Season 49 MBA Finals....Game 1...Seattle at San Jose

 SAN JOSE 79, SEATTLE 65

Shershot leads Amigos to Game 1 victory

SAN JOSE -- A 32-point performance by league MVP Jesse Shershot propelled the San Jose Fighting Amigos to a 79-65 Game 1 Finals win.

It was the eigth consecutive victory for San Jose, a team which has not lost since the midway break of the regular season. Spurred by Shershot's 18-point first quarter, the home team delighted its packed house to a 29-point initial period and an 8-point lead they never relinquished.

Seattle hung tough all game long, staying within shouting distance and waiting for the top scoring team in the league to cool down. But the Stampede could muster just 65 points on 50.9 percent shooting. Both teams played above average defense in the game, and truth be told, had Seattle not prevented 16 San Jose points, this would have been a blowout. The Amigos, meanwhile, demonstrated why they were the top team in the league in steals, snatching away 6.

Seattle's rookie guard Wolfie Gutenabend blocked the first two shots of the game by Shershot (one a good trey), after which time Shershot shifted to point guard to get away from his defender and proceeded to burn the nets.

Finals observations: After a season in which the East Division was clearly the stronger of the two, dominating the cross-over games 8-2, this Finals features two West Division clubs. These two teams split their games in the regular season with Seattle winning 76-73 at home (with Carga Larga as POG) and San Jose defending its home court 67-56 (with Shershot as POG). 

Points prevented by quarters

Seattle......3...7...4...2  Total=16

San Jose...2...0...4...5  Total=11

Tops in points prevented

1. Wolfie Gutenabend, Seattle...6

2. Jesse Shershot, San Jose...5

Third-year San Jose superstar JESSE SHERSHOT celebrated his first Finals appearance with a 32-point performance and his second 30-plus game of the Season 49 playoffs (the first being 38 points in his playoff debut). Shershot dominated his man, Potatoes O'Gratin, after shifting from shooting to point guard early in the game. He blazed his way to 18 points in the first quarter after missing his first two treys (netting the next 4 in the period). The 6-5 league MVP had 24 points and 5 treys at the half and 29 and 6 treys after three quarters. He finished with 32 points and 7 3-pointers on 10 of 22 shooting, going 7 for 16 from deep. He was also 5 for 6 from the foul line. He also led everyone in the game in assists, with 4, grabbed 4 rebounds and had 1 steal. Shershot finished second in the game in points prevented with 5. Shershot is averaging over 26 points per game in these playoffs thus far.

Other 20-plus GVP peformers

-- Eddie "the Milkman" Creamer of San Jose had a game-long brawl with Charlest Broccoli of Seattle. The 6-9 Milkman scored 19 points, tied for his team's lead in rebounds with 5, tied for game-high in steals with 2 and dished out 2 assists.

-- The other San Jose forward, Lupalin Greenbeard, also had a fina all-around game for the victors, scoring 13 points, ltying for team-high in boards with 5 and game-high in steals with 2 while adding 2 assists and 1 blocked shot. 

-- Second-year Seattle forward Charles Broccoli has come on strong in the post-season and was by far his team's best player in this game. The 6-10 Broccoli led Seattle in scoring with 21 points on a perfect 9 for 9 shooting day while hauling in a game-high 10 rebounds. He added 2 assists.

-- Seattle's small forward Cam Caldwell scored 15 points and hit the boards for 8 rebounds, getting an assist and a steal in the loss. 

NEXT UP: Moving north up the coast to the Pacific Northwest where Seattle's fans hope their charges can tie up the championship series.

Season 49 MBA Playoffs Game 3 SemiFinals...Seattle at Charleston

 SEATTLE 79, CHARLESTON 78

Stampede shocks Mountaineers

CHARLESTON -- Seattle forward Charles Broccoli stopped the potential game-winning shot of Charleston's Frog Morton on the last time unit of the game to give his team a stunning 79-78 victory over the highly favored home team.

The victory puts the Stampede into its first Finals since Season 40. They will face the San Jose Fighting Amigos for the right to affix the championship basketball on their team envelope.

Charleston led throughout the game, and by as many as 10 points in the third quarter, when Seattle took a 1-point advantage with 3 ticks left.

Charleston shooting guard MISTER METHANE earned his third POG of the playoffs in a row, drilling a game-high 30 points in the painful Mountaineers loss. Methane did everything imaginable to get his team the win, going 11 for 16 from the floor, including splashing home 4 treys in 6 tries. He was 4 for 5 from the foul line, pulled down 3 rebounds and assisted twice, dominating his man, Wolfie Gutenabend in the process. It wasn't quite enough.

Other 20-plus GVP performers

-- Staving off his own retirement, Seattle point guard Potatoes O'Gratin delivered the second triple-double of his career, with most of the damage he did to Charleston coming in the second half of the triumph. O'Gratin dominated Don Barzini of the Mountaineers, going a perfect 4 for 4 from beyond the arc on the way to a 20-point game. The 6-4 O'Gratin crashed the boards as well, tying for game-high in that department with 7, while handing out a team-high 5 assists. He also tied for game-high in blocked shots, swatting away 2. 

-- Seattle's rookie center Sky Masterson, subbing for the injured Carga Larga, made his first start a brilliant one for the victors. The 6-8 Masterson played bigger than his size, tying for game-high in rebounds with 7, scoring 12 points, adding 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot while playing differnce-making defense the entire game. 

