FEATURED GAME ... CHICAGO AT PHILADELPHIA

Philadelphia 72, Chicago 58
PHOBIA STILL PERFECT AS DEFENSE TAKES WIND OUT OF GALE
PHILADELPHIA -- The MBA's best defensive team (Philadelphia) squashed the league's best offensive unit (Chicago) as the home team Phobia stayed unbeaten with an easy win over Chicago.

Neither team had much of a shooting night, with Philly at just over 50 percent and Chicago at 43.5, but it was the Gale that was harassed with seemingly every pass, dribble or shot.

Chicago (now 5-3) actually got within 2 points of Philadelphia early in the fourth quarter before Philadelphia (now 8-0) slowly pulled away.

The win makes it a clean sweep in the East for the Phobia, which finishes with an 8-0 mark in the division, sweeping all four teams.

Philadelphia is bidding to become the fourth team ever to finish the regular campaign with a perfect 10-0 record. The Phobia did so once before in its glorious history when it went 10-0 in Season 6, only to lose in the playoffs.

Last season's 10-0 team from Charleston was the first 10-0 club to actually go on to win the MBA title.

With remaining cross-over games against 1-6 Seattle and 5-2 Oklahoma City, odds are good that Philly can be the second team in a row to finish the regular season with a perfect slate.

PLAYER OF GAME
POODLE "STIX" JACKSON snagged his second POG of the season with a dominant performance that included a game-high 26 points, a game-high (tied) 7 rebounds, a game-high (tied) 2 blocked shots, and a team-high (tied) 2 assists. Jackson, who fouled out Chicago forward Pietro Destroyer for the second time in two meetings, was 9 for 14 from the floor, delivering 2 of 3 long bombs and going 6 for 7 from the foul stripe. He got the Phobia off to a quick lead in the first quarter, which he dominated with 10 points.

Other 20-plus GVP performances
-- In addition to playing his usual suffocating defense (holding Norman Conquest to just 10 points on less than 33 percent shooting), Philadelphia two guard Akbar Zagobia contributed mightily on offense. Zagobia scored 18 points, three times as many as teammate and league-leading scorer Colquitt Croix. The 6-4 fourth-year man also hit the boards hard, tying for game-high with 7 rebounds.

-- Chicago power forward Big Bill Cull was the only Gale player to perform adequately on offense, scoring a team-high 20 points. Cull came into the game as the league's second-leading scorer behind Philadelphia's Croix, but has now surpassed Croix for the league leadership in that department by 3 points.
Cull remains at 20 points per game, while Croix drops to 19.6. In addition to being the only reliable scorer for the Gale in this game, Cull was the only Chicago player pulling down rebounds in any number, tying for game-high with 7.

NEXT UP: Dallas (5-2) at Milwaukee (0-7), with the visiting Demons looking to pass Chicago for the second playoff spot in the East. Dallas won the first meeting 80-79, so this is no sure thing, despite what the team records say.

FEATURED GAME...DALLAS AT SAN JOSE

DALLAS 85, SAN JOSE 81
DEMONS OUT-LAST AMIGOS IN ROUSING CROSS-OVER
SAN JOSE -- The Dallas Demons, fighting for the second playoff spot in the East, earned a hard-fought cross-over win against San Jose, the first-place team in the West, 85-81.

The thriller, which broke a five-game winning streak by the home team Fighting Amigos, was in keeping with an MBA season replete with exceptionally close contests.

Dallas was up nine in the second half, but San Jose came back and tied the game in the final stanza. It was 81-81, Dallas ball with 11 ticks left when the following took place...

* Demons guard Bingo Bango misses a trey, Mike Hunt rebounds for San Jose

* 9 left...San Jose forward Egg Yolk Carpaccio's short jumper is blocked by Dallas' Chip Battoe and Dallas takes over

* 8 left...Bango feeds Battoe inside for a Dallas bucket and the visitors lead 83-81

* 5 left...the ball goes inside to San Jose center Hunk R. Down who has not missed all game long. But this time, his game-tying shot is off, thanks to a forced-miss defensive play by Dallas rookie center General Horseplay. Matthew Vanden Boogart grabs the board for Dallas, the Demons fast break to Battoe who scores, making it 85-81 with 1 time unit remaining. Game over.

Both teams are now 5-2 on the season. The East now holds a 5-2 advantage in cross-over games.

