You Down With OGC?
METROWEST REC: Week 3 Power Rankings
By Taylor Pettiford | Metrowest League Coordinator
In Week 2, Andrew Christopherson hit perhaps the greatest buzzer beater in UH Boston history with a half court, game-winning heave that gave the Old Game Changers the 63-61 win in overtime against the previously top-ranked Wildcats. So, was Week 2 an anomaly or does OGC truly have a shot at championship contention? Let’s breakdown OGC and the rest of the field in the week’s Rec League power rankings.
1. ANKLE BULLIES | 2-0 (2)
Last week we titled our predictions “Are Ankle Bullies Forreal?”. They answered that question with a resounding “YES” en route to a 25-point win over the Uncle Drew All Stars. Though undersized, their backcourt of Roberto Bonilla (27 points, 5 rebounds), CJ Clinkscale (14 points) and Jorge Fernandez (11 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists) is taking the league by storm. The trio combined for 11-16 from beyond the arc and when they shoot like that, they’re virtually unguardable. And between Michael Biddlecom, Keith Rovinelli and Irving Azor, they’ve been rebounding way better than expected. We’ll want to see how they handle OGC or Wildcats, but this team is going to be tough to beat.
2. OLD GAME CHANGERS | 2-0 (3)
Andrew Christopherson brought the fireworks, but OGC’s Week 2 win was a true team effort. Riley Traveller (25 points, 5 rebounds) led the scoring charge again while Tommy Rogers, Brendan Connolly and Alex Fajardo all made key contributions. What’s even more encouraging was that Adam Rosario wasn’t in the lineup in Week 2. Expect big things moving forward from this team.
3. WILDCATS | 1-1 (1)
Despite a heartbreaking, overtime loss, the Wildcats are still very much a championship contender. Stephen Dion leads the league in PPR averaging 23.5 ppg and 13 rpg while Quentin Nowland, Jonathan Waters and James Lambert make up one of the few backcourts that can compete with Ankle Bullies. They’ll need more out of their front court of Mark Albright and Lou Hinckley, but we’re not worried about the Wildcats’ longterm projections.
4. HUSTLE | 1-1 (6)
Adding Felipe Billa (4-8 3-Point Field Goals) had Hustle looking like a new team in Week 2. They moved the ball better, spread the floor and secured their first win. Jeff Raymond (15 points, 12 rebounds) was assertive on the glass. While they’re still waiting for Elzey James and Brendan Andersen to heat up, sitting at .500 is a good place to be with your best scorers only producing single-digits.
5. TAPPED OUT | 0-2 (4)
Week 2 wasn’t much less ugly than Week 1 for Tapped Out. Their chemistry is among the worst in the league and their ball movement is stagnant. John Finnerty (11 points, 10 rebounds) and Steven Gum (13 points, 5 rebounds) are producing well; but until this team gets more output from Scott Lubarsky at the point guard position and has Mark Stanhope commit to passing a bit more, their woes will continue.
6. UNCLE DREW ALL STARS | 0-2 (5)
How a lineup of Ben Lee, Grant Hornung and Tedi George loses by 25 points is baffling and can only boil down to a lack of effort. UDAS has three Monday transplants in Lee, Hornung and Medrano, a former collegiate athlete in George, a top-three athlete in Warren Lane and hyper-skilled Michael Morris. Yet they went out and got the brakes beaten off them by Ankle Bullies. Is all hope lost for UDAS? Certainly not. But they’ve got to start developing chemistry and taking some pride in their play or they’ll be at the bottom of these rankings – and the standings – for the foreseeable future.