EPWBA Game Recaps: Prep Division

The Final game of the EPWBA Season could not have been any better or exciting than the one last night between the Illini and the Razorbacks. The Illini jumped out to a 9-1 lead early but the Razorbacks fought back hard to make this game one of the best of the season. With the Illini up 27-26 with 7 seconds to go Chandler Anderson stole the ball and raced down the court for the chance of the winning basket. With 4 seconds left Chandler laid it up over the Illini defender and the ball rolled around the rim and popped out giving the Illini the Title. The Illini and Razorbacks gave the full house a game to remember. My hat goes off to both teams and Coaches for they truly showed what the EPWBA is all about. Competition and Sportsmanship.

Great Seaon to all and a special Thanks to Charles Luckett, Vince Kush, Pat O'Leary, Bob Estes, Owen Lee and Joe Wirth for all your hard work to make this league the best league in the area.

See you all in November of 2006.

Both the Illini and the Razorbacks proved to all that they are without a doubt the Two Best teams in the league as they both battled their way to victories to reach the Finals. These two teams met in the League Championship game, and now prepare to square off again for the Big One. The 17-1 Razorbacks are looking for some revenge against the 16-3 Illini. The Illini are the only team to have topped the Razorbacks this year. Its only fitting that the two teams with the most Victories get to battle it out one more time.

The Bulldogs and Illini will battle it out in the first game tonight as the Bulldogs will be looking for some revenge. This will be a battle of the Big Men as both teams have good size. This game will be won under the boards.

The Night cap game will be the opposite of the first game as the Buckeyes and Razorbacks will prepare for a track meet as both teams are without a doubt the quickest in the league. These teams match up very evenly and the winner will be decided as to who out runs the other.

Good Luck to all.

Beville was hoping with March Madness as the Buckeyes and Badgers thrilled us all with a game that saw the Badgers come back from the dead and send the game down to the wire, but the Buckeyes held on and survived to advance to the Final Four. Probably one of the best games of the year as a fan, but their was another game to be played at Beville. In the nightcap the Razorbacks faced off against the Cyclones in a game that no one thought could out do the game between the Buckeyes and Badgers. But this is March Madness and excitement is always ready to one up itself. The Cyclones and Razorbacks went into half tied at 10. In the third quarter things really got exciting as the teams exchanged basket for basket. The deciding factor in this game came down to Foul Shots as the Razorbacks hit several clutch free throws in the final minutes to seal the deal and march onto the Final Four winning 26-21.

There's nothing like March Madness. Everything the Illini threw up in the first half seemed to find the Basket as Lady Luck teamed up with Cinderella tonight to help the Illini defeat the Razorbacks. The Illini jumped out to a 19-9 halftime lead and never looked back. The Razorbacks fought hard and never gave up and turned the game into a nail biter, but it was just a little to late to overcome the 10 point halftime lead. Final score was Illini 26 Razorbacks 20. The Illini without a doubt deserved the win and the Title, and my hat goes off to all the kids on both teams for their efforts. Now that the Division Championships have ended, it is time for all 20 teams to get a taste of March Madness. The Razorbacks will limp into the first round of the Playoffs without 2 of their top players and will have to hope to survive the first round without them. The Illini on the other hand will be strolling into the first round on the highest of highs. Anything can happen, and everyone has a chance to write their own Cinderella Story. Congratulations Illini, for tonight you all are labeled CHAMPIONS. Best of luck to all teams.

Coach Steve of the Razorbacks

The table has been set and the Razorbacks and Illini will fight it out for the League Championship on Thursday night. The Razorbacks are the only unbeaten team left at 14-0 and will be facing the Cinderella Story 12-3 Illini. March Madness has hit the EPWBA Prep league thanks to the Fighting Illini. The Cinderella story started Sunday as the Illini were in a win or go home game over the Hawkeyes. The winner of the Hawkeye/Illini game was to play the Buckeyes in a special tie breaker game to determine the Division Champions since both teams ended the season at 10-3. Cinderella once again showed up Monday as the Illini beat the Buckeyes to win the Division and earn the right to face the 13-0 Bulldogs. The Illini were determined to keep the Cinderella story alive, and alive they did in a classic way. Down by 2 points with less than a minute to go the Illini pulled off a miracle and scored 2 buckets to silence the Bulldogs and keep the Madness Alive. Final score was Illini 15 Bulldogs 13. The Question now is, how will this amazing Cinderella story end. Will the Illini beat the 14-0 Razorbacks and beat back to back undefeated teams, or will the Razorback attack close the book to this fairy tale story. Come see for yourself Thursday 8:00 at Beville to see how the story will end.

Did you know:

The Illini have the best Defense in the regular season (200 Points Allowed)

The Razorbacks have the best offense in the regular season (395 Points scored)

Both Teams and Coaches came with their game faces on as the Playoffs got underway. Only seconds into the game the Ref's knew they were going to have their hands full as the intensity level was at a 10, but they did an outstanding job controlling the game. The Commodores roared out to a quick 4-0 lead that got everyone on the edge of their seats and had the Commodore fans all fired up. The 9-4 Commodores were smelling a major upset over the 13-0 Razorbacks. The Commodores continued to play tough and went into half with a 9-8 lead with hopes of knocking out the Razorbacks. The Razorbacks found themselves in a place where they never been before, behind at the half. The Razorback coaches got the kids fired up at halftime and told them we were right where we wanted to be because we are known as a second half team, and the kids faces turned from Doubt, to Belief. The Razorback Attack was in full force in the second half as Chandler Anderson pestered the Commodores guards like a Tick on a Dog and Justin Fontane was just waiting for his chance to also jump on that dog. A quick move left, A quick move right and before you knew Justin jumped on board and the Commodore guard had two ticks all over him smothering him with no where to go. Meanwhile there was another battle going on. It was a Cat and Mouse game under the Boards and Brandon and Maggie kept coming away with the Cheese by dominating the paint and not allowing any second chance shots. One and Done and off the Razorbacks went. Scotty took the Cheese from Maggie and Brandon and Scotty once again conducted the offense with his pin point passing accuracy and the upset minded Commodores could do nothing but watch the game slip away in the second half as the Razorbacks outscored the Commodores 15-3 and went on to a 23-12 victory. There is no doubt that the Championship Game is going to be a Battle and the Razorbacks are going to have more than just their hands full. Everyone knows the 13-0 Bulldogs are wishing for a Showdown of the Unbeatens, but first they must get through a very tough Illini or Buckeye team. The Illini and Buckeyes played also Monday night with the winner playing the Bulldogs Wednesday night for a shot at the Title against the Razorbacks. The Championship game is on Thursday night at 8:00 at Beville MS. Good Luck to all.

The Commodores completed the regular season with an exciting 24-21 win. Coming off a loss, they were poised to close out the season and wrap up the National East Division title, but Terriers showed no quit as they battled to the very end. The Commodores put pressure on the Terrier defense by driving it hard to the basket with their scoring leaders RJ O’Neal (8 pts) and Tyler Chong (10 pts). Down 19-12 with less than 4 minutes remaining, the Terriers had a late rally with the explosive scoring of Alex Jalajel (14 pts) whose 3-point shot pulled them to within 2 points late in the game. Key baskets down the stretch from the Commodores’ Jesse Briscoe, Chantz Rivera and a late free throw helped the Commodores hold off an awesome effort by the Terriers. The win locked up the division title for the Commodores. It is off to the Semis against the unbeaten Razorbacks. What a great game.

The Razorbacks defeated the Rebels 27-12 to finish the season unblemished at 13-0. The Razorbacks had a game plan coming into the game, Stop the Big guy and get him in foul trouble, and the kids executed it to perfection. The Rebels big man was in foul trouble early with 4 fouls in the first half which allowed the Razorbacks to attack the hoop and expand their lead minute by minute. The hounding defense of Chandler and Justin to go along with the dominance of the paint by Maggie and Brandon was just to much for the Rebels to handle. Scotty once again orchestrated the offense and fed the ball all over the place with pin point accuracy. Emily and Matthew continued their improvement by playing aggressive and going after the ball. Aaron also joined in on the action and was asked to lead the offense in the last quarter and led the team to the final buzzer.

With the game pretty much over at half the Razorback coach gave the team a mission to see if everyone could score in the game. With 6 players scoring in the first half there were still two players left without a bucket. Matthew scored his basket early in the 3rd quarter which was only his 3rd of the season which left the team only one player short of achieving their mission. The players were instructed to constantly pass up shots and feed Emily the ball. Emily kept shooting and the fans kept cheering her on. Everyone knew what was going on. With the clock ticking away and the fans on the edge of their seats with every shot she took, finally the mission was completed as one of Emily's shots found the bottom of the basket. This was her Very First Basket of the season. The Razorback fans smiled and cheered with joy. This was a great moment for the entire team and the fans to see Emily achieve a personal goal which she has worked so hard at to achieve. After Emily scored her first basket she gave us all an encoure by making another one. I am very proud of each and every one of the kids for showing the meaning of being team players by putting their own scoring chances on hold to allow a teamate to achieve one of their own goals. A perfect example of the players understanding what was going on was when Emily scored her first basket. Maggie ran over to her smiling more than Emily was and in the background Aaron was seen clapping while standing at mid court. Great job Razorbacks, you all have defined the meaning of TEAM tonight.

The first half of this game had no resemblance to the second half. The Jayhawks outplayed, outscored and looked as if they were going handily defeat the Rebels, with a halftime score of 14 to 6. The Rebels had something different in mind in the 3rd quarter with Tyler Odems scoring 8 of his 12 points and Sodbileg Tsogbayar making a nice 5 foot shot in the last seconds of the quarter to tie the game going into the 4th quarter. The score stayed close, the crowd went crazy and the players from both teams played their hearts out in this barnstorm game. Sam Giramay (6 pts) & Taylor Bertrand (2pts) made clutch shots in the end to squeek past a strong Jayhawk team led by Paul P (6 pts) and Tyler D (5 pts). The Rebels defense was clearly the difference once again. Guards Kayla Napper and Harrison Hwu forced key turnovers and Erick Lambe dominated the boards down low. This was an excellent game!

The first win for Sun Devils this season with Chris Clausson scoring a record high of 27 points, and help from his team mates Tyler Krist with 4 points and Kendall Dixon with 3 points. The team play a great game which laed to the win. The Cardinal lead score was D. Carter with 15 points, B. Anglin with 7 points.

With a career high scoring record of 18 pts, Tyler Odems led the Rebels on the hunt for their seventh win in a row! Shooting guard Harrison Hwu also had a big day, putting 8 pts on the board, while power guard Kayla Napper dropped a nice one from 3-point land to put this one out of reach, despite a Red Raiders 4th quarter rally led by Arnold Hill (7 pts). Johnny Smith, the Raiders secret weapon harassed the Rebels on defense the entire game and put 6 pts of his own on the board, but in the end the Raiders were no match for the excellent defensive play of the forwards Taylor Bertrand, Erick Lambe & Sam Giramay, who forced the Raiders offensive game to the outside.

The Razorbacks topped the Cyclones 28-18 to wrap up the Division Title. The Razorback attack was once again a well balanced effort as Aaron Hawkins, Justin Fontane, Scotty Soltis, Big Brandon, Chandler Anderson and Maggie Tallman all scored multiple baskets enroute to another victory and an 11-0 record. The Cyclones played tough and stayed close but in the end the Razorbacks slowly pulled away.

