Featured Game No. 4...Philadelphia at Seattle

Seattle 68, Philadelphia 67

STAMPEDE OUT-MUSCLES PHOBIA 

SEATTLE -- This Featured Game lived up to its advance billing.

Using their league-leading rebounding power, the young Seattle Stampede eked out a 68-67 cross-over battle against the Philadelphia Phobia to remain in second place in the West,

Seattle out-boarded the visitors 30-13 and withstood a 3-point barrage by Philly's Hall of Fame guard Colquitt Croix to come away with the key victory. 

The Stampede is now 3-1 for the season, while Philadelphia drops to 2-2 (which is still good for second place in the East).

The West is now 3-1 over the East in cross-over contests.

The Ending

The game was tight throughout as you can tell by the quarter breaks. Down the stretch it was still tied 60-60 with 26 ticks remaining. 

It was 66-62 Seattle as we pick up the action with 8 TUs left.

-- Colquitt Croix of Philly splashes home his seventh and final 3-pointer of the game, cutting the lead to 66-65.

-- with 5 left, Seattle pivot Seven Castanza frees himself for a short jumper that connects, making the lead 68-65.

-- Croix of Philly gets it down low to teammate Santo Thomas who jams it home over the block of Seattle's Wardy Joubert. The score is now 68-67 Seattle with 3 ticks left.

-- Seattle uses every time unit with Joubert taking the last shot, a short jumper (good) that is blocked by Thomas, giving Philly one last chance to win the game on a fast break after a block...but it never materializes.

Final score 68-67 Seattle.

PLAYER OF GAME

After sitting out most of last season with an injury, Philadelphia's Hall of Fame guard COLQUITT CROIX has come roaring back as strong as ever in this, his 7th MBA campaign. The league's scoring leader came into Seattle with a 26.3 ppg average and proceeded to bury his first 10 shots of the game, including 6 consecutive treys, on the way to a 29-point performance. For the game he was 11 for 12 from the floor and 7 for 8 from beyond the arc. He added 1 rebound, 2 assists and tied for game-high in steals with 2. It all added up to his third consecutive POG honor, tying him with Charleston's Flip Testerton for most in the league. He leads the league with a 27.0 ppg scoring average, almost 7 points ahead of Dallas Hall of Famer Chip Battoe's 20.3 ppg. Keep in mind that Croix has never won the scoring title, but has finished in second five times and that Battoe has captured the last three in a row. Likewise, he has never won a regular season MVP award (he won the Season 44 Playoff MVP) and Battoe has won the last three of those. Depending on upcoming retirements, this may be Croix's last chance to capture one of the two or both. 

Other 20-plus GVP performers

-- The MBA's top rebounder entering this fray showed why he is on top, as Seattle's third-year center Seven Castanza yanked down 10 of them off the glass in this big victory to lead everyone in the game. Among the league-leaders in scoring, he did not disappoint in that category either, scoring a team-high 18 points. Coming into this featured event, Castanza and his gametime opponent Chutcher Mouthchair of Philadelphia were ranked 1-2 at their position for Season 46. Castanza ate him up in this head-to-head meeting.

-- Stepping up big time for the first time in his MBA career, Seattle's prime pick rookie Wardy Joubert III was a key reason for the Stampede win. The 6-9 power forward scored 17 points, grabbed 5 boards, tied for game-high with 2 blocked shots and tied for game-high with 2 steals. He lorded it over his opponent, Santo Thomas.

-- Dominance up front was the Seattle theme in this win. Completing the triumverate superiority, seven-year Seattle forward Pietro Destroyer out-played Wawa Wewa of Philly in every way except assists. Destroyer scored 16 points against the usual shut-down defender and contributed to the backboard slaughter with 9 rebounds of his own. He also had 2 assists.

