An impressive performance on both sides of the ball by Do Work led the squad to a 21-7 victory over 5 Guys Doing It Better than Diddy Ever Did It. Do Work performed well on both sides of the ball, out-rebounding 5 Guys and keeping the speed of the game high.
Do Work captain Mike Bramante was the leading scorer, dropping 12 points and performing most of the ball-handling. Bramante led the fast break as well and completed many quick and accurate passes to teammates Joe Bramanti, Pat McHugh, Bill Schramm and Eddie Fitzpatrick.
"It's our game," Bramante said of the fast break.
Do Work also ran an effective two-three zone that prevented 5 Guys from getting any good looks inside the paint. Of their seven points, four were on jump shots and three were from put-backs. Those second-chance points amounted to all of 5 Guys' success on the boards, however - they were dominated down low.
"[Rebounding] had a big effect," Bramante said. "We got a lot of boards. If you get rebounds, you win the game."
Do Work decided to try the zone because they had seen other bookstore teams run similar defenses, but the squad was prepared to switch to man-to-man if it wasn't working.
The game started slow; neither team scored for the first five minutes. Do Work picked up the pace and scored the first four points and went into the half up 11-4. They scored the first five points of the second half. And though 5 Guys sank some jump shots late, it wasn't enough to bring them back. Bramante sank a 17-footer to end the game.
Based on the performance, the name 'Do Work' was appropriate. On the choice of the name, Bramante said, "We do work. It's as simple as that."
Castle Point 21Nugget Productions 10
It looked as though third-seeded Castle Point would walk away with an easy victory, but Nugget Productions wouldn't give in. Castle Point's size and ball movement, however, eventually gave the favorites the win.
Castle Point scored the first five points of the game, but then witnessed the deceptively dangerous Nugget Production offense. Productions' five scored the next three points, two of them on shots from behind the arc. They would go on to make three more shots from from long range, and although they only counted as one point, they kept Nugget Productions in the game.
"They were on fire," Castle Point captain Paul Pogge said of the competition.
Castle Point scored six of the next seven points and led 11-4 at halftime. The size of 6-foot-2, 272-pound Pat Kuntz in the paint - combined with the perimeter shooting Kuntz's football teammates Robby Parris and Richard Jackson - gave Castle Point the early edge.
After Nugget Productions sank two more three-point-range jump shots, Castle Point played tight defense all the way out to the perimeter and refused Nugget Productions any room to dribble.
With score 17-10, Nugget Productions also began playing tough, physical defense all over the court. The underdogs locked down their men and managed to block some shots, but Castle Point scored four straight to seal the win.
Pogge - along with Ben Lepak, Parris, Kuntz and Jackson - held a size advantage over the opposition. Castle Point blocked or deflected most of Nugget Productions' shots and grabbed many offensive rebounds.
"It helped on the boards," Pogge said.
The Nugget Productions ball movement was shut down, but the five managed to find and exploit one weakness of Castle Point - the defense at the top of the lane. Multiple times a man was open near the free throw line and, after a quick inside pass, had an open turnaround jumper.
Castle Point acknowledged the need for improvement, but in other areas.
"We need to improve athleticism," Pogge said. "We need to get in the weight room."
