Playoff atmosphere strikes Kronies Jamfest as teams jockey for position and emotions run high.
Buffalo, NY- Each game was better than the last in Week 5, as a number of games went down to either overtime or the last shot. The intensity level was through the roof in what was definitely the season’s best week of basketball. In Game 1, Papa Jake’s faced off against shorthanded Shining Force, which started the game with only four players. Papa Jake’s got off to a fast lead behind the excellent shooting of Marc Antecki who scored 18 of his
Brian Rowlinson shoots a three.
season high 29 points in the first half, but couldn’t capitalize on the man advantage in the first half as Lenny Frears (23 points) and company set the gym on fire from three point range making 9 of 13 attempts in the first half, taking a 37-35 lead into the half. The tide shifted the other way in the second half as Matt Musorgski entered the game for the Shining Force and Papa Jake’s leading scorer Dave Hall battled foul trouble in the second, fouling out with over eight minutes remaining. It was now Shining Force that had the man advantage, which they used to pull off a four point victory, 61-57.
In Game 2, crosstown rivals Victor’s and Paper Beetch battled in the second meeting of the season between the teams. Victor’s had a balanced attack with everyone of their players scoring at least six points, while Paper Beetch played well, but would have definitely benefited from having a sixth man to come off the bench. Justin Myers played an excellent game, scoring a season high 20 points to lead Paper Beetch, but it wasn’t enough to hold off Victor’s who moved into a tie for first place with the win. Final Score: Victor’s 67, Paper Beetch 59.
Game 3 was a battle for first place between undefeated Swagged Out (3-0) and Norfolk N’ Chance (2-1). Norfolk N’ Chance set the tone early, jumping out to a 37-23 half point lead behind the strong play of Dean Antalik (27 points) and Jon Plail (13 points). Yet as the second half begin to unfold it seemed it was only a matter of time before Swagged Out made a run. They got some momentum going a couple times, but each time Norfolk N’ Chance responded. Corey Kadish (16 points) had a number of big shots down the stretch, as did Dean Antalik who continued his scoring prowess. Jerry Shanley’s streak of 30+ games came to end, as did Swagged Out’s dreams of a perfect season. Final Socre: Norfolk N’ Chance 66, Swagged Out 58.
Game 4 was another nail-biter as the Tub Men faced off against Ebony & Ivory. Rob Jacobs continued his strong inside play leading the WWIAFTM with 24 points, as the team tried to capitalize on Randy Martin’s early foul trouble. But despite picking up some early fouls, Martin stayed aggressive scoring 17 of his 25 points in the second half and leading the team to victory 59-56.
Game 5 between Sponge Bob Square Pants and Court Justice was a BSWA classic in the making. Sponge Bob Square Pants jumped out to a big lead early, leading by as many as 14 points in the first half with a good mix of inside baskets by Jon Bugio (15 points) and outside shooting by Andy Marlinski (15 points). But in the second half Court Justice turned up the heat, playing a more aggressive defense and a full court press. They were slowly fighting their way back into the game when Brian Walter caught fire, draining three big three-pointers down the stretch and forcing the game into overtime. Sponge Bob Square Pants took control of the game in overtime and held on to a one point lead as the final seconds were ticking away, but instead of letting the clock run out they forced a pass inbounds which was picked off by Moe Bailey (21 points) who then scored the winning layup as time expired. Final Score: Court Justice 56, Sponge Bob Square Pants 55.
In the final game of the night the Flint Tropics took on Healthy Buffalo, who were looking to lock down their first win of the season. The pregame lineup looked promising as mid-range assassin Nicholas Battaglia took the court alongside defensive specialist Jerry Pacillo for the first time this season. But it didn’t seem to matter early as the Flint Tropics jumped out to a quick lead behind the fearsome threesome of Nick Pfohman (17 points), Andy Tate (11 points), and Joe Kassel who scored a season high 19 points. The Healthy Buffalo team fought their way back into it though behind the strong inside play of Franklin Jackson and the nearly unstoppable scoring of Terence ‘Bermuda’ Dill who led all scorers with 27 points, including the game winning basket with four seconds remaining. Final Score: Healthy Buffalo 58, Flint Tropics 57.
Next Week’s Games to Watch
In the 3pm game Papa Jake’s looks to avenge an opening week loss to Sponge Bob Square Pants, as Burgio and company look to break out of their losing skid. In the 8pm game Norfolk N’ Chance face off against Healthy Buffalo in a match-up of the leagues number two and number three leading scorers. Both teams hope to have key players ready for the contest as Healthy Buffalo guard Jerry Pacillo suffered a lower-back injury in the win against the Flint Tropics and Norfolk N’ Chance’s Mark Giordano has been battling a bad knee, despite having a breakout season. As always the action starts at 3pm.
Kronies Jamfest 2 League A Scoring Leaders Week 5: Mark Antecki 29, Lenny Frears 23, Moe Bailey 21, Dave Winiarski 20, Justiin Myers 20, John Papincak 19, Dwayne Jackson 17, Vaughn Williams 17, Jon Burgio 15, Andy Marlinski 15.
Kronies Jamfest 2 League B Scoring Leaders Week 5: Jerry Shanley 29, Dean Antalik 27, Terence Dill 27, Randy Martin 25, Rob Jacobs 24, Joe Kassel 19, Jasen Ineson 18, Mark Vanoy 18, Chas Kirsch 17, Nick Pfohman 17.
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