Buzzer Beater Tuesday
SUMMERLIN REC: Week 7 Power Rankings
By L.C. Comine | Summerlin Media Associate
1. Ball is Life (6-0)
Not much more you can say about these guys. Last week they destroyed Hickory 155-103 in a 4-on-5 game. Just to point out Ball is Life is the team that only had four. It was an impressive performance once again by the clear MVP of the league Mihail, who scored 66 points on 27-33 shooting which also included 10-14 from deep.
Chris Ford also scored 34 points, Bobby Mears had 26, and Streeter Hull had 29 points. They clearly out-worked, out-hustled, and wanted this game so much more than Hickory. Ball is Life came within two points of tying their own record of 157 points. It was a very impressive performance by the No. 1 team in the league and a team that has some impressive chemistry right now. 7-0 is on the horizon this week as they get HYR Life before a Week 8 showdown with Recspekt.
2. Chris’s Angels (5-1)
The Angels won their fifth straight game this past week and they did with a little bit of drama at the end. Down two points with about nine seconds left to WTF JR? the Angels went the length of the court and Chris Ward banked a 3 from the wing with about five seconds left to give the Angels a 73-72 victory over WTF JR?
Ward scored 30 points to lead the way which included 7-8 from deep. Adam Schmitt had a monster double double scoring 16 points and grabbing 19 boards. The Angels continue to play good defense as they held WTF JR? to 40 percent from the field and they out rebounded them 40-28. The Angels have righted the ship after their Week 1 loss to Ball is Life. 7-1 looks likes it is in the bag and worst case they will be the No. 3 seed and best case they will end up being the No. 2 seed.
3. Recspekt (5-1)
The champs moved to 5-1 last week with an easy win over BAR 90-71. Recspekt only had five players this past week but against BAR it did not matter. Four of the five scored in double figures led by Haley Vinson who scored 24 points knocking down 6-11 threes. Charles DeJohnette scored 22 points, Stefan Hanania scored 21, and Charles Vinson put work in with 19 points and 16 boards.
Recspekt has bounced back nicely since their loss two weeks ago to the Chris’s Angels and now have a tough two week stretch to finish the season. This week they get WTF JR? followed by a huge matchup with Ball is Life to close out the regular season. It will be interesting to see what Recspekt team shows up the next two weeks but regardless, I am sure the champs are not too concerned who they play because come playoff time they know they are still the team to beat.
4. WTF JR? (4-2)
A tough loss this past Tuesday for the fighting Brad Coughlin’s as they lost in the final seconds to the Chris’s Angels 73-72. It looked like WTF JR? was going to pull the upset but they just couldn’t hang on but even though they lost all is still in front of this team. Sean Breen scored 27 points and Max Miller-Hooks had 19 against the Angels but no one else scored in double figures.
WTF JR? is getting big time production out of Breen and Max but they need some of the role players to step up in the last two weeks to take some of the load off them. The last two weeks are critical for WTF JR? they face Recspekt and Easy Go in the final two weeks and they can make some noise or they can drastically fall in the rankings if they don’t get Breen and Max some help. Recspekt awaits WTF JR? this week which is a rematch of one of last seasons final four games.
5. Beacon (3-3)
Talk about a team that is improving each week right now. Beacon is getting better and better each week and you are also seeing a team that is enjoying playing together. This past week they defeated HYR Life 75-72 thanks to Devin Dunn’s 3-pointer with two seconds left. Dunn and Tim Parelli have really started to jell. They scored 37 points combined this past week and they have really taken this team to another level over the last few weeks.
Beacon is really starting to improve shooting as well. Last week they shot 45 percent as a team and for the season they are now up to 43 percent on the season. Beacon is moving in the right direction and this week they play their biggest game of the season against the Easy Go Travelers. It will have huge playoff implications and with a win Beacon will be looking at 5-3 record once the dust settles in a few weeks.
6. Easy Go Travelers (3-3)
Easy Go snapped its two-game losing streak this past week with an 84-67 win over the pesky SP 101 squad. Tij Von Nieda scored 26 points to lead Easy Go and Kenny McNeil scored 24 points, which included an impressive 8-14 from deep. Easy Go shot 17-31 from deep for 55 percent and for the season now they are shooting 43 percent from behind the arc. Easy Go continues to show signs of being a team that can contend but they have too many lapses that make you shake your head and wonder what is going on with this team.
This is a make or break two week stretch for Easy Go. They must find some momentum and take care of business. They have Beacon in a critical game this week and the take on the dangerous WTF JR? in week eight. Easy Go could easily be 5-3 or 3-5 come playoff time. We will see what Easy Go team shows up this week and if they are ready to play.
7. SP 101 (2-4)
SP 101 gave quite an effort for 44 minutes this past week against Easy Go and they actually led for most of the first half but they could not sustain it and Easy Go eventually pulled away and defeated them 84-67. SP 101 had three players in double figures led by Mikey Margolin who had 18 points, Manzik Kaden had 17 points, and Daniel Cho had 14.
SP 101 is a team that plays extremely hard and goes 100 percent at all times. If their opponent does not take them seriously or guard them then they will make you pay. SP 101 has great energy and great chemistry. They have the chance to finish 4-4 still on the season but they must take care of business this week first against the Hickory Huskers.
8. BAR (1-5)
After they won their first game of the season BAR was optimistic they have turned the corner. However Recspekt had other things in mind for BAR. It wasn’t as bad as I predicted by Recspekt took care of BAR 90-71. BAR was without free agent pickup Jason Matalon who shined the prior week. Jj Buchanan and Jason Habel both scored 19 points and Chasen Cohan scored 20 points which included six from downtown to lead BAR.
This was as good as BAR has played all season and if Matalon was there you never know if they could have given the champs a better game. They have a tough test this week against the Chris’s Angels and they finish the season against HYR Life. A 2-6 season is most likely for BAR.
9. HYR Life (0-6)
Granted this team is 0-6 but over the last few weeks this team is playing much better. This past week they lost at the buzzer to Beacon 75-72. In fact in the last three games they have lost by a total of ten points combined. So there is no question this team is getting better and coming together. Nathaniel Burgess is carrying this team scoring 24 PPG and grabbing 10 boards.
I don’t foresee them winning a game this season but the fact they are playing together and being competitive is huge. If they can show something this week against Ball is Life and then possibly beat BAR in week eight then they should be very happy with the strides they made as a team.
10. Hickory Huskers (1-5)
Hickory falls to the bottom in the power rankings this week based off their performance this past week against Ball is Life. They lost in a 5-on-4 game 155-103 and Hickory was the team with five guys. Just a disappointing performance by a team that has some good players on it.
Hickory hasn’t won since Week 1 and some would say they shouldn’t have even won that game since three of their players didn’t even play for them. Regardless Hickory has SP 101 and the Chris’s Angels to close out the season. They should beat SP 101 but with the effort and desire they give it will be hard for them to win another game this season.