2011 Fall, SEASON 6
Week 1
by Nathan Apolonio/ @NDAx92
With five seasons in the books, the Inland Basketball League opened up a new season this past weekend properly entitled “SUPREMACY”. With D1 Powerhouse Morningwood winning their 4th division championship in S5 they are the team to beat. This season they are 12 teams in the division, however this is the first season where Morningwood isn’t favored to win it all. Prior to the start of the season newcomers such as the “Play Makerz” and “Tupac Back” shot to the top of the list of favorite teams to contend for a Championship, while veteran teams such as Knicee, STAT and Fly Society will surely have something to say about that. This is the deepest the division has been in its 6 seasons.
Morningwood vs. Play Makerz
DIVISION 1
After winning their 4th Division Championship, Morningwood opened up the new season with the target on their backs, however they were not ready for the offensive onslaught that the Play Makerz possessed and fold to newcomers the Play Makerz 80-61.
Diahnte Pickett led all Morningwood scorers with 23 of the teams 61 points, he also came away with 2 steals, Dewayne O’Neal was the teams second leading scorer, O’Neal finished with 18 points, 7 boards and 2 assists. No other M-Wood player finished in double figures, free agent acquisition Jesse Jimenez and swingman Marcus Pringle finished with 7 points apiece. This is the largest margin of defeat Morningwood has ever encountered, could this be the beginning of the end of a dynasty?
Aesit Dabbas notched a game-high 30 points pulled in 4 rebounds and dished out 3 assists, he has been named a notable performer for Week 1. Johnnie Green chipped in 24 points and 4 rebounds. André Walters finished with 13 points to round out the scoring trio of the Play Makerz.
According to a league source, the Play Makerz requested to play the Champions after seeing their picture with the 4 Championship Trophies on the league website. Play Makerz GM was quoted saying “they won’t get their 5th Championship this season.”
STAT vs. The Pack
DIVISION 1
After a 5-2 regular season and a disappointing loss in the semi-finals, STAT entered Week 1 of S6 with 4 players from last seasons roster, they squared off with another veteran team The Pack,in their two previous meetings STAT has gone (2-0) when playing The Pack. However The Pack has assembled a team that can compete in the division this season and they came out with a 68-64 victory.
The STAT team was led by Aaron Sanchez 24 points, 5 rebounds. Jimmy Nguyen finished with 17 points , Byron Woods finished with 8 points, while Jonathan Redmond and Robel Kevorkian rounded out the scoring load with 6 points apiece.
George Lewis (20 Points, 8 Boards) led all scorers for The Pack, Lonnie Rivera finished with 14 points and 7 rebounds, Philip Wilson recorded 15 points and 6 rebounds, Sam Nogales rounded out the scoring quartet with 11 points and 6 rebounds.
I Ball vs. West Coast Pros
DIVISION 1
West Coast Pros record a win in their IBL début, defeating the 2nd year team IBall 54-53 in a nail-bitter.
Adam notched a team-high for IBall with 15 points and pulled in 4 rebounds. Lester chipped in 14 points and 10 rebounds to record 1-2 double-doubles in the division. Tony Bell rounded out the scoring trio with 9 points, 6 rebounds, and dished out 3 assists .
Shawn Layer led the way for West Coast with 19 points, 6 rebounds. Charles Gray was the second leading scorer with 15 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists, team GM Daimon Fleming was the third leading scorer as he finished with 10 points to round out the scoring trio. Kash Tolbert led the team in rebounding for the game, he finished the game with 12 rebounds.
Washed Up vs. Tupac Back
DIVISION 1
After a disappointing exit from the S5 playoffs, Washed Up has returned to IBL play with a vengeance, the highly touted newcomers of Tupac Back were the first victims. On paper this game was predicted to be close, however it was all but close. The final result a 82-63 Washed Up win.
Johnny Earl led Washed Up with 35 points, 2 rebounds and garnered POW honors for the opening week. Domo finished with 18 points and 2 rebounds. Mike Criscione was the third leading scorer with 13 points and 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the season, Jamie Johnson and Richard Coombs rounded out the scoring quintet with 7 points apiece, Coombs pulled in 7 rebounds as well.
Of all the players I’d say Criscione is determined to get back on the winning track, their ugly loss to M-Wood still lingers in the back of his mind, as well as the thoughts of how the game would have turned out if they had their full roster.
Knicee vs. P.A.H.U
DIVISION 1
After making it all the way to the championship game and holding their own against the champs. Knicee has returned to IBL play with a better roster. This Knicee roster also features the offensive talents and return of Kenneth Ubom. Behind Ubom Knicee defeats P.A.H.U 64-58.
Kenneth Ubom was the leading scorer for Knicee as he finished with 32 points and 8 rebounds, Odell Howard was the second leading scorer with 11 points and 7 rebounds. Anthony Barajas rounded out the scoring trio with 8 points and 1 rebound.
P.A.H.U had a balanced offensive attack with Anthony leading the way with 16 points, 3 rebounds while dishing out 2 assists. Garey McNelly finished with 12 points and 4 rebounds. Mike rounded out the scoring load with 10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.
Final Thoughts on Week 1
The division is very deep this season, there are so many teams contending for the #1 spot, Morningwood’s reign of terror over the division could be coming to an end if they do not make a significant move within these next 2 weeks. Tupac Back is waiting on the arrival of Troy Allen who is an easy 20 ppg guy. STATs GM says his team is nowhere being completed, and we’ve yet to see what Fly Society has to offer. This should be a very intriguing season to say the least.
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+ Game Previews, recaps and write-ups are articles written by Nathan Apolonio.
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