CHARLESTON 89, HOUSTON 87
MOUNTAINEERS STAVE OFF FURIOUS COMEBACK TO WIN GAME 1
CHARLESTON --- Mother of Mercy is no lead safe?
Winning by 14 going into the final quarter, the home team Charleston Mountaineers had the bejeezus scared out of them in the waning moments of this one and escaped with a two-point, 89-87 Game 1 victory.
Houston's 27-point fourth-quarter surge, led by Game MVP T. Kanes Masterson, cut the lead in half with 23 time units remaining. Masterson's 3-point play got the Iguanas to within 7 at that point, and a follow-up 3-point play by rookie forward Blue "Rondo" Alaturk put Houston within a very do-able 4 points of the lead with 16 time units remaining.
Moments later, Houston point guard Snarkey Comment fouled out, to be replaced by Hall of Famer Hrundi V. Bakshi, who promptly put the Iguanas on the scoreboard again with a short jumper that got them within two points with 7 remaining.
Charleston guard Beezow Bop-Bop then gave his team the breathing room they needed by canning a clutch medium jump shot to get his team back up by four points.
Hall of Fame center Max Payne of the Mountaineers then blocked a short jump shot by his counterpoint, Sanjay Patel, and by the time Houston got the ball back, only two time units remained. Masterson used them to score the last bucket of the contest and Charleston escaped with the important Game 1 win.
The Mountaineers were the ones on fire early on, going 12 for 13 in the first quarter to take a 28-17 lead as the home team fed Payne, their Hall of Fame pivot, repeatedly for a 10-point opening stanza.
It was apparent that the high-scoring Season 36 post season would continue early on. The first 13 shots of the game all went in, with Charleston hitting eight in a row and Houston five. But even with a first half that saw Charleston shoot 21 for 27, Houston stayed doggedly close, trailing just 47-42.
This game was a lot different than the last (and only other) time these franchises met in the finals in Season 26, when winning scores were mostly in the 60s and Charleston won its first title. (See blog entries from 2009).
Charleston pulled away in the third quarter with a 27-point barrage, and things seemed very much in hand until Houston came on like gangbusters to scare the hell out of the home team before finally bowing.
It was the third victory by Charleston over Houston this season against no losses, but easily the closest of the three.
The teams now go to The Terrarium where Houston hopes to even things up.
20-PLUS GVP PERFORMANCES
-- All-MBA guard T. Kanes Masterson has not had big scoring games against Charleston this season, but took full advantage of the foul-prone Chuckie Sellegren to score a game-high 32 points on 12 of 13 shooting that eventually fouled Sellegren out. Masterson also had 3 boards and an assist, was a perfect 6 for 6 from the free-throw line and 2-for-2 from beyond the arc.
-- Houston was the only team in the league to have more than one All-MBA performer, and the other one, League MVP and Rookie of the Year forward Vic Hitler, provided the second blow in the 1-2 Houston punch in this one. Hitler had 21 points 2 rebounds, a steal and an assist.
-- Charleston point guard Beezow Bop-Bop was brilliant for the winners, getting 18 points, dishing a game-high 9 assists, blocking a game-high 3 shots and pulling down 3 rebounds.
-- Before finally fouling out, Charleston shooting guard Chuckie "Swishcat" Sellegren contributed 17 points, 4 rebounds and an assist.
-- Hall of Fame Charleston center Max Payne was again outstanding, especially early. The big 7-footer abused Sanjay Patel for a 20-point first half on the way to a 26-point game. The 11th season vet led everyone in rebounding with 6 and blocked one very important Patel shot late.
-- Second-year forward Buck Naked of Charleston battled counterpart Vic Hitler tooth and nail, putting together a huge 18-point game that included a trio of high-flying dunks, 2 rebounds and 2 assists.
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