#1 Most Hated vs. #2 UnderRated
A new champion has risen from the ashes in Division 1. Under Rated came in and set the tone early by hitting their open shots and tough defense. They withstood every run Most Hated threw their way, however due to winning the rebounding battle, Under Rated was able to put the game away late, to come away with a 63-55 win to hoist their first golden ball.
For namesake purposes, this was the perfect game. The current champions of the division and a hot rookie team squaring off in the division’s biggest game of the season. Under Rated’s Jaime Villalobos led all scorers for the game with 30 points on 11/18 shooting from the field. Villalobos also pulled in 7 boards to go with his game high 30 points. Going into the game I predicted that Larry Dew would possibly erupt for a big game, however Dew finished with 15 points on 5/13 shooting. Dew took a backseat to scoring with the emergence of Daimon Fleming. Fleming, who played with Under Rated for the past 3 seasons, joined to cast of Most Hated in the offseason and was eager to play his former team in the most important game of the season. Fleming was his teams X-Factor and found many ways to put the ball into the basket. He finished with 18 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals. Under Rated won this game with balanced scoring and cleaning up well on the boards. Max Barkeley (12 points) was the teams 2nd leading scorer behind Villalobos. Jonathan Kaker was simply incredible in the paint and on the defensive end, pulling in a game high 17 rebound to help his team secure the win.
Most Hated kept the game close throughout and in the 4th quarter the team threatened with 6 straight points from Derrick Andrews (10 points), but they just had no answer for the energy and hunger of the Under Rated team. Under Rated finished their season with a 8-2 record, with their only losses coming at the hands of Dynasty and the WolfPack, two teams they defeated in the first two rounds of the post season. Under Rated also keeps their win streak alive and it is now at 7 games.
Looking ahead to next season, this team packs quite a punch. The chemistry is unbelievable and they can only get better. Congratulations to team Under Rated, IBL’s Season 10 Division One Champions.
Game MVP– Jaime Villalobos (Under Rated)
With the win, Under Rated’s Brandon Kinard, Dominique Beebe and Nathan Apolonio become the first set of teammates to complete the IBL Sunday League Triple Crown (A championship in each of the 3 divisions). It is a tremendous feat for the 3 individuals who have been mainstays in IBL for the past 8+ seasons.
IBL Full Court Press 