-- Second-year Seattle power forward Charles Broccoli, picked first in this season's draft by Charleston, then traded to the Stampede, came back to haunt the Mountaineers. In addition to denying the game-winning basket, the 6-10 Broccoli scored a team-high 23 points and pulled down 3 rebounds.

-- Veteran power forward Frog Morton of Charleston, nearly the game-ending hero, wound up with 15 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal in the loss.

-- Charleston forward Sheetrock Hudson dominated his position, scoring 14 points, snagging 3 boards and adding 1 blocked shot, 1 assist and 1 steal to the mix. 

NEXT UP: The Finals...pitting Seattle (5-5)(2-1) vs. San Jose (6-4)(2-0) with Game 1 on the Fighting Amigos' home court. The combined regular season record of the finalists is just 11-9, but both teams are playing their best ball at the most opportune time. San Jose has won seven consecutive games, while Seattle pulled itself out of its 6-game losing streak at the end of the regular season and initial playoff loss to win two in a row. 

This will mark the first time that these two franchises have ever played each other in the MBA Finals. Both teams have one championship. San Jose won its title in Season 25 behind future Hall of Famer, then a rookie, Sagittal Occlusal,  and Seattle took home the big prize in Season 37 with the Three Amigos, second-season youngsters Diss Reflexia (HOF), Wimsy Greenfoyle and Sven Marquardt.

No team with a 5-win regular season has ever won the MBA championship. 

Six teams with a 6-win regular season have won championships, the last coming in Season 39 by Charleston over Dallas.

Season 49 Semifinals Game 2...San Jose at Philadelphia

SAN JOSE 88, PHILADELPHIA 87

AMIGOS SQUEAK BY FOR FINALS BERTH

PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Phobia, winners of nine consecutive SemiFinals series, took it down to the final time unit before bowing out of the Season 49 playoffs with an 88-87 loss to visiting San Jose.

The Fighting Amigos, in winning their seventh consecutive game, earned their first Finals appearance since Season 43 and their sixth overall.

Philly came from a 7-point third-quarter deficit to get within a pair with 24 ticks remaining. But San Jose, the top scoring team in the league, would not relent offensively, upping the lead to 6 on a short jumper by Eddie "The Milkman" Creamer to give them a 6-point advantage with 10 ticks left.

The Phobia would not give up, cutting the lead to 4 with 3 left, then getting the ball back on a 3-point miss by Cremeofsum Yunguy for San Jose. On the last time unit, 12-year veteran Baskets Weaver of Philadelphia (who turned in a perfect 6 for 6 day) potted his fourth trey of the game in as many tries. Unfortunately for Phobia fans, he needed San Jose's Jesse Shershot to foul him in order to get the four points needed to tie the game. But the wily league MVP stepped far away as his team rejoiced in the City of Brotherly Love.

This game featured smoking offenses, with San Jose shooting 66 percent and Philadelphia 68.5 percent. The Fighting Amigos hit on 7 3-pointers and the Phobia improved their zero 3's performance of Game 1 to 9 of 14 to allow them to keep pace with San Jose. 

Six steals by San Jose, the top steals team in the MBA and an 11 for 12 free-throw performance (they needed every one) contributed mightily to the win.

Philadelphia played tough defense, erasing 14 would-be points by San Jose.

This turned out to be the final game in the careers of Philadelphia center Dupa Yashu and substitute guard Baskets Weaver.

Points prevented by quarters

San Jose...... 2...2...2...0  Total=6

Philadelphia 2...6...2...4  Total=14

Tops in points prevented

1. Wawa Wewa, Philadelphia...6

2.  Dupa Yashu, Philadelphia...5

3. Dick Papers, Philadelphia....3

Thirteen-season veteran point guard CREMEOFSUM YUNGUY delivered his best game of the season right on time in this Finals clincher, as the 5-11 dynamo posted game-high numbers in both scoring (27 points) and rebounds (5) while tying for game-high in steals with 2 and handing out 2 assists. Picking up the slack for running mate Jesse Shershot, who had an off day offensively, Yunguy was 11 for 19 from the floor, ripping the cords from deep on 3 of 6 attempts and going 2 for 2 from the foul line, dominating Dick Papers of Philly. Not bad for a guy who spent the first five seasons of his career in the cut pile.

Other 20-plus GVP performers

-- The steady workhorse of San Jose, Eddie "the Milkman" Creamer, stepped into the spotlight for the Fighting Amigos in this big contest, scoring 19 poionts, pulling down 4 boards and handing out 3 assists. His big bucket at the 11 time-unit mark in the game was the dagger San Jose needed to secure the win. 

-- Rookie Philadelphia forwarard D. Fenestration was superb in defeat, scoring 16 points and dishing out a game-high 6 helpers while grabbing 3 rebounds. 

-- Nine-year Philly star Wawa Wewa showed why the Phobia have such a devestating forward combo, leading his team in scoring for the second playoff game with 17, tying for top rebounder on the team with 4, handing out 3 assists and preventing the most points by any player in the game (6). He dominated Lupalin Greenbeard. 

NEXT UP: The deciding Game 3 of the other SemiFinals to see who opposes San Jose for the MBA championship. It's Seattle at Charleston, where the Mountaineers have not lost all season. Hang on to your butt cheeks, people.
 