STANDINGS AFTER 4 BRACKETS

(Not even one team moved up or down since the last bracket)

WEST STANDINGS

1st -- SACRAMENTO RIVER DOGS  4-0

2nd -- SEATTLE STAMPEDE  3-1

3rd -- OKLAHOMA CITY LARIATS  2-2

4th -- SAN JOSE FIGHTING AMIGOS 1-3 (head-to-head tie-breaker)

Last -- LOS ANGELES BIG ONE  1-3 (three-game losing streak)

EAST  STANDINGS

1st -- DALLAS DEMONS  4-0

2nd -- PHILADELPHIA PHOBIA  2-2 (points differential tie-breaker)

3rd -- CHARLESTON MOUNTAINEERS 2-2 

4th -- MILWAUKEE GREYHOUNDS 1-3 (three-game losing streak)

Last -- KANSAS CITY BASTARD ANGELS  (0-4)

UPCOMING BRACKET (NO. 5)

-- Dallas at Kansas City...The visitors are without a loss and the home team without a win. The Demons are the top scoring team in the league and the Bastard Angels are the MBA's worst defensive team.

-- Philadelphia at Charleston...This is a battle for second place heading into the halfway break. It also looks like the first of two meetings that could determine which of these teams accompanies Dallas as a playoff team from the East.

-- FEATURED GAME: Oklahoma City at Sacramento...The unbeaten River Dogs get their first featured game appearance as they host the Lariats, also making their first featured appearance this season. The Lariats are in the playoff hunt but should be under .500 at the break after this one.

-- Seattle at Los Angeles... The young, high-flying Stampede makes the West Coast trip south with the intention of trampling any thought that the defending champion Big One has of getting back to the playoffs.

-- San Jose at Milwaukee...Two 1-3 clubs looking for some semblance of hope at the halfway mark. Milwaukee should get the win in this cross-over confrontation.

POWER RANKINGS

1. Sacramento

2. Dallas

3. Charleston

4. Seattle

5. Philadelphia

6. Milwaukee

7. Oklahoma City

8. San Jose

9. Los Angeles

10. Kansas City

  

 

Featured Game No. 3...Dallas at Charleston

 Dallas 66, Charleston 62

Demons hang on to sweep Mountaineers

CHARLESTON -- The Dallas Demons completed an early season sweep over the Charleston Mountaineers with a contentious 66-62 road victory.

The 4-point triump makes Dallas 3-0, the only unbeaten team in the West and one of just two MBA clubs without a blemish, the other being 3-0 Sacramento. Charleston is now 1-2.

The two Demons forwards were the main cogs in this victory for the visitors. This was a closer contest than the previous 86-76 win in the opener for both teams. The second meeting was played at Charleston's pace...more of a defensive battle; but in the end the home team could not get any kind of a solid lead down the stretch.

Points prevented by quarters

Dallas 0 - 5 - 0 - 0  Total=5

Charl. 4 - 4 - 4 - 8   Total=20

Tops in points prevented

1. Gargantuan, Charleston 8

2. Testerton, Charleston 6

Turnovers caused by quarters

Dallas 0 - 2 - 1 - 1  Total=4

Charl. 1 - 1 - 4 - 0  Total=6

Tops in Turnovers

1. Boligrafo, Charleston 3

2. Battoe, Dallas 2

2. Testerton, Charleston 2

PLAYER OF GAME

The first player to earn two POGs this season is Charleston small forward FLIP TESTERTON who earned his second-such honor in as many games with a standout performance. The 6-5 jumping jack tied for game-high in scoring with 21 points while snagging a team-best 7 rebounds. He also blocked 3 shots, had 1 steal while finishing second in points prevented in the game and tied for second in turnovers caused in the contest. The seventh-year man was 10 for 14 from the floor (including 1 for 1 from deep). He waged a major battle all game long with Tiger Masterson of Dallas.  (With his second POG this season, we'll give you a look at Testerton's overall career...the back of his front, so to speak.)

Other 20-plus GVP performers

-- Hall of Fame Dallas forward Chip Battoe tied Testerton for game-high scoring honors with 21, playing the power forward spot so well that his opponent retired to the bench after 3 blocked shots in the first quarter. Battoe also pulled down 4 boards, led his team with the aforementioned 3 blocks, added 2 assists and was among the game leaders in turnovers caused.

-- The most surprising player this season on Dallas has been journeyman forward Tiger Masterson, who, despite being hounded by the defense of Testerton, scored 18 points to go with the 26 he had against Charleston the previous game. More remarkable this time around was the game-high 11 rebounds the 6-8 veteran pulled down. He added 2 assists. 

