SUMMERLIN OPEN: Week Two Predictions

By L.C. Comine | Summerlin Media Associate

6:30 p.m. - Livin’ The Dream (0-1) vs. AAO (0-1)

We will kick off week two with a battle of two teams looking to bounce back after losses in week one.  AAO comes in after a loss at the buzzer to the Villains and the defending champs BTE beat down Livin’ The Dream.  There should be plenty of offense in this one and the key to this one will be which team comes together and makes the biggest jump from Week 1 to Week 2.

 AAO should get a big boost this week, as Dreu Johnson will make his season debut.  Adding Johnson to the mix will make this team much more complete and dangerous.  I am anxious to see how he will get the guys moving more on offense and will get everyone involved.  Johnson averages almost 6 assists per game for his career and averages about 24 PPG. 

The key this week will be seeing him with Bobby Mears, Mihail Kocevski, and Amer Haddad.  I think the four of them can do a lot of special things on offense especially in transition.  I think they will have a lot of opportunities to get out and run this week and exploit the defense of Dream.  Keep an eye on those four this week.  The other thing to watch is how they will matchup with Dream.  Who will guard Lazo and Gore?  I do think AAO has the speed and quickness but Lazo and Gore have the height.  AAO will need Chris Mellor and John Murillo to really step up and play big down low this week.

Livin’ The Dream I believe will score enough this week to win but my question will be can they stop AAO?  Last week Dream scored 84 points but gave up 116.  I think this week they are playing a team that has just as much firepower on offense and if they don’t guard them for 44 minutes then AAO will score on them at will.  Dream has Lazo and Duelle Thomas Gore who scored 55 of the team’s points last week. 

They both should have no problem scoring this week and if Desmon Farmer decides to show up then the both of them should get favorable match ups.  I am just concerned about the defensive effort from this team.  As I mentioned in the power rankings this team got out rebounded 48-30 by BTE last week and their tallest guy last week was 6’3”.  If Dream is going to win they will need to show much more effort and grit this week. 

I think this game will be high scoring and high spirited.  I think we have some elite scorers in this game and they will show off what they can do.  I am going to go with AAO and Dreu Johnson in this one.  I do not trust the defensive effort of Livin’ The Dream and I think the firepower on AAO will be too much for Dream.

Prediction: AAO- 111, Livin’ The Dream- 100

7:30 p.m. Villains (1-0) vs. BTE (1-0)

 Our final game of the evening will be a summer title game rematch as BTE and the Villains battle again.  BTE defeated the Villains in the title game 67-63 in a defensive game that you really don’t see much in Las Vegas anymore.  Both teams looked good a week ago and I think this game will tell us a lot about how this season will go. 

The Villains are a very interesting team this season.  They have gone two seasons without winning a title and there is some chatter out there that this is their final season in Summerlin.  Last week they won a battle with AAO with only five guys and without the services of Kodiak Yazzie, Rob Sandoval, and Dave Murtha.  This week they will need at least two of those guys if they want to have a shot of knocking off BTE. 

The player I want to see in attendance for the Villains is Kodiak.  He hasn’t played with Chase Skinkis since the Winter 2016 Season when they were on the Mob together.  Keep in mind Yazzie has played several season in Green Valley with L.C. Comine, Rob Sandoval, and Juan Cater.  Also has played some with Tij Von Nieda.  So the chemistry should be there and the fit is a good one.  If this is the week Kodiak makes his return to Summerlin then we may see one of the best defensive Villains teams in the past few seasons.  I am expecting the Villains have a few of these guys tomorrow night and they will be ready to go.

 BTE is the same team as a season ago with the exception of Edward Vaughns being brought back into the fold.  Last week BTE looked like a well oiled machine and once again it was Jordan Cannon leading the way.  This week against the Villains I am guessing BTE will roll out their zone, which did its job in the title game holding the Villains to 63 points. 

I am also expecting Andre McFarland to make his season debut this week and if he does I am really looking forward to him squaring off with Kodiak Yazzie.  McFarland was a difference maker for BTE in the title game and will be interesting to see how much of a difference Yazzie would make guarding him.  BTE will not do anything different in this one.  They like to shoot the three, as they shot 41 of them last week.  The Villains must be ready for Jordan Cannon and Edward Vaughns who had 37 points last week.  As always the key for BTE will be their zone defense.  If they execute it like the can they will probably hold off the Villains once again.

Granted this is week two but it is always big when the top two teams meet.  I think this game will be close and I don’t think it will be a defensive game as it was in the title game.  I am going to give more of an advantage to BTE in this one just because with the Villains you just never know who will show up and how many they will have.  I am hoping the Villains have the entire roster tomorrow night but I am guessing they will have a few missing.  Regardless this game should be a ton of fun and look for BTE to win a back and fourth affair.

Prediction: BTE- 92, Villains- 85