Season 49 Playoffs...SemiFinals Game 2...Charleston at Seattle

SEATTLE 81, CHARLESTON 69

Seattle block party ties series

SEATTLE -- The Seattle Stampede used a 33-point fourth quarter and a record-tying 15 blocked shots on defense to halt a six-game skid and tie up this SemiFinals series one game each, winning at home 81-69.

They trailed at the end of every quarter, by four entering the final stanza, but stayed close with an extraordinary defensive effort that negated 22 points by Charleston, many coming via blocked shots.

A shocking move by Stampede owner Tyler Masterson to insert seldom-used rookie Wolfie Gutenabend into the starting lineup paid top dividends when the 6-3 youngster responded with a game-high 6 blocked shots, negating a game-high 8 points. 

Six different Seattle players blocked shots in the win, erasing the playoff record of 14 first established in Season 6. 

The Stampede, down 9 at the half, made its comeback when its leading scorer at the time, center Carga Larga, went down with an injury with 53 ticks left in the third quarter and the team trailing 35-26. Rookie back-up center Sky Masterson responded nicely with 12 points the rest of the way. (He also had 9 points in the Semis opener and a game-high 8 boards.)

Tyler will have to roll in the cut pile for a Larga replacement, since his injury is for one game, the deciding contest in this suddenly exciting SemiFinals.

Points prevented by quarters

Charleston...2...6...0...0  Total=8

Seattle.........8...5...3...6  Total=22

Tops in points prevented

1. Wolfie Gutenabend, Seattle...8

2. Cam Caldwell, Seattle...6

3. Don Barzini, Charleston ...4

Despite being hounded by rookie Wolfie Gutenabend of Seattle who was having the defensive game of his life, Charleston shooting guard MISTER METHANE still scored a game-high 18 points to grab back-to-back POGs in this SemiFinals. Methane was 7 for 17 from the field, going 2 for 10 from deep and 2 for 2 from the foul line. Additionally, the 6-2 guard tied for his team's leadership in rebounds with 5, registered 1 steal and had 1 assist. 

Other 20-plus GVP performances

-- Seattle point guard Potatoes O'Gratin drilled a trio of treys on the way to a team-high 16 points before fouling out with 4 TUs left in the game. The veteran also had 3 rebounds,  2 assists and a blocked shot.

-- The unexpected hero of the game for Seattle was rookie guard Wolfie Gutenabend, who not only shadowed the top scorer for Charleston but did so to the tune of a game-high 6 blocked shots. He erased a pair of 3s by Methane on the way to an 8 points prevented game that topped all defenders. The 6-3 Gutenabend, in his first MBA start, also snatched a game-high 2 steals while pitching in offensively with 14 points and 2 assists.

-- Seattle forward Cam Caldwell had another fine playoff game with 14 points, a game-high 4 assists, 3 blocked shots and 6 points prevented, which were second-best in the contest.

Seattle's 15 blocked shots  (6 different players)

6 by Wolfie Gutenabend

3 by Cam Caldwell

2 by Carga Larga

2 by Charles Broccoli

1 by Potatoes O'Gratin

1 by Reed Lemur

The 15 blocks tied Seattle's own All-Time record of 15 that the Stampede set in Season 27 against this same Charleston franchise.

The 15 blocks erases a Playoff record of 14 for one game first set by (get this) Charleston against Seattle in the ancient days....Season 6 SemiFinals. 

That playoff mark of 14 was tied by Chip Battoe and the Dallas Demons against Los Angeles in the Season 45 playoffs.

NEXT UP: Philadelphia hopes the prevalent home court advantage of  Season 49 continues into its Game 2 against San Jose. The Phobia, facing elimination, hope to defend home turf after getting crushed in the SemiFinals opener by the Fighting Amigos.

 

Season 49 Playoffs, Semifinals Game 1...Philadelphia at San Jose

SAN JOSE 104, PHILADELPHIA 71 (Slaughter rule enforced)

AMIGOS, SHERSHOT ROLL OVER PHOBIA 

SAN JOSE -- The red-hot poker that is the Fighting Amigos stuck it to the visiting Philadelphia Phobia 104-71 in the opening game of this SemiFinals, winning their sixth consecutive contest.

Led by Jesse Shershot's 17 first-quarter points, San Jose sprinted to a 28-18 lead that was never threatened.

The only thing that stood in their way of setting four playoff records entering the fourth quarter was the slaughter rule, which, in fact, did cause all of the starters to leave the game early, falling short of the records.

They came closest to tying the all-time and playoff record for three-pointers made in one game but fell one short when rookie guard Cheddar Witkowskiski appeared to drain one at the horn, only to be met by a forced miss from Franswa Perfecto.

The win by San Jose was the third biggest slaughter in playoff history.

But there is title fever now more than ever in San Jose with this awesome display of firepower.