-- Six-year Charleston guard Cat Timol delivered another solid game with 12 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocked shots.

 

Bonus: A look at the 3-0 Sacramento River Dogs stats

From time to time we'll give our fair readers a look at the stat sheet of one of the league's top teams at the moment. The lone caveat besides being a top team is that they have to have their record up to date. Today...the River Dogs of Sacramento

NEXT UP: Instant rematch as the Kansas City Bastard Angels (0-2) travel to the home court of Philadelphia's Phobia (1-1). The Phobia, behind 35 from Hall of Famer Colquitt Croix, bested K.C. 96-70 last bracket.

Featured Game No. 2...L.A. at Dallas..Bonus: All-Time Point Scorers

Dallas 95, Los Angeles 42

DEMONS' REVENGE DRIPS WITH SWEETNESS

DALLAS -- The retribution heaped on the defending champion Los Angeles Big One by the Dallas Demons (now 2-0) was nearly record setting in proportion. After a spirited and competitive first quarter, the home team paid back L.A. for last-season's double-overtime semifinals elimination with a 53-point drubbing that tied for the third-largest massacre in MBA history. (The record is 59 points set in Season 20 when Oklahoma City pounded San Jose 114-55.)

In Season 18, Milwaukee drubbed Sacramento 103-47 (56 points).

In Season 43, Los Angeles beat the hell out of Seattle by 53 points, 105-52.

In this second Slaughter Rule Game of the season, Dallas caused Los Angeles to turn over the ball 22 times and held them to 36.7 percent shooting.

Already leading by 26 at the half, the Demons delighted the home crowd by scoring the first 17 points in the third quarter lending a circus-like aplomb to the proceedings. They held the visitors to just 2 points during the third while scoring 21 of their own.

The cross-over loss makes Los Angeles 1-1 for the season. It also breaks a 6-game winning streak dating back to the playoffs last season.

Points prevented by quarter per team

Los Angeles 2 - 5 - 5- 6  Total=18

Dallas...........0 - 2 - 2 - 5 Total=9

Individual leaders in points prevented

1. Chip Battoe, Dallas 7

2. Norman Conquest, Los Angeles 6

2. Peeshie Pooshie, Los Angeles 6

Turnovers caused by quarter per team

Los Angeles 1 - 2 - 2 - 1  Total=6

Dallas...........6 - 6 - 4 - 6   Total=22

Individual leaders in turnovers caused

1. Chip Battoe, Dallas, 8

2. Louie Subgum, Dallas 5

3. GoToo Grot, Dallas 4

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Off to perhaps his most magnificent start in his still-young Hall of Fame career, forward CHIP "THE CRIP" BATTOE tore it up with an astounding triple-double, the seventh of his career, coming within one blocked shot of the single-game record and destroying the confidence of second-year man Odell Taters, whom he shut out defensively. In two games now, Battoe has allowed his opponents to score a grand total of 2 points. Meanwhile, the 6-8, fourth-year man scored a game-high 24 points on 12 of 14 shooting from the floor, hitting his first five shots of the game to make him 10 of 10 from the floor to that point this season. He also tied for game-high in rebounds with 5, was the top player in the game in both points prevented and turnovers caused, tied for game-high with 2 assists, registered 1 theft and blocked 10 shots. Those 10 blocks are one short of the single-game record set by Jimsy Redfern many moons ago. Battoe has now blocked 18 shots in two games, two shy of the 20 he swatted away in 7 contests last season. 

Other 20-plus GVP performers (none from L.A.)

-- Fourth-year behemoth center GoToo Grot of Dallas again dominated his opponent, scoring 17 points, tying for game-high in rebounds with 5, tying for game-high in steals with 2 and tying for game-high in assists with 2. 

-- Dallas forward Tiger Masterson followed his POG of Game 1 with a 17-point effort that included 2 rebounds, a steal, a blocked shot and a game-high (tied) 2 assists. 

NEXT UP: Two 1-0 teams in the West go at it as the young Seattle Stampede attempt to knock off the veteran Sacramento River Dogs.

