Fall '19, Week 5 Highlights, The Vancouver Metro Basketball League™

John Leong

Fall 2019

December 3, 2019

Vancouver, B.C. - Week 5 of the Vancouver Metro Basketball League™ saw buzzer beaters and huge comebacks. Check out the full game recaps below as we enter the final stretch of the season. For the FULL WEEK 5 PHOTO ALBUM head to the Vancouver Metro Basketball League™ Facebook Page.

Stallions 106 - JATT 75

With JATT already warmed up, they hit the courts with a frantic pace, but the veteran Stallions worked the ball around to establish their bigs in the paint with great offensive boards from Dusty and Luis (using their old man strength). JATT struggles to find their range and Stallions execute their offence perfectly; running off quick rebounds or slowing it down to work the tired JATT legs. Karn rallied for JATT with some hustle plays and couple of hot 3s to get to 51-66, but JATT looks tired and their poor transition D lets the Stallions run away to 96-72. Hype man, Nico, made a special appearance on court 1 to rock some tunes and give some play-by-play and played "Old Town Road" as Stallions rode off into the sunset with the W. "Ain't nobody tell me nothing . . . Stallions have this championship locked up". ... 106-75.

‍

‍

Mark (Stallions): 26 points, 10 boards, 2 assists, 3 blocks

Roger (Stallions): 24 points, 7 boards, 5 assists, 4 steals

Prince (Stallions): 15 points, 10 boards, 8 assists

Luis (Stallions): 16 points, 10 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal

Dusty (Stallions): 14 points, 10 boards, 1 steal

Sukhman (JATT): 20 points, 10 boards, 1 steal, 6 blocks

Ravi (JATT): 14 points, 3 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals

Karm (JATT): 11 points, 4 boards

Agaveros got off to a spicy start with a technical and intentional fouls, but the Party somehow managed to bungle a 3-on-1 with a 3 second violation, so it was a rough start to this game. Both teams were definitely off their game - we blame it on the rain. With just 5 minutes left in the game, John proclaimed "gentlemen, we have a ball game on our hands" with a tied score of 45-45. Nico turned it on by nailing a 3 point play followed by hitting 3 FTs after getting hacked on a triple. The Party are up 53-49, but Agaveros throw a Hail Mary, but can't convert. Nico seals the victory by hitting a FT and purposely missing his 2nd shot to run the clock out.

‍

‍

Nico (The Party): 17 points (7/10 from FT), 6 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal

Zach (The Party): 9 points, 4 boards

Oscar (Agaveros): 13 points, 9 boards, 1 steal

Taylor (Agaveros): 14 points, 7 boards, 1 steal

Pepe (Agaveros): 6 points, 7 boards, 2 assists, 4 steals

ShamGodz were scooping up all the boards of Buddy Guys missed 3s and took advantage with an early lead. Pep cleaned up the glass with 10 first half boards (nearly all defensive rebounds), but Sukhman kept Buddy Guys in the game with 6 blocks. He tied up the game by hitting all 3 foul shots when he was felled beyond the arc at the buzzer. Game tied at 27-27. Not much to talk about in the 3rd Q as Buddy Guys seemed to save their energy for the final 4 minutes ignited by Antonio's 4-point play. Problematic turnover and foul plagued ShamGodz and put Sukhman on the line for bonus. He hits both to bring Buddy Guys within 2 points. Ravi sinks a bucket . . . and 1 to put The Guys up by 1 and force ShamGodz to take timeout to regroup. But an inbounds pass sails into the bleachers the ShamGodz are forced to foul with just seconds on the clock. Antonio sinks both and Buddy Guys steal the W from ShamGodz 72-69.

‍

‍

Antonio - Buddy Guys: 15 points, 5 boards

Ravi - Buddy Guys: 13 points

Sukhman - Buddy Guys: 13 points, 10 boards, 10 blocks, 1 steal

Mike - ShamGodz: 19 points, 8 boards, 1 steal

Justin - ShamGodz: 19 points, 8 boards, 1 steal

Pep - ShamGodz: 8 points, 16 rebounds, 1 steal

Perhaps the game of the night, Kawhi So Srs vs Nothin’ But Netflix was entertaining from start to finish. Nothin’ But Netflix would jump out to an early lead behind the hot shooting of Alex and strong drives from Shannon. Kawhi So Srs would fight back behind the physical play of Brandon, but would trail 34-31 at halftime. The second half woud be a near repeat of the first, with Nothin’ But Netflix jumping out to extend their lead, but Kawhi So Srs would fight back behind Jesse amd Alban’s aggressive play, slashing to the hoop. The game would come down to the wire with Jesse knocking down freethrows to put Kawhi So Srs up one point with seconds to play. Nothin’ But Netflix would get a wide open look following a timeout, but the shot wouldn’t fall, and Kawhi So Srs would take the W on the night.