POINTS PREVENTED PHILADELPHIA ...17

POINTS PREVENTED SAN JOSE ... 7

Leaders in points prevented

1. Dick Papers, Philadelphia...5

2. D. Fenestration, Philadelphia...4

TURNOVERS CAUSED BY PHILADELPHIA...7

TURNOVERS CAUSED BY SAN JOSE ... 7

Leaders in turnovers caused

1. Dick Papers, Philadelphia 3

2. Sabado Gigante, San Jose 2

2. Dupa Yashu, Philadelphia 2

MBA MVP JESSE SHERSHOT of the Fighting Amigos came out of the gate scorching hot on the way to a game-high 38 point performance that had fans in the stands doing dangerous backflips onto San Jose's home court. The league scoring champion, playing in his first post-season contest, got after it with a 17-point quarter in which he nailed 4 3-pointers in 6 tries. By halftime he had 27 points, going 6 for 9 from downtown. He had 36 after three quarters, but was pulled halfway through the fourth quarter after scoring two more points due to the slaughter rule. The third year superstar absolutely abused Junior Dabas. For the game, Shershot was 14 for 19 from the floor with 8 of 13 good from downtown. He was also 2 for 2 from the foul line, adding 2 rebounds and 1 assist. It was the fourth-highest scoring playoff game in history. Shershot was 4 points short of the all-time single-game scoring mark for his franchise held by Funsy VanSlochum's 42.

Other 20-plus GVP performers

-- 13-season veteran point guard Cremeofsum Yunguy of San Jose splashed home 4 treys on the way to a 16-point performance, combining with Shershot for 54 tallies for the Fighting Amigos. The 5-11 Yunguy added 2 assists and a steal to the dominating win.

-- Getting his first start with San Jose due to the Lupalin Greenbeard injury, forward Muscle Shoals more than did the job. The second-year man scored 15 points, tied for game-high in rebounds with 4 and had 1 assist.

-- In his first playoff action, third-year Philly point guard Dick Papers had an excellent all-around game, scoring 14 points, dishing a game-high 4 assists and stealing a game-high 3. He was also numero uno in both points prevented and in turnovers caused.

-- Big 7-foot Philadelphia center Dupa Yashu contributed 14 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists , 2 steals and 1 blocked shot while finishing runner-up in most turnovers caused.

-- Spectacularly steady small forward Wawa Wewa of the Phobia led his team with 19 points, grabbing 2 boards, assisting 2 times and blocking 1 shot. 

Highest scoring individual playoff games in MBA history

44...Naf Naf, Charleston vs. San Jose, Season 41

44...Naf Naf, Oklahoma City vs. Seattle, Season 40

41...Naf Naf, Oklahoma City vs. Seattle, Season 40 

38...Jesse Shershot, San Jose vs. Philadelphia, Season 49

38...Dan Mann, Milwaukee, Season 12

38...Dan Mann, Milwaukee, Season 9

37...Uncle Bob Masterson, Philadelphia, Season 8

37...Naf Naf, Charleston vs. Seattle, Season 42

37...Bingo Bango, Dallas vs. Charleston, Season 42

Transaction: With the completion of his one-game injury, Lupalin Greenbeard will return to the starting lineup for San Jose, replacing Muscle Shoals. The Amigos cut Vito Andolini following the game, opting to keep Cheetah Vajajay. The Andolini experiment is over. Back to Sicily for him. 

NEXT UP: Charleston can polish off Seattle as the teams go to Game 2 of this SemiFinals series. 

Season 49 Playoffs ... Semifinals Game 1...Seattle at Charleston

CHARLESTON 84, SEATTLE 65 (Slaughter Rule enforced)

MOUNTAINEERS OVERWHELM SEATTLE

CHARLESTON -- The favored Charleston Mountaineers put this initial playoff encounter in their back pocket early with a prodigious 25-6 first quarter on the way to an 84-65 Game 1 win over the Seattle Stampede in this best of three semifinal series.

It was the sixth consecutive loss for Seattle, which began to put up more of a fight in the second half when the bell of defeat had already tolled.

The Stampede have bowed out of their last two playoff appearances without a win, having last tasted post-season nectar in Season 40, when they went to the Finals and lost. 

Meanwhile, Charleston displayed the crisp efficiency of a team with the best record in the MBA, holding Seattle to just 48.1 percent shooting while displaying 55.9 percent marksmanship of its own. 

The game mirrored the regular season cross-over win by Charleston, which finished with a 80-66 score.

POINTS PREVENTED BY SEATTLE = 16

POINTS PREVENTED BY CHARLESTON = 10

TOPS IN POINTS PREVENTED

1. Charles Broccoli, Seattle 8

2. Cam Caldwell, Seattle 6

The top scorer on Charleston all season long, shooting guard MISTER METHANE, gave Seattle the gas with a game-high 26-point scoring performance to coast home with POG honors. The fifth-year guard was 10 for 14 for the game, bombing home 4 long ones in 7 attempts and going 2 for 4 at the foul line. He dominated AnDamian Wayne. The 6-2 Methane grabbed 2 rebounds, had 1 assist and swiped a game-high 2 steals.

OTHER 20-PLUS GVP PERFORMERS

-- Longtime Seattle center Seven Castanza of Charleston had his second big game against his old team in as many outings this season. He was POG in the regular season meeting, and in this one he out-played center Carga Larga badly, scoring 18 points and grabbing 4 boards.

-- The lone holdover from last season's Charleston lineup, forward Frog Morton also took it to his opposite, Charles Broccoli, scoring 16 points, snagging a team-high 7 boards, handing out 2 assists and getting 1 steal.

-- Although he scored just 9 points, Seattle forward Cam Caldwell blocked a game-high 4 shots, pulled down 6 rebounds, had 2 assists and 1 steal and prevented 6 opponent points with his defense.

