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"We are not ready for the playoffs. But I think, if we can get through the first round, we may have a shot," said John Walton.

"You think so? We lost to the top three teams in each conference in succession. I don't think we are ready for anything. WE are unpredictable. And that will only take us so far. If the players show up, yes, we have a shot. But if they don't? Then I do not like our chances," said Bobby Sparks.

"It's the age. We are going to have to blow it up and start over at some point," said Coach Boone. "The sooner the better. Who cares if we don't stay in Division 3. Let's go down to D.4 and win some titles. Our players are old. I don't trust them in the playoffs. It's impossible to know what plays to run for them. We should be a great Look inside team, but we are not. So, we have to just pray..., that we can do well this season."

"And we will. I have every confidence and faith in this team," said Bobby Sparks.

"As you should say. Doesn't make it true," replied Coach Boone.


The Hustlas vs The Philadelphia Spartans. Next!

Samantha Swinson: "I'm Samantha Swinson and this is the Warrior's Post Game Report. We take you now to Pluck TaPaul who is with Coach Stephenson"

Pluck TaPaul: Coach, big win tonight. A rivalry win on top of that. How does it feel to get
the sweep?

Coach S: Real good. Hmm close game, especially early. Hard fought. That should not surprise anyone regarding
this rivalry. We tried to come up with a game plan that would allow us to ... set a high tempo but also try
to contain their bigs. Fortunately for us the plan we came up with worked.

Pluck TaPaul: You guys have essentially clinched a playoff berth with this win. How are you guys taking this all in?

Coach S: We're happy to be in the playoffs again. Second year in a row. Lord knows how hard that is to do in this
league especially given how tough the Big 8 has been this year. But that was our goal. First and foremost
make the playoffs. Unfortunately we can't really become too relaxed. The 209 went thuggish ruggish vs
Philly. Hmm like I said a week or so back, they're a dangerous squad and just as much as we want to
be in the playoffs they want to be in. Now they and Lindale are duking it out for that final playoff spot
and we're caught in the middle.

Pluck TaPaul: Speaking of that. Last game in the SMG this season. Lindale will be coming weapons hot for
all the reasons mentioned. What's the game plan for Pio Reina and that squad?

Coach S: Well the Old Man is still there so still have to consider what wheels are turning in his head. (pauses) Oh
Lord! Now see what you've done (laughs). He's gonna be calling me out while talking to Happy.
Can hear him now. "Who you calling old!"

But nah we're gonna treat it like we treat every game. We're gonna evaluate what's best for our team
and plan according to that goal. There are so many scenarios we have to consider. We could be facing
these guys the following week in the playoffs. So you know, but there's no doubt they're gonna be doing
everything they can to light it up and get the win. For them it is basically a play-in game. Win and
They're in. They're in the post season. They're guaranteed another season here in Division III. Lose and
then it becomes a matter of this and that. Win percentages and tiebreakers and relegation. Right now
we're celebrating this win. 5 AM tomorrow I'll be stra-ta-tah-jahzing.

Pluck TaPaul: Speaking of strategy. You went with a Box defense! Any particular reason?

Coach S: You know I'm a John Chaney guy! I love me some match-up zone! Hmm foolin aside, we knew in this
game two things couldn't happen. Armstead couldn't have a 20 rebound game nor could Singh be
allowed to run amuck getting his own shot with ease. Well you've seen the man over the years. You
can't just put one man on Cloth. He just starts wiping the floor on the interior. At the same time we
wanted to neutralize Singh's ability to drive pass the first man. Everything kept leading that answer so
'Wha-la!' I'm just happy it worked.

Pluck TaPaul: That it did. Thanks Coach, enjoy the win.

Coach S: Thanks Pluck.

Pluck TaPaul: Back to you Sam!

Last edited by Coach Stephenson at 1/18/2023 3:17:39 AM

Day 21 (Tuesday 17 January 2023) : Performances by (https://www.buzzer-manager.com)

Night results
San Dominica Warriors 110 - Lion Rebels 85
Linndale 166 - BOBBBSBURGS 53
BKDogs 77 - Carolina Rebels 105
209’s MostWanted 116 - Philly Dribble 108
Motor City Waddupdoe 47 - The Ashkickers 105
Miami Cleo 66 - The Beer Bellys 77
Żubr Białystok 124 - Sweaty Socks 47
Hustlas 116 - The Philadelphia Spartans 114

Best collective performance of the evening
Points : 166 : Linndale
Rebounds : 67 : Linndale
Assists : 42 : Linndale
Steals : 24 : Linndale
Block Shots : 10 : The Ashkickers, Linndale

