No Movement in the Rankings as Playoff Picture Becomes More Clear
FRIDLEY REC+: Week 8 Power Rankings
By Jake Gave | Fridley League Coordinator
1. FOB Five (7-0)
Last week: No. 1, beat The Originals 90-86
Player of the Week: Adam Hoven (19 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 8-14 FG, 24.7 PPR)
FOB Five maintains control of the No. 1 seed for now after taking down The Originals last week in a close one. This game could have gone either way and it made me even more excited for the playoffs. Brian Sames was big for FOB in the win, leading the squad in scoring with 20 points on 57 percent shooting. Adam Hoven also played a big part by posting a 19 point, 13 rebound double double. These guys are not in the clear yet however, as they have to beat the Bulls tonight in order to secure the No. 1 seed. You won’t want to miss that game!
2. Bulls (6-1)
Last week: No. 2, beat Jumpshot Hustlers 87-71
Player of the Week: Da’Jon McKnight (33 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals, 14-20 FG, 5-8 3FG, 33.2 PPR)
The Bulls kept their No. 2 spot by defeating the Jumpshot Hustlers last week by a comfortable margin. They put the game to rest early, jumping out to a 25-point lead at the half. Most of the scoring load was put on the shoulders of Da’Jon McKnight, who finished with 33 points and 9 rebounds on a highly efficient 70 percent shooting night. Derek Hamner also had a big night for the Bulls, scoring 28 points on 12-23 from the field. The Bulls have now won six straight but they will face their biggest challenge of the season tonight. They take on an undefeated FOB Five squad to see who will get the No. 1 seed heading into the playoffs.
3. The Originals (5-2)
Last week: No. 3, lost to FOB Five 86-90
Player of the Week: Chris Maher (20 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, 7-10 FG, 2-4 3FG, 32.2 PPR)
The Originals lost their second game of the season last week to the top rated FOB Five squad. They played a pretty solid game but fell just short in the end. The matchup between these squads is pretty much a toss up and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see it again in the playoffs. Chris Maher was huge all around in that game, scoring 20 points, grabbing 7 boards and dishing 7 assists. Brensley Haywood and Max Wessel each also had 20-plus points in the high-scoring affair. The Originals are tied for the No. 3 seed with Bigsmash but currently hold the head to head tie-breaker. They can secure the No. 3 seed tonight by defeating Bakke’s Bombers.
4. Bigsmash (5-2)
Last week: No. 4, beat Uncle D.A. and the Killers 88-84
Player of the Week: Joe Suek (22 points, 16 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 blocks, 7-16 FG, 29.8 PPR)
Bigsmash continued their solid season by taking down Uncle D.A. and the Killers in a tight one. They led by four at the break, 38-34, and matched the Killers pace in a 50-50 offensive exhibition in the second half. Joe Suek was the driving force for the team, doing a bit of everything with 22 points, 16 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 blocks. Zhao Lee poured in 27 points of his own including 7 made 3s on a very effective 50 percent shooting night from beyond the arc. They are currently tied record-wise with The Originals but will need them to lose if they want to get the No. 3 seed. Their main priority should be to take care of business and beat the Jumpshot Hustlers and see where they land.
5. Wolves (4-3)
Last week: No. 5, beat Triple Double 90-77
Player of the Week: Hans Albrecht (26 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 8-14 FG, 4-7 3pt, 25.5 PPR)
The Wolves won their second game in a row last week, defeating Triple Double and maintained sole possession of the No. 5 seed. Hans Albrecht has been huge all season and last week was no exception, scoring a team-high 26 points on 57 percent shooting. Ryan Boegeman also added 25 points to round out the scoring. The Wolves have a chance at moving up to the No. 4 seed if they can win this week and Bigsmash loses, but they will also have to beat them out tie-breaker wise since they didn’t have a head to head matchup this season. First things first, the Wolves will be to get a W tonight against Team FOE.
6. Bakke’s Bombers (3-4)
Last week: No. 6, beat Team FOE 97-87
Player of the Week: Lomumba Ismail (20 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 9-11 FG, 23.4 PPR)
Bakke’s Bombers were able to guarantee themselves a spot in the top six by defeating Team FOE last week, which means they won’t have to be in the play-in games. They were able to use their size to dominate FOE in the paint all game long. Lomumba Ismail finished with 20 points on a near perfect 9-11 shooting night. Valentino Jackson also made his presence known down low by finishing with 13 points and 9 rebounds on 6-10 shooting. Zach Debeltz added 17 and 6 as well. They take on The Originals tonight and even though this game won’t matter for their playoff seeding, it will be a good test for the Bombers to see where they are at against one of the league’s top teams.
7. Uncle D.A. and the Killers (2-5)
Last week: No. 7, lost to Bigsmash 84-88
Player of the Week: Aaron Delaney (21 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 8-21 FG, 3-7 3pt, 20.0 PPR)
Uncle D.A. and the Killers once again fell just short to beating one of the top teams in the league last week, as they fell by four points to Bigsmash. They have played pretty well against some of the better teams and could be a dark horse team in the playoffs. Aaron Delaney has been killing it as of late and finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists in last week’s loss. Kali Terry and Eric Spanier both added double doubles for the squad while Dwayne Toatley dropped 22 points and 8 rebounds off the bench. This squad will be locked into that No. 7 seed if they can take care of business tonight and beat Triple Double.
8. Triple Double (1-6)
Last week: No. 8, lost to Wolves 77-90
Player of the Week: Martin Szebesta (12 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 5-6 FG, 20.9 PPR)
Triple Double followed up their first win of the season in Week 6 with a loss to the Wolves last week. They put up a pretty solid showing though, only trailing by one point at the break before falling a part a bit near the end. Martin Szebesta had his best performance of the season, finishing with 12 points and 9 rebounds while only missing one shot from the field. Justin Fenster finished with 23 points but it took him 24 shots to get there. Adam Wright was big off the bench, scoring 19 points and pulling down 12 rebounds. This team has a shot to move up to the No. 7 spot tonight if they can pull the upset against Uncle D.A. and the Killers.
9. Jumpshot Hustlers (1-6)
Last week: No. 9, lost to Bulls 71-87
Player of the Week: Chris Peterson (8 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 4-9 FG, 16.0 PPR)
The Jumpshot Hustlers dropped their third straight last week against a tough opponent in the Bulls. They got down big in the first half, trailing by 25 at the break, and were unable to dig themselves out of that hole despite a strong second half. They only shot 39 percent as a team which never bodes well. Andrew Boeder led the team in scoring with 20 points but it took him 24 shots to get there. Sam Flood was the only member of the squad who managed to score more points than shots attempted as he finished with 19 on 8-17 from the field. These guys have been struggling as of late, but anything can happen in the playoffs. They take on Bigsmash tonight and will try to find some momentum heading into next week.
10. Team FOE (1-6)
Last week: No. 10, lost to Bakke’s Bombers 87-97
Player of the Week: Andre Thomas (36 points, 6 rebounds, 15-29 FG, 5-6 3FG, 25.5 PPR)
Bringing up the rear is Team FOE, who lost their fourth straight last week in a close one to Bakke’s Bombers. They were only trailing by one at halftime, and fought back late in the second half to bring the game within three points. However, they couldn’t get over that hump and the Bombers made a late run to secure the win. Andre Thomas continued his hot streak by dropping 36 points on 52 percent shooting. The rest of the squad struggled to get much going on the offensive end. This team hasn’t been playing the greatest as of late but they definitely have some talented weapons and will look to get back into a rhythm tonight as they take on the Wolves.