The Razorbacks improved to 10-0 on the season with a stellar performance as they posted their highest scoring outing of the season. Scotty Soltis led the way with 19 points while Chandler Anderson chipped in 13 points and Big Brandon added 8 points. The Catamounts kept things close in the first half but the Razorbacks came out in the second half on fire to expand their lead and close the door for the victory.

Only one game separated these two teams as they began this contest. The Jayhawks were hoping to forge a tie a top the National league East division. The Commodores were up for the challenge as they utilized pressure defense to force several turnovers, which allowed them to race out to a 10-3 halftime lead. The Jayhawks, led by the quick Marcus Shands and the rebounding of Paul Phillips (5 pts each), cut the lead to 4 points to get back into the game. The Commodores would then counter with a 4th quarter run, led by Tyler Chong (8 pts) and Dennis Allen (6 pts), that put the game out of reach as the Commodores notched their 8th win of the season.

A hard fought game on both sides. The Terriers were clearly way out in front early with the excellent play of Alex Jalajel and Johnathon Fiseha and other players. The Paladins came back strong in the second half by putting pressure and double teaming. Luke, Chase, Nick and Diajuan handled the ball well with Selena playing her agressive usual game. Defense won this game for the Paladins with a close score of 26 to 23. It was a total team effort by both teams and was exciting to the end. A great game to watch.

A hard fought game on both sides. The Terriers were clearly way out in front early with the excellent play of Alex Jalajel and Johnathon Fiseha and other players. The Paladins came back strong in the second half by putting pressure and double teaming. Luke, Chase, Nick and Diajuan handled the ball well with Selena playing her agressive usual game. Defense won this game for the Paladins with a close score of 26 to 23. It was a total team effort by both teams and was exciting to the end. A great game to watch.

The Rebels offense came out strong in the first half of this fast-paced game with solid scoring from several players, led by Tyler Odems, who matched his career game high scoring record with 14 pts. Strong offensive scoring performances were also turned in by Sam Giramay (8 pts), Harrison Hwu (6 pts) and Taylor Bertrand (3 pts). Hampered by absentee players, the Engineers played an impressive 2nd half with stubborn defense and an aggressive offense from Anthony (6 pts), Danielle (5 pts) and Isiah (4 pts), that significantly closed the scoring gap. Once again, the Rebels defense, led by the efforts of Kayla Napper (2 pts) and Erick Lambe, managed to create key turnovers & out rebound the Engineers, which held their valiant efforts in check.

The Rebels offense came out strong in the first half of a solidly defensive game with key baskets from Sam Giramay (4 pts), Harrison Hwu (6 pts) & Tyler Odems (7 pts). At the half, the Cyclones defense, led by Aistow ((4 pts), Deveny (2 pts) and Chris W (2 pts), shut down the scoring run and matched the Rebels point for point in the second half. Outstanding defensive effort by Sodbileg Tsogbayar, Erick Lambe & Taylor Bertrand (2 pts) kept the Cyclones from closing the gap.

The Commodores came out strong early playing an aggressive defense against a Catamount team, that was led by Mitchell Lawson’s 8-points. The Commodores played awesome team defense; but players like Oscar Sandoval, Jasmine Collins, Tanner Tracey and Jesse Briscoe helped create Catamount turnovers that got the team off to a hot start. The Commodores took charge early with a strong first half, led by O’Neal (11 pts) and Allen (8 pts). Six players scored in a first half that was the Commodores’ best of the season thus far. This performance helped them stop a two game losing streak, defeating the Catamounts 28-12. In defeat, the Catamounts never quit and played hard the entire game.

The Razorbacks held off the Engineers with another outstanding team effort. The Razorbacks were led offensively by Chandler Anderson with 10 points. The Engineers Big man was a terror inside until the Razorbacks countered with putting their equalizer on him. Maggie stepped up to the challenge and held the big man to only 1 basket in the second half. There is no doubt that Maggie is one of the most aggressive defensive players out there and has always met the challenge of stopping the opponents Big Men. It was a nail biter to the end until Scotty Soltis hit a clutch free throw in the final seconds to put it out of reach. Great effort by both teams.

The Catamounts jumped to an early lead in a very close game by two evenly matched teams. Behind by 6 pts in the first quarter, the Rebels closed the gap by halftime with the score tied at 14. Despite a strong showing by Mitchell Lawson (11 pts) and Sam Stronko (10 pts) for the Catamounts, the Rebels defensive machine, led by Erick Lambe, took advantage of key turnovers and the strong offensive play of Sam Giramay (8 pts), Tyler Odems (12 pts), and Harrison Hwu (6 pts) to hold on to a slim lead at the final buzzer.

The final score does not give justice to this game. The tenascious defense of Chandler Anderson and Justin Fontane contained the Commodores offense while the Razorback offensive did its thing by seeing 6 players put the ball in the hole. Maggie and Brandon continued their dominance of the paint by making sure one shot is all the Commodores would get while Aaron Hawkins played yet another sound all around game. Scotty Soltis showed us why he is our leader by not only hitting clutch free throws in the end but made some great feeds along the way to get the ball to his other teamates for some nice buckets. The Razorbacks had a nice lead entering the final 3 minutes but the Commodores came roaring back to close the gap to 4 points with a minute and a half to go. Feeling the heat of the Commodores the Razorbacks regrouped and went back to what got them the nice lead and in turn pulled away at the end. The Commodores are without a doubt the best coached team the Razorbacks have played to date and my hat goes off to their coach. Both teams played aggressive, but more importantly played with great sportsmanship.

In a game that was much more competitive than the score indicates, the Buckeyes improved their record to 6-2 with a solid performance by all the players. The Buckeyes were led by Jared McCain with 10 points and Mark Mau with 8. The Longhorns demonstrated great hustle and desire, but it seemed that the basket had a lid on it for them. Nevertheless, there was great hustle and sportsmanship by all the players of both squads. Good Job Teams!!

In the first half of this game, it looked like the Terriers, led by the outstanding play of Jonathon (14 pts), were going to hand the Rebels a resounding defeat, leading by 7 at the break. The Rebel's put up alot of missed shots, but the Terriers were dominating the boards and penitrating the lane. Coming out of the huddle at the half, the rebels found their shooting rhythm and took advantage of several key turnovers to outscore the Terriers 23 to 11 in the second half. This was a total team effort led by Harrison Hwu (11 pts) and Tyler Odems (15 pts). Strong defense won this game and Sam Giramay, Kayla Napper and Sodbileg Tsogbayar were key to this slim victory.

Thanks to relentless pressure defense, the Buckeyes (5-2) outlasted the Cardinals in a well played game. The Buckeyes were led by the sharpe shooting of Rolluda (18 pts), McCain (8 pts), and Abdo (8)pts. The Cardinals were paced by big #5, Carter, with 9 points. Additionally, Bernardowski, Lee, Flowers, Mau, and Cooke had a tremendous defensive game for the Buckeyes. Another great performance by both teams.

Donovan Jordan's running jumper with five seconds left was the deciding basket for the very exciting and close game. Cameron led all players with 12 points for the Hawkeyes. Donovan Jordan finished with 10 points, Nick DeLeon added four, and four other players scored for the winning Gophers. Aidan Lancaster and Monique Brown had huge defensive efforts. The Hawkeyes look strong and should be a contender!

The Razorbacks continued their pursuit of Perfection improving to 7-0. The Razorback Attack was led by Justin Fontane with a seaon high and game high 11 points. Both teams showed very aggressive defense and good ball handling skills throughout the game and in the end the game was decided by a few wild shots by the Razorbacks that just seemed to find the bottom of the Net. Great effort by both teams.

The Rebels managed to prevail over the Paladins by a slim margin in the last minutes of a hard fought, defensive game, where passing, rebounding and turnovers were key. Tyler Odems (center) and Harrison Hwu (power guard) each had 8 points and were backed up with aggressive and critical defensive play by Kayla Napper (2 pts), Sodbileg Tsogbayar and Erick Lambe. The Paladins literally matched the Rebels point for point in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarters, with impressive performances by Selena (6 pts), Diajuan (4 pts), Cory (3 pts) and Jessica (3pts). The ref's had their hands full and the crowd really got into this match between two equally matched teams.

Going into the 3rd Quarter down 15-4 the Engineers came charging back with a very strong comeback but the Jayhawks came away in the end with a 2 point 27-25 victory. Marcus K. had 10 points for the Jayhawks, Tlyer D. had 7 points, Paul P. had 4 points, Devante R. had 3 points, Jacob E. had 2 and Brain L had 1. For the Engineers Anthony had 12 points, Isiah had 9 points, Silas and Spencer both had 2 points.

Wow! What a hard fought and exciting basketball game which was close from start to finish. The Spartans were led by the high scoring duo of Kaleb with 11 points and Kenneth with 8 points. The Golden Gophers had double digit scoring from Kyle Rhoades and Donovan Jordan. Stefen Lewis played his best game of the year for the Gophers and scored his first basket! Monique Brown had a very impressive blocked shot in the second half. Keep up the great effort Spartans!

The Razorbacks escaped the gym with yet another tough fought victory. The Terriers have a well balanced team with a solid point guard and 2 talented Big men, but the Razorbacks countered with their own Pair of Big players and a dominate effort by their own Point Guard. Scotty Soltis had a season high 19 points to take control of the offense while Maggie and Brandon took care of the Big Men on defense. Justin Fontane and Chandler Anderson gave the Terrier's swift dribbling point guard all he can handle by hounding him with pressure and containing him on the offensive attack. Although he was contained, all can see that the Terrier Point Guard is one of the best ball handlers in the league. Great effort by both teams.

The Commodores utilized balanced scoring and played an aggressive defense that forced the Red Raiders into some tough shooting opportunities. The Red Raiders worked hard to get their rhythm, but the opportunistic Commodores scored points off turnovers and shared the ball well (O'Neal 10 pts, Chong, Allen and Rivera each had 4 pts.) and cruised to a 24-5 victory.

Another great Prep League game had the Fighting Illini going up against the Cardinals. The Illini's great interior passing game was the key to this victory. The Illini were led by Christopher McIntyre and Michael Butts, with 12 points and 10 points, respectively. The Cardinals, led by Dennis Carter with 11 points, gave the Illini all that they could handle.

The Commodores and the Rebels battled in a game that was not decided until the last couple of minutes of the game. The Rebels led 6-0 early in the second quarter before the Commodores’ RJ O’Neal (10 points) led the Commodores on an 8-0 run to take a brief lead. With the game tied at 8 points apiece at the half, the two teams went to battle. The Rebels were led by the awesome play of Tyler Odems who had a game high 11 points. The Commodores balanced second half scoring, which included key baskets by Tanner Tracey (4-points; 3 other players chipping in with 2 each), allowed the Commodores to hold off a tough Rebel team 20-15. Job well done by both teams.

The 4-1 Buckeyes are back to their winning ways as they defeated a tenacious Golden Gophers team. The Buckeyes were led by BJ Rolluda with 12 fastbreak points. The Golden Gophers were paced by one their big men, Jordon with 8 points. In a defensive struggle, the score was tied 8-8 at the half. However, the Buckeyes' relentless defense opened up the game in the second half, overcoming a strong opponent. Great game by both teams.

The Fighting Illini continued their winning ways against an aggressive Sun Devil team, led by Chris Clausson (14 points). Offensively, the Illini pounded the ball down low to their big men (Reese Clatterbuck, Christopher McIntyre and Michael Butts). Defensively, the Illini used a stifling zone defense with Katie White, Sofia Tekle, Nico Deargangelis, Genesis Stone and Sean Cardenas setting traps and creating turnovers throughout the game. It was another great team effort!