ALL TIME SCORERS THROUGH S45

1. Mamadou Zongo  2,606 points   15.7 ppg  17 Seasons

2. Ching-Chong Chung  2,016 points  16.8 ppg  12 Seasons

3. Hrundi V. Bakshi  1,980 points  16.5 ppg  13 Seasons STILL

4. Doug Fresh  1,904 points  13.3 ppg  15 Seasons

5.  Max Payne 1,881 points  12.5 ppg 17 Seasons 

6. Uncle Bob Masterson  1,872 points  19.1 ppg  10 Seasons

7. Steve Carter 1,727 points 11.7 ppg 16 seasons

8. Naf Naf 1,648 points 24.2 ppg  7 seasons

9. Motts Biondi  1,548 points  10.6 ppg  15 Seasons

10. Funsy Van Slochum 1,542 points  9.9 ppg  16 Seasons

11. Dan Mann  1,539 points  17.1 ppg  9 Seasons

12. Doc Watson  1,521 points  16.9 ppg   9 Seasons

13. Achilles Heel  1,499 points  10.2 ppg  18 Seasons

14. Curly Hogbottom  1,494 points  16.6 ppg  9 Seasons

15. Kip Robinson  1,483 points  10.3 ppg  15 Seasons

16. Rip Slamjam  1,482 points  10.9 ppg  15 Seasons

17. Ginger Vampire 1,461 points 14.8 ppg 11 seasons (

18. Tommy Zoop  1,456 points  20.8 ppg  7 Seasons

19. Mable Reed  1,455 points  14.7 ppg  11 Seasons

20. Benny Gumm  1,452 points  11.9 ppg  13 Seasons

21. Boone Doggle  1,413 points  15.7 ppg  9 Seasons

 

 

Season 46 Featured Game No. 1

Dallas 86, Charleston 76

DEMONS WIN FIRST MAJOR BATTLE OF S46

DALLAS -- The Dallas Demons began Season 46 with a resounding win over one of their main East Division foes, beating the visiting Charleston Mountaineers 86-76.

Dallas, which got big games from four of its five starters, pumped up 70 shots in the victory; a game in which their opponents chucked up 62.

The Demons, who got a huge-ass game from cut pile draft aquisition Tiger Masterson, demonstrated that they could win without a big scoring game from perennial MVP Chip Battoe, who managed but five shots. 

Meanwhile, Charleston's points came from a top-heavy offense, supported overwhelmingly by its guard tandem of Lapiz Lapiz Boligrafo and Cat Timol, who scored over 60 percent of the Mountaineers' points. That pattern was established early when the two Charleston guards accounted for all 17 of the team's first-quarter points.

The win by Dallas evens up the lifetime head-to-head record between these two franchises, with both having now won 23 games against the other.

PLAYERS OF THE GAME

Getting a surprise start for his new team and responding with the best game of his MBA career was 8-season veteran forward TIGER MASTERSON, who was spectacular with a game-high 26-point performance. Last seen plying his trade with the Kansas City Bastard Angels last season, the 6-8 forward was 12 for 17 from the floor, including a trey and a dunk, and 1 for 2 from the foul line as he dominated one-time All-MBA forward Flip Testerton. Masterson also pulled down 4 rebounds, led his team in assists with 3 and blocked 2 shots. Not bad for a guy who came to the team in the preseason cut draft. This is his second stint with Dallas and his seventh different stop in eight seasons for the veteran. If he keeps playing like this, Demons fans will be ringing the bell for Tiger instead of the other way around.

The other co-POG is another veteran, 10th-year point guard LAPIZ LAPIZ BOLIGRAFO of the Charleston Mountaineers. The 6-foot sharpshooter has led the league in 3-point shooting the past two seasons and delivered four bombs in six attempts, accounting for 12 of  his team-high 23 points (tied). Boligrafo, who played the first four seasons of his career in Dallas, was outstanding in this game, registering the first triple-double of his double-digit career by getting a team-high 7 rebounds and a game-high 5 assists. He was a perfect 3 for 3 from the foul line and thoroughly outplayed Louie Subgum, who attempted to guard him before fouling out. He also ended the contests in a flurry of punches with the other POG, Tiger Masterson with 12 time units left in the game, with Boligrafo getting ousted to a chorus of boos from Dallas fans. Boligrafo responded by raising middle digits on both hands as he exited.

