SUMMERLIN REC:  Championship Game Prediction

By L.C. Comine | Summerlin Media Associate

6:30 p.m. - No. 1 Ball Is Life (10-0) vs. No. 2 Chris Angels (9-1)

Our rec title game is a matchup of the No. 1 seed Ball is Life and the No. 2 seed Chris’s Angels.  It’s a rematch of a Week 1 game that saw Ball is Life defeat the Angels 97-66 in a game the Angels did not have big man Adam Schmitt.  It is also a rematch of sorts from the Summer 2017 rec title game that saw the Angels win the title against Team Red Rock which was one of several team names Ball is Life has used over the last year.  This game should be a contrast of styles and I am anticipating two teams that will be ready to go tomorrow night.

Ball is Life has been unstoppable all season long.  The closest game the have had is a 10-point win over WTF JR? in Week 3.  Ball is Life averages 109.4 PPG and they are led by MVP Mihail Kocevski who has had a monster season.  Throw in the season Bobby Mears had as well averaging 24 points, 13 rebounds, and 5.4 assists and they probably have the MVP if Mihail didn’t play.  Oh yeah they have last season’s MVP in Chris Ford as well.  This team is just loaded from top to bottom and from what I have been told this will be the first game all season that all seven guys will be in attendance.  So that means Allan McFarland will be in the lineup in this one and you have to believe he will be the difference maker for Ball Is Life in this one.  McFarland doesn’t have the gaudy stats like Mihail, Chris, or Bobby but his presence does so much for those guys and I think it goes un noticed by a lot of teams.  His 6’4’ frame will be exactly what Ball is Life needs to match up against the Angels Adam Schmitt.  I am sure McFarland is going to be the one who is guarding Adam and if he can contain him and slow him down Ball Is Life is going to have their way once again.  Ball Is Life will have to be patient thought.  The Angels will attempt to slow the game down and play their game.  The Angels are first in points allowed at 61.6 PPG and you better believe they will do whatever they can to slow Mihail and company down.  

Chris’s Angels have been the forgotten team most of the season as most of the talk has been about Ball is Life and Recspekt and deservedly so.  What a lot of people haven’t realized is Chris’s Angels have won nine straight games since that week one loss and they have defeated the three-time defending champs Recspekt not once, but twice.  Now they turn their attention to the undefeated Ball is Life.  Remember in Week 1 they got ran over by Ball is Life and they want redemption.  The Angels play a style of basketball that can frustrate Ball is Life and if they execute they can knock off the No. 1 seed.  The key will be Adam Schmitt.  Like Ball is Life’s Mihail and Bobby, Adam had a monster year.  He led the Angels in every major statistical category and if they want to win the title it will need to start with him.  Adam will need to be aggressive, play smart, and most importantly he will need to anchor a defense that will be tested more than it has all season long.  If he can get established that will help guys like Henry Nguyen who bursted on to the scene this season averaging 18.5 PPG in his first season.  Also Chris Ward will need to be hitting from the outside.  Chris is hitting 50 percent of his 3s on the season and he averages 3.4 made 3s per game.  The Angels will play intense defense we already established that but one thing that has been improved this season is their scoring offense.  They have really turned it on this season averaging 81 PPG which is third in the league.  If they can get that kind of production tomorrow night and they shut down Mihail and Bobby well the Angels will win their second title.  The key for the Angels will be their defensive-oriented guys like Streeter Hull, Jeff Jones, and Allen McFarland to beat them.

So who wins?  Well if you have ready my articles over the last few seasons I have actually been big fans of the Angels.  I always said they were a team to look out for and a team you cannot sleep on because of how they play.  I think they have the right mix of guys and play the right style of basketball to beat Ball is Life.  However I just don’t think it will happen this week.  Ball is Life has been a team on a mission all season and no team has been able to stop Mihail all season long.  I think the Angels will put up quite a fight but I see Ball is Life pulling away in the second half.  I think the play of Chris Ford will be huge as he went for 24 points and 19 rebounds in the first meeting.  Look for Ford to take some of the pressure off Mihail and show off his MVP form.  Ball Is Life completes a perfect season and wins the rec title for the first time since the Fall 2017 season.

Prediction: Ball is Life - 71, Chris’s Angels - 62

Streeter’s line: Ball is Life -20

MVP: Chris Ford - Ball Is Life