Season 47 Featured Game No. 8...Charleston at Sacramento....plus bonus

 Sacramento 69, Charleston 57

R-Dogs hound Mountaineers into submission

SACRAMENTO -- The Sacramento River Dogs used a smothering fourth-quarter defense to notch their seventh win of the season, 69-57 against the visiting Charleston Mountaineers in a cross-over game that matched last season's semifinal foes. It was the third straight win for the home team.

The victory makes the R-Dogs 7-1 on the season and clinches a playoff spot for Sacramento, where they join Dallas as the only other team to punch a post-season ticket thus far.

Meanwhile, Charleston drops to 4-4 for the season, sputtering to its third consecutive loss and leaving the door open for another East team to claim the second playoff spot behind Dallas. 

This game was a close-to-the-vest affair with defense oft-times trumping scoring possibilities. Sacramento choked the life out of the Charleston offense in the fourth, especially down the home stretch, when they prevented 12 Mountaineer points.

The West is now 6-2 in cross-over games.

POINTS PREVENTED BY QUARTERS

Charleston....4...4...2....0   Total=10

Sacramento...4...2...6...12 Total=24

Top players in points prevented

1. Tree Fiddy, Sacramento 8

2. Great Gruncle Terry, Sacramento 6

TURNOVERS CAUSED BY QUARTERS

Charleston.....0...1...2...1  Total=4

Sacramento...2...2...0...1  Total=5

Top players in causing turnovers

1. Potus Obama, Sacramento 5

2. Frog Morton, Charleston 2

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Nailing down his third Player of the Game honor, Sacramento veteran forward DOO-RAG DRIPP padded his lead for the second All-MBA forward spot behind Chip Battoe, who happens to be the only MBA player this season to have more POGs. Battoe has 4. Dripp, who is averaging 17.9 points per game, is fourth in the league in scoring behind Battoe. His 27-point scoring effort was easily high for the game against Charleston, with the 6-7, seventh-year player going 11 for 12 from the floor (including a slam) and 5 for 6 from the foul line. If he continues at this pace, Dripp will be his team's high scorer for the fifth time. He also pulled down 4 rebounds, had 1 assist and 1 blocked shot, dominating Faku Sosume (who fouled out) from the get-go.

Other 20-plus GVP performers

-- Sacramento point guard Great Gruncle Terry came within a bucket of registering another triple-double. As it was, the 6-5 Terry scored 8 points, grabbed 5 rebounds and tied for game-high in assists with 6. He's ahead of the pace to set a new assist record to supplant the one of 6.3 per game shared by Percy Faith and Bull Bunson, needing 10 to tie and 11 to surpass them in the last two games. Terry also finished second in points prevented in this win,

-- Terry's Sacramento running mate at guard, Potus Obama, was a wild dog on defense, adding to his league-leading steal mark with 2 more swipes and wreaking havoc with a game-high total of 5 turnovers. Obama scored 18 points, grabbed 3 rebounds, tied for tops in steals, dished 2 assists and blocked 1 shot, dominating his man Cat Timol in this playoff-clinching win. 

-- Charleston point guard Hurricane Furrwizard registered the first triple-double of his five-season career, tying for team-high in scoring with 12, tying for game-high in assists with 6 and utilizing his 5-11 frame to pull down 5 rebounds. 

-- Charleston forward Frog Morton didn't do much scoring, managing just 6 points, but the 6-9 forward grabbed a game-high 7 rebounds, tied for most steals with 2, tied for most blocked shots with 3 and handed out 2 assists, while playing some fine defense.

NEXT UP: Milwaukee (3-4) at Dallas (7-0). The Greyhounds are chasing the sputtering Charleston team for the second East playoff berth and would be in the driver's seat if they could somehow manage to spoil the Demons perfect season with an upset road win. Dallas won a defensive struggle by 9 their first meeting. Milwaukee would still be in the hunt, even with a loss, since its last two games of the season are against win-less Kansas City.

