Championship – Sunday (3/25) 2pm @ MLK HS
(2) BOMB SQUAD (7-1)
Scouting Report: This powerhouse lineup hasn’t skipped a beat in the playoffs, they’re getting great production from every player on the roster right now. This team is bigger, stronger, and carries more experience than their opponent, NFU. What they don’t have much of is length and overall team speed, which are two strengths of the Falcons. If this one is close in the final quarter, BOM will have to dictate the tempo, and close out this game deliberately.
Key Players: (F) Jerry Ho (18.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg), (F) Sherwin Salar (17 ppg, 7.5 rpg, (G) James Han (14 ppg)
(5) NY FALCONS U. (5-3)
Scouting Report: There a lot of IFs facing this young Falcons team, but IF (G) Edward Lui is there, and IF he gets hot from 3, they might have a chance. If (F) George Casale and (C) Mack Witherspoon can defend the paint without getting into foul trouble, they have a chance. IF they can play their pace, and force BOM out of their comfort zone, they might have a pretty good chance of winning this thing. Make no mistake, NFU are the underdog here, but this is single-elimination, and if they can maximize their effort for just one game, they might be able to pull this one off.
Key Players: (G) Edward Lui (19 ppg, 2 rpg), (F) George Casale (14.5 ppg, 9 rpg), Mack Witherspoon (14 rpg, 2.5 bpg)
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Championship – Sunday (3/25) 3pm @ MLK HS
(1) GOAT HERDERS (8-1)
Scouting Report: The Herders have the biggest Big 3 in D3 with (G) Asolos Ferehanis, (G) Evan Tsevdos and (F) Pete Tsevdos. But this isn’t a team of just scorers, they can scrap defensively, playing with more physicality in the back court than most D3 teams are accustomed to. The same can be said of Tsevdos from the power forward position. The key to facing an SPR team playing without their MVP is to not get complacent. If they let SPR hang around, crazier things have happened.
Key Players: (G) Asolos Ferehanis (16.5 ppg, 3.5 spg), (F) Pete Tsevdos (16.5 ppg, 15 rpg), (G) Evan Tsevdos (11 ppg, 2.5 spg)
(3) SPAGHETTI RAMEN (6-3)
Scouting Report: Injury report has multi-time MVP (G) Leuis Ng listed as OUT for this game. Which, obviously, is a huge loss Ramen. But that doesn’t mean there will be any lack of effort on the part of SPR, they don’t know how to play any other way. They’ll bring max effort regardless of who is available, and something tells me they’d like to win one without Ng for once.
Key Players: (G) Leuis Ng (18 ppg, 6 rpg), (F) Matt Auerbach (10 ppg), (F) Mark Hahn (9 ppg, 4.5 apg)
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CHAMPIONSHIP – Sunday (3/25) 4pm @ MLK HS
(2) BLACK MAMBAS (8-1)
Scouting Report: 1st Division scoring champ (G) Ryan Kennedy has carried the Mambas on offense all season, but even if with one of his rare off-games, MAM found a way to win. Much of that is due to their commitment to D. This is a team with plenty of able shooters, plenty of speed, and equal parts hustle and determination. Perhaps their only weakness is in their low-post scoring options. They don’t have one, but they have plenty of glass who crash the glass to create second chance opportunities. This is the Mambas first championship appearance, but if they control this game early, it should be theirs to lose against a short-handed NFZ team.
Key Players: (G) Ryan Kennedy (10 ppg, 5 apg), (G) J.C. Bonilla (14 ppg, 4 apg), (F) Jack Shanahan (12 ppg, 6 rpg)
(4) YUNG NO FLY ZONE (6-3)
Scouting Report: The Flyers haven’t had much of an available roster all season. They’ll come into this game with just 5 available. That’s not a particularly good look for a team that is markedly older and slower than their opponent. But, they have been here before, for the past three seasons in fact. They know what to expect, but with key scorer (F) Kieran Brennan out of the lineup, NFZ will be out of their depth in a shootout. This is going to have to be an old-fashioned rumble.
Key Players: (F) Michael Reding (16.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg) (C) Ezra Hoover (21 ppg, 12 rpg), (F) Sherwin Salar (8.5 rpg, 7 rpg)