Featured Game No. 6...Charleston at Philadelphia...plus bonus

Charleston 79, Philadelphia 71

Mountaineers remain on top

PHILADELPHIA -- The Charleston Mountaineers (now 5-1) completed a season sweep of the Philadelphia Phobia (now 4-2) with an important 79-71 road win in a hard-fought East Division contest.

The victory kept Charleston atop the East and extended its winning streak to three in a row.

Meanwhile, although Philadelphia's 3-game winning streak came to an end, the Phobia are still in second place ahead of Milwaukee (4-2) thanks to one more division win at this point. 

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Veteran Philadelphia forward WAWA WEWA did a number on his opposite, Sheetrock Hudson of Charleston, with a game-high 23-point performance that included a game-high 4 blocked shots, tying for game-high in assists with 3, a 3-rebound effort and a steal. Defensively, Wewa was the top man in the game in points prevented with 6. The 9-year star was 9 for 15 from the field, including burying the lone trey he took, and was 4 for 4 from the foul line, keeping him perfect for the year at a league-leading 19 for 19. 

Other 20-plus GVP performers

--  Charleston's top scorer on the season, shooting guard Mister Methane, gave it the gas in the fourth quarter to finish with a team-high 21 points. The fifth-year man also grabbbed 3 rebounds.

-- Philadelphia shooting guard Junior Dabas was a big contributor in the scoring column with 21 points while tying for game-high in assists with 3 and pulling down 2 rebounds.

POINTS PREVENTED

Charleston...6

Philadelphia...14

TOPS IN POINTS PREVENTED

Wawa Wewa, Philadelphia...6

D. Fenestration, Philadelphia...4

Sheetrock Hudson, Charleston...4

NEXT UP: Bracket No. 6 comes to a close with a cross-over between the two bottom-feeders in their respective divisions as Oklahoma City (1-4) visits win-less Gillette (0-5).

BONUS: Team 3-point shooting this season thus far (29 games)

1. Gillette Humps...41.5 percent...27 made...68.5 rating

2. Seattle Stampede...38.9 percent...28 made...66.9 rating

3. Dallas Demons...39.1 percent...27 made...66.1 rating

4. Charleston Mountaineers...35.4 percent...29 made...64.4 rating

5. San Jose Fighting Amigos...29.7 percent...33 made...62.7 rating

6. Philadelphia Phobia...40.4 percent...21 made...61.4 rating

7. Oklahoma City...31.7 percent...20 made...51.7 rating

8. Sacramento River Dogs...30.6 percent...19 made...49.6 rating

9. Los Angeles Big One...34.0 percent...13 made...34.0 rating

10. Milwaukee Greyhounds...20.0 percent...6 made...26.0 rating

 

49th MBA All Star Game

West 83, East 76

West ends All Star drought

DALLAS -- After getting off to a monstrous 21-point halftime lead, the West All Stars held off a second-half charge by the East to secure an 83-76 victory, their first in seven games.

The series now stands at 31-18 in favor of the East.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER OF THE ALL STAR GAME

It's only fitting that the most experienced All Star Game participant, forward DOO-RAG DRIPP of the Sacramento River Dogs, earned this season's MVP of the Game award. The 9-year star, who leads the league in scoring thus far, scored 18 points for the victors, going 8 for 10 in the game with his only misses being two 3-point attempts. He was 2 for 2 from the foul line. Dripp also tied for game-high in blocks with 2, posted a team-high 2 steals and dished 3 assists. He was outstanding defensively throughout the game as well. He is the fourth River Dogs player to win All Star MVP honors, and the first in 20 seasons. Others were: rookie forward Dean Wormer in Season 23, guard Wes Montgomery in Season 27 and Hall of Fame guard Cheetos Jones in Season 29. Dripp's 2 steals in this game gives him 6 in All Star Games, which ranks second behind Momadou Zongo's career-high 8. It ties him with Bill Rustler, with Saggital Occlusal next with 5.

Other 20-plus GVP performers

-- In his third and final All Star Game appearance, retiring Dallas point guard Potatoes O'Gratin left the fans something to remember him by...a triple-double, which he achieved in the third quarter. O'Gratin scored 15 points, handed out a game-high 5 assists and tied for team-high in rebounds with 5. The 6-4 guard also tied for game-high in blocks with 2, the last of which put him out of the game with an injury (rest of quarter) for the final 23 time units of the game.

-- San Jose gunner Jesse Shershot led everyone in scoring with 20 points while pulling down 4 rebounds, despite going 0 for 9 from beyond the arc.

-- Oklahoma City's lone representative Handsy Joe Potatoe came on strong late to finish with 16 points, 4 of which were from deep, while pulling down 3 rebounds, getting 2 assists, 1 steal and tying for game-high in blocked shots with 2. 

-- Fourth-season 7-1 center Chochky Galumpkus of the home team Dallas Demons scored a team-high 18 points for the East while grabbing 5 boards and blocking 1 shot.