NEXT UP: Game 1 of the other Semifinal series which pits Philadelphia (7-3) at San Jose 6-4. The home team Fighting Amigos have the longest active winning streak at 5 in a row and led the league in scoring. But Philly's won-loss record in the tough East means that they are tempered for battle.

  

Season 49 Playoff Teams Stats

CHARLESTON

Titles...5

Last Title...Season 42

Last Playoff Appearance...Season 46

                                                                  

SEATTLE

Titles...1

Last Title...Season 37

Last Playoff Appearance...Season 48

SAN JOSE

Titles...1

Last Title...Season 25

Last Playoff Appearance...Season 44

PHILADELPHIA 

Titles...16

Last Title...Season 43

Last Playoff Appearance...Season 44

NEXT UP: The Playoffs...first...Seattle at Charleston in SemiFinals Game 1.

Charleston won the regular season cross-over game 80-66 at Charleston, with Player of the Game Seven Castanza of the Mountaineers scoring a game-high 22 with a game-high 6 rebounds. It was never close, as Charleston got off to a 20-12 first-quarter advantage and coasted home from there.

 

Season 49 Stat Leaders...awards

Jesse Shershot becomes third San Jose player to win league MVP honors; first since Hall of Fame forward Saggital Occlusal earned MVP in Season 25, Season 26 and Season 27. Other San Jose winner was forward Johnny Fartpants in Season 11. Shershot is first guard to win the honor for that franchise. Set single season scoring average for San Jose.

Freddy Gooch is the second Gillette/Kansas City player to earn Rookie of the Year, the first being Freddy Chepuzzo in Season 46 for K.C.

Doo-rag Dripp becomes the 54th member of the Hall of Fame and the second from the Sacramento River Dogs franchise (following last season's induction of Tree Fiddy). Dripp is currently tied for 32nd place in the Hall. 

 SEASON 49 LEADERS

SCORING

19.9 ppg...JESSE SHERSHOT, San Jose (repeat winner)

18.8 ppg ... Freddy Gooch, Gillette (rookie)

18.3 ppg ... Doo-rag Dripp, Sacramento (Hall of Fame)

18.0 ppg ... Sabado Gigante, San Jose (retiring)

17.8 ppg ... Chochky Galumpkus, Dallas 

REBOUNDING

6.6 RPG...CHOCHKY GALUMPKUS, Dallas (third in a row)

6.4 RPG ... Wardy Joubert III, Sacramento

5.9 RPG ... Eddie "the Milkman" Creamer, San Jose

ASSISTS

6.1 APG...GREAT GRUNCLE TERRY, Milwaukee (4th title, 3rd in a row)

4.5 APG ... Cremeofsum Yunguy, San Jose 

4.0 APG ... Don Barzini, Charleston

3-POINT SHOOTING

105.1 ... 82.1% - 23 made ... POTATOES O'GRATIN, Seattle (3rd title in a row) (retiring)

84.6 ... 51.6% - 33 made ... Freddy Gooch, Gillette (rookie)

79.3 ... 54.3% - 25 made ... Itsaka Numdrum, Dallas 

STEALS

12 ... CAM CALDWELL, Seattle (retiring)

11 ... Lupalin Greenbeard, San Jose

10 ... Ape Con Myth, Milwaukee

10 ... Don Barzini, Charleston 

BLOCKED SHOTS

27 ... LOTHARIO FARTLEK, Milwaukee

25 ... Great Gruncle Terry, Milwaukee

25 ... Dupa Yashu, Philadelphia (retiring)

FREE THROWING 

128.0 ... 100.0% - 28 made ... WAWA WEWA, Philadelphia

117.4 ... 80.4% - 37 made ... Doo-rag Dripp, Sacramento (Hall of Fame)

114.0 ... 100.0% - 14 made ... Great Gruncle Terry, Milwaukee

PLAYER OF THE GAME

4 ... GREAT GRUNCLE TERRY, Milwaukee

8 others tied with 3 each

MOST TIMES FOULED OUT

5 ... ANDAMIAN WAYNE, Seattle

5 ... FREDDY CHEPUZZO, Sacramento

4 ... Handsy Joe Potatoe, Oklahoma City 

4 ... Joe Momsawhore, Gillette

TOP SCORING GAMES 

34 ... MISTER METHANE, Charleston vs. Dallas

32 ... Jesse Shershot, San Jose vs. Gillette

32 ... Handsy Joe Potatoe, Oklahoma City vs. Dallas

31 ... Chochky Galumpkus, Dallas vs. San Jose

31 ... Freddy Gooch, Gillette vs. San Jose (rookie)

30 ... Sabado Gigante, San Jose v. Los Angeles (retiring)

MOST TRIPLE DOUBLES

4 ... GREAT GRUNCLE TERRY, Milwaukee (11 for career)

1 ... Potatoes O'Gratin, Seattle (retiring) (1st of career)

1 ... Dick Papers, Philadelphia (2nd of career)

1 ... D. Fenestration, Philadelphia (rookie) (1st of career)

1 ... Dupa Yashu, Philadelphia (retiring) (1st of career)

1 ... Freddy Gooch, Gillette (rookie) (1st of career)

1 ... Lothario Fartlek, Milwaukee (1st of career)

1 ... Ed Balls, Dallas (rookie) (1st of career)

RECORDS SET OR TIED

Tied ... Most rebound titles career (3) ... Chochky Galumpkus, Dallas

New ... Most rebound titles in a row (3) ... Chochky Galumpkus, Dallas

Tied ... Most assist titles career (4) ... Great Gruncle Terry, Milwaukee

Tied ... Most assist titles in a row (3) ... Great Gruncle Terry, Milwaukee

Jesse Shershot of San Jose joins just three other players in MBA history, Sagittal Occlusal of San Jose, Hrundi V. Bakshi of Milwaukee and Chip Battoe of Dallas, to earn All-MBA foil stars in their first three seasons in the league.