Despite the victory, which gives them a three-game winning streak, the Demons drop one notch in the East standings from second to third. Chicago, which has an identical 5-2 record, picked up a division win over Milwaukee in this bracket. Dallas got a win, but not a division win, and both the Demons and Gale now have 3 division wins. Chicago holds the next tie-breaker...points differential. The two teams finish Season 43 with a pair of games against each other.

PLAYER OF GAME
Fifth-year forward and former cut-pile alum MIKE HUNT has been an invaluable solid player for San Jose this season after coming over from Charleston in the draft. The 6-5 defensive specialist, who has filled in brilliantly for the injured Blue "Rondo" Alaturk, was spectacular in this game, scoring a game-high 27 points and pulling down a game-high 5 rebounds. Hunt was 12 for 17 from the floor, canning 3 of 5 from beyond the arc, while getting 1 assist and 1 blocked shot. To say he kept his team in the game would be a vast understatement.

Other 20-plus GVP performers
-- It's been a rough year for third-year guard Bingo Bango of Dallas, who came into this game averaging just 8.8 points per contest. But Bango flashed the kind of scoring ability expected of him in this game, scoring 16 points, dishing 2 assists, grabbing 1 rebound and registering 1 steal.

-- Rookie of the Year and MVP candidate Chip "the Crip" Battoe continued his brilliant initial campaign with a 20-point performance that included 9 blocked shots, 3 rebounds and 1 assist. The 6-8 Battoe was a human flyswatter in the first half, blocking all 7 shots that came his way, including the first 6 attempted by the man he was guarding, Egg Yolk Carpaccio. With three games remaining, Battoe has already blocked 43 shots, the most since Jimsy Redfern's 52 blocks in Season 34 for Charleston.

-- Playing his last season for Dallas, Battoe's veteran running mate at forward, Matthew Vanden Boogart continues to come up large. The 11-year man scored a team-high 22 points against Hunt, a tough defender, grabbing 3 boards, blocking 1 shot and getting 1 steal. Right now he is among the league leaders in points per game (19.6) and is having the best scoring season of his fine career.

-- San Jose point guard YourMajesty Lumpkins spent most of this game distributing bucket-getting passes. The defending assist champion dished out a game-high 9 helpers while scoring 14 points for his club.

-- San Jose center Hunk R. Down has been magnificent in this, his first season as a full-time starter. He scored 18 points, grabbed 4 rebounds, had 2 assists and 1 blocked shot. With the fall of his main All-MBA competition, Diss Reflexia, to injury, Down's chances for the foil star appear to be, well, up.

EAST STANDINGS
1st -- Philadelphia 7-0 (unchanged) (looking for unbeaten season)
2nd -- Chicago 5-2 (points differential tie-breaker) (up from third)
3rd -- Dallas 5-2 (down from 2nd)
4th -- Charleston 2-5 (unchanged) (eliminated from playoff hunt)
Last -- Milwaukee 0-7 (unchanged) (eliminated from playoff hunt) (could become second team in history to finish without a win)

WEST STANDINGS
1st -- San Jose 5-2 (division wins tie-breaker)(unchanged)
2nd -- Oklahoma City 5-2 (unchanged)
3rd -- Sacramento 3-4 (up from 4th)
4th -- Los Angeles 2-5 (down from 3rd)(eliminated from playoff hunt)
Last -- Seattle 1-6 (eliminated from playoff hunt)

NEXT BRACKET...No. 8
-- FEATURED GAME OF BRACKET: Second-place Chicago will need a huge upset against untainted Philadelphia to hold on to its second-place playoff spot in the East. They hung in admirably in a 81-74 loss at home to the Phobia two games ago, with Colquitt Croix raining treys down on them. This game is in Philly.

-- Dallas at Milwaukee as the Demons look to vanquish the Greyhounds and take back second place in the East. But not so fast, it wasn't all that simple securing an 80-79 home win against the league's lone win-less team in their last meeting. Milwaukee is dying for a win, but Dallas needs one even more.

-- Last-place Seattle at first-place San Jose in the West. San Jose, behind YourMajesty Lumpkins, handled them 71-60 early on.

-- Sacramento at Oklahoma City. The River Dogs moved up a notch in the standings, but face mathematical elimination from post-season play unless they come up big against the Lariats. Oklahoma City opened its season by beating the R-Dogs 72-58, with Mel A. Noma as Player of the Game.

-- Charleston at Los Angeles in a cross-over battle that should have meant more for both teams, but doesn't any more.

