MEN'S DIVISION 1

UBC 60 – All Native 46

UBC – Phil: 19 pts, Conor Morgan: 17 ptsAll Native – Gene Wolff: 12 pts, Sean Holland: 11 pts

On paper, this looked like a mismatch. The young UBC Thunderbirds successfully working their way through their first campaign in Vancouver Metro. All Native team brought in chemistry and a lot of basketball IQ to this matchup, and they would need every bit of it for this game.

All Native employed the tradition al 2-3 zone to help with the height and athletism of UBC, but they did a good job of closing off lanes to the drivers early. The rough and tumble style of All Native kept UBC off balanced for most of the first half. So much so, the halftime score had both teams under 30 points!

UBC’s Phil Jalalpoor turned on the aggression button in the 2nd half, and helped facilitate a flow for UBC that they would carry through the end of the game. Phil’s first half three pointers helped soften up the zone for Connor Morgan and Pat Simon 3s. In the end, UBC proved that they can win the fast pace and grind it out Vancouver Metro games.

Sonic Boom 71- All Native 62 (Exhibition)

Sonic Boom – Gabe “G2” Gibbs and Emerson Murray: 21 pts eachAll Native – Sean Holland and Gene Wolff: 13 pts each

After fighting against a big and athletic Thunderbird team, All Native kept this one close the whole game by playing their usual tough, slow it down type of game. Although it was an exhibition game, it sure didn't feel like it. Emerson hit 5's and helped Sonic Boom win by 9 with their full squad back in town.

SB Battle 88 – Stallions 66

SB Battle – Demi Harris: 20 pts, Gabe: 18 ptsStallions – Elliot Mason: 29 pts, Jit Locham: 11 pts

In the unofficial standings, these two teams are deadlocked at the top for the #1 spot! Both teams were nearly at full strength, except for a few players on SB Battle that were missing. A few significant cogs in the wheels that make SB Battle go.

The beginning of the game was competitive like it should be for two teams vying for that top spot! Elliot Mason would come out on fire for the Stallions hitting on four 3 point shots, and helping the Stallions jump all over SB. Battle would counter with a full team attack led by Demi Harris, and stabilized by the return of Joey Haywood.

While the first half was close, the 2nd half would belong to SB! Demi continued his scoring onslaught, but was joined by Gabriel Gibbs and Joey Haywood. The Stallions seemed to run out of gas in the 2nd half, while SB continued to flex their muscle all the way to the end of the game. SB Battle once again stands on top as the #1 seed in Div 1.

Underwater Squad 78 – Blues 64

Underwater – Jamie: 26 pts, Daniel: 15 ptsBlues - Chris: 20 pts, Mo: 11 pts

The Underwater Squad find themselves jockeying for a better seed in Division 1 as the playoffs get close. They would be without their leading scorer again in Tommy Nixon, but they may have found a suitable replacement! Daniel Ferguson helped anchor Underwater in the first half with the support of his team. The young Blues squad was up to the task, and pushed the short handed Underwater team to the limit.

The second half belonged to Jamie! The Blues hit a wall in the 2nd half, and would see the game slip through their grasp. Underwater is still an unknown in the pantheon that is Division 1, but anything can happen in the end.

The Academy 98 – Toonsquad 72

Academy – Geoff Pippus: 34 pts, Graeme McCallum: 28 ptsToonsquad – Jadon Cohee: 29 pts, Vartan: 20 pts

The always formidable Academy team went up against the young Toonsquad in what looked to be a good game....before it started! The Academy welcomed back Doug Plumb after a freak accident 4 years ago, or yet it seemed, and he looked like his old self. The Academy got out to a 35 point lead in the first half and would cruise en route the 26 point win. Jadon Cohee did everything he could to keep the Toonsquad from being embarrassed, but it wasn't enough. Geoff Pippus was en fuego from 3, and if there is anyone this year who could give the record of 12 three pointers in a single game a go, it would be him! Graeme McCallum finished with a quiet 28, which included all sorts of different finishes, while Vartan finished with 20 points, which included 6 three pointers.

The Academy Now moves to 5-2 and look to be a force to reckon with now that they are finally healthy!

MEN'S DIVISION 2

Emperors 71 – Flight 66

Emperors – Koo:16 pts, Brathe: 12 ptsFlight – Matt: 22 pts, Kevin: 15 pts

The Emperors, led by Frankie Liu, always arrive at the court with an “NBA number” of players. Their jerseys are stylish and one of a kind, not to mention that they bring more players to the games than an NBA roster! Flight on the other hand, is still looking to find their footing in the league. A few good pick ups for the roster have not shown promise, but has not resulted in wins.

