Rule No. 76 21, Craig Fencing 18
Rule No. 76 used an effective transition game and an injury to Craig Fencing's Russell Schaefer to take down the No. 26 seed in the tournament.
"We just knew we could push the ball," Tyler Martin of Rule No. 76 said. "Coming in unranked against a ranked team, all we thought we could do was run against these bigger guys.
Rule No. 76 forward Danny Nussbaum hit a jumper from the three-point line with his team leading 20-18 to secure the win.
Craig Fencing kept the game close even after Schaefer's injury when the game was tied at 11. Bookstore Basketball rules do not allow for a team to replace an injured player, so Craig Fencing played the remainder of the game a man down.
The two teams went back and forth until Nussbaum and Brandon Beck scored inside baskets to give Rule No. 76 a 19-16 lead.
"It was obviously a setback," Craig Fencing captain Gresham Kay said. "There was really nothing we could do about it. We went into a 2-2 zone and did the best we could."
Martin said Craig Fencing bore down on defense and prevented Rule No. 76 from running away with the game.
"They didn't let us take full advantage of [the injury] because they played hard," Martin said. "We pushed the ball inside ... and it worked out all right."
Kay was proud of the way his team played in the first half, as the two squads went back and forth in fast-paced play.
"I felt we were playing good basketball," he said. "The main thing was that [Craig Fencing guard] John Lindenmeyer was carrying us on his back."
Martin said he was proud of his team for knocking off a ranked opponent, no matter the circumstances.
"It's a good feeling," he said. "We weren't intimidated, but we didn't have high hopes coming in here. We had nothing to lose."
Team 265 21, We Got a Bad Draw 13
Team 265 defeated We Got a Bad Draw with physical play in the paint and a height advantage on the wings.
"I think that was our plan from the get-go - to use our height," Team 265 center Phil Rosloniec said. "I was blessed with height and I had to use it."
Rosloniec dominated in the paint, scoring four second-chance points in the second half.
"I know I couldn't get it done by shooting," he said. "In the paint is where I feel at home. It's my home away from home."
Undersized, Bad Draw kept the game close early. Joe "Mad Dogg" Schonhoff tied the game at three on a layup thanks to his own offensive rebound. But Rosloniec continued to dominate the paint, and Team 265 took an 11-6 lead at the half.
"They used their height - we used our hearts," Bad Draw's Nick "Nicky Z." Zarazua said. "Even when we boxed out, they were able to reach over our heads and get the rebound."
Team 265 took a 12-6 lead after the squads switched ends and Joe "Jay Murph" Murphy hit a jumper to cut the lead to 12-7. But Rosloniec and his teammates rattled off a 6-3 run to take an 18-10 advantage.
Three minutes later, Bad Draw guard Jimmy "Herbie" Buffi hit a runner and Murphy made a layup to cut the Bad Draw deficit to 18-13, but those were the final baskets the team would score.
"We accept responsibility," Zarazua said. "We could have played better. We give them credit - they were very athletic."
Rosloniec ended the game with a jumper from the left side.
"We've got to play better to win in the next round," he said.
Team 265 next plays April 18 against No. 8-seeded Mean Girls.
Captain Geech and the Shrimp Shack Shooters 21, Team 43 16
Team 43, an all-female team, scored the first point against the Shooters, a mixed squad, but couldn't hold the lead and fell behind 4-1.
Team 43 rallied to be down by just one at the half on the strength of a strong defensive performance, but the Shooters' post offense proved too much for them to handle. The Shooters took over the second half, showing impressive ball movement and securing the win.
"It was a hard-fought battle," the Shooters' Peter Johnson said. "It was looking bleak for a little bit there, but we persevered. It took dedication and years of practice."
Shoot, Don't Dribble 21, Lewis 3SW... and Mikey 1
Shoot, Don't Dribble advanced to the third round with a lopsided victory over Lewis 3SW ... and Mikey. Shoot, Don't Dribble jumped out to a large lead early, scoring 19 points before 3SW was able to get on the board.
The game became a defensive struggle late, but was ended decisively on a thunderous dunk from Shoot forward Matt Besler.
"We thrive when there's a target on our back," Shoot, Don't Dribble said in a team statement. The team has won its first two games by a combined score of 42-3.
3SW had a different take on the contest.
"We let them win because they're freshmen and we felt bad," they said in a joint statement after the game.
Bruce Flowers All-Stars 21, Moving Staircase 10
This marathon match-up at McGlinn courts featured two teams with unique names.
The All-Stars took their name from team member Thomas Flowers' father, Bruce, who played with Bill Laimbeer on the 1978 Notre Dame varsity basketball team that reached the Final Four and is Notre Dame's career leader in personal fouls with 378.
Moving Staircase took its name from an escalator mishap that caused guard Carrie Orr to spend part of her spring break in an emergency room getting stitches.
The two teams battled back and forth in a defensive struggle that lasted for over an hour before the All-Stars came away with a victory. The All-Stars used their height advantage and post presence to pull away at the end.
"We gave it a great effort," Orr said of her team's performance.
The All-Stars were happy to come away with a win after the grueling contest.
"It was a tough battle, but sheer determination brought us to victory," All-Star guard Kevin Johnson said.
The All-Stars also had a message for their next opponent.
"Insurance Waivers better watch their back," they said in a statement after the game.
Globo Gym Purple Cobras 21, Drop It Like It's Hoff 0
Drop it Like its Hoff arrived at the Bookstore courts confident Thursday night. Dressed in matching team jerseys, it taunted Globo Gym from across the court during the Purple Cobras warm-up.
Unfortunately for Hoff, Globo Gym let its playing do the talking, en route to a 21-0 victory.
The game started out with both teams missing their first four shots before the Purple Cobras were finally able to find their mark. Globo Gym used its height and athleticism to make an 11-0 run before half time.
Hoff's defense, which consisted of yelling "Noonan!" at random intervals in addition to kicking and punching the other team, could not slow down Globo Gym's offense.
"We knew we were in for a battle when the abuse started," Purple Cobras forward Ben Kaplan said.
Going into the game, that's what team Hoff wanted to do.
"All I got is defense," Hoff guard Julie, who asked that her last name remain anonymous, said. "I [am not good] at offense, so I got to play tough defense."
In the second half, it was more of the same, as Globo Gym could not be stopped. It used a series of breakaway lay-ups to increase its lead to 17-0 just minutes into the half.
After a few more shots by Hoff missed their mark, Globo Gym went on a quick 4-0 run to close out the game.
"It was a learning experience," Hoff forward Jim Riley said. "I just couldn't hit anything today. I think I spend too much time benching in Rolfs. We'll be back next year though."
