MOUNTAINEERS OUTGUN STAMPEDE; ADVANCE TO FINALS
SEATTLE -- The 12th consecutive win by the visiting Charleston Mountaineers was fraught with peril, as the MBA's top two scoring teams again put on an offensive show before the unbeaten victors finally survived 87-82.
The triumph advances Charleston to its third finals appearance in four seasons and puts them one victory away from tying the MBA mark of 13 straight wins set by Season 40's Oklahoma City Lariats.
Both Charleston and Seattle displayed quick, accurate passing and dead-eye shooting in this close contest. Charleston finished with 17 team assists while shooting 67.3 percent, while Seattle racked up 16 team assists and shot 65.5 percent.
In a back-and-forth game, the Mountaineers lead was cut to 79-78 with just 15 time units remaining following a fast-break bucket by Jairo Capoeira of Seattle. Then buckets by Pietro Destroyer and Beezow Bop-Bop went unmatched thanks to two empty trips by Seattle.
A missed 3-pointer by Capoeira with 7 left was followed by the coup de grâce from Hall of Famer Naf Naf of Charleston, who delivered a 3-point hammer to put his team ahead 86-79 and ice the game.
PLAYER OF GAME
BEEZOW BOP-BOP, having the best season of his 9-year MBA career, continues to shine in the playoffs. The 6-1 All-MBA Charleston guard dominated Bob Kittle, scoring 19 points, on 8 of 13 shooting that included a perfect 3-for-3 from the foul line. He pulled down 3 rebounds, dished out 4 assists and blocked a game-high 3 shots while holding Kittle to just 7 points.
Other 20-plus GVP performers
-- Charleston center J.J. Gargantuan had one hell of a final conflict with Naceg Gecan, with the two playing to a virtual stand-still while each performed superbly. Gargantuan led all scorers with 23 points and pulled down 2 rebounds in the big Charleston win.
-- Charleston power forward Pietro Destroyer scored just 10 points, but led his victorious team in rebounds with 4 while tying for team lead in assists with 5. He also registered a steal.
-- He fouled out with 9 time units left in the game, but before doing so, Seattle point guard Mel A. Noma got the better of Naf Naf in this one. Not many can claim that. Noma scored 16 points, going 2-for-2 from 3-Point Land, pulled down 5 rebounds and distributed 3 assists.
-- Eight-season star center Naceg Gecan played this game like it was his last; which it was. He scored 18 points against one of the top defensive centers in the league, pulled down a game-high 6 rebounds and dished out 2 assists. Fare thee well, Naceg.
-- Seattle power forward Pap Smearz had his usual solid, all-around game, contributing 16 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal.
-- Seattle small forward and crowd favorite Jairo Capoiera, also playing his final game in a career spent entirely with the Stampede, went out big. The thin, 6-7 speedster led his team in scoring (19 points) and topped everyone in assists with 6 while also pulling down 3 rebounds. He dominated Wawa Wewa of Charleston. "Cappy" will be missed in Seattle.
NEXT UP: Two-time defending champion Oklahoma City, down 1-0 in the best of three Semifinals to Dallas, must stave off elimination on the home court of the Demons.
No comments:
Post a Comment