Season 46 Finals Game 4...Sacramento at Dallas

Dallas 71, Sacramento 53

DALLAS DEMONS ROMP TO MBA TITLE 

DALLAS -- The Dallas Demons, led by Hall of Fame star forward Chip "the Crip" Battoe and unsung veteran guard Meat Pants Masterson, ran roughshod over the visiting Sacramento River Dogs 71-53 to capture the Season 46 MBA championship.

The title is the fourth in the franchise's history and the first since Season 28, coming in the team's fifth playoff appearance in the last six seasons.

At no time in this game did the Demons look particularly threatened by Sacramento, who they handled 3  to 1 in the Finals. Starting with a 22-12 lead after the first quarter, Dallas hounded every pass and dribble by the River Dogs, limiting them to just 53 points in the entire contest after allowing 80-plus points to their opponent in the previous two games. They also held the R-Dogs to just 44 percent shooting.

Dallas coach Country Slaughter, the longest tenured leader in the MBA at 30 seasons, made a key move at the urging of franchise director Tyler Masterson with the removal of longtime star Bingo Bango from the starting lineup in favor of Meat Pants Masterson. The thought of nepotism was removed when the sixth-season shooting guard scored a game-high 20 points.

The only hiccup in the dominance of Dallas in this game came in the fourth quarter when, like a nearly burned out light bulb, the visitors played their brightest basketball, cutting the 15-point lead to 10. But they came no closer as the Demons, to the delight of their Guiness-guzzling fans (who spilled their quaff all over each other) regained control and coasted home by an 18-point margin. The victory kept Dallas unbeaten with an 8-0 home record for Season 46.

Previous Dallas championships came in Seasons 20, 21 and 28. This must be considered the second golden age of the Demons, but they will still have to go some to surpass the first, which consisted of two straight titles followed by two more Finals appearances. But with Battoe on the team and the emergence of Meat Pants Masterson, they would have to be the Vegas odds-on favorite at this time going into Season 47.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Who else but CHIP "THE CRIP" BATTOE, Hall of Fame forward for the champion Dallas Demons, would you expect to lead the way in the title game? Battoe tied his own playoff record for blocked shots in one game by slapping away 9 in this game, something he has now done twice in this series and three times overall. (He fell just one blocked shot short of the playoff record 37 set by Dallas Hall of Fame center Max Payne the last time the Demons won it all in Season 28). Battoe had 16 points in this game on 8 for 14 shooting to go with his 9 blocks, grabbing 3 rebounds and dishing out 2 assists. It remains to be seen whether he has earned the MVP of the Playoffs award, the last available honor that has thus far escaped him in his four MBA seasons. He scored the other such honor in this game, securing a championship ring. Going into the season, he was one of just 7 Hall of Fame players who did not have a ring.

OTHER 20-PLUS GVP PERFORMERS

-- Starting his first game in a six-season career, Dallas shooting guard Meat Pants Masterson responded with a game-high 20 point performance, which included three long bombs as he totally out-played his opposite, Potus Obama. Masterson also added 1 rebound, 2 assists and 2 blocked shots, assuring Dallas fans that the loss of Bango will not be so keenly felt in the seasons to come.

-- The game's high scorer in the previous two contests, Sacramento center Tree Fiddy chose to be a distributor in this one, passing out a game-high (tied) 4 dimes while scoring just 8 points. He also led everyone in the game in rebounds with 6, while registering 1 steal and 1 blocked shot.

-- Despite being guarded by the best defensive forward in league history, Sacramento's Doo-rag Dripp turned in his second consecutive 16-point game, leading his team in scoring. The relentless sixth-year player also led the R-Dogs in blocked shots with 3 while pulling down 5 rebounds and doling out 2 assists.

NEXT UP: The announcement of the Playoff MVP and the tallying of the playoff leaders.