MBA FEATURED GAME...PHILADELPHIA AT CHICAGO (THIS IS THE FIRST POST ON A NEW COMPUTER)

PHILADELPHIA 81, CHICAGO 74

CHICAGO -- Every time Chicago drew close to Philadelphia in this battle of East Division powers, Phobia superstar guard Colquitt Croix would bury a 3-pointer, the result being an 81-74 win for the unbeaten visitors.

However, it was not without cost, as starting Philly center Diss Reflexia suffered a 3-game injury in the fourth quarter with 59 time units remaining. He will return for the final game of the regular season. In the meantime, second-year center Benji Ballou, who played for Philadelphia last season, will take Reflexia's place on the roster.

Carga Larga, a more than adequate back-up center, will be the starter the next three games for Philly.

Points prevented by quarters
Philadelphia 0 - 14 - 2 - 4 Total=20
Chicago 2 - 2 - 6 - 0 Total 10

Top Players Points Prevented
1. Akbar Zagobia, Philadelphia 8
2. Diss Reflexia, Philadelphia 4
2. Sloppy Dollop, Philadelphia 4
2. Yo Noid, Chicago 4

PLAYER OF GAME
As the only Philadelphia player to crack the 20-plus GVP mark, sensational fourth-year point guard COLQUITT CROIX almost single-handedly destroyed every attempt by Chicago to get within four points of the Phobia. Playing with deadly efficiency, Croix splashed home 7 3-pointers in 8 attempts, hitting his first six long-range shots. At one point in the fourth quarter, with Chicago almost back in the game, the 6-2 Croix hit three treys in three Philadelphia trips down court. And when the Gale once again worked its way back to within four points with 14 left in the game, Croix delivered yet another deep dagger. The 31 points he scored was a season high for Croix, who came into the game the league's top scorer. He was 12 for 14 from the floor with all those treys, tied for team-high in rebounds with 4, added 1 assist and 1 steal.

OTHER 20-PLUS GVP PERFORMERS
-- Scrappy third-year Chicago guard Norman Conquest managed 14 points against a top defender, pulled down a game-high 7 rebounds, and tied for team-high with 3 assists.

-- Chicago's power forward Bill Cull came into the game second in the MBA in scoring and finished this one second only to the league leader, Croix, in points scored. Cull's 21-point performance was tops on the Gale, and he pulled down 6 rebounds while swiping a game-high 3 steals (his first three of the season), adding 1 assist.

-- Despite being in foul trouble most of the game and fouling out halfway through the final quarter, Chicago small forward Pietro Destroyer made his mark on the game. The 6-8 Destroyer was a perfect 8-for-8 from the floor, including a pair from deep, adding up to 18 points. He also pulled down 3 rebounds and had 1 assist.



EAST DIVISION STANDINGS
1st -- Philadelphia 6-0 (unchanged) (6-game winning streak)
2nd -- Dallas 4-2 (up from 3rd)(division wins tie-breaker)
3rd -- Chicago 4-2 (down from 2nd)
4th -- Charleston 2-4 (unchanged)
Last -- Milwaukee 0-6 (unchanged)

Bracket 7 preview
--Chicago looks to get back on track at Milwaukee...but this could be a danger game for the Gale. Chicago bested Milwaukee 93-87 in their first meeting, with the Greyhound rookie guard Hurricane Furrwizard the Player of the Game.

-- Philadelphia puts its perfect season on the line as it looks to drive the final dagger in the heart of the defending champion Charleston team. Keep in mind Philly is without star center Diss Reflexia, Charleston is at home, and that the Mountaineers gave the unbeaten Phobia its toughest game of the season in an 82-80 contest. Charleston's Hall of Fame guard Beezow Bop-Bop was Player of Game in that one.

-- Seattle (1-5), coming off its first win of the season, travels to Sacramento (2-4), where it could move past the River Dogs in the West standings. The R-Dogs clobbered the Stampede 92-77 in their first meeting this season behind Doo-rag Dripp.

-- Los Angeles (2-4) is looking to break a four-game losing streak as it travels to Oklahoma City (4-2). The Big One actually has a chance to get back in the playoff hunt with a win. The Lariats escaped with a 73-71 road win in a previous match-up, despite a POG performance by L.A. forward Baba Brinkman.

-- Featured game: The Dallas Demons (4-2) have their work cut out for them if they want to remain in playoff position. They take on the red-hot West Division's first-place San Jose Fighting Amigos (5-1) who have won five in a row.