AXA Completes Late Season Surge to Lock Up Final Playoff Slot

AXA is in, Queen City Stampede is out.  Hoosiers top Sponge Bob as Court Justice drops to the third seed and Swoopin’ In On Ya Girl takes top seed in the East.

Buffalo, NY-  The Kronies Jamfest 3 regular season is in the books.  In the first game the Hoosiers shocked first place Sponge Bob Square Pants to pick up their second win of the season.  It wasn’t the kind of finish to the season that Sponge Bob was hoping for as the loss dropped them to the number two seed, complicating their quest for a championship, while giving the Hoosiers a lot of confidence going into the Consolation bracket.  Marc Antecki (17 points) and Dave Hall (20 points) once again led the Hoosiers but got a lot of help from Brian Jasinski (10 points) and Bryan Dorothy (13 points).  Sponge Bob was once again led by the dominant inside game of Jon Burgio, but as a team couldn’t knock down shots on the perimeter, allowing the Hoosiers to lock up their second win 68-57.

In the second game the Pick N’ Tootsie Rolls faced off against DJ Dovey Ent.  The Pick N’ Tootsie Rolls welcomed the return of leading scorer Zach Rougeux, but were without their starting center Paul Quarcini.  Without the presence of Quarcini down low, DJ Dovey Ent big man RJ Faustin had his way, scoring a season high 22 points and leading DJ Dovey Ent to their second win of the season 69-63.

The stakes were high in game three as the winner secured a spot in the playoffs, while the loser was relegated to the Consolation Bracket.  Queen City ran into AXA at the wrong time, as they were one of the hottest teams in the second half of the season.  Mike Ridge had another phenomenal game, scoring 30 points and earning the Law Offices of Timothy J. Hennessy Player of the Week award.  Edvin Ramulic (27 points) had another stellar game for the Queen City Stampede but it wasn’t enough to stop red-hot AXA as they appear to be clicking at just the right time.  Final Score 79-75.

In the Week 9 Game of the Week, Swoopin’ In On Ya Girl looked to make a statement in the final game of the season against a depleted Court Justice team, that was without Brian Walter, Tim Irvin and point guard Eddie Stephens.  Moe Bailey (23 points) did his best to keep Court Justice in the game, including throwing down a pair of thunderous dunks.  Yet in the end Kronies Jamfest scoring champion John Papincak (27 points) carried Swoopin’ In On Ya Girl to victory and captured the number one seed in the East.  Final Score Swoopin’ In On Ya Girl 91, Court Justice 70.

In another highly anticipated match-up Hit It & Quit It faced off against the Billies in a potential post season preview.  Unfortunately for the Billies they caught Hit It & Quit It on the wrong day.  Sean O’Brien came out firing, scoring 14 of his 16 points in the first half, while Bren Raleigh balanced out the attack with 18 points.  Final Score: Hit It & Quit It 61, Billies 47.

In the next game Team First rolled past Swagged Out 109-74.  It was just the game they needed, as they locked up the number one seed in the West and entered the post season on a high note.  Ron Malicki scored a season high 31 points, while Tariq Bashir (11 points) and Bashir Ansari (11 points) did their damage from behind the arch.  The win definitely makes Team First the favorite going into the playoffs, while Swagged Out will look to regroup and hopefully see the return of co-captains Chris Wagner and Mike Cepeda their first round playoff matchup against the Billies.

In the 8pm game Hoops Unlimited played Kevin Kirby and Team Rocket.  This one was back and forth all night as both teams looked to finish of the regular season on a high note.  Hoops Unlimited was hot from outside as Matt Pagano (6 points), Dan Moreno (8 points) and Kenny Wilson (13 points) all knocked down multiple three-pointers.  Lenny Frears (20 points) had another great game for Team Rocket, but it all came down to the final possession as Bryan Dorothy (12 points) had the ball in his hands with only seconds remaining and the chance to win it all.  He drew the double team and dished the ball to Kevin Kirby (9 points) who laid it in for the game winning basket.  Final Score: Team Rocket 53, Hoops Unlimited 52.