-- It took Dallas forward Al A. Orden nine seasons to make his first All Star team, and he did not disappoint once he got here. The 6-8 forward scored 15 points, grabbed 5 boards and had 1 assist in the loss. 

-- Coming off the bench to spark the near-comeback for the East, point guard Great Gruncle Terry broke a one-game steals record that has stood for 17 campaigns by swiping 4 steals. The record of 3 was originally set in Season 32 by Seattle guard Cock A. Doodledoo. Terry finished the game with 14 points, 3 rebounds, 1 blocked shot and a team-high 3 assists. He finished one of his steal with a slam dunk and another by pulling up behind the arc and burying a trey.

NEXT UP...BRACKET NO. 6

-- Sacramento (2-3) at San Jose (1-4) ... a win puts the Fighting Amigos right back into the playoff picture. The defending champion River Dogs beat them in the season opener, a 91-82 shoot-out.

-- Seattle (5-0) at Los Angeles (2-3) ... the Stampede should remain unbeaten...they handled The Big One easily 75-60 early on.

-- Dallas (3-2) at Milwaukee (3-2) ... the preseason division-favorite Greyhounds can't afford a loss to the surprising Demons.

-- FEATURED GAME: Charleston (4-1) at Philadelphia (4-1) in a showdown for first place in the uber-competitive East. The Mountaineers destroyed the Phobia 102-58 in their first meeting, but Philly is on a 3-game winning streak.

-- Oklahoma City (1-4) at Gillette (0-5) ... the cross-over in this bracket has the two last-place teams in their division squaring off. On paper, it looks like Gillette stays win-less.

(The Humps have replaced 4-year coach Yo Noid with Flip Testerton, who will begin his tenure with this game). Noid took over as coach in the second season of the franchise. He went 1-9, 0-10, and peaked at 2-8 in the team's first year in Gillette after moving from Kansas City. They were 0-5 this season...an overall coach's record of 3-32.

Season 49 All Star Rosters...standings...leaders at the break

*Every team represented

*First time Gillette franchise has more than one all star

*East leads series 31-17

*East has won 6 in a row

*Nobody on either team has ever won an All Star Game MVP

* There are 9 first time All Stars

*There are 5 first-time All Star starters

* Al A. Orden oldest first timer, making it in his 9th season

*2 rookies make Star team, 1 rookie starter

*3 All Stars will be retiring at end of the season

* Oldest All Stars (4 of them) are in their 9th seasons

* Zero Hall of Fame players in this season's All Star Game

* Most All Star Game appearances, Doo-rag Dripp, 5

*Most All Star Game starts, Doo-rag Dripp 4

*No repeat starters for West from last season

* 1 repeat starter (Chochky Galumpkus) for East from last season

* 7 All Stars from last season's game are back for this season

 

Season 49 Featured Game No. 5...Sacramento at Seattle...plus retirees listed

 Points prevented by quarters

Sacramento 4...2...2...0   Total=8

Seattle.........0...2...0...2   Total=4

Tops in points prevented

1. Caldwell, Seattle 4

2. Chepuzzo, Sacramento 3

Turnovers caused by quarter

Sacramento 1...0...1...1  Total=3

Seattle.........2...3...2...2  Total=9

Tops in Turnovers Caused

1. Caldwell, Seattle 4

2. Larga, Seattle 3

2. Joubert, Sacramento 3

Seattle 78, Sacramento 74

STAMPEDE STILL UNBEATEN

SEATTLE -- The Seattle Stampede (now 5-0) chugs into the halfway break as the only unblemished team in the MBA, sweeping the season series from defending champion Sacramento (now 2-3) with a 78-74 win, despite being out-scored 22-9 in the fourth quarter.

Sacramento, seemingly out of it, came all the way back from a 17-point deficit (and what looked like a slaughter-rule game) to close within 4 points with 8 time units remaining in the contest. The R-Dogs could get no closer, and have to be bemoaning the 10 for 18 free throw shooting that, in retrospect, killed them (especially since they came into the game shooting 86 percent as a team).

PLAYERS OF THE GAME

Second-year Seattle forward CHARLES BROCCOLI had his best game of the season, scoring a game-high 26 points on 12 of 20 shooting that included a dunk and 1 of 2 3-pointers made. He was also 1 for 1 at the foul line. The big 6-10 bruiser dominated his counterpart Wardy Joubert, pulling down a team-high 6 rebounds and adding a steal to the mix. Will it be enough to earn his second straight All Star Game berth? Dubious.

One guy assured of a fifth appearance in the All Star Game is the MBA's leading scorer, veteran Sacramento River Dog forward DOO-RAG DRIPP who tied for team-high scoring honors with 20 points while taking it to Cam Caldwell. Dripp, now averaging 21 points per game, also pulled down a game-high 9 rebounds, distributed 3 assists and blocked 1 shot. The All Star Game berth gives him 9 awards, one short of Hall of Fame status, which he could make by the end of the season with another All-MBA season. 