OTHER 20-PLUS GVP PERFORMERS

-- Sixth-year shooting guard Bingo Bango of Dallas contributed 15 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assist to the win, with three of his buckets coming from long range.

-- Last season's All-MBA center, Gotoo Grot showed what a relentless force his combination of size and speed is over the course of a game. He dominated Hall of Fame center J.J. Gargantuan, scoring 16 points on numerous tip-ins and put-backs while leading all players in the game with 8 rebounds. The 7-2 giant also had 1 assist.

-- The other Hall of Fame player in the game, forward Chip Battoe, was not much involved in the offense but still managed to leave a distinctive mark on the win. He was without a miss from the floor, going 5 for 5 with 11 points, grabbed 2 rebounds and had 1 assist. Additionally, the shot-blocker supreme swatted away a game-high 8, with 7 coming in the first half. He so frustrated Charleston's Frog Morton that Morton went to the bench for good starting the fourth quarter.

-- Charleston guard Cat Timol returned to his team's starting lineup after a season of backing up Akbar Zagobia and went right back to his over-achieving ways. How can a grown man want people to call him Cat? Well, when he delivers 23-point games (tied for high on his team) like he did in this contest, he can demand to be called whatever he wants. The 5-10 Timol also pulled down 3 rebounds, had 1 assist, 1 steal, and continued to show his uncanny penchant for blocking shots with a team-high 4. 

East Division Standings

1st -- Dallas 1-0 (points differential tie-breaker)

2nd -- Milwaukee 1-0 

3rd -- Philadelphia 0-1 (points differential tie-breaker)

4th -- Charleston 0-1 (points differential tie-breaker)

Last -- Kansas City 0-1

Upcoming Bracket (No. 2)

-- FEATURED GAME: Los Angeles (1-0) at Dallas (1-0) in a big cross-over clash between two unbeatens. L.A. and the Demons last met in a memorable semifinal series last season which featured three amazing games. The Big One went on to sweep the championship searies.

-- Another early battle of unbeatens as the upstart youngsters of Seattle take on the team favored to win the West, the Sacramento River Dogs.

-- Two of the MBA's youngest teams have a chance to even their record as Oklahoma City travels to San Jose. Both are 0-1. Look for a tussle of talented 7-footers between rookie pivot Chochky Galumpkus of the Lariats and Hunk R. Down of San Jose.

-- The East Division clash between Charleston (0-1) at Milwaukee (1-0) will likely be guard-oriented, with the home team Greyhounds looking to get a leg up on the defending East Division champs.

-- Philadelphia at Kansas City features two teams looking for their first win. Odds favor the veteran Phobia club.

 

Season 46 Preseason Predictions

WEST DIVISION

Sacramento is a solid favorite to finish first, and San Jose looks to be last. The other three teams are a real toss-up.

1. SACRAMENTO RIVER DOGS

The R-Dogs return their championship starting lineup of Season 44 for the third consecutive season, an unheard of streak of stability in the MBA. On top of that, four of the five starters improved impressively. The biggest improvement was the league assists leader, Grunkle Terry, getting even better on the pass. They dug an early 1-4 hole to start last season but recovered to finish 5-5, barely missing the playoffs. It's unlikely that they will stumble that badly at any point in Season 46.
Tyler's pick: Sacramento

2. SEATTLE STAMPEDE

This is an upset pick, admittedly. But the Stampede's two young guards, Don Barzini and AnDamian Wayne both improved to a good degree going into their second season. Seattle adds the top rated, tough-rebounding rookie forward, 6-9 Wardy Joubert III to go with team MVP Pietro Destroyer, who is coming off his best scoring season (16.6 ppg). Adding one more win to last season's 5-5 seems do-able, which should mean a playoff spot.
Tyler's pick: Los Angeles

3. LOS ANGELES BIG ONE

We're not counting the defending champs out of the playoffs by a longshot. But having to replace their entire front line takes them out of the title picture. Getting back to 7-3 is out of the question. Having point guard Dr. Marcus Brody for the entire season is the only plus. Norman Conquest, the other guard, also got worse offensively.
Tyler's pick: Oklahoma City