In the final game of the night the Wolfpack came hungry looking to finish the season on a high note, but they had a tall task in front of them as they faced league leading scorer John Bowen and Healthy Buffalo.  The Wolfpack’s David Laudero had a breakout performance in the game, complementing a strong defense effort with a season high 22 points.  But it wouldn’t be enough to hold off Healthy Buffalo, who came up just one win short of qualifying for the winner’s bracket in the playoffs.  The teams will face-off in a rematch next week in the Consolation Bracket, with the winner advancing to the Consolation Bowl on Championship Weekend.

And that’s a wrap on the regular season.  This Saturday it is on, as Kronies Jamfest officially enters the home stretch.  It’s win or go home.  This Saturday we find out which teams will have a chance to play for the Kronies Jamfest title.  Which team will have the strength, skill, and determination to hoist the 36″ Kronies Jamfest championship trophy at mid-court?   Who will step up when their team needs them most?  The action starts this Saturday at 12:30.

All-Star Voting

All-Star voting will close this Thursday.  Cast your ballet for all your favorite Kronies Jamfest stars before it is too late.

Scoring Champions

Congratulations to John Papincak and John Bowen, the Kronies Jamfest 3 scoring champions.

Week 9 Eastern Conference Scoring Leaders:  Mike Ridge 30, Edvin Ramalic 27, Jon Burgio 27, John Papincak 27, Glen Lomax 27.

Week 9 Western Conference Scoring Leaders:  John Bowen 47, Ronald Malicki 31, Will Castro 25, David Laudero 22, Brian Roddey 20.

Final Regular Season Standings

Western Conference						Eastern Conference
	Club Name	W	L				Club Name	W	L
1	Team First	7	1			1	Swoopin’ In On Ya Girl	6	2
2	Hit It & Quit It	7	1			2	Sponge Bob Square Pants	6	2
3	Very Aggressive Guys	6	2			3	Court Justice	6	2
4	Billies	5	3			4	R.I.P. Ent	5	3
5	Swagged Out	4	4			5	AXA	4	4
6	Healthy Buffalo	3	5			6	Queen City Stampede	4	4
7	Team Rocket	3	5			7	DJ Dovey Ent	2	6
8	Hoops Unlimited	1	7			8	Hoosiers	2	6
9	The Wolfpack	0	8			9	Pick N’ Tootsie Rolls	1	7

Final Western Conference Scoring Leaders

	Name	#	GP	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		TP	PPG
1	John Bowen	1	8	26		41	22	17	20	35	28	47		236	29.5
2	Brian Roddey	0	7		8	18	24		21	35	29	20		155	22.1
3	Mark Ward	9	7	21	16	15	37	15			32	13		149	21.3
4	Will Castro	4	6		25	18	6			26	31	25		131	21.8
5	Sean O’Brien	4	7	24	10	0	23			14	26	16		113	16.1
6	Dan Moreno	8	8	3	20	12	30	10		10	8	8		101	12.6
7	Jake Walkow	4	8	5	17	4	12	17	23	13	9			100	12.5
8	Frank Pieri	7	7	10	15		22	15	8		16	13		99	14.1
9	Kenneth Wilson	9	8	18	6	13	13	16		11	7	13		97	12.1
10	Tommy Gray	6	8	17	2	17	6		12	16	15	7		92	11.5

Final Eastern Conference Scoring Leaders

	Name	#	GP	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		TP	PPG
1	John Papincak	2	8	16	24	29	22	32	22	28		27		200	25.0
2	Shane Canahai	0	8		26	21	10	23	15	36	14	20		165	20.6
3	Jonathan Burgio	0	7	19	26	24		10	23		26	27		155	22.1
4	Mitch Reese	3	8	15	3	22	22	28	22	18	24			154	19.3
5	Mike Ridge	6	6		23		16	23		32	26	30		150	25.0
6	Moe Bailey	0	8	10	22		8	16	16	25	30	23		150	18.8
7	Dave Hall	8	7	12		22	23		23	25	21	20		146	20.9
8	Edvin Ramalic	0	7		23	10		13	28	22	17	27		140	20.0
9	Marc Antecki	2	8	16	18	10	10		18	21	20	17		130	16.3
10	Ramone Alls	7	8	14	6	22		22	17	8	14	12		115	14.4