The Fighting Illini played a tough and scrappy Red Raiders team. The Red Raiders, led by Arnold Hill and Joshua Smith, gave the Fighting Illini all they could handle at both ends of the court. But it was the Fighting Illini, led by Sean Cardenas (11 points) and Michael Butts (10 points), who prevailed in the end with a stifling team defense that created numerous fastbreak opportunities.

The game wasd great for both teams! Only the 4th quarter seprated them. The Jayhawks enterd the 4th being down by 10 and rallied off 14 to beat the Golden Gophers. Marcus K. had an amazing 16 points for the Jayhawks, while other star player Kyle Rhoades had 10 for the Golden Gophers. Paul P. and Devante R. each had 4 points. Jacob E., Tlyer D. and Dylan E. all had 2 points. Donovan Jordan had 7 points for the Gophers and 3 other players chipped in 2 points each to add to the 23. This was a great game to watch

The Hawks defeated a very aggressive Cyclones team 19-12. Cameron led the Hawks with 13 pts, Thomas chipped in 4pts and Tyree had two pts and had 5 steals. The Cyclones were led by Chritopher and Justin's 4pts each. Devery added 3pts and Garrett had a free throw.

With a solid effort on both offense and defense, the Rebels gained a decisive win over the Badgers at Fred Lynn MS. Center Tyler Odems had an impressive game with 12 points and was backed up with scoring from power guard, Harrison Hwu with 4 points. Defense was the key to this win as the Badgers were forced to an outside offensive effort. The Badgers defense cranked up in the second half, with an impressive effort by Dee (#15), who was injured trying to incercept a pass.

In a very close but exciting game, the Commodores squeezed out a 14-12 victory over a scrappy Cardinal team. The Cardinals were led by the awesome play of Dennis Carter who scored 6 points and the hustling Bradley Anglin (3 pts). However, Chantz Rivera’s early clutch free throw shooting (3 pts) and Dennis Allen’s 5 points helped the Commodores battle to a tie with less than a minute to go. The Commodores, with time running out, scored the game winner and their defense did not let the Cardinals get off a shot as they won their fourth game.

The Razorbacks held off a late surge by the Buckeyes to keep their undefeated streak alive. Big Brandon led the Razorbacks with a stellar performance scoring 9 points and Maggie (aka Shaquette) once again turned in a dominate defensive effort. The Buckeyes and The Razorback both had balanced offensive efforts showing why they both entered the game undefeated.

The Terriers gave the Illini all they could handle in this hard fought contest. The Illini went into halftime up by 2 on Katie White's buzzer beater that gave the Illini a 14-12 lead. It was back and forth in the second half as the Terriers, lead by Alex Jalahia (8 pts) and Jonathan Fiesha (6 pts), kept the game close. The Illini held off the Terriers in the end as Michael Butts and Sean Cardenas, each with 6 points, made some key baskets down the stretch to seal the victory. Great game by both teams.

And a thrilling game it was. The Buckeyes fought their way to a record of 3-0 as they overcame a relentless Catamount offense. The Buckeyes used a fastbreak offense and a swarming defense to gain an impressive victory. The Catamounts were led by outstanding pointguard play and a strong inside presense. It was a great game for all the players from both teams. Good Hustle!!

The Hawkeyes registered their third win with a hard fought 22-18 win over a very good Paladins team. The Hawks jumped out to a 19-8 halftime lead, but in the second half with their top two scorers out due to fouls and the Paladins making a charge,the team stayed together and pulled out the win. Cameron lead the Hawks with 9pts, David added 6 pts and came up big with rebounds and steady play late in the game. Khlid added 4 pts and 5 boards, Tyree added a bucket, and Thomas ran the offense when Cameron was out and added a point. For the game Paladins, Dai Juan led with 9pts and good heads-up play. Luke chipped in 3 pts and played good man-to man defense. Stephanie added 3 pts and had 8 boards, Corey had a bucket and Jessica chipped in a point. Intense game with very good defense by both teams.

The Razorbacks continued their winning ways with another victory to push them to 3-0. The Sun Devls worked hard and played well but the Razorback Attack was just to much for the Sun Devils.

After dropping the first 2 games, the Engineers finally found their groove, although it was against a hard fighting Cardinal team. D. Carter led the Cardinals with 6 pts. B. Anglin added 5 pts. and J. Hernandez added 2 pts. The Engineers played team ball with 7 players scoring. Isiah Wright, Danielle Smith, and Jeremiah Hutchison each scored 2 pts. Rene Beach scored 3 pts. Austin Greer scored 7 pts., Silas Young scored 8 pts. and Anthony Banks led the team with 10 pts. The game was close, 1-7 at the half. In the second half, the Engineers outrebounded the Cardinals and played a great passing- transition game.

The Golden Gophers pulled away from a very strong Rebels team after a first quarter tie. The Rebels were led by a very strong performance by Tyler Odems. The Golden Gophers had a stong game from Brian Trotter starting at point guard for the first time. Jordan DeLeon scored his first bucket of the season and Nicolas DeLeon added a bucket also. Aidan Lancaster, Monique Brown, and Caroline Holmes hustled on defense to prevent fast break opportunities for the Rebels.

The Commodores and the Spartans played an exciting game. The Commodores held an 8-4-halftime lead, led by Dennis Allen’s 4 points. However, the Spartans rallied with a 10-2 run to take a 4-point lead as several Spartan players scored during the run (Brian Lafranchise, Tyler Dean, Kenneth McKnight and Jake Dement). A huge 3-point basket by Tyler Chong (5-pts) helped the Commodores regain the lead going into the fourth quarter. The Commodores tough defense and clutch shooting by RJ O’Neal and Jesse Briscoe sealed the victory for the Commodores. What a great game!

The Red Raiders managed thier first win of the season against a very talented a tall Cardinal's team. The Red Raiders' Johnny Smith led all scorers with 11 points and Arnold Hill added an additional 8 points. Amanda Wassenberg and Travon Doty contributed 2 points a piece to round out the scoring for the Raiders.

The Cardinals were led by number 4, J. Frazier with 6 points, D. Carter added 4 points, and J. Hernandez also contributed 4 points. B. Anglin made the only foul shot for the Cardinals for a 1 point performance.

An exciting game that wasn’t decided until the very end, saw the Commodores squeeze out a 1-point victory. The Illini, leading at half time, came out and increased their lead over the Commodores in the third quarter (led by Christopher McIntyre-6 pts and Sean Cardenas). A late 3rd quarter surge by the Commodores and key baskets from Dennis Allen, Chantz Rivera and Mecca Briscoe cut the lead to one by quarter’s end. RJ O’Neal (8 points) scored 6 points down stretch, including the go ahead basket with less than one minute remaining. Both teams performed very well tonight. What an awesome game for both teams!

The Badgers defeated a tough Catamounts team to earn their first win of the season, 23-18. For the Catamounts, Mitchell Lawson showed why he is one of the top players in the league by scoring 14 points despite being the main focus of the Badger's defense. He was followed by Sam and T.J. who scored two points each.

For the Badgers, Nick Metzler scored 7 points along with 6 each from Diandra Uhlir and Buddy Godfrey. The scoring was rounded out by defensive stopper Trent Barfield, who had 4 points.

Outstanding defense and a balanced scoring attack led the Buckeyes to their second victory and a 2-0 start against a superb Jayhawks team. The Jayhawks demonstrated very good ball movement and a strong inside game. Just a thrilling game and great play by both team.

The twin towers of the Gophers were held long enough for the Razorbacks to fight for a 31-20 victory. Again the Razorbacks had 5 different players score to show their well balanced attack. Scottie, Aarron, Chandler, Justin and Brandon all put the ball in the hoop for the Razorbacks as Maggie played outstanding defense to keep one of the towers from dominating. I have a feeling these two teams will meet again when it really counts.

The Hawkeyes pressure defense and use of the fastbreak led to a 19-1 halftime lead which proved to be the difference in the game as the Terriers played the Hawks even in the second half. The Hawks were led by Cameron's 15pts but more importantly his excellent passing. Thomas chipped in 8pts and good playmaking. Khlid, David, and Kiah all added 4pts each and hustled for rebounds all night. Tyree had his first bucket of the season. Nicole and Jessica each had 3 boards and Michael ran the point. For the Terriers, Alex had a big night with 13pts. Jonathan added 3pts and Joed had a bucket. Great game by both teams.

Although the Rebels squad was preped and ready for the game, the Sun Devils were unfortunately not able to put a team on the floor by game time resulting in the officials awarding a "W" for the Rebels.

For being the first game of the season the two teams played as if it were mid season. The tough Badgers were led by their sharp shooting point guard and their swifty swingman, but they did not have enough down the stretch to hold off the well rounded attack of the Razorbacks. The Razorbacks had 5 players score multiple baskets to lead them to a 31-21 victory.

The jayhawks used a balanced scoring attack in their victory over the Sundevils. Marcus Kendall, Paul Phillip, Tyler Donnelley all had 8 points with Devante Roundtree adding 5. For the Sundevils Christopher C. lead the way with 12 points.Tlyer K. adding 5 points for the Sundevils 17 points.

The Fighting Illini and Engineers played a hard-fought game to kick off their prep season. Throughout the game, the Fighting Illini exploited the Engineers' stingy zone defense with an effective passing game. For the first game, the Illini victory was a total team effort, offensively and defensively.

HAWKEYES 22 Red Raiders 5

The Hawkeyes won their first game of the season with a 22-5 victory over a game Red Raiders team. The Hawks smothering defense led to many fast break opportunities. Cameron led the Hawks with 8 pts and outstanding passing to other teammates. Thomas chipped in 5 pts and did a great job on the point. David was a presence underneath and poured in 5 pts and Khlid rounded out the scoring with 4 pts. Kiah, and Michael played good pressure defense. Tyree led the team on fast breaks and Jessica and Nicole pulled down 4 boards apiece. For the Raiders,Joshua led with 3 pts and Samantha had a bucket. Good opening game for both teams22

The Commodores and Lomghorns tipped off their season on Saturday. The Commodores jumped out to a 5-point halftime lead, led by RJ O'Neal's 6 first half points (8 points). Tyler Chong, Tanner Tracey and Jesse Briscoe III contributed 5 points to the early lead. The Longhorns' Kyle Staats (9 points)led his team back to cut the lead to 2-points by the end of the third quarter. But it was the tough 4th quarter defense and key baskets down the stretch that gave the Commodores their first win of the season. Both teams played well.

In a thrilling game, the Buckeyes held off a strong Rebels team in the first game of the season. The Buckeyes were paced by the sharpe shooting of Jared McCain with 17 points and balanced scoring from the other Buckeyes. The Rebels were led by Tyler Odems with 8 points and solid performances by his teamsmates as well. Outstanding job by both teams.

In a very exciting opening game with many lead changes, the Golden Gophers pulled away in the fourth period after a 16 to 16 tie at the end of three periods. Sam Stronko scored 10 points and Mitchell Lawson scored 8 for the very fast Catamount team. Leading the Golden Gophers were Donovan Jordan with 14 points and Kyle Rhoades with 12.