Season 49 Featured Game No. 10...Charleston at Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE 90, CHARLESTON 62 (on Lannigan Lord Hobo Day)  (Slaughter rule enforced)

GREYHOUNDS HUMILIATE MOUNTAINEERS 

MILWAUKEE --The Milwaukee Greyhounds sent star guard Lannigan Lord Hobo off to the retired cards envelope with a good buzz as the 6-4 home team shot 78.4 percent and dished out 21 assists to absolutely trounce the first-place Charleston Mountaineers (now 8-2) to finish in third place in the tough East.

For their part, Charleston was happy to get away with the tail they had between their legs, having already lost backup defensive stalwart, Poppa Popcorn, who suffered a 7-game injury for the upcoming playoffs.

They picked up veteran (and retiring) center Pat "Bubkis" Moore to replace him on the post-season roster.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Second-year Milwaukee center LOTHARIO FARTLEK gave Greyhounds fans a warm feeling for the future as the 6-10 youngster scored a game-high 26 points on the way to his third POG this season. Fartlek was 11 for 14 from the floor and 4 of 5 from the foul line as he dominated Seven Castanza of Charleston. That gives him a team-high 16.1 points per game scoring average in his first season as a starter. Additionally, Fartlek tied for game-high in blocked shots, giving him a season total of 27 to surpass Dupa Yashu of Philadelphia, who finished with 25. Likely, that will net Fartlek the top spot in that category. The second-year center also led everyone in points prevented in this game with 6. He added to his team-high total of rebounds with 3 more. 

Other 20-plus GVP performers (none from Charleston)

-- Honored for his short but brilliant career at halftime, Milwaukee's retiring shooting guard Lannigan Lord Hobo bowed out of the MBA with brilliance, scoring 24 points, dominating Mister Methane while pulling down 3 rebounds and adding a steal and an assist. Three times he made the All-MBA team and was also a 3-time All Star Game participant. Last season he captured the league MVP award. An excellent scorer, the 6-6 Hobo led his team in scoring three times and demonstrated a voracious appetite for rebounds, also leading his team in that department on three occassions. Never brought a title home in his 5-season stay in Milwaukee, but he provided excellence at his position. Also, the last tie to greatness that was the Chicago Gale, where he began his career. He joins Horn. E. Goatweed on a short list of 3-time All MBA players not in the Hall of Fame.

-- The Myth, Ape Con Myth of Milwaukee, cruised very nicely through his 11th MBA season. The 6-10 power forward scored 15 points, led his team in rebounds with 5 and handed out 3 assists. 

-- James "Cherry Challenge" Payne destroyed would-be MVP Sheetrock Hudson, scoring 11 points, grabbing 3 rebounds, giving out 6 helpers and blocking 2 shots. 

NEXT UP: The battle for third place in the West as Los Angeles makes the short trek to Sacramento. Both teams are 4-5.

FINAL EAST DIVISION STANDINGS (no changes)

1st -- Charleston Mountaineers 8-2

2nd -- Philadelphia Phobia 7-3

3rd -- Milwaukee Greyhounds 6-4

4th -- Dallas Demons 5-5

Last -- Oklahoma City Lariats 2-8

Featured Game No. 9...Seattle at San Jose

 SAN JOSE 67, SEATTLE 56

AMIGOS TAKE OVER FIRST IN WEST

SAN JOSE--The fourth straight win by the streaking San Jose Fighting Amigos, a 67-56 mud-slug over Seattle, moved them past the Stampede into first place in the West Division.

The San Jose triumph knocked two teams out of the playoff race, with Los Angeles and the defending champs from Sacramento biting the dust. 

The loss was the fourth in a row for Seattle (5-4), which once had a 5-0 stranglehold on the division, but has failed to win since the halfway break. They have, however, clinched a playoff spot.

Meanwhile, San Jose (5-4), the pre-season favorite for the division title, got off to an 0-3 start before finally kicking in with four straight wins in the second half of the schedule. 

San Jose got off to a brilliant 29-point first quarter start, but neither team could mount much of an attack from the second quarter on. The teams ended up splitting the regular season.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Although the league's leading scorer (and defending scoring champ) JESSE SHERSHOT had an awful shooting day, going 4 for 15  for 13 points, he made up for it with a team-high 9 rebounds and tied for team-high in assists with 2. The third-year, two-time All-MBA guard knocked down a trio of treys in 9 attempts while going 2 for 3 at the foul line. This was Shershot's third POG this season.

Other 20-plus GVP performers (none from Seattle)

-- San Jose's retiring center Sabado Gigante, fourth in the league in scoring, registered a game-high 17 points in the win, grabbing 5 rebounds and blocking 1 shot.

