Bulls and Wolves Rise After Picking Up their First W’s
FRIDLEY REC+: Week 3 Power Rankings
By Jake Gave | Fridley League Coordinator
1. The Originals (2-0)
Last week: No. 1, beat Team FOE 141-73
Player of the Week: Josh Hoyle (40 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists, 15-22 FG, 10-13 3pt, 42.7 PPR)
The Originals moved to 2-0 on the season after an absolute routing of Team FOE. They were firing on all cylinders from the opening tip and didn’t miss a field goal until they already had over 20 points. The Originals were lights out from the field, going 69 percent overall and 67 percent from beyond the arc.
After two games, they lead the league in both points scored and points allowed. This team looks to be in midseason form already and continue to prove that they are the team to beat in Fridley.
2. FOB Five (2-0)
Last week: No. 2, beat Jumpshot Hustlers 97-94
Player of the Week: Adam Hoven (22 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, 6-10 FG, 4-7 3pt, 31.4 PPR)
FOB Five improved to 2-0 after taking down the Jumpshot Hustlers in a game that they might say was too close for comfort. FOB held a 15-point lead at the half but came out ice cold to start the second. This allowed the Hustlers to fight back and nearly pull off the upset. However, a win is a win for FOB and I’m sure they aren’t complaining.
They have a few new guys on the roster this season and it may take a few weeks to gel. They were able to be very efficient offensively in this game, shooting 60 percent from deep and 62 percent overall. FOB has elite talent top to bottom, so I expect these guys to pick up steam and keep rolling.
3. Bigsmash (2-0)
Last week: No. 3, beat Triple Double 94-92
Player of the Week: Joe Suek (27 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 10-18 FG, 2-6 3pt, 28.9 PPR)
Bigsmash remains undefeated after a two-point victory over Triple Double which came down to an exciting finish. The ending of that game was streamed live and can be seen on the group Facebook page. Bigsmash came up with a big steal when the game was tied with 30 seconds left and they got a fastbreak layup to go up by two.
They then played solid defense on the other end and came up with a stop to secure the W. This wasn’t the most convincing win from Bigsmash, but they will take on FOB Five this week so we will truly see what they are made of.
4. Bulls (1-1)
Last week: No. 6, beat Bakke’s Bombers 90-78
Player of the Week: Billy Elwell (25 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 9-17 FG, 4-6 3pt, 32.0 PPR)
The Bulls made easy work out of Bakke’s Bombers last week to get their first win on the season. The Bulls came out firing on all cylinders and held an early 30-10 lead and held a 15-point lead into the half. The deficit was too large for the Bombers to overcome and the Bulls were able to close it out.
The Bulls were making it rain from outside and finished with 10 three’s on 20 attempts. Combine an efficient offensive output with the way these guys play defense and they are a tough squad to take down.
5. Wolves (1-1)
Last week: No. 7, beat Uncle D.A. and the Killers 81-70
Player of the Week: Chris Palmer (19 points, 14 rebounds, 2 assists, 6-13 FG, 22.4 PPR)
The Wolves were able to get their first win on the season after grinding out a tough victory over Uncle D.A. and the Killers. We are so used to the Wolves lighting up the boxscore but that wasn’t the case in this one. They only finished at a shooting clip of 43 percent from the field and 28 percent from deep.
However, they stepped up on the defensive end and forced the Killers into even worse percentages. New addition Chris Palmer had a big game and his presence on the defensive side of the ball adds a new element to this squad that could make them very dangerous going forward.
6. Bakke’s Bombers (1-1)
Last week: No. 4, lost to Bulls 78-90
Player of the Week: Dashawn Nichols (21 points, 6 rebounds, 8-13 FG, 20.3 PPR)
Bakke’s Bombers suffered their first loss last week against a solid Bulls squad. Looking at the 12-point loss, it may look like it was a close game but the Bulls put this one away early. The Bombers got down by 20 points in the first half and had to fight and claw the whole game just to keep it close.
Doing so exhausts a ton of effort and they ran out of steam towards the end. One positive for the Bombers was shooting 75 percent from the line last week after a dreadful 14-29 performance in Week 1. They will be back to full strength this week and will look to rebound with a win.
7. Uncle D.A. and the Killers (1-1)
Last week: No. 5, lost to Wolves 70-81
Player of the Week: Daryll Atkinson (11 points, 9 rebounds, 5-10 FG, 14.2 PPR)
Uncle D.A. and the Killers couldn’t get much going offensively last week against the Wolves and ended up taking the L. They shot just 42 percent from the field and only hit on 3 of 14 attempts from beyond the arc. The Killers were able to hold a very potent Wolves offense to only 43 percent from the field which is encouraging.
After two games, the Killers rank second in both points allowed and rebounding. This team is full of height and athleticism which could give a lot of the teams in this league problems. As long as they can get back on track offensively, they will be just fine.
8. Jumpshot Hustlers (0-2)
Last week: No. 8, lost to FOB Five 94-97
Player of the Week: Jake Ruhland (28 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 11-14 FG, 2-2 3pt, 30.6 PPR)
The Jumpshot Hustlers made things interesting last week when they almost pulled off a come from behind victory over FOB Five. After going down by 15 at the half, the Hustlers went on a big run to start the second half but came up just three points shy of the upset. They were extremely efficient on offense, shooting 61 percent overall and 67 percent from deep but they allowed FOB to shoot 62 percent as well.
Jake Ruhland has been off to a very hot start and his addition has made this squad a bigger threat to take down some of these top teams. They are 0-2 for now, but I don’t expect it to take much longer for them to start getting some W’s.
9. Triple Double (0-2)
Last week: No. 9, lost to Bigsmash 92-94
Player of the Week: Justin Fenster (34 points, 7 rebounds, 11-21 FG, 10-20 3pt, 22.1 PPR)
Triple Double fell to Bigsmash last week in a game that many members of Triple Double will tell you they should have won. The end of the game was live streamed, so you can go decide for yourself. With about 30 seconds left, the game was tied with Triple Double inbounding. They wanted to hold for the last shot but couldn’t get the ball inbounded and a costly turnover resulted in an easy layup for Bigsmash.
Down two points, Triple Double was unable to find a clean shot to tie or win the game and ended up taking a heartbreaking L. They showed a lot of fight in this game and it’s only a matter of time before they get their first W.
10. Team FOE (0-2)
Last week: No. 10, lost to The Originals 73-141
Player of the Week: Andre Thomas (26 points, 10-16 FG, 6-10 3pt, 17.9 PPR)
Team FOE lost a very tough battle to The Originals, who simply refused to miss to start the game. This one was over very early and sometimes there isn’t much that can be done to slow down The Originals when they are in a groove. Team FOE was able to shoot 45 percent overall and 44 percent from deep, but they really struggled defensively.
We know these guys can score, but they will have to step it up on the other end if they want to get some W’s this season. Team FOE will have to forget about this one and come out with a lot more energy this week.