4. OKLAHOMA CITY LARIATS

The Lariats shocked the MBA with a 7-3 second-place campaign that's not likely to be repeated. The big question revolves around the starting center position, where 7-1 rookie Chochky Galumpkus, the top player in the draft, will replace the fourth-year excellence of  7-footer Willie Carry McCoffee, the guy who Oklahoma City has rallied around the past three seasons.
Tyler's pick: Seattle

5. SAN JOSE FIGHTING AMIGOS

After staying out of the cellar for 25 seasons prior to last season's 3-7 campaign, the Amigos are a good bet to be at the bottom again. With two rookies and two second-year players in the starting lineup, they are, at least, the league's youngest team with three promising players. Not rising yet.
Tyler's pick: San Jose

EAST DIVISION

The East, which was tightly bunched between four teams, will likely mirror that same scenario in Season 46, with only second-year Kansas City out of the playoff conversation.

1. DALLAS DEMONS

We keep picking Dallas to finish first in the East. But, despite having the league's best player in Hall of Famer Chip Battoe, they keep finishing second and getting ousted in the playoff semifinals. They return three of the league's top scorers in Battoe (1st-21.0 ppg), center Gotoo Grot (4th-17.8 ppg) and guard Bingo Bango (5th-17.0 ppg). With Battoe and Grot, they are the only team to have more than one All-MBA player. This should be enough to win the East. But will that hole at power forward keep them from advancing again?
Tyler's pick: Dallas

2. CHARLESTON MOUNTAINEERS

Cat Timol replaces the defense- and rebound-minded Akbar Zagobia (retired) for last season's division champs (6-4). Otherwise, not much has changed for this veteran group, which is getting older and struggled desperately to score and rebound at times last season. Ten-year point guard Lapiz Lapiz Boligrafo, who led the league in 3-point shooting, is back and must remain healthy. Defense is their identity.

Tyler's pick: Philadelphia

3. MILWAUKEE GREYHOUNDS

The Greyhounds have the longest playoff drought in the MBA, and due to weakness at forwards, that should continue. Two tough losses at the end of last season kept them out of the post-season by one game with a 5-5 mark. Third-year guards Fatty McButterpants and All-MBA player Lannigan Hobo are outstanding offensively, and second-year center Papa Popcorn, at 7-2, is much improved on defense. They could sneak in, but probably not.

Tyler's pick: Charleston

4. PHILADELPHIA PHOBIA

Philly finished 5-5 despite losing Hall of Fame guard Colquitt Croix for most of the season. They get him back, and obtained star center Chutcher Mouthchair from champion Los Angeles. But the second guard spot is a black hole and the Phobia has the MBA's oldest roster. It seems now or never for them.

Tyler's pick: Milwaukee

5. KANSAS CITY BASTARD ANGELS

After going 1-9 in their maiden MBA voyage, the Bastards feature a totally younger and revamped starting lineup. They added top-ranked rookie guard Freddy Chepuzzo, steady Philadelphia center Carga Larga and San Jose's team MVP, forward Cam Caldwell. They'll be better, but will still suck hind-tit in the East.
Tyler's pick: Kansas City

All-MBA predictions  (only Battoe was picked correctly last season)

Guard -- Colquitt Croix, Philadelphia (Tyler picks Lannigan Lord Hobo, Milwaukee)

Guard -- Dr. Marcus Brody, Los Angeles (unanimous)

Center -- Chochky Galumpkus, Oklahoma City (Tyler picks Chutcher Mouthchair, Philadelphia)

Forward -- Pietro Destroyer, Seattle (unanimous)

Forward -- Chip Battoe, Dallas (unanimous)

MVP Selection 

Chip Battoe, Dallas...for the fourth consecutive time (unanimous)

Rookie of the Year Selection

Chochky Galumpkus, Oklahoma City (Tyler picks Wardy Joubert III, Seattle)

NEXT UP: The start of Season 46...Bracket No. 1

San Jose at Sacramento: The West favorite against the pick to finish last in the division.

Seattle at Kansas City: Cross-over action as revamped BAs look to ambush hopeful Stampede.

Los Angeles at Oklahoma City: Defending champs vs. debut of OKC rookie Chochky Galumpkus.

Philadelphia at Milwaukee: Who gets the early advantage in playoff hunt between these old rivals?

Featured Game: Charleston at Dallas: East heavyweights go toe-to-toe right out of the gate