Bonus: Top 10 GVP 

(compiled prior to the addition of this last game's stats after 7 games for each team) 

1. Chip Battoe, Dallas forward.............................28.7 GVP

2. Dr. Marcus Brody, Los Angeles guard.............27.6

3. Jesse Shershot, San Jose rookie guard..............25.3

4. Chochky Galumpkus, Oklahoma City center...24.1

5. J.J. Gargantuan, Charleston center....................23.6

6. Tree Fiddy, Sacramento center..........................22.7

7. Meat Pants Masterson, Dallas guard.................22.6

7. Cat Timol, Charleston guard.............................22.6

9. Doo-rag Dripp, Sacramento forward................22.5

10. Chutcher Mouthchair, Philadelphia center......22.4

Season 47 Featured Game No. 7...Sacramento at San Jose

Sacramento 80, San Jose 63 

R-DOGS BARK LOUDEST IN RIVALRY 

SAN JOSE -- The Sacramento River Dogs asserted their dominance again over the up-and-coming young rivals from San Jose, sweeping the season series with an 80-63 road victory on the heels of a 21-point win over the same foes early in the season.

The win keeps Sacramento (now 6-1) in front of the surprising Los Angeles Big One in the West Division on the strength of having one more division win.

The Fighting Amigos, having their 3-game win streak snapped, are now 4-3 and will likely have to win out in order to catch either of the two West teams ahead of them in the standings. 

Points prevented by quarters

Sacramento...4...4...0...6  Total=14 

San Jose........3...8...0...7  Total=18

Top individuals in points prevented

1. Great Gruncle Terry, Sacramento 6

1. Benji Ballou, San Jose 6

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Sacramento point guard GREAT GRUNCLE TERRY waged a spirited battle with rookie sensation Jesse Shershot, asserting himself defensively with a game-high 6 points prevented and 2 blocked shots while assembling the fifth triple-double of his career with 14 points, and game-highs in both rebounds (7) and assists (7), the latter adding to his league-leading totals. Terry was 5 for 8 from the floor, including 1 for 1 from deep (he's over 50 percent from 3-Point land on the season) and 3 for 3 from the foul line to keep up an unblemished 13 for 13 from the charity stripe for the campaign.

Other 20-plus GVP performers

-- Sacramento shooting guard Potus Obama tied for game-high scoring honors with 21 points as he dominated Mister Methane, who was shut out for the game and fouled out. Obama kept pressuring his defenders with drives and shots from every zone, ending up at the foul line for 18 free throws. Eleven of Obama's 21 points came from free throws. He also fouled out Methane's replacement, Freddy Chepuzzo. Shooting for his third steals crown, the league-leading theft man swiped 2 more, giving him 12 for the season, twice as many as the nearest competitor. The 6-5 Obama also blocked 1 shot.

-- Sacramento center Tree Fiddy, again in the mix for All-MBA center, dominated Benji Ballou, scoring 19 points and grabbind 6 boards in the win.

-- Another All-MBA candidate, Doo-rag Dripp of Sacramento did a bit of everything in the win. The 7-season forward scored 12 points, blocked a game-high 3 shots, stole a game-high 3, grabbed 4 boards and had 2 assists.

-- Although hounded by Great Gruncle Terry's tough defense, rookie guard Jesse Shershot still managed to tie for game-high in scoring with 21 points while grabbing 3 rebounds and leading his team in assists with 4. Second in the league in scoring at 19.1 points per game, he improved vastly from his first meeting with Terry, when he managed just 4 points.

WEST DIVISION STANDINGS (no changes since last bracket)

1st -- Sacramento River Dogs.......6-1 (division wins tie-breaker)

2nd --Los Angeles Big One...........6-1 (3-game winning streak)

3rd -- San Jose Fighting Amigos...4-3

4th -- Seattle Stampede..................2-5 (4-game losing streak) (officially eliminated from playoffs)

Last--Oklahoma City......................1-6 (3-game losing streak) (officially eliminated from playoffs)

Upcoming bracket (No. 8)

-- Featured Game...We start with a big cross-over between Charleston (4-3), currently second in the East, against the top team in the West, Sacramento, at the Dog Pound. 

-- Another intriguing match has Milwaukee (3-4) at unbeaten Dallas (7-0). The home team Demons have already clinched a playoff berth, but Milwaukee can really help itself with an upset win, especially if Charleston loses to Sacramento. Dallas won the first meeting 69-60, with Chip Battoe as POG.

-- Kansas City (0-7) is at Philadelphia (2-5). The Phobia scored a season-best 103 against the Bastard Angels in their previous meeting. Philly actually still has a chance at the playoffs if they win out, with their last two game against Charleston. K.C., meanwhile, has been on the verge of victory, coming closest in their most recent game, a 3-point loss to powerhouse Dallas.

-- Seattle at San Jose ... two games ago the Fighting Amigos beat these guys at the buzzer.

-- Los Angeles at Oklahoma City...first meeting this season between these two West foes. L.A. cannot relax here.