THE SPARTANS PULLED OUT AN OVERTIME VICTORY OVER THE HARD PLAYING CYCLONES IN A THRILLING FINISH. THE SPARTANS TYLER DEEN TIED THE GAME IN THE FINAL MINUTES

OF REGULATION. KENNETH MCKNIGHT SANK THE WINNING BASKET IN OVERTIME TO GIVE THE SPARTANS THE VICTORY. IT WAS A GREAT EFFORT BY PLAYERS FROM BOTH TEAMS WITH THE CYCLONES LED BY DEVERY TRAVERS WITH 8 POINTS.

In a hard fought, defensive game, the Rebels managed to hold off a 4th quarter rally by the Paladins to win a superbly played game by both teams. Tyler Odems (center) and Harrison Hwu (power guard) came through with 8 points each to edge past the Paladins solid scoring from Selena (6 pts), Diajuan (4 pts), Cory (3pts) and Jessica (3 pts). While the entire Rebels team played with intense determination, this win would not have been possible without the aggressive defensive play and key turnovers created by Kayla Napper (2 pts), Sodbileg Tsogbayar and Erick Lambe.

EPWBA Game Recaps: Middle Division

The Tigers defeated the Terps in the first round of the post season tournament. The game was close throughout with the Tigers pulling away during the last couple minutes. The Tigers were led by Jason Johnson with 14 points. He was followed by Mason Salata and Chris Buehler with 8 points apiece. Kyle Johnson scored five points and Renfred Harper contributed with 2 points. Riley Varela contributed with key rebounding during critical phases of the game. Derek Toohey and Miguel Sanchez helped with key defensive plays. The Terps were led with Russell who scored 7 points. Cesar and John scored 6 points. Shayne, Tareq and Austin scored 2 points apiece. Great effort by both teams!

The Wolfpack got off to a fast start, leading 18 to 5 at halftime. But the Terps got aggressive in the second half and made an impressive run to draw within ten points before the Wolfpack pulled away at the end. The Wolfpack were led by Chris Millikan with thirteen points and Dave Bailey with seven points; also scoring were Josh Newsome, Prince Mensah, and Rashaun Nunnally. Cesar led the Terps with eleven points; Austin, Landon, and Russell also contributed to the scoring.

The Tar Heels defeated the Gators 43-40 in a hard fought game at Beville Middle. The Tar Heels were led by Kyle Toomey 18pts, Rashad McCoy 8pts,

Brian Wirth 6pts, Harshul Patel 5pts, Robert Kelley 4pts and Charles Colston

with 2 points. The gators were led by Marcus Kelley 30pts, Jordan Worsham

and David Grimm with 5pts each. Great Game by both teams!

This one came down to the wire. With numerous lead changes in the first half, the Wolfpack gained the momentum in the second half and surged ten points ahead. But in the closing minutes, the Cavaliers, led by Jack Adamson (18 points), Lamar Boykin (5 points) and Jeff Stout (4 points), mounted a strong comeback, drawing to within one on a three-pointer by Boykin. With less than four seconds on the clock, the Cavaliers went the length of the court and Adamson's shot rimmed out at the buzzer. Chris Millikan and Dave Bailey led the Wolfpack in scoring with thirteen and twelve points; Kent Jarrell gave them a strong inside presence, grabbing rebounds and scoring five points. It was a well-played game, with both teams fighting to the end.

The Tar Heels defeated the Hokies 42-29 Tuesday Night at Beville Middle. The Tar Heels were led by Brian Wirth 12pts,Rashad McCoy 9pts,KyleToomey 7 pts,Anju Desai 5pts, Michael Ellis 4 pts,Charles Colston and Harshul Patel with a bucket each. The Hokies were led by Americo Mayen and Jon Jefferson 10 pts, C Boyce 7 pts and Roman Naujoks with a point.

Good hustle and teamwork by both teams!

The Tar Heels defeated the Terps 55-17 Saturday Afternoon at Beville Middle. The Heels were led by Rashad McCoy 20 pts, Kyle Toomey 13 pts, Michael Ellis 10 pts, Brian Wirth and Anuj Desai 4 pts and Robert Kelley with a bucket. The Terps were led by Landon Cowardin and Russell with 5 pts, Cesar Arana and Juluis Powers each with a bucket.

Good hustle by both teams!

The Gators defeated the Hurricanes Saturday afternoon at Beville Middle School. In an agressive battle to the end, both teams fought hard to score. The Gators were led by David Grimm with 23 points, Marcus Kelley with 17 and Jordan Worsham with 8. The Hurricanes were led by Shaun Shaklee with 14 points, Justyn Smith with 5, Billy Eckert and Alex Cox with 3 each and JT Mueller with 2. Great job by both teams!

The Tigers defeated the Orangemen utilizing a balanced combination of inside and outside scoring. The Tigers jumped into an early lead with the Orangemen staging a comeback late in the third and early fourth quarters. The Tigers pulled away in the last few minutes of the game to seal the victory. The Tigers were lead by Jason Johnson and Mason Salata with 9 points apiece. Chris Buehler and Kyle Johnson added 8 points with Miguel Sanchez also contributing. The Orangemen were led by Phillip with 12 points and Brandon with 5 points

The Tar Heels defeated the Wolfpack 33-26 in a hard fought game at Beville Middle. The Heels were led by Kyle Toomey 14 pts, Brian Wirth 8pts, Harshul Patel, Rashad McCoy,Robert Kelley,Anuj Desai,Charles Colston and Michael Ellis each with a bucket. The Pack was led by David Bailey 13 pts, Chris Millikan 5 pts, Kent Jarrell, Prince Owusa, Josh Neuman and Rashaun Nunnally with 2 points each. Great game by both teams!

The Tar Heels defeated the Tigers 50-20 Saturday Afternoon at Beville Middle.

The Heels were led by Kyle Toomey 15 pts, Brian Wirth 12 pts, Rashad McCoy 10 pts, Robert Kelley 6 pts, Anju Desai 3 pts and Michael Ellis, Charles Colston

and Harshul Patel each with a bucket. The Tigers were led by Mason Salata 10

pts, Jason Johnson 6 pts, Chris Buehler 2 pts and Miguel and Kyle Johnson each with a point. Nice game by both teams!

The Wolfpack used a balanced scoring attack to defeat the Orangemen 57 to 10. Prince Mensah and Chris Millikan led the Wolfpack with nineteen and fourteen points, while Dave Bailey and Josh Newsome each contributed eight points. For the Orangemen, Philip Craig and Thomas MacIntyre each hit three pointers; Brandon Gum and Jacob VanWingerden also scored.

The Tar Heels defeated the Hurricanes 36-26 in a hard fought game at Beville Middle. The Heels were led by Kyle Toomey 17pts,Rashad McCoy and Harshul Patel 6pts,Brian Wirth 4 pts and Robert Kelley with a bucket. Anju Desai,Charles Colston and Michael Ellis led a strong defensive effort that held the Canes to 26 points. The Hurricanes were led by Justyn Smith 10 pts, Shaun Shaklee and Billy Eckert 6 pts and Marcus Parker with 2 points. Nice game by both teams!

In this highly competitive game where the lead changed hands several times, Chris Millikan, the game's high - scorer with 15 points, iced the victory in the game's final minutes by scoring the last five points. The Wolfpack got off to a fast start as Dave Bailey, who scored 14 points overall, hit two quick lay-ups. One of these lay-ups came on a fast break started by Josh Newsome's steal and pinpoint pass to Dave who was streaking down floor. Josh later chipped in a basket himself. The Huskies came back quickly and eventually took an 18 - 11 halftime lead behind the clutch shooting of Sheldon Stricklin and Tyler Hendrickson, who had 11 and 10 points apiece, and the strong interior defensive play of Ervin Febus. Rounding out the scoring for the Huskies were Cornelius Buxton with 6 points and Nick Kasi with 2 points. For the Wolfpack, Saeb Al Borno, who has played aggressive defense all season, merits special recognition as he scored his first basket of the season. Congratulations Saeb!

In an exciting game right to the end, the Cavailiers edged the Hokies. With the Hokies coming out strong and taking a 19-13 lead at halftime the Cavailers went to a man to man defense to create turnovers, scoring 16 points in the 3rd qtr. The Cavilers went into the 4th quarter with a 29-28 lead. The two teams battled back and forth with the Cavaliers pulling away in the 4th. The Cavaliers, Matthew Jack lead both teams on strong inside scoring with 13 points. The Hokies were kept close by Americo Mayen with 10 points and Justin Petock 7 points. Others contibuting for the Cavaliers were Shawn Black (2), Tyler Brooks (2) and JR. Gregory (2), Lamar Boykin (7), Tyler Rudisil (1) and Jack Adamson (9). The Hokies had balanced scoring with J.C. Cummins (5), Q. Ponta (2), K. Hathaway (4), S. Boyce (1) and R. Nayjoks (2)

The Tar Heels defeated the Panthers 33-27 in a hard fought game at Beville Middle. The Tar Heels were led by Rashad McCoy 13 pts, Kyle Toomey 10 pts, Anuj Desai and Harshul Patel 4 pts and Michael Ellis, Brian Wirth and Robert Kelley with a bucket each. The Panthers were led by Ramon Mathis with 10 pts,Joseph Campi 7 pts, Dashawn Jones 6 pts and Alowin Torres with 2 points. Great hustle and effort by both teams!

The Tar heels were led by Kyle Toomey 17 pts, Brian Wirth 10 pts, Robert Kelley 6 pts and Harshul Patel 4 points. The Governors were led by Dario Redondo 8 pts, Curtis Einsman 5 pts,Ryan Mason 4 pts, Cory Einsman

3 points and Christian Hayes 2 points. Good hustle and effort by both teams!

Jack Adamson (10), Lamar Boyton (10) and Matthew Jack (10) of the Cavilers lead the game in scoring. Phillip of the Orange kept the game clsoe by hitting three 3pt shots in the 4th qtr and Thomas added (5). Both teams played tough defense. Chris Harris also provided the Cavaliers with good defense and strong outside shooting with (6) points.

The Tar Heels were lead by Kyle Toomey 22 pts,Rashad McCoy & Robert Kelley 12 pts, Anuj Desai 4 pts and Harshul Patel with a bucket. The Orangeman were led by Brandon Gum 6 pts & Philip Craig with 2 points.

EPWBA Game Recaps: Jr Girls Division

In an amazing display of offensive coordination, the Comets came out and set the Liberty on their heels last night! In a hard charging first quarter run, the Comets opened an early 8 to 4 lead over the Liberty. With Alexa and Courtney contributing 8 points between them, it was more than the Liberty defense could match. Gabrielle Davis and Skyy Jones both tossed up 2, but the Liberty struggled to stay in the game. However, in the second quarter, Jessica Arevalo got the hot hand putting up 6, while Skyy Jones did her thing down low for another two. This turned the tables on the Comets, and Liberty our scored them in this quarter 8-2. Coming out of the second half, Amazing defense from Morgan Brown, and Rebecca Johnson lit the fire under the Liberty. In the third quarter, Ashley Biegun, Krissi Surgent, Skyy Jones at the line, Jessica Arevalo and another sweet drive by Gabrielle Davis gave the Liberty a dominant 12 points to Kourtney and Felicias 4 in the third. Dominant defense by the Liberty allowed a 6-0 unanswered run, that let the Liberty sneak away this one that looked like a barn burner at the open. Hustle and heart shown by all!

