Team 380 emerged victorious in an hour-and-a-half long game marked by aggressive play and intense heckling after One and Done could not get physical enough to pull out the win.
Both teams had trouble getting into a rhythm on offense because of the constant loose balls throughout the game. Early in the first half, 380's Chris Luken dove for a ball on the hardtop, hurting both his arm and his back on the play. While the game was stopped, 380's grit was personified through its coach, Bryan Hayes, who kept yelling, "Beauty is pain!" to his players.
The game continued with an elevated physical pace, resulting in a player from each team being ejected late in the first half after a scuffle over a loose rebound.
"[380's Austin Dwyer] got a rebound and I was going for the jumpball," Team Done's Patrick Dooling said. Dooling was ejected along with Dwyer after the play.
Without Dwyer, 380's best offensive threat, 380 struggled to wrap up the half, only up 11-8.
In the second half, both teams adjusted to the 4-on-4 game and 380 switched to a 2-2 zone. While the start of the second half saw Team 380 dominate, One and Done soon took advantage of the gaps in the zone and went on a 5-0 run late, bringing the score to 18-15. Team 380 responded well, however, and after trading a few baskets with One and Done, Luken - injuries and all - threw up a mid-range rainbow in the net to win the game.
We Are All the Fathers of Anna Nicole's Baby 21, Team 197 11
We Are All the Fathers of Anna Nicole's Baby grabbed the lead early in the game and never let go. While both teams possessed athleticism, it was Anna Nicole that had the basketball skills and knowledge to pull out the win.
Both teams played a tight 2-3 zone in the first half, but differed on offensive strategy. Team 197 tried to shoot mid-to-long-range jump shots to score on the zone, while Team Anna Nicole took advantage of their size and fed the post while their perimeter players cut to open holes in the defense.
The result was an 11-3 halftime lead for Anna Nicole, prompting Team 197 to switch to an aggressive man-to-man defense for the second half. While this defense was better suited to defend the much bigger Anna Nicole, it was too little too late.
Anna Nicole's post play continued to dominate in the second half. They scored nearly all of their 21 points in the paint. Anna Nicole's center, Phil Lashutka, dominated down low - he grabbed seemingly every rebound, scored at will and showed his great court awareness by leading his team in assists.
While Team 197 gave a valiant effort, the size and basketball knowledge of Anna Nicole was just too much to overcome.
"Anna Nicole's baby would be proud," Anna Nicole point guard Phil Drendall said. "Hopefully, he'll have a mad handle like I do."
Wu-Tang Clan 21, Shrieking Sirens 18
In a fast paced game that was completed in a brisk 45 minutes, the Wu-Tang Clan was able to hold off the Shrieking Sirens.
After taking the lead late in the first half, Wu-Tang Clan never looked back and was able to maintain its lead throughout the entire second half.
Team leader and Siegfried freshman Andrew Baroody was pleased with his team's first-half performance, but knew they would need to elevate their level of play in the second half to secure the win.
"We're going to have to get some more boards," Baroody said at halftime. "We're not boxing out down low right now, and we're not moving the ball around enough. We're faster and more athletic than they are, and if we can just keep up the tempo, we'll be able to pull it out in the end."
Baroody's words proved to be prophetic as the Wu-Tang Clan came out firing in the second half, building on its 11-9 halftime lead.
Tamba Samba, a Notre Dame soccer player, was able to run the point effectively and managed to keep the tempo at a sprinter's pace.
In addition, the jump-shooting ability of Matt Bartindale and Mike Camarda proved to be too much for the Shrieking Sirens to handle.
The lone bright spot for the Sirens was that they were able to spread around the scoring, which helped them to stay within several points throughout the game, even when some of their players went cold.
After the game, the members of the Wu-Tang Clan were relieved and satisfied with their performance.
"We just kept pushing the tempo with fast breaks and good ball movement," Baroody said. "We started getting boards in the second half."
In addition, Tamba provided his own insight on the win.
"Wu-Tang Clan ain't nothin' to mess with," Tamba said.
Wu-Tang will look to keep this confident attitude alive as it enters the fourth round.