Power Rankings

1. Dallas Demons

2. Sacramento River Dogs

3. Los Angeles Big One

4. Charleston Mountaineers

5. San Jose Fighting Amigos

6. Milwaukee Greyhounds

7. Philadelphia Phobia

8. Seattle Stampede

9. Oklahoma City Lariats

10. Kansas City Bastard Angels.

 

Featured Game No. 6...Dallas at Charleston

Dallas  90, Charleston 77

Demons sweep Charleston 

CHARLESTON -- The seemingly unstoppable Dallas Demons (now 6-0) never trailed in their sixth consecutive win, this one a 90-77 victory over second-place Charleston (now 4-2) to complete the season sweep over the Mountaineers.

The defending champions took control in the second quarter in a game that saw them showcase both their offensive and defensive prowess. 

Charleston coach Bill Rustler claimed a moral victory in that his team came within 13 points of Dallas, which had been beating teams by an average of 19.4 points per game.

Points prevented per quarter

Dallas..........10...2...2...4  Total=18

Charleston....2....6...4...4  Total=16

Leaders in points prevented

1. Chip Battoe, Dallas 16

2. J.J. Gargantuan, Charleston 12

Turnovers caused by quarters

Dallas.........1...5...2...1 Total=9

Charleston..3...0...1...2 Total=6

Leaders in turnovers caused

1. Chip Battoe, Dallas 4

2. Louie Subgum, Dallas 3

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Hall of Fame Dallas forward CHIP BATTOE had a game that was remarkable even by his lofty standards. The 6-8, fifth-year superstar controlled the contest with a game-high 27 points, prevented a game-high 16 points on his own, caused a game-high 4 turnovers and blocked a game-high 10 shots. The 10 blocks was just one away from the all-time single game record of Jimsy Redfern of Charleston. Battoe, who dominated his opponent, Shwayze, was 11 for `12 from the floor, his lone miss coming from his one attempt beyond the arc. He was also 5 for 6 from the foul line. This was his fourth POG this season, double the amount of his next closest competitor and he seems miles ahead of everyone to nail down his fifth consecutive league MVP honor on the way to tying or surpassing Naf Naf's six in a row. Additionally, he now has 34 blocked shots on the season, which is just off the pace of the single-season record of 59 set by Tom "the Bomb" Kondla in Season 31 for Dallas. This is shaping up as one of his best seasons in a stellar career. 

Other 20-plus GVP performers

-- Having a good scoring game against J.J. Gargantuan is a tall order, but the biggest man in the MBA responded to the challenge, as Dallas' 7-2 behemoth GoToo Grot scored 15 points while leading his victorious team with 5 rebounds.

-- The productive front court for the Demons was filled out by the play of veteran forward Tiger Masterson, who pumped in 23 points while dominating Faku Sosume to the point that the latter fouled out. T. Masterson also had 3 rebounds and 1 assist, enjoying his 9th and final season.

-- The top scorer for Charleston this season has been veteran guard Cat Timol, who continued to lead the way with his team-high 25 points. Now in his seventh season, the 5-10 Timol added 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot to his fine game as he blew the doors off Meat Pants Masterson

-- Hall of Fame Charleston center J.J. Gargantuan is putting together a superb year as he eyes the 100-consecutive games played mark he hopes to achieve at the end of this season. The undersized 6-8 pivot scored 14 points, prevented 12 points defensively, grabbed 3 rebounds, blocked a team-best 6 shots and added 1 assist. He has not slowed down in his 10th MBA campaign.

NEXT UP: Oklahoma City (1-4) travels to Sacramento (4-1), trying to fend off early playoff elimination. They lost to the R-Dogs 84-75 in a tough opener this season, with Tree Fiddy of Sacramento as the POG. 

BONUS

Countdown of TOP 10 ALL-TIME MASSACRES

10. 40 points...Charleston over Houston 88-48 in Season 8 Playoffs

8. 41 points...(tied) San Jose over Seattle 103-62 in Season 5

8. 41 points...(tied) Sacramento over Seattle 88-47 in Season 44

7. 43 points...Charleston over Dallas 98-55 in Season 43

6. 46 points...Charleston over Oklahoma City 96-50 in Season 5

5. 49 points...Oklahoma City over Sacramento 103-54 in Season 40

3. 53 points...(tied) Dallas over Los Angeles 95-42 in Season 46

3. 53 points...(tied) Los Angeles over Seattle 105-52 in Season 43

2. 56 points...Milwaukee over Sacramento 103-47 in Season 18

1. 59 points....Oklahoma City over San Jose 114-55 in Season 20

Post-All Star Game bits and pieces...upcoming bracket preview

 J.J. Gargantuan’s 11th block in All Star Game competition ties him for 5th place all-time. The list goes as follows for career All Star Game blocks:

1. Curly Hogbottom…16

2. Tom “the Bomb” Kondla…15

3. Jimsy Redfern…14

4. Boone Doggle…13

5. Raisin Sport…11

5. J.J. Gargantuan…11

Chip Battoe’s MVP of the All Star Game is the first for a Dallas player since Max Payne won the award in Season 30.

