Commish Corner – Fall Season Finals
Top News and Questions
1. Could the Xmen win their second straight finals? NO!
2. Could the Gladiators finally win a championship? NO! The Buffalo Bills have company…
3. Could Cinderella continue to dance in the A league? NO! They were rudely kicked out of the Ball.
4. Could the Wolves finally win an elusive championship? YES!
5. WINTER SEASON - Last Chance to Register – Friday, December 4:
a. http://www.playlegendsbasketball.com/Register.htm
6. ANNUAL PARTY – THIS SATURDAY!:
a. http://www.playlegendsbasketball.com/registerparty.htm
Fancam!
Nice smile – and boots!
Fans enjoy the action!
Elite League Final Xmen vs. RimRockers
The resurgent RimRockers took on the mighty Xmen in the Elite League Championship. Before the game began, the big question was how would the Xmen respond to superstar Kent Julien’s injury? Well, while not at full strength a brave Julien was able to play. The RimRockers had gotten to the championship thanks to their strong inside play and continued to exploit it in the championship game. During the second half, the RimRockers broke open a close game and pulled away for the 56 to 47 victory. Lance Posey continued his sensational play with 17 points and Lester Maynard poured in 15 as well. Nguyen had a great game for the Xmen with 14 points though foul trouble hurt him severely. Upson had 13 and Julien had 10 for the Xmen. The RimRockers Don Robinson and Robert Faust became this season’s Brian Shaw (who somehow won 3 NBA titles with the Lakers), riding the coattails of other players to win a championship. (Ouch! Editor’s Note: Per Mr. Thang’s contract, his writing cannot be changed, but that doesn’t mean this editor cannot add a comment to try to right a wrong! It takes a special person to pull together a winning team, and you never diss the guy who got you there season after season!)
Elite Champions - RimRockers
A League Final Mantua vs. StrongArms
The Cinderella StrongArms were abruptly thrown out of the ball in a 53 to 24 loss to the #1 seed Mantua. The Mantua dominated the game from start to finish and were led by Sharman who had 14 points, Hawley had 13 and Rhodes had 11. Casey led the StrongArms with 8. “We came out really flat, and just could not get the magic back that helped us pull off two great upsets to get us here,” coach Schuman stated at the news conference. “But it was a great run, and we will be back in the winter to make another run at that elusive championship,” he promised.
A Champions - Mantua
B League Final Gladiators vs. Islanders
The Gladiators were looking to win their first championship after a couple of losses in prior seasons but had their work cut out for them against the resurgent Islanders. Early in the game, the Gladiators had problems on the offensive end; however, the Islanders were unable to pull away for most of the game. In the second half, the Gladiators offensive problems continued and the Islanders came away with a 39 to 31 victory. Rob Havlovick led the way for the Islanders with 15. Justin Sethi chipped in with 7 as well. For the Gladiators, El-Sayed had 8 and Allen had 7. “I want to thank all those that helped me and my team finally win our first Legends championship in 5 tries,” coach Bill Ellis explained. “This includes my son, who I think gave us the points we needed as he did the clock for us!” he confessed.
B Champions - Islanders
Ladies Final Wolves vs. Thunder
The top two seeds in the ladies league met in a final of two contrasting teams. The Thunder started out slowly and the Wolves took advantage to build a huge lead. The Thunder were unable to mount a serious comeback in the second half and fell 45 to 26 in the Finals. The Wolves were led by Sarah Hardenbergh who had 12 points and Kaitlyn Conboy who had 9. Taylor and Johnson each had 10 for the Thunder in the loss. “Hey, we had a great team last spring, but needed that one missing key to take it all,” explained coaches Kelly and Sarah Wolfe – long-time Legends and the reason for the Wolves longevity and incredible history. “So we went back to our high school team and got Sarah. It’s all history after that,” they added.
Women Champions - Wolves
Elite League MVP Lance Posey
Lance had a great season for the RimRockers. Dominating the inside both offensively and defensively he was a force for the RimRockers. Lance even incorporated a baby hook shot into his offensive repertoire making him one of the first legend players ever with an actual inside move.
An easy 2 for Posey.
Other Elite Stars In No Particular Order:
· Kent Julien (Xmen): Kent was the cog that made the Xmen engines run all season long. His ability to drive to the basket got his teammates a lot of his easy baskets.
· Charlie Barber (Blades): Barber was a beast all season long for the Blades with his ability to shoot from the inside and outside.
A League MVP: Mark Rhodes
Rhodes never led Mantua in scoring, but it is not always about points to highlight a person’s value to his team. Rhodes was a consistent presence for the team all season with great hustle plays, solid defense, passing and rebounding. Mark added key buckets with his patented 3-point shot, and was always in the top 3 scoring every single game. This season, consistent was spelled Rhodes.
Mark for 3!
Other A League Stars In No Particular Order:
· Wharam and Twyman (Wildcats): While the Wildcats season abruptly ended in the opening round of the playoffs, both Wharam and Twyman had great seasons for the ‘Cats in sparking them to a 6-2, 2nd place (regular season) A League finish.
· McLeary (StrongArms): While the StrongArms stumbled their way to a 3-4 regular season record, McLeary had a good season and helped fuel their stunning run to the A League finals.
B League MVP: Rob Havlovick
Rob had a fantastic season for the Islanders. He was an absolute killer from the outside (memo to all other B League teams, think about double-teaming him next season!) but also played great defense, distributed the ball nicely and was an all around thorn in his opponents collective sides.
Rob completes 3-point play.
Other B League Stars in No Particular Order:
· Scott Pitts (Thangs): Scott carried the Thangs offensively all season long with his excellent outside shooting and great moves to the basket.
· Pruett and Allen (Gladiators): Pruett and Allen were the main men for the Gladiators during the season. They formed a lethal 1-2 punch with their ability to make baskets from all over the court.
Ladies MVP Sarah Hardenbergh
The Wolves picked up the missing piece to the puzzle during the summer season after their heavy recruiting of Hardenbergh. Rumor has it that Hardenbergh will not have to change a diaper ever again. But that’s just a rumor. Hardenbergh was a beast inside with a soft shooting touch and great interior defense with a ton of killer blocks.
Sarah on D.
Other Ladies Stars in No Particular Order:
· Johnson and Taylor (Thunder): Johnson and Taylor were fantastic for the Thunder throughout the whole season. Showing no fear they carried the Thunder offensively with great moves to the basket and fantastic outside shooting.
· Stubbs and Lee (Lightning): Stubbs and Lee were the heart and soul of the Lightning during the season. Stubbs was the playmaker and Lee was the shooter (though sometimes those roles reversed) and helped fuel the Lightning’s success.
Story by Mr. Thang
Pictures and added editorial review, “The Commish”