-- San Jose forward Lupalin Greenbeard took over the league leadership in steals, swiping a game-high 4 in this game for a total of 11 for the season. The 6-9 fourth-year man dominated Cam Caldwell, scoring 11 points, grabbing 5 boards, tying for team-high in assists with 2 and blocking 1 shot.

WEST DIVISION STANDINGS

1st -- Charleston Mountaineers 8-1 (unchanged) (6-game winning streak) (clinched first place)

2nd -- Philadelphia Phobia 6-3 (unchanged) (clinched second place).

3rd -- Milwaukee Greyhounds 5-4 (up from 4th)

4th -- Dallas Demons 4-5 (down from 3rd)

Last -- Oklahoma City Lariats 2-7 (unchanged)

EAST DIVISION STANDINGS

1st -- San Jose Fighting Amigos 5-4 (up from 2nd) (4-game winning streak) (points differential tie-breaker) (clinched playoffs)

2nd -- Seattle Stampede 5-4 (down from 1st) (4-game losing streak) (clinched playoffs)

3rd -- Sacramento River Dogs 4-5 (unchanged) (division wins tie-breaker)

4th -- Los Angeles Big One 4-5 (unchanged)

Last -- Gillette Humps 2-7 (unchanged)

FINAL REGULAR SEASON BRACKET OF GAMES

-- Philadelphia at Seattle in a cross-over battle of two playoff teams. Seattle still has a chance for first place in the West if it wins this game and San Jose loses its final contest. Potatoes O'Gratin will be honored

-- Oklahoma City at Dallas. The Demons can maybe overtake Milwaukee for third. Lariats are buried.

-- FEATURED GAME: Charleston at Milwaukee. Mountaineers started the season with a 76-70 victory over Greyhounds. They close it out on Lannigan Lord Hobo Day.

-- Los Angeles at Sacramento. The victor can get third place. R-Dogs won previous meeting by 1. 

-- Gillette at San Jose. The Fighting Amigos may need a win to clinch division crown. Even if they have it clinched, it will be interesting to see the Humps' rookie Freddy Gooch (19.7 ppg) battle San Jose's Jesse Shershot (20.0 ppg) for the scoring title. 

Season 49 Featured Game No. 8...Seattle at Charleston

 CHARLESTON 80, SEATTLE 66

MOUNTAINEERS DISMANTLE STAMPEDE

CHARLESTON -- The Charleston Mountaineers used a fourth-quarter surge to put down Seattle's challenge, winning handily 80-66 in this cross-over battle of the two division leaders. 

It was the firth consecutive victory for Charleston (now 7-1) and the third loss in a row for Seattle (now 5-3).

The East is now 7-1 over the West in cross-over games.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

In his first opportunity to play against the team that gave up on him, Charleston center SEVEN CASTANZA  scored a game-high 22 points, dominated his opposite, Carga Larga and gained a heaping measure of sweet revenge. This was the team that benched him after he produced his All-MBA season (Season 46) then cut him from the squad entirely prior to the start of Season 49. Not only did Castanza lead in scoring with a perfect 8 for 8 game, he slam-dunked 4 times, hit the only 3-pointer he attempted and was 5 for 5 from the foul line. The 6-8, sixth-year man, eagerly claimed in the cut draft by Charleston, also topped everyone in rebounding with 6. He can retire after this season with warm thoughts of this retaliatory performance. 

Other 20-plus GVP performers

-- Charleston power forward Frog Morton dominated Charles Broccoli with an 18-point performance that included 4 rebounds and 2 assists. Broccoli, who was drafted by Charleston, then traded for point guard Don Barzini and a draft pick next season, fouled out with 10 points.

-- Another player who came over to the Mountaineers via trade this season, third-year forward Sheetrock Hudson, continues to be the leading candidate for league MVP. The 6-9 Hudson scored 16 points in this win, grabbed 5 boards and handed out 2 assists while tying for most points prevented.

-- Seattle shooting guard Andamian Wayne clearly out-played Mister Methane of Charleston. Wayne tied for team-high in scoring with 15 points, grabbed the most boards on his team with 5 and had 1 assist. Methane only managed 7 points before fouling out.

POINTS PREVENTED BY TEAM

Seattle---8

Charleston---9

TOPS IN POINTS PREVENTED

Sheetrock Hudson of Charleston...4

Charles Broccoli of Seattle...4

Reed Lemur of Seattle...4

WEST STANDINGS

1st -- Seattle Stampeded 5-3 (unchanged) (3-game losing streak) (clinched playoff spot)

2nd -- San Jose Fighting Amigos 4-4 (unchanged) (3-game winning streak)

3rd -- Sacramento River Dogs 3-5 (up from 4th) (head-to-head tie-breaker)

4th -- Los Angeles Big One 3-5 (down from 3rd)

Last -- Gillette Humps 2-6 (eliminated from playoff contention)

CONTENDERS DOWN THE STRETCH

-- Seattle has games left against San Jose and Philadelphia

-- San Jose has games left against Seattle and Gillette

-- Sacramento has games left against Gillette and Los Angeles

-- Los Angeles has games left against Dallas and Sacramento

EAST STANDINGS

1st -- Charleston Mountaineers 7-1 (unchanged) (5-game winning streak) (clinched playoff spot)

2nd -- Philadelphia Phobia 6-2 (unchanged) 