When these teams last met, it was a defensive display. This round, while the defense kept the opposing offenses in check, It was an offensive dual inside. The Liberty and Monarchs both came out strong. It was a point guard battle early on. In the first half, both teams were driving hard. This produced trips to the line for the Monarchs Janae, Riona, and Asiza, that paid off with scores. On the Liberty side, Morgan Brown came up big in the post with a pair of buckets, while Jessica Arevalo contributed two of her own from the guard position. In the paint, Skyy Jones dominated, with 7 points, and showed her speed on a flash inside for a smooth lay in. The Liberty defense continues to come in strong, with Rebecca Johnson blocking two shots and putting up two quality shots of her own. Gabrielle Davis showed a bit late, but made up for lost time with some fierce steals and some pressure on the outside corner. The second half started fast, with a point for point trade, through the third quarter. The Monarchs dominated the Liberty in the fourth, with Riona and Malory both coming up big with 11 points between them. However, the Liberty defense stayed strong and were able to hold on. With scoring contributed from Skyy Jones, Ashley Biegun, Catherine Tallman, Jessica Arevalo, And Krissi Surgent, the Liberty was able to edge out the Monarchs. Game MVP honors goes to Riona Smith with a sweltering 17 points! Amazing!

In an exciting game that went down to the wire, the Sparks defeated the Liberty by one point with a final score of 23 - 22. Both teams played very hard in this defensive battle that was decided by clutch free throw shooting. Coach Biegun and his assistant had his team fired up and ready to play. Krissy and Ashley played tough on the ball defense. Skyy had several rebounds and led the Liberty's scoring attack. Shernetta paced the Sparks with several key baskets. Victoria, Dani, Chelsea, Corinne, and Jennifer played gutsy defense in the last minutes of the game forcing turnovers and prevented the Liberty from scoring. Shernetta's key free throws with 11 seconds remaining secured the win for the Sparks.

The Mystics hosted the Liberty, in what looked like it would be both an offensive and defensive matchup of the week. Both teams came out strong, though Liberty was able to jump to a first quarter lead. Sara B led the Mystics, while Skyy Jones and Ashley Biegun led for the Liberty. The second quarter was a defensive battle and while each team put up a couple buckets, it was the defense that stole the show. Both Gabrielle Davis and Rebecca Johnson set themselves apart with hard core defending. Rebecca produced some blocks which turned into great shot attempts, while Gabrielle chose to execute some steals and contribute to the fast break, adding to both Skyy Jones and Krissi Surgent's total for the night. Still, the hard charging Mystics proved too much in the second, outscoring the Liberty. Alexisia put up strong 2, while Sara B again checked in and showed some touch at the foul line for 3! Michelle and Raihana made it impossible to work in the paint, defending the Liberty hard, and Sara P and Julia kept the Liberty honest with some hand checks on what prove unsuccessful shot attempts. The highlight was Bernadetta, running down a Liberty player from behind, only to reject her shot cold! Great hustle. The second half opened with the same hustle and intensity. The Mystics scored early thanks to Sara B, but the Liberty started to move the ball well, and it showed with Catherine, Morgan, Krissi, Ashley, Skyy and Jessica all adding to the teams point total. Outstanding effort by all, with the Liberty just edging out a hard charging Mystics team. The greatest victory for both teams was in the sportsmanship displayed on both sides of the ball. Outstanding!

Oh My Heavens! What a solid defensive battle. In their second meeting, the Monarchs and the Liberty showed they had learned a few things about each other. Each team came out poised to put up a hard fight, and the fans were not disappointed. The Monarchs showed that they were a force to be reckoned with, with Janae, Emily, Asiza, Khianna, and Shenna all showing some amazing defensive prowess. Honorable mentions on the offensive side of the ball included Malory, with not only a defensive showing, but putting up some strong points at the free throw as well, and Riona, orchestrating the team up and down the court while contributing a team leading 6 points.

For the Liberty, WOW. What a defensive display. Led by Gabrielle Davis, showing she could perform in the paint, on the outside, or where-ever needed, Rebecca Johnson with several quality shots and smart offensive and defensive play, helped Morgan Brown at power forward carry the team in what was a solid, defensive effort, sprinkling in many great shots by each. On the offensive side of the ball, Jessica "fire fingers" Arevalo turned up the team offensive leader, showing all the way to the hoop. Skyy Jones as usual, brought it hard to the hoop, controlling the paint with a solid 8 points. Krissi Surgent, Catherine Tallman, and Ashley Biegun all worked it out, feeding assists where needed and contributing 4 points each. While the Liberty eeked this one out, the bottom line was fun, sportsmanship, and a good time by all!

The Comets hosted the Liberty Saturday afternoon in what proved to be a display of speed and determination on both sides of the ball. Each team came out ready to run the floor and put the other through the paces. And pace each other they did! In the first 3 min, they moved the ball up and down the court 13 times! These ladies were working hard, and running fast! Liberty was fortunate in the first quarter to take an early lead, having just a few extra buckets fall. A strong showing by Katrina with a score for the Comets kept them in the game. Notables for the Liberty in the first quarter inlcuded Skyy Jones, Krissi Surgent and Ashley Biegun, all contributing to the total. The second quarter came just as fast, with a bigger emphasis on defense. Each team brought speed and agility to bear, forcing multiple turn overs and steals. Felicia joined Katrina in the scoring department for the Comets trying to keep things close. But as luck seemed to be with the Liberty, they managed a few additional hoops again, with Jessica Arevalo, Krissi Surgent and Ashley Biegun again adding to the effort. Half time brought two tired teams to the floor and a more balanced trade of effort. Each team settled in and executed just good fundamental basketball. Still loads of effort, just a bit more controlled pace. Notables included Felica and Kourtney for the Comets in the third, and Krissi Surgent, Skyy Jones and Jessica Arevalo for the Liberty. The fourth quarter revealed the most balanced match up of the game, with the point trade being 5 for the Comets and 6 for the Liberty. Each group of girls settled for solid defense, and well executed shots. Notables in the fourth included Katrina and Kelsey for the Comets and Ashley Biegun and Skyy Jones for the Liberty. In the end, the Liberty was fortunate to edge out the Comets, but neither team lacked for effort, sportsmanship or fun.

The Storm jumped out to an early lead that the Mystic were not able to make up. Both played team ball though, the Mystics had 5 players score and the Storm had 6 players score. For the Mystics, Michelle, JUlia and Bernadette all played aggressive ball. For the Mystics, Raihana scored 1 pt, Sara P., Alexisia and Salina each scored 2 pts. and Sara B. led the team with 10 pts. Although their shots didn't fall, Bailee Eckley and Teresa Berrier played aggressive defense. Terran Bargeron scored 1 pt. Nicole Carpenter and Stephanie Willoughby each scored 2 pts. Sharon Beach scored 3 pts. Holly Roose scored 4 pts. and Courtney Krebs led the Storm with 10 pts.

After losing their opening game to the Sparks by 2 pts., the Storm evened the series by edging them out by 2 pts. in the rematch. The Sparks played team ball with 5 players scoring. Nicole Belk had 1 pt. Corinne Mullins and Chelsie Ziegler had 2 pts. each, Dani Ferguson had 9 pts. and Shernetta Boyd had 10 pts. The Storm played calm and focused this game, they had 6 players score. Teresa Berrier and Bailee Eckley came up with key rebounds for the Storm, Nicole Carpenter and Stephanie Willoughby each had 2 pts. Terran Bargeron had 3 pts. Sharon Beach scored 4 pts. Holly Roose chipped in 7pts. and Courtney Krebs added 8 pts. Team play and balanced fouling had the Storm outlasting the Sparks.

In an inner-division match up, both the Liberty and the Mystics demonstrated hard hitting defense. The opening minutes of the contest looked like it might be one for the record books. Sara B. of the Mystics set her dominance in the paint early on. She showed amazing quickness to the ball and a propensity to block shots. A frustrating point for the Liberty, and a situation that held the teams at a hard fought 2-2 tie for much of the first quarter. The Liberty broke the code first by spreading the ball. They soon jumped out to a first half lead of 15 to 2. Skyy Jones proved dominant with 5 points and a trip to the line. Ashley Biegun and Catherine Tallman each contributed 4, while Krissi Surgent brought her own two and leadership to the point guard position. Not ones to go down lightly, the Mystics brought the house in the second half. Raihana showed smooth touch with a pair of free throws, and Sara B. contributed one of her own. Both Alexisia and Bernadetta drove in a bucket a piece, while Sara P led the Mystics in the second half with 3. Defensive dominance by power forwards Gabrielle Davis, Morgan Brown and Rebecca Johnson kept the second half in hand. Each showed courage with some quick thinking rebounds, some solid looks at some shots, and loads of hustle. Ashley B put up and additional 4, Gabrielle and Krissi knocked down and additional bucket each, and Jessica "Magic Touch" Arevalo dropped in two picture perfect free throws. The 25-12 score did not accurately portray how hard these teams fought. In the end, the win was for sportsmanship and an exercise in character...and every girl on the court took home the prize tonight.

The meeting of the Liberty and Storm proved to be a contest of effort from the start. The entire first half showed two teams bringing hard defense to bear on the court. It closed with a mere 10-6 margin in favor of the Liberty. The girls were moving the ball well with a big showing from Krissi Surgent of the Liberty turning in 4 and some solid support from Skyy Jones, Ashley Biegun and Jessica Arevalo all turning in two. The Storm showed up to play, and demonstrated it with a solid two points each from Terran, Courtney, and Holly. After the second half break, the Storm turned up the heat , and Holly went on an 8 point terror! Terran continued to support with another two, but the Liberty defense was relentless. While the Storm pulled within two, the Liberty had the good fortune of a few more shots dropping. Krissi Surgent continued her run with another 6 in the second half, aided by Catherine Tallman with 4, and both Jessica and Skyy put up another two and one respectively. It was a hard fought effort, with great sportsmanship shown by all. When the smoke settled, it had the Liberty on top...this time.

EPWBA Game Recaps: Jr Boys Division

Trailing by 9 points going into the last quarter, the Spurs finally got thing going with some great team defense. Julian Hunter led all scorers with 16 points while playing some solid defense with 3 blocks. Andre Edmonds & Peter Maher controlled the paint while adding 10 & 6 points each. Simon Fesahaye, Jason Carlos & Ronald Wright provided the pressure on the perimeter that were created into some easy baskets. The Magic had one final chance to send it into overtime but their full court pass was intercepted by the Spurs. Great Game everyone!!!

Peter Maher & Andre Edmonds led the Spurs by controlling the paint while adding 10 & 9 points each. Julian Hunter led all scorers with 12 points on a variety of shots. Jason Carlos added 7 points while Andre Robinson chipped in 4 points and dished out a handful of assists. Simon Fesahaye & Ronald Wright spearheaded the defense. The Celtics were led by Sabere Sims & Jeff Sims with 7 points each while Jamahl Stokes & Justin Bhatti added 6 & 5 points each.

The Spurs turned up the pressure on defense in the 2nd period and outscored the Lakers 17 - 6 and never looked back. Julian Hunter & Jason Carlos led the scoring with 17 & 12 points each. Patrick Quigley added 8 points with double figures in rebounding. Andre Robinson, Peter Maher & Andre Edmonds led the defense to some easy baskets. Alex Eonta & Brandon Downs led the Lakers with 12 & 7 points each.

The Warriors jumped out to an early lead through aggressive play on the defensive end of the court and good ball-control on the offensive end, which led to a 12 point lead at the half. The Celtics played with a lot of heart, fighting back by out-scoring the Warriors in the third period, and playing them even-up in the fourth. Both teams played hard, and showed good sportsmanship throughout.