Other 20-plus GVP performers

-- 9th season Seattle center Carga Larga was outstanding in the win with an 18-point game that included 3 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal and a total of three caused turnovers. He'll be making his second All Star Game team.

-- Playing his first full game this season, Sacramento's Hall of Fame center Tree Fiddy locked horns with Larga all game long, tying for team-high in scoring with 20 points while pulling down 5 rebounds.

NEXT UP: The first half of Season 49 comes to a close with Gillette (0-4) at Los Angeles (1-3). Neither team is going anywhere, but Gillette is hoping to get off the schneid with a rare win. Los Angeles won the first meeting 67-63 and will actually be in the playoff mix with another triumph.

END-OF-SEASON RETIREES ANNOUNCED 

  

Featured Game No. 4...Dallas at Charleston

 Charleston 92,  Dallas 71

Mountaineers get big revenge

CHARLESTON -- With a great deal of impunity, the Charleston Mountaineers (now 3-1) removed the surprising Dallas Demons (now 3-1) from the roll of unbeatens with a 92-71 thrashing of the visitors.

The win comes on the heels of Dallas giving the Mountaineers their only loss of the season thus far, 79-76 and pushes the Charleston team past the Demons into first place in the East Division. 

The only MBA team still with an unblemished record is Seattle at 3-0.

The game was tight for the first half, with Charleston clinging to a 3-point lead, before the home team took over total control in the third quarter and salted things away in the fourth.

The two squads entered the game as the two most prolific scoring teams in the league.

The victory by Charleston broke Dallas' 3-game winning streak and gives the Mountaineers as many wins as they had all last season.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Third-year forward SHEETROCK HUDSON of Charleston has played magnificent ball for his new team since coming over in a big trade with Los Angeles prior to the start of the season. The 6-9 rebounding machine dominated his man Bemsha Swing by turning in game-high numbers in both points (28) and rebounds (8), adding 1 blocked shot, 1 steal and 1 assist. Hudson, who had 22 points against Dallas in their previous meeting, was 11 for 15 in this game, popping in a pair of treys in as many tries and slamming home a few down-low dunks. He was 4 for 5 from the foul line. He's now averaging 21.3 points per game and is second in the league in boards.

Other 20-plus GVP performers

-- Another huge trade acquisition for Charleston (this one from Seattle) has been fifth-year point guard Don Barzini. He entered the game as the league leader in assists, but although he only added to that total by one, the 6-2 Barzini played outstanding ball for the victors. In addition to scoring 14 points, getting 4 boards and 1 steal, he was far and away the top defender in the game, leading everyone with 10 points prevented (all in the second quarter) and 5 turnovers caused. He crushed rookie Ed Balls.

-- Coming off his 34-point effort against Dallas, Charleston shooting guard Mister Methane settled for 18 points and 2 rebounds in this win while erasing 4 points for the Demons with his defense.

-- After being injured and out of the game early in the first meeting with Dallas, center Seven Castanza contributed 12 points, 5 rebounds, a game-high 3 assists and 1 blocked shot for victorious Charleston. Another newcomer to Charleston this season, he was added in the cut pile draft.

-- Reigning All-MBA forward Frog Morton of Charleston made up for his putrid effort against Dallas in their first meeting by contributing 16 points, 3 rebounds and 1 steal. 

-- Big pivot Chochky Galumpkus continues to play fine ball for his new Dallas team, scoring 14 points, grabbing a team-high 6 boards, blocking a game-high 3 shots and tying for team-high in assists with 2. He's been the league's best center thus far, leading the league in boards and averaging nearly 20 points per game.

-- Dallas power forward Al A. Orden was a perfect 9 for 9 from the floor in the loss, scoring 12 of his team-high 18 points in the first quarter but adding just two more in the second half. He's scoring at over 17 points per game for the Demons.

POINTS PREVENTED BY QUARTERS

Dallas...0...2...4...0  Total=6

Charl....1..10...4...0  Total=15

TURNOVERS CAUSED BY QUARTERS

Dallas...0...2...4...0  Total=6

Charl....1...2...4...3  Total=10

TOP PLAYERS POINTS PREVENTED

1. Barzini, Charleston 10

2. Heathcliffe, Dallas 4

TOP PLAYERS TURNOVERS CAUSED

1. Barzini, Charleston 5

2. Methane, Charleston 2

2. Numdrum, Dallas 2

EAST STANDINGS

1st -- Charleston 3-1 (up from 2nd) (division wins tie-breaker)

2nd -- Dallas 3-1 (down from 1st) (points differential tie-breaker)

3rd -- Philadelphia 3-1 (unchanged)

4th -- Milwaukee 2-2 (unchanged)

Last -- Oklahoma City 1-3 (unchanged)

NEXT UP: Win-less Gillette (0-3) at the league's last unbeaten team, Seattle (3-0).