Season Four is Underway

Swoopin’ In On Ya Girl cruises past newcomer Ball So Hard with revamped lineup, while Scott Grandits has an impressive debut performance in White Men Can’t Jump’s win against The U.H.

Buffalo, NY-  Buffalo’s premier basketball league kicked off it’s most highly anticipated season yet this past Sunday at the Knights of Columbus.  You can begin to understand the significance of Kronies Jamfest by the number of players sporting brand new shoes, fresh haircuts, revamped rosters, and the ever expanding geographic footprint of the league’s teams.

In the first game of the afternoon Kronies Jamfest welcomed back fan favorites Norfolk N’ Chance after missing out on Kronies Jamfest 3.  They had a tall task in front of them as they faced off against Jon Burgio and Sponge Bob Square Pants.  Jon Plail (20 points) and Dean Antalik (17 points) led Norfolk N’ Chance in scoring, but big man Greg Arnold (8 points) also had a strong game.  Unfortunately it wasn’t enough to slow down Jon Burgio (27 points) and Matt Tucholski (11 points) who did his damage on the offensive and defensive end of the court.  Newcomer Drew Bielowski had a nice debut as well with 12 points.  Final Score: Sponge Bob 71, Norfolk N’ Chance 60.

Next up was Ball So Hard taking on a souped up Swoopin’ In On Ya Girl.  Jarred Reed (10 points) and Tito Harris Jr. (11 points) led a balanced attack by Ball So Hard, but it was Swoopin’ In On Ya Girl newcomers Mustapha Baidy (21 points) and Jeorge Ebanks (15 points) who stole the show trading off dunks and jump shots from inside and beyond the arc.  Joe Montroy also had an impressive performance chasing down loose balls, establishing his presence in the paint, and pulling down rebounds.  Kronies Jamfest 3 scoring champion and Swoopin’ captain John Papincak was held to just two points, but that would be more than enough as they cruised to a 57-44 point victory.

In the 5pm slot reigning Western Conference scoring champion John Bowen returned to Kronies Jamfest 4 with a brand new squad, I R Colludge Edjukated.  They played Marc Antecki and the KJ3 Consolation Bowl Champion Hoosiers.  This game was a dog fight out there, a scrappy, defensive minded game.  Marc Antecki (14 points) and Dave Hall (13 points) did most of the scoring for the Hoosiers, but it was Jon Blumhagen who was tasked with slowing down the frenetic John Bowen (12 points), who pushed the tempo of the game throughout.  This one was anyone’s game right up until the end, but it was the Hoosiers who eked out the win, 50-43.

In the 6pm slot was a revamped and re-branded Team Chippewa returning to Kronies Jamfest 4 in a sleek new package known simply as Lux.  They took on perennial Kronies Jamfest powerhouse Court Justice, who also did some roster work in the off-season.  Moe Bailey looked especially sharp, scoring a team high 23 points for Court Justice.  Newcomer Charlie Comerford (21 points) and Danny Gilbert (28 points) took care of things on the offensive end for Lux, but it was Aaron Turner who came up with the big play on the defensive end, stuffing Court Justice big man Perry Davis on the attempted dunk attempt as time was winding down to seal the deal after a hotly contested game.  Final Score: Lux 65, Court Justice 61.

In the first Western Conference game of the night newcomers White Men Can’t Jump squared off against Kronies Jamfest veteran Mike Capuana who brought his own team into KJ4, The U.H.  Mike Capuana (11 points) played an excellent all round game in his debut as team captain, knocking down a pair of three-pointers, pulling down a number of rebounds, and playing strong on the defensive end.  The story of this game though was newcomer Scott Grandits (24 points) who was nearly unstoppable for White Men Can’t Jump, dominating the inside and leading his team to a 65-52 point victory.

Next up were the Kronies Jamfest 2 Western Conference champion Flint Tropics who were up against James Kim and the Monstars.  The Flint Tropics picked up right were they left off after Kronies Jamfest 2, with a balanced offensive attack led by their captain Nick Pfohman (17 points) and Don Sheldon (17 points).  The Monstars got a nice performance out of Timothy Rhodes, who led all scorers with 18 points, but it wouldn’t be enough to slow down the Flint Tropics who pulled out the big 79-33 point victory.

In the 9pm slot was the return of legendary big man Darren Kresge and Practical Modern Basketball, who faced a formidable Healthy Buffalo squad, led by All-Star Lenny Frears.  Practical Modern Basketball just threw way too much at Healthy Buffalo in the opening week as Darren Kresge (24 points) scored more than the entire Healthy Buffalo team combined.  Healthy Buffalo will look to regroup next week as they continue to gel and will hopefully see the return of defensive specialist Kevin Kirby.  Final Score: PMB 75, Healthy Buffalo 20.

The final game of the night was the highly anticipated match-up between the defending champion VeryAggressiveGuys and IMPROV (the team formerly known as the Pick N’ Tootsie Rolls).  IMPROV made the interesting decision of dropping leading scorer Zach Rougeux from the roster and picking up KJ3 journeyman Darrik Bloomfield.  After being snubbed from the All-Star ballot in Kronies Jamfest 3, Mike Bennett (20 points) seemed determined to prove a point in season four, leading all scorers with 20 points, making seven of eight free throws in the waning minutes of the second half, a critical three pointer, and the game winning basket as time expired in overtime.  The title defense is officially underway for the VeryAgressiveGuys.  Final Score: VAG 55, IMPROV 53.

Week 2 Game of the Week

The Kronies Jamfest 2 Champion Flint Tropics square off against the Kronies Jamfest 3 Champion VeryAggressiveGuys.  Can Nick Pfohman carry the Tropics against the new champs?  Find out this weekend at 6pm.