San Jose center Hunk R. Down, injured in the All Star Game (for the next 7 games if applicable) will be replaced on the Fighting Amigos’ roster by Asiago Cheez.

Three coaches were earmarked for possible replacement at the halfway mark…Kansas City, Milwaukee and Philadelphia…but the cube of chance only landed on Milwaukee’s Fly Davia, who will lose his job to first-time coach Naf Naf. As Milwaukee’s coach for the past 9 and a half seasons, Davia had a cumulative regular season mark of 38-57, including a 1-4 mark this season after a preseason poll put his team at second-best in the East. The Fly led the Greyhounds to two playoff berths early in his tenure, finishing first in the East in his second season and second place in his third season. But he failed to lead his team to the post-season in the past six campaigns, the low point being Season 43’s 0-10 mark. Rumor has it he will continue as commentator on MBA proceedings.

UPCOMING BRACKET (NO. 6)

— Two disappointing teams kick off the second half of MBA Season 47, with Milwaukee (1-4) and new coach Naf Naf traveling to Philadelphia (1-4). Milwaukee is on a 3-game losing streak, but the good news is that their one win was against the Phobia, 93-71, with Sabado Gigante as POG.

— FEATURED GAME: A seemingly unstoppable Dallas (5-0) team goes to Charleston (4-1) to take on the second-place Mountaineers. Chip Battoe and company took care of Charleston handily in Dallas by a score of 80-59. It’s unlikely home court will provide enough of a difference to make Charleston a winner in the second meeting, but they would still come away with a 2-game edge on the nearest playoff contender even if they lost.

— Oklahoma City (1-4) at Sacramento (4-1) in a rematch of the season opener which saw the River Dogs and Tree Fiddy outlast the Lariats 84-75.

— San Jose (3-2) at Seattle (2-3) could see the Stampede take over third place in the West from the Fighting Amigos. San Jose will be playing the rest of the season without center Hunk R. Down, who went into the halfway break as the No. 1 ranked pivot in the league. This is the first meeting between the teams this season.

— The cross-over game in this bracket has win-less Kansas City (0-5) at first-place Los Angeles (4-1). Three of the five Big One games this season have been 1-point affairs. That will likely not be the case in this match-up.

Season 47 MBA All Star Game

 East 66, West 60

EAST WINS DEFENSIVE TUSSLE

SEATTLE -- In a game where 43 points were turned away by defenders and neither all star team was able to shoot 50 percent, the East scrapped to a 66-60 win, its fifth in a row and 30th in 47 contests.

Blocked shots abounded, with the East blocking 14 and the West slapping away 6.

Another crippling injury was suffered in this one, as San Jose center Hunk R. Down was felled with a 7-game injury in the first quarter, meaning he will be out for the remainder of the regular season, putting a serious crimp into the playoff hopes of the Fighting Amigos. It's the second consecutive season that Down will miss over half of his team's games due to injury. It was between either Down or Dr. Marcus Brody of Los Angeles, who were both up for the injury based on past hurts.

POINTS PREVENTED BY QUARTERS

East...2...8...7...2  Total=19

West..8...4...4...8  Total=24

TOPS IN POINTS PREVENTED

1. J.J. Gargantuan, East (Charleston) 8

2. Entha Shortzone, West (Oklahoma City) 6

2. Chochky Galumpkus, West (Oklahoma City) 6

2. Dr. Marcus Brody, West (Los Angeles) 6

PLAYER OF THE GAME

By capturing the All Star MVP honor in this game, Dallas Hall of Fame forward CHIP "THE CRIP" BATTOE has now won every major honor the MBA has to offer. Battoe, who was absent from the game last season due to injury, returned with a vengeance, leading all scorers with 24 points on 11 of 17 shooting (2 for 2 from the foul line). The fifth-season, 6-8 forward, hauled down 6 rebounds and blocked 3 shots to add to his game honors. 