Personal best performances of the evening
Points : 39 : K. Brown (Lion Rebels)
Rebounds : 26 : H. Espinosa (Carolina Rebels)
Assists : 10 : G. Cappilli (The Philadelphia Spartans)
Steals : 4 : J. Brown (Linndale), M. Grimm (Żubr Białystok), P. Paredi (BKDogs)
Block Shots : 3 : E. Öztün (The Ashkickers), T. Colomina (The Ashkickers), R. Sanz Garcáa (Linndale)

Top 5 of the evening
Point Guard : A. Kričković (Żubr Białystok) (25 Points, 5 Rebounds, 9 Assists, 1 Steals, 1 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 36
Shooting Guard : K. Knowles (Linndale) (18 Points, 1 Rebounds, 9 Assists, 2 Steals, 1 Block Shots), J. Esposito (Hustlas) (37 Points, 2 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 1 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 28
Small Forward : A. Reese (Linndale) (31 Points, 4 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 2 Steals, 0 Block Shots), Y. Delagnès (Żubr Białystok) (29 Points, 11 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 3 Steals, 1 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 33
Power Forward : H. Espinosa (Carolina Rebels) (30 Points, 26 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 1 Steals, 2 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 46
Center : R. Sanz Garcáa (Linndale) (16 Points, 16 Rebounds, 6 Assists, 2 Steals, 3 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 40

MVP of the evening
H. Espinosa (Carolina Rebels) (30 Points, 26 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 1 Steals, 2 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 46

The bad performance of the evening
J. Dotson (Sweaty Socks) (13 Points, 2 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 2 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : -12

All kinds of statistics
The player who forgot to remove his mittens : J. Moore (BOBBBSBURGS) : 8 Turnovers

Player targeted by the referees : G. Blair (BOBBBSBURGS) : 6 Personnal Fouls

The iron-man : A. Gallucci (Miami Cleo), J. Dotson (Sweaty Socks), H. Espinosa (Carolina Rebels), M. Bowie (Motor City Waddupdoe), T. Medina (Lion Rebels), Y. Delagnès (Żubr Białystok) : 48 Minutes

The shooter : J. Esposito (Hustlas) : 6 Three points

The best performer : M. San Miguel (The Ashkickers) : Rating : 16.5

The worst performer : E. Meeks (Sweaty Socks), J. Moore (BOBBBSBURGS) : Rating : 1.5

"Hello Hustla fans, I am Cash Danger, and welcome to Hustlas TV. We are here to talk about another fourth quarter comeback by the Hustlas, but this one the best of the recent seasons of Hustlas basketball. The Hustlas went into The Philadelphia Spartans home and stole a victory."

"That's right Cash," says Katie Bell. "They went there and stole a victory. Though the game should not have been close to begin with, but the Hustlas we're playing lackadaisical and sloppy. And The Philadelphia Spartans played the Hustlas Achilles Heel offense, Look Inside. We thought they had them. Coach Boone thought they had them. The Hustla fanbase thought they were had, and th Philadelphia Spartans thought they had the game. And, for a while there, they did have them."

"I'm sorry everyone, that is the lovely Katie Bell filling in as co-host. And she is absolutely right, the Hustlas had this game lost," said Cash Danger. "In the 3rd quarter with 5:12 left, the Hustlas we're down 63-86. We could not understand why they were down and what they were doing. They were not playing good basketball and this game was out of hand. But then, shortly afterwards, the Hustlas bench play improved. They came alive. They cut the deficit going into the 4th, Hustlas down 13. Katie?..."

Katie Bell continues, " But then the amazing 4th quarter begins. Hustlas trying to make a run, but The Philadelphia Spartans refusing to yield. The lead is back up to 17 after this play,

(F. Taylor (H) gets off a great pass to G. Romão (H). G. Romão (H) forces up a three from the top of the arc. Scored.)
Hustlas down 85-102. 9:41 left in the game, down 17."

"And it didn't get better from there," continues Cash Danger, "as with 8:46 remaining, Hustlas we're still down 17, 87-104. From there, the Hustlas began their crawl. They would outscore the Spartans from here, 29-10. At 4:41 left in the 4th, we all thought that the game was over, score was 99-114. Then the Hustlas defense came alive."

"They held the Philadelphia Spartans scoreless for the rest of the game. Even still, it felt like the Hustlas could not make the comeback," said Katie Bell. "Be sure with 1:41 left, the Hustlas we're down 105-114, and Denkovic was at the free throw line. 2 free throws for Denkovic, a basket by Klin and Slakteris brought the score to 111-114. Hustlas still had a shot but the Philadelphia Spartans had the ball."