The Celtics displayed a balanced scoring attack with Justin Bhali, Scott Tringali and Alex Yezzi scoring 6 points each. The Warriors were led by Deonte Hallums with 14 points, followed by Andres Sosa with 9 points.

The Spurs jumped out early only to hang on at the end. Andre Robinson hit 3 straight 3 pointers to open the game off finishing with 13 points. This opened things up for Julian Hunter who had a game high 20 points on a variety of shots. Andre edmonds controlled the boards while Jason Carlos & Ronald Wright chipped in with 5 points each while Simon Fesahaye & Peter Maher added 4 points each. Coty Williams kept the Warriors in the game by drilling 4 3 pointers to finish with 12 points. Donnell Noris & Glen Fournier each added 11 & 10 points each. Exciting game to watch for the fans.

Going into this game both teams were tied a top of their division at 2-0. The Blazers were limited in players with only 5 boys showing up. The 1st quarter started off slow for each team, with the Blazers winning the 1st quarter 8-5. Once the second quarter started, the Mavericks scored 4 baskets in a row and took the lead and never looked back. Andrew Kestel on the Mavericks led the team with 12 points as well as Kwasi Boadi. Bobby Cummins had a strong defensive game having a few blocks and double digits in rebounds. The Mavericks have started off 3-0 and play a huge game Friday night. Thank you for the Blazers who fought a tough game but just came up short with only 5 players. Good luck the rest of the season!

December 10, 2005: Junior League Nets (22) vs. Warriors (27)

This game saw two evenly matched teams play a hard-fought season-opening contest on a cold Saturday morning. The Warriors jumped out to an early eight point lead behind aggressive defensive play, but the patient Nets hung tight, and closed the gap to only 3 points by the end of the first half. Neither team was able to gain a decisive advantage in the second half and the Warriors were able to hang on to win by the final margin.

Both teams exhibited aggressive play, and displayed excellent sportsmanship throughout. The Nets were led by Brown (#13) with 10 points, followed by Foridi (#15) with 6 points. The Warriors showed a balanced scoring attack, with Donnell Norris (#33) leading the way with 8 points, followed by Andres Sosa (#31) with 7 and Erwin Quintanillia (#21) with 6.

The Nets showed up ready to play for this late-night game; through excellent defensive play, they forced the Warriors into numerous turnovers early, and jumped out to a 7 point lead at the half. The Warriors, out of sync in the first half, started the second half in much the same way as the Nets opened a double-digit lead. Realizing the game was slipping away, the Warriors "manned up," forced some turnovers and made a game of it midway through the fourth, finally tying it and then taking the lead with less than two minutes to play. With only 22 seconds left, the Nets scored a bucket to tie it up, setting the stage for an exciting finish. The Warriors missed a late shot as the clock wound down, but got the ball back on an out of bounds play with 3.6 seconds to play. Ryan Shpil received a pass down low, pumped-faked, then took a quick shot off the dribble that bounced around the rim as the horn sounded, finally falling through for the game winning buzzer beater!

The Nets were led by Oraibi Faridi's 8 points and Chris Brown and Joe Hardin, with 6 points each, with Andrew Reddinger and Nikolas Nayjokes also contributing to the effort. The Warriors were led by Deont'e Hallums with 11 points and Coty Williams with 5. Angus Strayhorn also had two critical steals, and Donnell Norris was big on the boards. Excellent sportsmanship was shown by all in this great spectator event. WHAT A GAME!!! Congratulations to both teams!

This rainy-day-Saturday game saw two evenly matched teams go head-to-head once again, with the Warriors trying to avenge an early-season two-point loss. Both teams played well as the first half lead seesawed back and forth several times, with the Warriors taking a slim lead into halftime. The game stayed close in the second half, with the Spurs tying it up at the end of regulation by taking advantage of fast break opportunities and Warrior miscues. The Spurs ran into foul trouble in overtime, finishing the game with only three players on the floor, and couldn’t keep the Warriors from pulling away to the final margin of victory (which was off-set by a Spurs’ exciting 3-pointer from half-court as the final buzzer sounded).

The Spurs were led by Hunter’s game-high 22 points (in spite of the Warriors playing him man-to-man in a “box-and-one” defense almost the entire game), followed by Robinson with 9. The Warriors, playing the best team-basketball they’ve played all year with much better passing/ball distribution and team defense, showed a balanced scoring attack with Alyk Dubsky and Andres Sosa scoring 10 each, Ryan Shpil-9, Deont’e Hallums-8, Donnell Norris-5, Coty Williams-4 and Angus Strayhorn (maybe the biggest hustler in the league) with 2. In a strange anomaly for this age-level, every player on both teams who entered the game also scored.

Although the Spurs played the entire game short-handed with only five players available at tip-off and finishing the second overtime with only three players on the floor, they played a tremendous game and never gave up. Congratulations to the Spurs for showing a lot of heart and never quitting, and to the Warriors for pulling out an exciting, double-overtime team victory.

EPWBA Game Recaps: Senior Division

The National All-Stars took advantage of a cold-shooting start by the American Division team, to break out to an 18-9 first quarter lead on the rebounding of Darrell Krebs and break-away speed of Ryan Fleming. Both teams heated up in the second quarter, with Gerard Turner leading the way for the Nationals and Ryan Kilgore for the Americans, as the Nationals widened their lead to 44-26. Dexter Parrish spearheaded a strong fourth-quarter rally by the American team, but the National lead was too large to overcome.

Members of each team and points scored were:

National: Taranbir Randhawa (3), Todd Gilbert (3), Adam Henson (9), Ryan Fleming (17), Corey Styles (9), Joe Starr (8), Gerard Turner (6), Dan Schall (7), Darrell Krebs (10), Nate Evans (absent).

American: Jigar Patel (3), Corey Shpil (2), Dan Thelen (6), Ryan Kilgore (17), Dexter Parrish (12), Joesph Gibbs (9), Antoine Mingo (3), Stephan Scott (4), Drew Manton (5), Michael Dickriede (2).

[Scroll down for regular season scoring leaders]

Stymied by a suffocating Knick defense for most of the first half, the Lakers mounted a stirring second half rally to erase a one-time 18-point deficit, emerging as tournament champions on a Carl Stokes free-throw, his second game-winner in as many nights. The Knick defense, especially Moshin Baig, had denied the Lakers' high-scoring Ryan Kilgore any good looks at the basket for the first 15 minutes, and built a 22-4 lead on the outside marksmanship of Antoine Mingo and inside play of Drew Manton and Ben Swedish. Kilgore finally got untracked for the Lakers, scoring layups off of loose balls and a rebound, and the Sixers drew to within 22-12 at the half. Stephan Scott drill two 3-pointers sandwiched around a Kilgore free throw to open the second half, and suddenly the Lakers had closed to 22-19. After a Manton free throw for the Knicks and Kilgore's first 3-pointer of the game for the Lakers, Swedish scored for the Knicks on a nifty give-and-go and Manan Desai countered with a trey for the Lakers, and the game was deadlocked at 25. From there to the finish, the teams battled on even terms. Desai and Kilgore nailed threes for the Lakers and Manton hit one for the Knicks to go with a jumper by Baig, and the Lakers took a narrow 31-30 lead. Joseph Gibbs' lay-up got the lead back for the Knicks and two buckets each by Manton and Baig rebuilt the Knicks' margin to 40-35. But as the game entered the last couple of minutes, Scott hit two free throws and a 3-pointer from the corner to knot the score again at 40. Byron Farrior's two clutch free throws for the Knicks and a Manton jumper matched two driving lay-ups by Kilgore, leaving the score still tied at 44 and the Lakers in possession of the ball with time running down. After two missed shots, Stokes came up with the ball in the lane, turned to shoot, and was fouled with 0.9 seconds remaining. His first attempt found nothing but net, and the Lakers were tournament champs. Kilgore led the Lakers in scoring with 23 points, Scott had 11, Desai 8, and Stokes 3. Manton was high man for the Knicks with 19 points, Mingo added 7, and Baig and Swedish each had 6.

The Lakers stunned the League champion Sixers with a late surge from a 55-49 deficit to a 63-57 win. The first half was an explosive offensive battle, as Nate Evans poured in 16 points for the Sixers and Ryan Kilgore nailed 13 for the Lakers, who emerged with a 32-29 lead. The Lakers built their lead to 39-31 on two baskets by Kilgore and one by Phillip Henry, but Sixers' guards Ryan Fleming and Taranbir Randhawa began to connect from the outside, and the Sixers regained the lead at 42-41. Kilgore kept the Lakers in contention with a couple of slashing drives to the hoop, but power moves by Evans and Darrell Krebs more than offset his efforts, and the Sixers appeared to be in control at 55-49 with under 4 minutes to play. That's when the Lakers stepped up their full-court pressure and began to force turnovers. A Kilgore field goal and two free throws by Jigar Patel narrowed the Sixers' lead to 55-53. Krebs was able to score on a breakaway to make it 57-53 Sixers, but that turned out to be the Sixers last score. The Sixers committed a costly technical foul holding a 57-55 lead, which cost them two Kilgore game-tying free throws and possession of the ball. The Lakers worked the ball inside to Carl Stokes, who posted up for a basket while being fouled, and added the free throw. The Sixers misfired on their next scoring attempt, and the Lakers closed out the game with free throws, as the Sixers were forced to foul. Kilgore led the Lakers in scoring with 31 points, Stephan Scott added 9, and Patel and Henry each had 8. Evans paced the Sixers with 25, Randhawa had 12, Fleming 10 and Krebs 8.

The Knicks used a stifling defensive effort and just enough timely shooting to earn a second crack at a championship. The Wizards' Greg Carpenter hit a 3-pointer to start the scoring, but found few more open opportunities against a double-teaming defense. Byron Farrior hit two early treys for the Knicks, and with Mike Dickriede controlling the boards, the Knicks held a 16-11 halftime advantage. Todd Gilbert struck first for the Wizards to open the second half, but Antoine Mingo buried back-to-back treys for the Knicks, and they suddenly had a 23-13 lead. Adam Henson answered with a 3-pointer for the Wizards, and Gilbert and Carpenter converted tough lay-ups to put the Wizards right back into the game at 22-20. The Knicks refused to fold, however. Dickriede and Moshin Baig each made two free throws and Drew Manton scored on two turn-around jumpers, giving the Knicks a 31-23 lead that was too much for the Wizards to overcome. Mingo was high man for the Knicks with 13 points, Dickriede had 9, Farrior 8, and Manton 6. Gilbert led the Wizards with 13, Carpenter had 7, and Henson and Sakief Baron had 5 apiece.

Jigar Patel hit three consecutive 3-pointers from the corner to widen an 11-6 Lakers' lead to 20-12 at the half. The Lakers built a 12-point lead to open the second half on buckets by Patel and Phillip Henry, and the cold-shooting Suns never drew closer than 9 points the rest of the way. Patel notched 15 points to lead a balanced attack for the Lakers and Stephan Scott chipped in with 11. Ryan Kilgore (9 points) and Carl Stokes (6) controlled the boards for the Lakers. Gerard Turner led the Bulls with 9 points before fouling out, while Joe Starr and Chris Shaklee each had 7.

