Dallas 92, Charleston 72
DEMONS WARD OFF REAPER IN STYLE
DALLAS -- In the first of two showdown games with the visiting Mountaineers of Charleston, the Dallas Demons not only kept themselves mathematically in the playoff hunt, but did so in such dominant fashion that they look like the favorites to land the second playoff spot in the East Division.
With its 92-72 thrashing of the Mountaineers, Dallas (now 5-3) moved to within one game of Charleston (6-2) and Philadelphia (6-2). A loss would have eliminated the Demons from the post-season race.
Meanwhile, it's discouraging for Charleston to shoot 60.7 percent and still lose by 20, but they were killed on the glass and shot themselves in the foot at the free throw line where they were 3 for 12. Plus, they could not stop Dallas, which shot 63.9 percent, getting off more shots and bombing home 8 treys to just 1 for Charleston.
Game Note: All 10 players on the Dallas roster scored in this game.
PLAYER OF GAME
Having the best season of his four-year career, Dallas shooting guard BINGO BANGO engaged his opposite, Cat Timol, in a powerhouse battle and came out slightly on top. The 6-4 Bango tied Timol for high scorer with 23 points on 9 of 11 shooting, missing just two shots, both from beyond the arc, where he potted 4 of 6. Additionally, he was 1 for 1 from the foul stripe. Among the leading scorers and 3-point shooters in the league, Bango also pulled down 5 rebounds while dishing out 4 assists. It was his first POG this season.
OTHER 20-PLUS GVP PERFORMERS
-- Tyler was right to say that the league's most frequent foul man, Louie Subgum, stood a good chance of not fouling out against Charleston. Subgum has fouled out 6 times (three times as many as the next closest player) but has not done so in the last two games. Against Red Reparee, who took just one shot, the oldest player on Dallas (9 seasons) finished the game with a foul to spare. Subgum gets a starting position at point guard, because when he doesn't foul, he produces. This game is an example of that. The 6-4 lefty scored 14 points, led his team in assists with 5 and pulled down 1 rebound while dominanting Reparee.
-- The behemoth Dallas center GoToo Grot scored just 9 points against Hall of Fame center J.J. Gargantuan of Charleston, but the 7-2 monster pulled down 6 boards, had 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot in a fine all-around performance.
-- After getting a forced rest that kept him out of most of the first quarter, Dallas small forward Chip "the Crip" Battoe still managed to score 15 points, pull down 4 boards, get 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot against one of the league's top forwards, Flip Testerton.
-- Charleston's plucky little shooting guard Cat Timol tied Bingo Bango for game-high scoring honors with 23 points while leading everyone in steals with 2. The 5-10 Timol pulled down 2 rebounds, had 3 assists and blocked 1 shot.
-- Charleston's rookie power forward Frog Morton scored 17 points, had 2 boards, 2 assists and 1 block, despite his ridiculous tendency to chuck up off-the-mark 3-point attempts at alarmingly inopportune times.
-- The other Charleston forward, fifth-year man Flip Testerton, played the dominant defending league MVP Chip Battoe to a standstill, getting 13 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocked shots. That kind of performance could eventually net the 6-5 jumping jack his first All-MBA foil star.
NEXT UP: San Jose (5-2), looks to keep its tentative hold on first place in the West and extend the league's longest win streak (4 games) as it visits Milwaukee (2-5) in a cross-over. The Fighting Amigos could even up the season cross-over series for the West with a victory. The visitors feature the league's second best offensive average, but the Greyhounds are right behind them at fourth in the league. Milwaukee, however, is last in defense.
A BONUS LOOK AT THE RECORDS SHEET
As one might expect, it's getting pretty damned hard to get on the One-Game Records Sheet in either the Team or Individual categories.
The fact of the matter is that no new records were posted at all last season, and none have been added this season.
Last record added: Season 42, when Oklahoma City established a new one-game rebounding mark by hauling in 42 boards against Sacramento.
Oldest Team Mark: Milwaukee pumping in 90.9 percent of its treys against San Jose in Season 5.
Oldest Overall One-Game Record: Milwaukee guard Sal Mambo going 13 for 13 at the free throw line way way way way back in Season 2 against Oklahoma City. Little did we know at the time that Mambo's mark would stand the test of time.
The MBA Sound Barrier: Before Chuck Yeagar broke the sound barrier in 1947, it was believed that no one could get past the invisible wall in the sky. In the MBA, that wall is represented by 14 rebounds in one game, a mark that has been achieved, but never passed, by 6 different players, the last being Pippi Pippistrelli four seasons ago. The first to do it was Hall of Fame forward Raisin Sport in Season 11. So many have approached it since then that it seems obvious that 15 rebounds is inevitable. But so far, getting that one more board has been unobtainable.
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