"And then, this sequence takes place..."
A replay of the game plays..
( 0:34 111 - 114 P. Zychowicz (H) tries a driving layup. Shot missed.
0:34 111 - 114 S. Klin (A) corrals the missed shot.
0:26 114 - 114 J. Esposito (A) attempts a three-point shot from the wing with A. Llanos (H) right in his face. Scored)

Cash Danger continues, "Esposito ties the game with 26 seconds left. He had 37 on the night, hitting his 6th three point shot. The Spartans, with no timeouts left, went down and tried to score, missed, and
Senserrich grabbed the rebound."

Katie Bell, excitable, continues, "With one second left, Senserrich goes up and is fouled by F. Taylor. Senserrich went to the line. Hustlas we're perfect from the free throw line in the fourth, and clawed all the way back. With one second left, Senserrich sinked the two free throws, giving The Hustlas their first lead of the game. With one second left, the Philadelphia Spartans got a great look, but missed, giving the Hustlas the impossible comeback and improbable victory."

"What a game, what a finish," said Cash Danger. "All the people that tuned in to the game late saw a great finish. The Hustlas did incredible, and showed true grit in coming back and squeezing that one out."

"Yes they did Cash," said Katie Bell. "And now they move on to their final game of the season. They did place most of their players on the transfer wire, but we don't see any movement taking place, thought their big backup center, Take, has been transferred. That means Hannes Karus, if he isn't transferred, will get those minutes."

"T

Last edited by Reece at 1/19/2023 1:02:44 AM

Great recap and thanks for highlighting this - I hadn't looked closely at the box scores yet - crazy win! I think the biggest comeback I've seen.

"Happy Ourer with Coach on the night before his final regular season game of his illustrious career. Coach, this is your show tonight! Anything you want to say or talk about?"

"No", Coach replied, "not in particular. It's been a good run, and I just hope all the fans are proud."

"Coach, on the eve of the final game of the season, we find ourselves with having to win to get into the playoffs. WHat needs to go right to get that win?"

"Everything. This is not going to be a walk in the park. You know what to expect from us. We're going to take care of the basketball, try to force turnovers, fight for rebounds, share the basketball, and play some good defense. Us old guys are set in their ways; we do what we do."

"Speaking of old, Coach, you heard about the comments from your counterpart with your opponent?"

"Happy, I wasn't bothered. It's true; I am old. It's why I'm handing over the reins to Pio Reina and walking away. This is a young man's game. The problem is I've got a locker room of young guys who are incensed and feel like I'm being disrespected. They can't wait to get on to the court and get the last word.."

"What about the possibility of playing them in the first round of the playoffs?"

"Happy, if we do, then we'll go out and take care of business. The game will get played. We'll try to win. Of course, we've got to get there first, and that's no easy task. We'll do the best we can, and let the chips fall where they may."

"Coach, what has to happen to make the playoffs? What has to happen for you to pull this game out?"

"We have to win. We have to make more shots than they do. We have to keep them from second opportunities. We have to not foul them or turn the ball over. We can't give away possessions. We can't get away from being who we are. When we play our brand of basketball, things tend to work out for us. We're not changing or doing anything special. Happy, there comes a point where you got to roll out your best and say `here we come, stop us if you can`. Well, here we are. You know what we do. Stop us if you can. If they do, we don't deserve to make the playoffs. Plain and simple."

"We'll be back with more from Coach after this commercial break!"

"Marshall Richards with Coach at halftime, where Linndale leads the San Dominica Warriors 41-35. Coach, what was the key?"

"Well Marshall", Coach replies, "the boys just had to slow down and trust the plan. We got off to a slow start on both ends, but once they got comfortable, things got working. It helps that we don't think San Dominica isn't playing their best; they're in the playoffs so that makes sense."

"Coach, it appears you've unleashed a new wrinkle. Why now?"

""Well Marshall, I didn't want to tip our postseason plans, because we may be playing them again most likely in round one. And I figured, let's do something we don't do. I can't remember the last time we used this defense if ever. Gotta keep them guessing. Of all the things to think about, I wouldn't guess anyone saw this coming."

"Thanks Coach, and good luck in the second half."

"Thank you, Marshall!"

*inside the Linndale locker room, postgame*

"Congratulations, gentlemen, now the hard work begins. But first, a celebration is in order!"

"Coach," point guard Bobby Coenen spoke in the silent locker room, "that's exactly we can't celebrate and we won't. We've got work to do."

"Yeah, Coach" Paul Lutz spoke up, "we're glad to be here, but we're not satisfied. We've got work to do."

"Gentlemen", Pio Reina said, "as a former player let me point out the playoffs are never guaranteed. Making them is an accomplishment to celebrate."

"Yeah guys, celebrate! It's the last one with me around!" Coach was in a good mood. "We're not done yet!"

"Speech" shouted Kyle Knowles.

"Speech... speech... SPEECH..." The chant quickly spread and gained intensity as the rest of the team joined in.

"All right, Kyle, but you go first. You're the guy who led the way on offense, Mr. 45 points tonight!"