Other 20-plus GVP performances

-- Playing in his first and final All Star Game, Charleston forward Faku Sosume was outstanding for the victors. The 6-6 forward scored 21 points, pulled down a team-high 7 rebounds, had 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot. With the game tied 60-60 and 3 time units left on the clock, Sosume took an in-bounds pass in the medium zone and swished what turned out to be the game-winning hoop for the East. 

-- Los Angeles point guard Dr. Marcus Brody tied a longstanding All Star Game assists record with 8 helpers. The mark was set 35 seasons ago by Percy Faith of Dallas in the Season 12 Star Game. Brody had a rough shooting day, but managed to hit a trio of treys and accumulate 11 points. He also pulled down 2 rebounds and blocked a team-best 4 shots. His 6 points prevented tied for second best in the game. 

 

Season 47 All Star Game rosters and retirements

— East has won 29 All Star Games, including the last four in a row, and West has won 17

— The 9th ASG appearance by Charleston Hall of Fame player J.J. Gargantuan ties him for fourth-most appearances with Curly Hogbottom.

The only players ahead of Gargantuan in this department are:

Max Payne…11

Uncle Bob Masterson…10

Mamadou Zongo…10

— The 7th ASG appearance by Tree Fiddy of Sacramento ties him for 9th place in most ASG appearances

— This will be the 5th start for both MBA active Hall of Fame players J.J. Gargantuan and Chip Battoe of Dallas. This puts them in a tie for 13th most starts in ASG history. The No. 1 spot belongs to Curly Hogbottom, who started in every one of his 9 appearances.

— With 21 ASG rebounds, Gargantuan needs five more to get on the all-time ASG leaders list.

— Only one member of this season’s ASG has ever won the All Star Game MVP award…Fatty McButterpants of Milwaukee won it in Season 45. It is the only award not attained by Chip Battoe.

— There are 2 rookies in this season’s ASG…both are starters for the West. There were no rookies at all last season.

— The oldest ASG player is J.J. Gargantuan of Charleston…9th season

— There are 8 first-time all stars this season. Noteworthy are:

Meatpants Masterson…who gained a starting role on his team for the first time in his 7th season and earned a starting ASG spot for the East.

Faku Sosume of Charleston also went the first 6 seasons of his career without an All Star Game berth before earning a starting spot this season.

Wawa Wewa of Philadelphia, long noted as a defensive great in the MBA, also made it in this, his 7th season.

— Chip Battoe and Doo-rag Dripp are the only repeat starters from the Season 46 ASG. Others back again from last season’s ASG squads are:

Dr. Marcus Brody, Los Angeles

Mister Methane, San Jose

Tree Fiddy, Sacramento

Cat Timol, Charleston

Tiger Masterson, Dallas

GoToo Grot, Dallas

Chutcher Mouthchair, Philadelphia

— With ASG awards added to their cards, the two active Hall of Fame players moved up in their HOF rankings.

Chip Battoe now has 16 awards tying him with Jonny Cockaroo and Diamond Dallas Paige for 12th place all time.

J.J. Gargantuan now has 12 awards, tying him with Bill Rustler and Rip Slamjam for 23rd place all time.

— Missing from the Season 47 ASG but worthy of mention are:

Jonk Vaderdonk of Los Angeles (21.2 GVP)

Pap Smearz of Sacramento (21.0) (second season in a row just missed ASG which would have made him a member of HOF

Anura Dickshit of Charleston (20.8)

Great Gruncle Terry of Sacramento (20.6)

Lannigan Lord Hobo of Milwaukee (20.2)

— Last All Star Game for the following, who will be retiring after this season.

Chutcher Mouthchair of Philadelphia

Tiger Masterson of Dallas

Faku Sosume of Charleston

Retiree Summary

-- 14 players retired, meaning there will be two more "active" MBA players than there are this season.

-- 9 of the 14 retirees are starters for their respective teams

-- hardest hit team is Philadelphia Phobia with four players leaving, 3 of them starters

-- three players who made this season's All Star Game squads are retiring

-- Biggest names retiring are Pap Smearz of Sacramento, with 9 career honors, breaking up that longstanding River Dogs starting lineup; center Chutcher Mouthchair of Philadelphia with 4 ASG appearances in 6 seasons plus a championship ring. Former Rookie of the Year Norman Conquest of Los Angeles will retire...currently has 4 awards.

NEXT UP: The 47th MBA All Star Game in Seattle