‍

It was all Rice Farmers in the first quarter; Garth with a hot hand and Zach nabbed 8 points and 7 boards. All Canadians struggled on offence, but their defense and hustle kept them within range. In the 2nd half, Rusty and Bongani light up with steals, fast breaks and quick buckets to earn an 8 point lead. The teams exchange 3s while they conserve their energy for the waning minutes - nicest 3 of the night goes to Anthony with the unexpected step-back 3 with perfect swish. Rusty responds with a fancy 2 and then countered by a 3 from Garth. Lazar heads to line for 1 and 1 bonus and keeps All Canadians ahead 79-76, but Zach hits a cold-blooded 3 with 14 seconds remaining to tie the game at 79. All Canadians hold for one final shot and put the ball in Bongani's hands . . . with his team counting down 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 . . . swish! He hits the buzzer beater to give All Canadians their first win of the season 81-79.

‍

‍

Rusty (All Canadians): 20 points, 7 boards, 1 assist, 5 steals

Bongani (All Canadians): 25 points, 10 boards, 1 assist, 3 steals

AJ (All Canadians): 18 points, 1 rebounds, 1 steal

Garth (Rice Farmers): 21 points, 7 boards, 1 assist, 3 steals

Zach (Rice Farmers): 18 points, 10 boards, 1 steal

‍

An exciting game that kicked off Division II this week. Royce of Mandem was a court general right from the gate, knocking down three 3-pointers and creating plays for his teammates. His playmaking ability gave Mandem a 20 point lead at the half. But All Trouble never let down. Cole started heating up in the 2nd half, knocking down four 3-pointers and keeping them in the game. Tyrone then sparked another gear, fearlessly driving to the bucket, getting to the line and creating space for his own shot behind the arc. All Trouble’s momentum was evident, and despite Royce’s triple double, it was Tyrone’s ability to attack the rim with 20 seconds left, sinking a clutch lay-up under duress, that sealed the come-back win for All Trouble.

‍

Players of the Game

All Trouble

Tyrone: 37 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists

Mandem

Royce: 36 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists

TTP came out of the gate pushing the tempo. Their ball movement quickly dictated the game, and their speed was undeniable, giving them an early lead. Tough plays by Omid, ridiculous handles by Ricky including a nasty crossover into a long two at the buzzer of the first half, and a collective TTP effort really set the tone for the rest of the game. Jason of Banana Boat Crew went on a little run on his own to chip away at the lead but with Matt pushing the pace and tempo on nearly every position just proved too much to handle, giving TTP the W this week.

‍

Players of the Game

TTP

Matt: 13 points, 3 rebounds, 4 steals

BANANA BOAT CREW

Jason: 13 points, 2 rebounds 1 steal

Another Division II game that defined competition. The South Slope Bulldogs controlled the pace in the first half. The team kept the ball moving, spreading the floor with their perimeter shooting. South Slope Bulldogs were up 11 at the half, but Crazy Pig was not going away. Thomas and Fan began moving the ball and finding themselves sinking their own triplet of 3-pointers, bringing the game to within 3. But Mindy of the Bulldogs capitalized on mismatches, drawing the double team and finding his open teammates from beyond the arc. In the end, it was Oghosa’s defense with a steal in the last minute of the game that sealed the win for his team.

‍

Players of the Game

SOUTH SLOPE BULLDOGS

Mindy: 13 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal

CRAZY PIG

Fan: 17 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal

The evening game between Money Shot and OT Bandits started with each team stepping up defensively. While both teams were figuring each other out, Igor of team Money Shot started to control the pace of the game, facilitating for his teammates and creating his own shot. His teammate Elliot followed suit, pulling up from behind the arc, and attacking when the defense was giving him the lane. And while a spark was found with Pep of team OT Bandits, pulling up from close-range and from downtown, it was Money Shot who found themselves leading 33 to 21 at the half. Money Shot only carried their momentum into the 2nd half, dictating the game with grit and hustle. Jason of OT Bandits was trying to bring his team back into contention, but it was Igor and company closing out the game, highlighted by back-to-back 3s from Rhys to officially ice it.