"Thanks guys," Kyle started, "but i couldn't have done it without all of you guys. Speech over; your turn, Coach."

"SPEECH! SPEECH! SPEECH!"

*fade to black*

The camera pans in on the Hustlas locker room. The coach comes in with Bobby Sparks and John Walton.

"Another come from behind victory after being down 20 point," says Coach Boone. "I think I will need a new heart after this one."

"You guys fought, and that is what it's all about. Not winning and losing, but fighting. You fight here in a child's game, you fight in life. Having that fight, win or lose, and you are a winner. And right now, you guys are winners. You fought. You didn't hang your heads. I'm proud of all of you," says John Walton, former coach and current General Manager.

"Well said John." Team President Bobby Sparks steps forward. "We beat our projections from last season by a wide margin..and the last two wins, and I believe 3 or 4 on the season, have resulted in major comebacks. The last two were the best. Last game was the best by far, and then this one. You guys did well. And I'm proud, but not just proud, I'm satisfied."

The team cheers before the camera pans away, then goes black.

Day 22 (Saturday 21 January 2023) : Performances by (https://www.buzzer-manager.com)

Night results
Lion Rebels 135 - BOBBBSBURGS 34
Linndale 88 - San Dominica Warriors 76
Carolina Rebels 89 - Philly Dribble 116
209’s MostWanted 114 - BKDogs 94
The Ashkickers 90 - The Beer Bellys 89
Miami Cleo 87 - Motor City Waddupdoe 43
Sweaty Socks 60 - The Philadelphia Spartans 147
Hustlas 108 - Żubr Białystok 105

Best collective performance of the evening
Points : 147 : The Philadelphia Spartans
Rebounds : 75 : Lion Rebels
Assists : 48 : The Philadelphia Spartans
Steals : 13 : The Philadelphia Spartans
Block Shots : 13 : The Philadelphia Spartans

Personal best performances of the evening
Points : 45 : K. Knowles (Linndale)
Rebounds : 17 : F. Taylor (The Philadelphia Spartans), R. Sanz Garcáa (Linndale)
Assists : 12 : G. Cappilli (The Philadelphia Spartans)
Steals : 5 : M. Grimm (Żubr Białystok)
Block Shots : 6 : G. Romão (The Philadelphia Spartans)

Top 5 of the evening
Point Guard : C. McNutt (Żubr Białystok) (27 Points, 3 Rebounds, 9 Assists, 2 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 34
Shooting Guard : M. San Miguel (The Ashkickers) (41 Points, 6 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 2 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 34
Small Forward : G. Romão (The Philadelphia Spartans) (18 Points, 8 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 2 Steals, 6 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 33
Power Forward : F. Taylor (The Philadelphia Spartans) (31 Points, 17 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 2 Steals, 3 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 54
Center : P. Zychowicz (The Philadelphia Spartans) (25 Points, 15 Rebounds, 7 Assists, 1 Steals, 1 Block Shots), T. Medina (Lion Rebels) (27 Points, 13 Rebounds, 6 Assists, 1 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 42

MVP of the evening
F. Taylor (The Philadelphia Spartans) (31 Points, 17 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 2 Steals, 3 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 54

The bad performance of the evening
G. Blair (BOBBBSBURGS) (5 Points, 2 Rebounds, 0 Assists, 0 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : -10

All kinds of statistics
The player who forgot to remove his mittens : F. Killian (Motor City Waddupdoe), M. Redman (Motor City Waddupdoe), L. Senserrich (Hustlas) : 6 Turnovers

Player targeted by the referees : E. Meeks (Sweaty Socks), L. Baião (San Dominica Warriors), C. Riggins (Żubr Białystok), J. Moore (BOBBBSBURGS) : 6 Personnal Fouls

The iron-man : G. Locus (Miami Cleo), J. Dotson (Sweaty Socks), F. Killian (Motor City Waddupdoe), M. Redman (Motor City Waddupdoe), Y. Delagnès (Żubr Białystok), M. Grimm (Żubr Białystok) : 48 Minutes

The shooter : J. Dotson (Sweaty Socks) : 8 Three points

The best performer : A. Varpukevicius (Miami Cleo) : Rating : 16.5

The worst performer : E. Meeks (Sweaty Socks) : Rating : 1.0

Well, after gaining some clarity of our roster Friday night during an enhanced daze of rum and edibles I realized in the moment that my back-court is getting too old to sustain DIII level of play much longer. All but Segovia are on their way out, good chance he could be listed early next season as well. Need to devote time/money towards buying and training up the Belly guards of the future. Honestly I've put this off probably a season too long, but I couldn't face leaving this league and all the great conversations in here! At least we'll have one more season before relegation.

Best of luck to everyone in the playoffs/relegation!