Greg Carpenter came up with a big shot whenever his team needed one, Todd Gilbert hit four crucial free throws in the closing seconds, and the Wizards escaped a determined Suns team to advance to the semi-finals. With Carpenter scoring 16 first-half points on drives, short jumpers and put-backs, the Wizards led 27-20 at the half. The Wizards widened their lead to 33-23 to open the second period, but the Suns stepped up the defensive pressure, scoring off of steals, and closed to within 37-35 with 4 minutes to play. Joel Davidson and Dexter Parrish hit key baskets for the Suns down the stretch, but Carpenter, Gilbert, David Anglin and Sakief Baron all scored from the line to maintain the Wizards' narrow lead all the way to the finish. Carpenter led all scorers with 23 points, and Gilbert had 9. Dexter Parrish played his usual all-court game and led the Suns with 16 points, Daniel Thelen had 11 and Davidson 9.

The Sixers had the first big breakthrough in a fierce defensive struggle when Nate Evans nailed back-to-back treys and Taranbir Randhawa added another to open an 18-12 lead late in the first half. They ended the period up 23-16. Michael Dickriede's rebound bucket got the Knicks within 23-19 as the second half got under way, but Darrell Krebs powered in three consecutive post-up moves to make it 29-19 Sixers. Drew Manton countered with two baskets for the Knicks, but when Dan Schall scored on a nifty Schall-to-Krebs-to-Schall give-and-go, it was still 35-25 Sixers, and the Knicks never got closer. Evans led the League Champion Sixers in scoring with 14 points, Krebs had 12 and Randhawa 10. Manton was high man for the Knicks with 11, Dickriede had 9 and Byron Farrior added 8. The upcoming tournament presents the two teams a shot at a second championship. As Division winners, they receive first-round byes and await the winners of Saturday's opening tournament games.

Player Points Average

Nate Evans, Sixers 215 17.9

Ryan Kilgore, Lakers 210 16.2

Greg Carpenter, Wizards 149 12.4

Ryan Fleming, Sixers 130 11.8

Todd Gilbert, Wizards 135 10.4

Dexter Parrish, Suns 132 10.2

Taranbir Randhawa 132 10.2

Drew Manton, Knicks 119 9.9

Gerard Turner, Bulls 108 9.0

Corey Styles, Bulls 112 8.6

Joel Davidson, Suns 94 8.5

Sakief Baron, Wizards 101 7.8

Joseph Gibbs, Knicks 101 7.8

Stephan Scott, Lakers 93 7.8

Darrell Krebs, Sixers 84 7.6

Antoine Mingo, Knicks 89 6.8

Corey Shpil, Suns 86 6.6

Michael Dickriede, Knicks 84 6.5

Daniel Thelen, Suns 79 6.1

Byron Farrior, Knicks 67 6.1

Joe Starr, Bulls 78 6.0

Adam Henson, Wizards 70 5.8

The Lakers tuned up for tournament action with their fourth straight win. The up-and-down Bulls were mostly down, following a 70-point effort in their previous game. Phillip Henry and Ryan Kilgore paced the Lakers to a 23-11 half-time advantage, and Stephan Scott teamed with Kilgore to put the game away midway of the second half. Kilgore had 17 points, Scott 16 and Henry 6. Joe Starr was the main point producer for the Bulls with 12 and Corey Styles had 6.

Tne Knicks took a half to get warmed up, trailing 17-15 at the break, but pulled away in the second half, helped by foul trouble for the Wizards' Todd Gilbert. Drew Manton led the Knicks with 12 points, 9 in the first half when the Knicks were struggling. Antoine Mingo (10 points) and Mike Dickriede (9)led the Knicks second-half surge. Adam Henson led the Wizards with 10 points on a variety of drives and Gilbert accounted for 8 in his relatively short time in the game.

Dexter Parrish outdueled Tarnabir Randhawa in double overtime, scoring 7 of the Suns' 11 points in the extra period; Randhawa had 8, but that was all the Sixers got. The Sixers had jumped to a 20-6 lead to open the game with Randhawa and Corey Wiseman doing most of the scoring. But the Suns battled back behind Parrish and Joel Davidson, cutting the Sixers lead to 22-21. Buckets by Darrell Krebs and Carlos Claros-Valdez built the margin back up to 26-21, setting the stage for Luke Alexander's 3-pointer from the corner and a jumper by Parrish to close the half tied at 26. The teams waged a tight battle throughout the second half, with the Sixers taking a 44-40 lead into the final minute. However, the Suns forced two turnovers and Parrish connected for two baskets, taking the game into overtime. Parrish led all scorers with 22 points, and a trio of Suns--Davidson, Daniel Thelen, and Corey Shpil--had 8 apiece. Randhawa led the Sixers with 18, Dan Schall had 12 and Krebs added 11.

The Lakers gave notice that they are tournament-ready and dealt a crushing blow to the Wizards hopes of a National Division title. Asif Akhtar and Todd Gilbert staked the Wizards to an early 8-0 lead, but the Lakers' Stephan Scott and Manan Desai soon found the range from outside the arc, each netting two treys on the way to a 28-23 halftime lead. Sean Gilliam and Gilbert got the Wizards within 30-29 to open the second half, but Ryan Kilgore took over the outside shooting role for the Lakers, and his second 3-pointer of the half gave the Lakers a seemingly comfortable 40-32 lead. The Wizards countered with an aggressive man-to-man defense and went on a 9-0 run to take a 41-40 lead. Phillip Henry's baseline jumper momentarily regained the lead for the Lakers, but Greg Carpenter hit two clutch free throws for the Wizards and made a nice feed to Gilliam for a layup, and it was 45-42 Wizards. After a Kilgore bucket for the Lakers and another free throw by Carpenter, the Lakers had 21 seconds to overcome a 46-44 deficit. They did, as Kilgore tied the score by banking in a tough runner in the lane while being fouled, and won it by converting the free throw. The Wizards had 6 seconds to work with, but were unable to get upcourt for a shot against pressure defense. The loss left the Wizards a game behind the Sixers in the National Division with one game to play. Leading scorers for the Lakers were Kilgore (16), Scott (11) and Desai (9). Leading the Wizards were Gilbert (12), Gilliam (9) and Carpenter (7).

The Knicks shook off a strong effort by the Suns to claim the American Division title. Drew Manton (18 points) and Byron Farrior (15) came through with big shots whenever the Suns got close, while Michael Dickriede and Joseph Gibbs supplied some inside scoring punch with 6 points apiece. The Suns mounted a balanced scoring attack to make the Knicks earn their title. Joel Davidson led the Suns with 11 points, Daniel Thelen and Mark Uttaro scored 7 apiece, Daniel Callahan added 6, and Dylan McIntosh and Corey Shpil each had 5.

The Bulls started hot and finished hotter on the strength of 27 points from Gerard Turner and 17 from Corey Styles. Turner was sinking shots for all over the court, including a jumper in the lane and a 3-pointer that stretched a 9-point lead to 14 at the half, 34-20. Styles tallied most of his points posting up in the paint. Joe Starr directed the offense for the Bulls and Chad Hernandez provided rebounding support and 8 points. The Sixers managed a couple of runs in the second half, but couldn't make enough stops to seriously threaten. Nate Evans led the Sixers with 24 points, Taranbir Randhawa hit for 16 and Corey Wiseman added 6.

The Wizards fought back from a half-time deficit to take a late lead, lost it, and finally regained it for good in the last 30 seconds. Todd Gilbert had the hot hand for the Wizards, early, mid-game and late, scoring 28 points on driving layups and rebound conversions. The Wizards had jumped to an early 12-4 lead, only to see the Bulls go on a 14-0 run on the 3-point shooting of Chris Shaklee and the inside game of Corey Styles. Sean Gilliam's short jumper finally got the Wizards back on track and they closed to a manageable 23-20 deficit at halftime. With Gilbert slicing to the basket for scores and Adam Henson adding a couple of baskets, the Wizards took a 37-34 lead. Baskets by Styles, Joe Starr and Gerard Turner then put the Bulls back on top at 45-40 and seemingly in command with 2-1/2 minutes to play. But the Wizards defense stiffened, and Gilbert scored another basket and two clutch free throws before Sakief Baron hit a game-winning layup. Baron was next in line to Gilbert in Wizards scoring with 6 points, while Styles led the Bulls with 12, Starr had 11, and Shaklee and Gerard Turner added 9 each.

One team has the most wins in the League and one has the most losses, but it was hard to tell them apart in this game. The 8-3 Sixers were on the verge of a routine win several times, but the Suns battled back each time and had a chance to tie at the end, but fell just short. The Sixers high-scoring tandem of Nate Evans (13 points), Taranbir Randhawa (15) and Ryan Fleming (15) did most of the scoring, but could not have won without key baskets and consistent rebounding from Scott Wiseman (4 points). Corey Shpil scored 21 tough points for the Suns, mostly in the paint, and also nailed a big 3-pointer during a run that cut a 48-37 Sixers lead to 50-46 going into the final minute of play. Joel Davidson (8 points) and Dan Thelen (4) also knocked down shots in the Suns closing rally. Dexter Parrish played his usual inspirational role for the Suns and tallied 17 points, including two free throws that got the Suns within 52-50. They regained possession with 14 seconds after a Sixers turnover, but could not come up with the tying or winning points.

Joe Wirth hit two base-line jumpers to give the Lakers a chance, and Ryan Kilgore nailed a heavily contested 3-pointer with 4 seconds to go to knock off the Division-leading Knicks. Trailing by one with half a minute to play, the Lakers took 4 quick fouls to put the Knicks on the line with a few seconds remaining. The Lakers gained possession on the missed free throw and got the ball to Kilgore, who drove to the bench-side of the 3-point circle and launched his game-winning shot. Kilgore led the Lakers with 17 points, Wirth and Stephan Scott had 9 each, and Carl Stokes provided the bulk of the rebounding along with 6 points. The 7-4 Knicks deployed their customary balanced scoring attack, with 8 of 9 players contributing points: Michael Dickriede (7), Drew Manton (7), Joesph Gibbs (6) Byron Farrior (5), Yonatan Getachew (5), Antoine Mingo (3), Moshin BAig (3) and Ben Swedish (3).

In a likely preview of the League Championship game, the Sixers dominated early then held off a furious Knick rally to take a 1-game lead in the National Division. Despite the loss, the Knicks kept control of the American Divsion, needing only one more win to clinch. Nate Evans was almost unstoppable, whether drivng the baseline or the lane, and scored 25 first-half points as the Sixers took a 39-24 half-time lead. Joseph Gibbs scored the first 10 Knick points of the half and Byron Farrior notched the last 8, but the Knicks had little in between. The Sixers maintained leads of 10 to 12 points well into the second half. Then Moshin Baig's trey got the Knicks started on a barrage of 3-pointers which, coupled with tighter defense, narrowed the margin to 54-50 inside of 4 minutes to play. Ryan Fleming's short jumper widened the Sixers' lead to 6, but Antoine Mingo immediately countered with a 3-pointer and Michael Dickriede made a layup for the Knicks, cutting the Sixers lead to 56-55. After another Fleming bucket made it 58-55, Farrior converted 3 free throws after being fouled on a 3-point shot attempt. Evans and Farrior traded two free throws each, setting the stage for the Sixers Taranbir Randhawa to nail a 3-pointer from the corner to regain the lead at 63-60. Free throws by Evans and Fleming stretched the lead to 66-60, and one last trey by Mingo and a clinching free throw by Fleming closed out the scoring. Leading scorers in the game were Evans (35), Fleming (15) and Randhawa (7) for the Sixers, and Gibbs (18), Farrior (13) and Mingo (13) for the Knicks.