3rd -- Dallas Demons 4-4 (up from 4th) (division wins tie-breaker) (eliminated from playoff contention)

4th -- Milwaukee Greyhounds 4-4 (down from 3rd) (eliminated from playoff contention)

Last -- Oklahoma City Lariats 2-6 (unchanged) (eliminated from playoff contention

FIGHTING FOR FIRST DOWN THE STRETCH 

-- Charleston has games against Oklahoma City and Milwaukee

-- Philadelphia has games against Milwaukee and Seattle 

**both teams have five division wins right now...Philly has just one division game left.

UPCOMING BRACKET OF GAMES (NO. 9)

-- Charleston at Oklahoma City ... a win here by Mountaineers removes all drama in the East and clinches first for Charleston...they pounded OKC by 29 first meeting

-- Philadelphia at Milwaukee...Phobia bested disappointing Greyhounds 66-59 in their prior game.

-- Gillette at Sacramento...The Humps try for most wins in a season (3) which would knock defending champs out of contention.

-- Dallas at Los Angeles...Cross-over only has meaning for L.A., which clings to slim playoff hopes.

-- FEATURED GAME: Seattle at San Jose...With the Fighting Amigos streaking one way (5 straight wins) and Seattle the other (3 straight losses) this game could see San Jose supplant the Stampede atop the West Division standings. Seattle has a playoff spot clinched, and could put San Jose's playoff celebration on hold by taking them down. The two played a ripping good game in the first meeting, with Seattle winning 76-73 behind the POG of Carga Larga. 

Season 49 Featured Game No. 7...Charleston at Sacramento

Charleston 61, Sacramento 56

Mountaineers keep rolling 

SACRAMENTO -- The final score of this cross-over is not reflective of two of the MBA's top offensive teams, for in the end it was first-place Charleston's defense that squeezed the life out of the defending champion River Dogs in a 61-56 victory.

After scoring 23 points in the opening quarter, Sacramento hit a king-size drought in the final stanza, scoring just 4 fourth quarter points. Meanwhile, the eventual victors managed just 10 in that same time frame, which proved to be more than enough, securing the triumph on a 3-pointer from Don Barzini with 13 ticks left that gave them a 7-point lead. 

The win was the fourth in a row for Charleston, improving its record to 6-1. Going the other way is Sacramento, now 2-5 with four consecutive defeats.

The East secured the season advantage with this win as it is now ahead 6-1 in cross-overs.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Sacramento's Hall of Fame center TREE FIDDY dominated the opposition at his position, scoring a game-high 21 points on 10 of 11 shooting. He hit his first 10 shots before finally having the 11th blocked by Poppa Popcorn. He was 1 for 2 at the charity stripe. The 11th year wunderkind also pulled down 4 boards, tied for team-high with 2 assists and blocked 1 shot. It is the first POG for him this season.

Other 20-plus GVP performances

-- Third-year 6-9 forward Sheetrock Hudson of Charleston continues to be the top MVP candidate in the league this season. In this game he battled one of the other contenders, Doo-rag Dripp, and although he did not dominate, he had the upper hand. Hudson led the victors in scoring with 16 points, tied for team-best with 4 rebounds and added 1 assist. 

-- Sacramento power forward Wardy Joubert III controlled the boards in this game with a game-high 8 while scoring 9 points, dishing 2 assists and blocking 1 shot. 

POINTS PREVENTED BY QUARTERS

Charleston....2...4...2...4  Total=12

Sacramento...0...4...2...2  Total=8

POINTS PREVENTED LEADERS

1. Don Barzini, Charleston 4

1. Poppa Popcorn, Charleston 4

1. Wardy Joubert, Sacramento 4

TURNOVERS CAUSED BY QUARTERS

Charleston....0...5...1...1  Total=7

Sacramento...4...1...1...1  Total=7

TURNOVERS CAUSED LEADERS

1. Mister Methane, Charleston 4

2. Boney Skelletrino, Sacramento 3

EAST DIVISION STANDINGS (no changes)

1st -- Charleston 6-1 (4-game winning streak)

2nd -- Philadelphia 5-2 

3rd -- Milwaukee 4-3 

4th -- Dallas 3-4 (4-game losing streak)

Last -- Oklahoma City 2-5

WEST DIVISION STANDINGS

1st -- Seattle 5-2 (unchanged)

2nd -- San Jose 3-4 (up from 3rd) (head-to-head tie-breaker)

3rd -- Los Angeles 3-4 (down from 2nd)

4th -- Sacramento 2-5 (unchanged) (4-game losing streak) (division wins tie-breaker)

Last -- Gillette 2-5 (unchanged)

UPCOMING BRACKET OF GAMES (No. 8)

-- Milwaukee at Dallas...Greyhounds get Dallas on a downward spiral. Beat them by 13 recently.

-- Philadelphia at Oklahoma City...Phobia won by 6 in first meeting...this is not a gimme.

-- Sacramento at Los Angeles...first of two meetings in which one of these teams needs to sweep.

-- San Jose at Gillette...they play each other twice in the last three games...advantage Amigos.

-- FEATURED GAME: Seattle at Charleston in a cross-over battle of division leaders.

Latest DM power rankings

1. Charleston

2. San Jose

3. Philadelphia

4. Seattle

5. Milwaukee

6. Oklahoma City

7. Sacramento

8. Los Angeles

9. Gillette

10. Dallas