The Tune Squad Rolls to Their Second Consecutive Victory

The number of undefeated teams dwindles to five after just two weeks. Will a team ever make it through the Champions League undefeated?

Buffalo, NY- It was hoops madness at the Knights of Columbus as the Champions League entered week two. In the first game of action the Billies squared off against divisional rival the Fastbreakers. Both teams made some key acquisitions as Danny Maher (17 points), Joe Lesh (8 points), and Jordan Pollack (12 points) lead a youth movement for the Billies, while the Fastbreakers picked up big man Seth Runge (13 points) formerly of the Buffalo Warriors and Jerome Knight (10 points) who began his Healthy Buffalo career in the APEX League. The Billies did well in the absence of their leader Rich Lynch but came up short against the scoring barrage of Shawn Satarian (26 points) and the interior dominance of the Fastbreakers big men Seth Runge and Paul Quarcini (13 points).

In game two Niagara University squared off against Norfolk N’ Chance as both team were looking for their first victory of the season. Dean Antalik (25 points) and Jon Plail (25 points) put up strong numbers to carry Norfolk N’ Chance to their first win of the season. Afterwards the team dedicated the win to their captain Anthony Giordano, who suffered a broken nose in the opening week of play against the Tune Squad. The timetable for his return is currently uncertain.

In the 4pm game the Cleveland Beamers took on the Tune Squad. Both team were coming off big wins in the opening week, but the Tune Squad once again looked unstoppable. The Beamers played an excellent game and stayed with them until late behind the strong play of Edvin Ramulic, who scored a team high 23 points, but they didn’t the have firepower to match the Tune Squad, as all five of their players reached double figures, including Josh Becker who scored 22 points and maintained control of the scoring chase in League A.

United Hoops welcomed the return of their Captain, Justin Stokes (21 points), who missed the opening week for unspecified reasons. United Hoops staged a ferocious rally in the closing minutes to squeak out a close win against Jamel Gibbs and the Franchise Players.

In the 6pm game the Superstars gave Court Justice a scare, nearly knocking them off in the closing minutes of the game. Jeff Curry of Court Justice led all scorers with 28 points as Court Justice joined the Tune Squad as the only two remaining undefeated teams in League A.

After suffering through a rare winless season, the U.H. brought it’s rebuilt roster into week two with title hopes in their sights. They jumped all over the Toon Squad early, jumping out to a 40-21 lead by halftime. In the second half Mike Flohm (13 points) and Eugene Kennedy (12 points) did their best to stage a rally, but they couldn’t match the offensive attack of league veterans Will Castro (28 points) and Perry Davis (25 points) who led the U.H. to their second consecutive victory.

Yao Know What I Ming had their first big test of the season as they took on Team First, who were led behind a strong performance by Rayshawn Johnson who scored a team high 18 points. They weathered the storm and racked up their second win of the season behind Kyle Perla (18 points) and Joe Kwitek (13 points), who rejoined the league after a brief stint with I R Colludge Edjukated.

In the 9pm game Healthy Buffalo had another tough matchup to start the season as they hosted the Very Aggressive Guys. Bryce Hammerton kept it close, leading Healthy Buffalo with 23 points in an inspiring debut performance in the Champions League. Yet the Very Aggressive Guys seem once again poised to return to glory and make a championship run as they racked up their second win of the season, 59-52.

In the final game of the night we were all witnesses to another spectacular shooting display by Joe Catalano. Some analysts thought it may have been luck when he set the single game three-point shooting record in Season 6 with 11 threes in one game. Then he shattered his own mark in Season 8 with 14 threes in a single game. In Saturday’s action he made another run at his record with ten three-pointers, to cap off a 40 point performance in White Men Can’t Jumps 99-75 victory over Concrete.