(1) YUNG NO FLY ZONE vs (4) LACE’O MY ASO
Semifinals – Saturday (12/3) 2:15pm at MLK HS
| Team Notes | Team | Score | Team | Team Notes |
| Yung No Fly Zone finished 7-0 but they weren’t necessarily the most dominant team all season. They are just a deep, veteran unit that knows how to win games. And they’re hungrier than ever after 4 seasons of disappointment following a debut title as a unit. Their wing scorers are their strengths, but NFZ relies heavily on 3-pt shooting, so whether they’re hot or cold will be key to whether LMA has a shot. |  NFZ 7-0 |
63-60 |
 LMA 5-3 |
Lace’o My Aso has come a long way, finally knocking off arch-rivals SKW, coming in as a true contender. They’ve found a way to win games with opportunistic D and clutch shooting, even when it looked like they had lost all momentum. Much of that has to do with (G) Mathew Joshy‘s ability to score from any spot on the floor. LMA isn’t very deep, but they have a sparkle about them. It could be their season. |
| Key Player: Michael Reding
Do-it-all Reding has been the most dominant player in D1 for the past year, with 3 MVPs to show for it. But his team relies on him so much that he has no margin for let up in the post season. They’ll need his A game to win it all. X-Factor: David Farnham Since his first season, Farnham has fit in well with NFZ’s run & gun style. He can put up huge #s, as he did this season with 35 ppg in 3 gms. If he hasn’t cooled in the layoff, NFZ might be unbeatable. |
 Pos: G21.6 ppg 14.8 rpg 4.6 apg
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 Pos: G 26.8 ppg 2.8 rpg 4.3 spg
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Key Player: Mathew Joshy
Joshy has been a killer all season, not only leading his team in scoring, but leading the league in steals. He can create his own shot, and knock down 3s with anyone off the pass. He must be the focal point of any defense. X-Factor: Kevin Cheddie Cheddie is often overlooked, but he is one of D1’s most versatile players. He is a big who can score off the dribble, and if the shot is going, he creates match-up problems. LMA needs a goodie from Cheddie. |
Pos: G/F(2) DORIS FROM REGO PARK vs (6) SESAME CHICKEN
Semifinals – Saturday (12/3) 3:15pm at MLK HS
| Team Notes | Team | Score | Team | Team Notes |
| They didn’t finish undefeated, but in their wins, Doris From Rego Park looked the most dominant. Mostly due to a suffocating defense that has them attacking opposing guards to force defenders while also making it hard to finish in the paint. You have to be able to make 3FGs against Doris and well, SES is not a great 3-pt shooting team. This one could be a blowout. |  DOR 7-1 |
62-51 |
SES 3-5 |
Sesame Chicken didn’t look good this season, but they snuck into the playoffs and caught a short-handed RAR in the 1st rd. They’ll need to play a perfect game to beat DOR, a team that feeds on TOs. SES will have to protect the ball better than their 13.3 TOpg and maybe get it in to (C) Het Sun a little more. DOR can sometimes be susceptible to bigger scorers in the paint. |
| Key Player: Zack Koerber
Arguably the best two-way player in D1, Koerber is a big, physical defender and scores the same kind of way. He loves to sneak up on you out in transition, going hard into the paint to finish or go to the FT line. X-Factor: Jordan Calhoun We’d put (G) Will Chu here, too, because if he gets hot from 3, DOR is nearly unbeatable. But Calhoun gets the nod because it’s his ability to protect the paint that allows the DOR guards to attack on D. |
 Pos: G22.7 ppg 6.3 rpg 3 spg
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 Pos: F 18.6 ppg 2.8 rpg 0.6 spg
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Key Player: Richard Sun
Sun is SES’s best scorer, he can post, he can hit the 3, he can take it off the bounce. But he tends to leak out and his rebounding rate is poor. They’ll need his presence on the glass in this one. Key Player: James Zhang Zhang is maybe the most versatile player in D1, but he isn’t always tuned in, especially on offense. But when he can get out on the break and is focused, he can finish tough shots and create mismatches. |
Pos: F/C