battle 92 – Toonsquad 74

SB Battle -  Andrew Creightney: 24 pts, Kadeem Willis: 21 pts

Toonsquad – Jadon Cohee: 27 pts, Sheldon: 17 pts

On most days, this matchup would be a candidate for game of the week. On this day, both teams were super shorthanded. Even with Jaden Cohee, the Toonsquad was badly overmatched by the core lineup of SB Battle. SB only had 6 players, but those 6 players could start on any team in the league!

The first half was a battle for sure, but the 2nd half would see SB gain composure and handle business. The SB fastbreak and relentless pressure contained everyone on the Toonsquad except for Cohee who had a game high 27.  

SB looks like they are wading thru the Metro League schedule waiting for the post season to start!

UBC 80 – The Academy 65

UBC – Pat Simon 25, Connor Morgan 18

The Academy – Grame Mccallum 25, Geoff Pippus 17

This was a battle of the old Birds versus the new Birds... well, not really. The Academy ready to go with their usual 5 went up against the Monstars if you will, from UBC. UBC standing about 6'2, 6'6, 6'8, 6'8, and 6'10 across the board, while the scrappy Academy squad stands a mere 6'3, but with Bret Macdonald in the lineup, that severely drops to about 5'0! This game started back and forth the whole first half, with a barrage of three pointers on display from both squads. Graeme McCallum and Geoff Pippus were up to their usual antics... shooting every shot imaginable! While the Birds didn't necessarily utilize their size as well as they could have, and settled for a bunch of outside shots themselves. This game looked like it would be one for the ages, as The Academy was up 40-38 against the heavily favoured Thunderbirds from Point Grey.

As soon as the second half started, it was a different story. UBC started to use their size, and The Academy understandably, ran out of juice. Luka, Conor, and Pat Simon all put on an offensive rebounding clinic that would even make the Detroit Pistons 'Bad Boys' crack a smile. This helped them get out to a 12 point lead with 10 minutes to go, and they wouldn't look back. Conor Morgan finished the game with a big dunk, and that was the final blow for the Academy.

Stallions 100 - Hilltoppers 0

MEN'S DIVISION 2

Western Union 74 – WH 67

Western – Mannie Deo: 20 pts,  Clancy: 16 pts

WH – Ben: 24 pts, Jamie: 17 pts

In the standings, these two teams are not that far apart on the standings. Both teams have been making headlines all season on their great games.  Both teams are almost carbon copies of each other, as far as philosophies go. Both teams like to run, but can run an effective half court offense too. They also like to pressure the ball for turnovers, that lead to easy fast break buckets!

This game was tight throughout, but would see Western Union break the game open late in the 2nd half. Mannie Deo’s hustle and patented “Half Hook Shot”. The high flying Karmal “Olidipo” showed off his acrobatics on offense and defense! The veteran Western Union team would notch an important win, that could mean big things in the playoff seeding.

Emperors 59 – Stepbrothers 42

Emperors – Jacky C: 12 pts, Kevin: 10 pts

Stepbrothers – Williams: 11 pts, Brent: 9 pts

The Stepbrothers have always put forth 100% on the court, even though they are still winless for the season. The Emperors come into this matchup needing a victory to give them a boost on the eve of the playoffs!  

The Emperors were off balanced in this game to say the least. Not sure if it was the Step Bros unorthodox approach, or their enthusiasm threw them off.  hey struggle for most of the game to find some continuity. The Emperors would string together a few good runs in the 2nd half to salt away the game. The Step Bros did score more this game then they did in their last game. Something to build on for the future.

Ball So Hard 57 – The Party 47

BSH – Devon Carney: 19 pts, Eric Kung and Ravi Basra: 8 pts each

The Party – Jitt Locham: 31 pts, Daniel Laventure: 9 pts

Ball So Hard came into this game, and every game, with their “Game Faces” on! This one more intense than usual in facing the always dangerous “Party” squad! While Ball So Hard’s leader Ravi Basra had his team in near full “attendance”, The Party only had 5 players show up for this dance.

Even with the Party having some “added firepower”, they would find themselves trying to figure out the puzzle that is Devon Carney!!! Devon, just like most seasons, looked to be in playoff mode already. The moves, the speed, and the scoring kept the Party on their heels for most of the game! The Party made a 2nd half fun, but Ravi and Devon closed the door on any attempt to steal this game!

YMCMB 48 – Flight 42

YMCMB – Tauren: 13 pts, Mikey: 9 pts

Flight – Kevin: 14 pts, Matt: 11 pts

Two teams that have been to the finals and won the final game, find themselves in weird waters! Flight has battled a countless amount of injuries in the last few seasons. Seemed like yesterday, Flight was battling it out for the league title! YMCMB are former champions, and have always been a threat to every team it faced…..up until recently.

YM has fallen victim to injuries, defections, and the “retirement” of Anthony “Lebron James” Lao! Kelly Lo and Jacky Ho have also missed time due to injuries and prior obligations.  This game was sloppy, but still competitive. Opportunities missed should have been the title for this game!

Flight put up a fight through out the game, but their consistency on both ends of the floor only showed up in the first half. YM turned on their “Championship Metal”, and were able to sneak past Flight for the victory.

B2B 56 – SoulGood 52

B2B – Will: 12 pts, Glen Shung: 10 pts

SoulGood – Adi Baybay: 20 pts, Jorden: 8 pts

This contest was a “Pick em” pregame.  The height and energy of B2B vs the energy and athletism of SoulGood!  It was an up and down affair, with everyone running full speed all over the floor.  One person stood out with their Bright Shoes and quick feet, and his new nickname is “FEET”!   SoulGood’s Adi Baybay has come out as the standout player for SoulGood this year, and his quick feet are a big part of that.

B2B had a few players that could match the quick feet of Adi, in the form of Glen “Catapult” Shung and Will Chaing!  It took both of them to match the point total of Adi Baybay, but those two combined for good defense too.  B2B would take advantage of their height advantage late in the game to secure the win.  Jermaine “J Fresh” Foster twisted his ankle early in the game, hampering SoulGood’s chances for victory.

Sofa King Good 100 – B.O.B. 83

SKG – A Jhooty: 36 pts, Kevin Rasumussen: 19 pts

B.O.B. – Paulius: 18 pts, Reese: 16 pts

In a rare Monday night Showdown, two of Division 2s best teams square off in between the lines! The “controversial” B.O.B. squad brought their heavy hitters to go up against the former Van Metro champion Sofa King Good!

SFG were missing a few key players to their nucleus, and looked to be vulnerable in this matchup! The first half would see both teams going for the juggler! Fast and even frantic at times, both teams shot the ball well in the first half. Almost drawing to a stalemate.  

The 2nd half would show why SKG are champions! The infamous “Palmer Zone” was in full effect, and help stymie the powerful B.O.B. attack. SKG would outduel B.O.B. in the three pointer made category in the 2nd half, besting them 11 – 6! Almost Golden State/Cleveland Cavs type performances! SKG would hold on to put a big feather in their cap with this win!