Despite an intense effort, Bird Flu could not overcome No. 20 Sparkle Motion's dominant play in a 21-3 loss Thursday.
Before the game, Bird Flu captain Colin Meyer was confident about his team's chances in the game - but Sparkle was the faster, stronger and overall better team.
Sparkle played tough defense throughout the game, forcing turnovers that led to multiple fast-break points for Sparkle. Sparkle Motion was able to spread the ball around on offense, getting the whole team involved.
The Bird Flu guard Brogan Ryan led his team's offense.
"I think we played well today, and we were glad we scored as many points as lives we saved by giving blood," Ryan said.
Unfortunately for Sparkle, the team had trouble shooting the ball and was forced to make second and third possession shots in order to get its baskets.
"It was disheartening, but we still feel we played well," Meyer said. "We took comfort in the fact that they missed more shots than we took."
Although the score showed a very disparate game, Bird Flu still played hard. Bird Flu played tough defense and got defensive rebounds. But they also caught a lot of bad bounces on most of their shots.
But Bird Flu could not over come Sparkle's speed, sending Sparkle to the round of 64.
Overrated 21, Show Killers 13
The Show Killers came close to knocking off No. 32 Overrated, but a 3-0 run before halftime swung the momentum in Overrated's favor, leading to a 21-13 win.
Both teams came out strong in the first half, keeping the game close behind quick offense with good ball movement by both teams.
The Show Killers were able to drive the ball inside well in the first half, getting off a lot of tough shots while also securing hard-fought rebounds.
The Killers also shot well from outside, especially guard Dan Klauer. Klauer brought the defense out with multiple long-range jumpers and then worked the ball back inside to keep the Killers out in front for most of the first half.
But Overrated would not be kept down, including a comeback just before the break to go into halftime with an 11-10 lead - one the squad would not relinquish the rest of the game.
The key to the win for Overrated was its defense, especially in the second half. Overrated used its height and speed advantages to block the Killers' inside shots while also quickly getting back outside to defend the long range shots.
Overrated captain Matt Young was proud of his team's effort in the win.
"[The Killers] were a good test for us, but we were able to get the quality win and make it to the round of 64," Young said.
We KNOW Where You Got Your Tan 21, Team Jorts 9
Team Jorts was slowed down by its overalls and flannels as it lost to We KNOW Where You Got Your Tan Thursday.
Tan, a group of O'Neill sophomores, used its speed to dominate the game as the team had three of its players register more than five points. Gabe Mascaro led the team with six. He also had the highlight of the game when he leaped, caught a ball over his head with his back to the hoop and tapped it into the hoop from four feet out before landing.
"The shot was a special play we worked on in practice," Mascaro said.
Mascaro also made major contributions on the defensive side as he consistently disrupted the passing lanes and came up with five steals which led to multiple fast break opportunities.
Brendan Ryan and Tim Goldschmidt also had five baskets each. Goldschmitt used his size to grab rebounds and finish plays. Ryan used his slashing ability and outside shooting to create his offense.
"When it rains, it pours," Ryan said.
Jorts was able to jump out to an early 3-2 lead but quickly faded as it was shutout for the remainder of the first half. John Furrey, the tournament's answer to Adam Morrison, had three early points for the team. Eric Powers also scored three for Jorts, despite suffering from mono.
The team made another late run, scoring six in the second half, thanks to the outside shooting of Patrick Hartendorp.
However, it was not enough to overcome the speed of Tan.
"[It] was a night game, we didn't take the lights into effect," Powers said. "Maybe if we had added some rhinestones to our jorts we would have done better."
The O'Neill sophomores seemed determined that nothing would have distracted them from coming away with a victory Thursday.
"We're here of a mission to find out where everyone in this tournament got their tans," Ryan said.