The Emperors blitzed Flight in the first half with their height and depth! It looked liked the game was a “wrap”, until the 2nd half came along. Flight put in their championship game experience effort, and battled back to have a chance to win in the end. However, wasted possessions and turnovers sealed their fate. 

B.O.B. 75 – Soul Good 59

B.O.B. – Martin: 28 pts, Mo: 22 ptsSoul Good – Alan “Spidey”: 16 pts, Ni: 11 pts

The “controversial” B.O.B. team continues to make their mark on the Division 2 world. Some have muttered that they should be playing in the powerhouse Division 1 section, yet their overall height and lack of bench depth seems to contradict the action to move them up. Soul Good has put in good efforts week in and week out, even after losing one of their glue guys in Andrew “Dru C” Creightney! 

The first half looked like a horse race, with each team running for the near post for position! The first half was a stalemate, but the 2nd half was all B.O.B.! Not seeing B.O.B. play that much this season, I can see why their opponents are complaining! As the game went on, it seemed that they just got better! Well timed passing and cuts, mixed in with the 3 point launches put B.O.B. on top and ahead for the rest of the game shortly into the 2nd half. B.O.B. is silently making their way to a top seed without most of the league knowing it!

YMCMB 55 – Core 54

YM – Jack Ho: 22 pts, Corey: 14 ptsCore – Karol: 19 pts, Nick: 16 pts

Both teams came into this game desperately needing a victory to keep their playoff hopes alive. YMCMB still looked to be missing a few people to injury and “retirement”, while Core was also missing their starting point guard. The first half would see Core grab a slight advantage with their height, but YMs 3 pointers kept it close going into the half.

With Core on the verge of taking the game over, it became the Jacky Ho Show! Jacky put YM on his back and scored 13 of his 22 points late in the 2nd half including hitting the go ahead jumper to give them a 1 point lead that they would hold on to!

B2B 58 – StepBrothers 32

B2B – Jaaco: 14 pts, Glen Sheung: 10 ptsStepbrothers – Jason: 12 pts, Williams: 7 pts

 B2B wasted no time in dismantling the always energetic StepBrothers squad. B2B is hard to gauge because they get buckets from all over the floor, and from nearly all of their players! The StepBrothers started well, but were non-existent in the 2nd half as it came to scoring. Too many turnovers, and too much B2B in this game.

Western Union 84 – Cloverdale Brodies 67

Western Union – Al: 25 pts, Mannie Deo: 16 ptsCloverdale – Harsimran Gill: 19 pts, Mike Munro and Manraj Gill: 14 pts each

One of my favorite new teams in Div 2 is the Cloverdale Brodies! They have nearly everything you want in a team as an organizer. Good energy, good attitude, hardworking, and ready to play. They are one of the best three point shooting team in entire Metro League. The big problem for them is that they are across the board short!

The lack of height would not help them vs the title contending Western Union squad. Like clockwork, Cloverdale bombed in 8 first half 3 pointers, and carried a short lead up until the end of the half. The 2nd half was predictable too, as The Brodies would run out of gas. Western Union continued on with their methodical pressure in the paint to run away with this game in the end.

Sofa King Good 66 – Ball So Hard 42

SKG – Antonio: 30 pts. Brandon Tait: 12 ptsBSH – Gibran: 16 pts, Andrew: 7 pts

Always a gang of excitement with these two teams meet up in Division 2! This one would be a little “feisty”! Both teams tested each other out in the first half, and it was filled with a bunch of missed shots with some physical play. Hustle points went to Sofa King Good as they looked to win all 50/50 balls. 

The second half would see SKG start to pull away from Ball So Hard, and that is where the chippiness escalated! 3 players were ejected from the game, on “Non-Suspendable” circumstances! SKG continues their push for the top spot, while they “irritate” the competition on the way!

The Party 67 – WH 61

Party – Chris Loreth: 28 pts, Niko Mottus: 13 ptsWH – Brandon: 17 pts, Jamie: 12 pts

WH has been on the verge of being put in the upper crust section of the Division 2 ranks. They look to be putting themselves into a good position going into the playoffs. The Party is always looking to “party”, by spoiling the “Party” of other teams.

In a game where WH was the odds on favorite, Chris Loreth had a different plan for them! WH had a balanced attack, but Chris carried the entire Party team on his back!  21 of his game high 28 points came in the first half giving The Party a comfortable lead. WH would come all the way back and failed snag the game from the upstarts. Great win for The Party, but is it too late for a playoff push?