Nate Evans scored 16 of his game-high 22 points in the second half as the Sixers pulled away from a half-time tie. The Bulls had forged a 23-16 advantage in the first 15 minutes of the game as Patrick Agee and Ehsan Baig connected on fast breaks, but two free throws by the Sixers' Corey Wiseman at the end of the half knotted the score at 23. Evans took over in the second half, driving repeatedly to the hoop, while Kyle Conard, Dan Schall and Darrell Krebs (11 points) secured control of the boards for the Sixers. Baig was high man for the Bulls with 9 points and Gerard Turner added 7.

It took the Wizards until the last 3 seconds of the first half to gain a lead in the game, but they overwhelmed the Suns with a 34-15 blitz in the second half as they gained control of both boards. Todd Gilbert scored 16 points for the Wizards, mostly on layups and rebounds. Greg Carpenter and Sakif Baron each had 14, and Asif Akhtar stepped into the starting lineup to produce 7 points and some heady defense. Joel Davidson (11 points), Daniel Thelen (7)Dylan McIntosh (5) and Mark Uttaro (5) hit big shots to get the Suns an early 15-8 lead and keep them in control most of the first half.

Deadly outside shooting by Ryan Kilgore and some acrobatic driving layups by Stephan Scott highlighted a strong offensive effort by the Lakers. The Bulls showed flashes of scoring power of their own, but were undone by too many turnovers. Kilgore hit 4 times from behind the arc and finished with 22 points. Scott had 10 and Jigar Patel added 9. The Bulls forged a balanced scoring attack led by Corey Styles with 9 points and Gerard Turner with 8.

The Lakers had the ball with a half-minute to play in a deadlocked game, but it was the Sixers who scored the last 9 points of the game to take a 1/2 game lead in the National Division. After a Nate Evans basket put the Sixers in front and the Lakers failed to match it, the Sixers went 6-for-6 from the line when the Lakers were forced to foul. Evans paced the Sixers with 20 points, Ryan Fleming had 12, and Taranbir Randhawa and Darrell Krebs had 8 apiece. Dan Schall added 6 points, including 4 key free throws in the late going. Ryan Kilgore led the Lakers with 16 points, aided by Joe Wirth with 10 and Manan Desai with 8.

The Bulls jumped out to an early lead and the Suns never got untracked. Gerard Turner was high man for the Bulls with 15 points and Josh Prica had 9. Dexter Parrish was the main weapon for the Suns with 11 points.

Whenever the Wizards threatened, it seemed that Drew Manton answered with a 3-pointer for the Knicks in a battle of two Division leaders. Manton and Yonatan Getachew led the Knicks to a 23-15 halftime lead, but Greg Carpenter and Sean Gilliam combined for the first 8 points of the second half to forge a tie. A Manton trey and two free throws regained a 5-point lead for the Knicks, and the margin eventually reached 8 points again. Buckets by Carpenter and Sakif Baron got the Wizards within 2 points and a chance to tie, but a turnover and two more free throws by Manton iced it for the Knicks. Manton led all scorers with 22 points, Getachew had 7 and Michael Dickriede added 8 for the Knicks. Carpenter led the Wizards with 12 and Baron had 9.

Sean Gilliam's 3-pointer got things started for the Wizards and Greg Carpenter took the scoring load from there with 12 first-half points and 19 for the game. Asif Akhtar played a strong floor game from his wing position, scoring 6 points, including a nifty power move in the lane. Devon Doyle, though scoreless, made key defensive plays that stemmed any hope of a Lakers rally. Ryan Kilgore fired in 16 points for the Lakers and Stephan Scott added 8, but the Lakers could not overcome an early double-digit deficit.

Joseph Gibbs isn't the tallest Knick, but he was the most effective on and around the boards in the Knicks fourth straight win. Drew Manton (9 points) and Antoine Mingo (6) had led the Knicks to a narrow 20-18 first-half lead. Gibbs then notched 16 of his 20 game-high points in the second half, on short jumpers and put-backs, and 6 of 8 from the free throw line. Corey Styles pounded the boards for 14 Bulls' points and Patrick Agee and Gerard Turner had 6 apiece for the Bulls.

The Sixers took advantage of both forced and unforced turnovers to mount two big runs, then held off a furious Suns' rally to escape with the narrow win. Nate Evans and Ryan Fleming did most of the scoring in the Sixers opening 25-9 blitz, before Corey Shpil led a rally that got the Suns to within 28-20 at halftime. Evans and Fleming led another burst that gained the Sixers a 42-24 lead midway of the second half. The Suns were not done, however. Shpil (15 points) continued to score inside. Dexter Parrish (13), Dylan McIntosh (7) and Andrew Hanscome (6) hit key buckets and the Suns were within 54-49 with a minute to play. But the Sixers evaded the Suns' press and Evans' layup, the last 2 of his 21 points, iced the game and ended the scoring. Fleming had 19 for the Sixers and Taranbir Randhawa added 7.

Ehsan Baig was deadly from 3-point range and Corey Styles was a big-time rebounder, and the Bulls created a near dead-heat in the National Division. At the end of the day, the Wizards clung to a 1/2-game lead over the Bulls and Sixers. Styles scored all his points in the second half, scoring in close and getting to the line to hit 4 of 6 free throws. Baig hit 3 treys in the first half to keep the Bulls even with the Wizards, then broke a 41-all tie with his fourth trey late in the game. Chris Shaklee also contributed two key 3-pointers for the Bulls and wound up with 10 points. Sakief Baron 16 points to keep the Wizards in contention and Adam Henson drove to the hoop for 12 points.

Drew Manton nailed a 3-pointer at the start of overtime and the Knicks went on to score all the points in the extra period. The Sixers had battled all the way back from a 26-16 half-time deficit and had a 45-43 lead on Tarandbir Randhawa's short jumper, but Moshin Baig tied it for the Knicks with a layup in the waning seconds of regulation. Manton led all scorers with 16 points, Baig had 11, and Michael Dickriede and Joseph Gibbs added 9 apiece for the Knicks. Randhawa paced the Sixers with 12, Ryan Fleming had 10 and Darrell Krebs worked the boards for 9 points.

The Knicks stayed in the game for three quarters with a stifling interior defense then won it with a ball-hawking defense down the stretch. The Knicks' Joseph Gibbs gives away a few inches against most of his opponents but is as effective as anyone around the basket, and was high man for the game with 11 points. Antoine Mingo and Moshin Baig supplied much of the pressure defense for the Knicks down the stretch. Greg Carpenter and Todd Gilbert had 10 apiece for the Wizards and Adam Henson added 9.

With the score knotted at 26, Joe Starr drove the lane for a bucket and Chris Shaklee drilled a 3-pointer from the corner, and it appeared that the Bulls were in control at 31-26. But the Suns stepped up the defensive pressure, grabbed nearly every rebound, and the Suns'Joel Davidson scored the last 6 points of the game. After trailing 17-12 at halftime, the Suns scored 9 straight points to open the second half before Patrick Agee nailed a trey to start the Bulls on a 14-5 run. But the ball-hawking defense of Dexter Parrish and Daniel Thelen and the board work and inside scoring of Davidson and Corey Shpil brought the Suns the hard-earned win. Davidson (12 points) and Parrish (8) led the Suns in scoring, while Starr, Ehsan Baig and Chad Hernandez each had 6 for the Bulls.

In a high-scoring games with huge swings in momentum, the Sixers survived a fierce Lakers comeback in the closing seconds of regulation by striking quickly in the second overtime. The Lakers took an early 9-4 lead, saw the Sixers power their way to a 26-21 advantage on the inside game of Nate Evans and Darrell Krebs and the outside accuracy of Taranbir Randhawa, then closed to 26-25 on Stephan Scott's layup and Ryan Kilgore's steal and bucket at the buzzer. The Sixers'Ryan Fleming nailed a couple of 3-pointers early in the second half while Evans and Krebs continued to score underneath, and the Sixers appeared to have the game in hand at 41-29. But the Lakers refused to cave in. With Kilgore slashing to the hoop and Jigar Patel and Manan Desai hitting key baskets, the Lakers got within 51-46. It appeared to be too little too late, but Joe Wirth and Desai sandwiched 3-pointers for the Lakers around an Evans free throw and the game went into overtime at 52-52. Playing cautiously, each team scored 3 points in the first overtime. But in the second, Randhawa scored two quick layups and Krebs scored on a follow shot, and the Sixers finally had a lead they could hold. Leading scorers for the Sixers were Evans (18), Krebs (16), Randhawa (13) and Fleming (12). The Lakers were led by Kilgore (15), Desai (14), Wirth (10) and Patel (7).

Dexter Parrish refused to lose, handling the ball, crashing the boards and scoring 15 points to lead the Suns to their first victory. Joel Davidson was also a major force on the boards for the Suns and chipped in with 11 points. The Lakers held a narrow lead at half-time but never really got untracked. Ryan Kilgore was high for the Lakers with 9 points, 9 below his season average.

The Sixers used the inside dominance of Nate Evans and the quickness and versatility of their guards, particularly Ryan Fleming, to knock the Wizards from the ranks of the undefeated and tighten the National Division considerably. Evans led the Sixers in scoring with 17 points, mostsly on power moves to the hoop. Fleming contributed 16 points, including a crucial four straight from the free throw line down the stretch. Greg Carpenter paced the Wizards with 13 points before fouling out and Sakief Baron added 9, including a game-tying layup in the last half-minute before a game winner by Evans.

Joe Caouette powered in two buckets to open the second half and the Wizards took command after a tightly contested first half. Todd Gilbert did a little of everything for the Wizards, displaying a smooth inside game and running the offense when point guard Greg Carpenter was on the bench. Gilbert led the Wizards in scoring with 14 points, Carpenter had 10, and Sakief Baron added 9. Ryan Kilgore kept the Lakers in contention with slashing moves to the basket resulting in 14 points, and Joe Wirth chipped in with 5 points.

In the most hotly contested game so far of the young season, the Sixers stormed back from as much as 15 points down in the second half to notch their first win and hand the Knicks their first loss. The Knicks had built a 32-19 half-time lead on the inside scoring of Mike Dickriede and the perimiter shooting of Moshin Baig. But the Sixers staged a furious comeback in the final 10 minutes thanks to an aggressive defense spearheaded by Taranbir Randhawa and Ryan Fleming, and the strong inside game of Nate Evans. Carlos Claros-Valdez' only bucket of the game was a huge one, narrowing the Sixers once-sizable deficit to 4 points and making a win suddenly appear possible. The Sixers, who shot 15 for 21 from the line in the second half, finally tied the game with less than a minute to go on Randhawa's free throw, and took the lead on one by Evans. Leading scorers were Randhawa (14), Fleming (13) and Evans (13)for the Sixers, and Dickriede (11), Byron Farrior (9) and Baig (8) for the Knicks.

The Lakers Ryan Kilgore was quicker to rebounds and loose balls than anyone else, which ultimately proved decisive as the Lakers evened their record at 1-1. Kilgore led all scorers with 28 points, scoring from outside, on drives, and on key follow shots, and Carl Stokes helped control the boards. Gerard Turner (11 points) and Corey Styles (10) paced a balanced scoring attack for the Bulls.

The Wizards used a tight defense and timely baskets by Greg Carpenter to build a 19-8 half-time lead. The Suns threatened in the second half behind the 3-point shooting of Joel Davidson (15 points), but Carpenter (17) and Todd Gilbert (10) kept the Wizards in control.