Who Will Raise the Banner in Fridley?

FRIDLEY REC+:  Finals Prediction

By Jake Gave | Fridley League Coordinator

7 p.m. - No. 1 FOB Five (10-0) vs. No. 2 Bigsmash (8-2)

FOB Five

Scoring Leaders:  Sean Smith (24.6), Brian Sames (23.6), Adam Hoven (20.9)

Rebounding Leaders:  Adam Hoven (14.5), Bryant Marmol (5.0), Brian Sames (4.5)

Assist Leaders:  Adam Hoven (6.5), Sean Smith (4.4), Bryant Marmol (4.1)

FOB punched their ticket to the big dance by making easy work of the Wolves on Tuesday.  They had control of the game the entire way and finished with an 83-64 victory.  FOB jumped on the Wolves early, holding an 18-point lead at the break and coasting to a comfortable win.  The key in this game was their elite 3-point shooting (13-32, 41 percent) while also holding the Wolves to only five made 3s on 24 percent from deep.  Sean Smith had a huge game, leading all scorers with 25 points on 67 percent shooting.  Adam Hoven dropped 18 points and 9 rebounds and Brian Sames added 15 points of his own to round out the scoring.  FOB is still undefeated on the season and will look to cap off a perfect season with a championship banner tonight.

Bigsmash

Scoring Leaders:  Zhao Lee (24.2), Joe Suek (23.4), Lethzee Calderon (14.7)

Rebounding Leaders:  Joe Suek (12.1), Billy Suek (7.0), Brock Zins (6.5)

Assist Leaders:  Joe Suek (5.5), Brock (4.4), Glen Fair (3.7)

Bigsmash found their way into the title game with a thrilling victory over the Bulls in the Final Four.  This game was back and forth the entire way, and the Bulls nearly completed a late-game comeback but fell just short in the end.  I give a lot of credit to Bigsmash, who came into the game with a clear game plan and executed to perfection.  They double teamed Mahlon every time in the post and held him to only 10 points.  Then the Bulls resorted to all isolation, which played right into Bigsmash’s hands.  On the offensive side, Bigsmash moved the ball beautifully all night, which led to a very efficient 54 percent shooting night.  Zhao Lee led the way with 21 points on 50 percent shooting.  Billy Suek had a big 15 point, 10 rebound double-double as well and the rest of the starters finished with 11 a piece.  They need another game where everyone contributes if they hope to knock off FOB Five tonight. 

 PREDICTION:

 The last time these two teams met was back in Week 3, and it wasn’t a pretty game.  FOB Five looked like the far superior team as they took home the 95-67 victory.  FOB shot lights out and made 19 3-pointers on 48 percent from beyond the arc.  The backcourt duo of Bryant Marmol and Brian Sames combined for a crazy 63 points that night, which Bigsmash cannot allow to happen again.  In all fairness, Joe Suek was not in attendance for that game and he plays a massive role for this squad.  Joe is second in the league in PPR (31.1), trailing only his opponent in this game, Adam Hoven (31.4).  The matchup between these two is going to be one for the ages.  Bigsmash really impressed me with their victory in the Final Four, but I still don’t think they can match the all around talent on FOB Five.  I’m going to stick with the No. 1 seed and I predict FOB will cap off the perfect season tonight.

FOB Five -6.5