Will We Have a First-Time Champ?

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ: Championship Preview – Andiamo vs. Splash

By Jeff Kreismer | Bergen County Media Associate

Well, we have our much-anticipated finals matchup. The semis, however, didn’t exactly go as expected in terms of how we got here. Andiamo pulled away to win by 17 in what looked to be a good game at the half. Splash, meanwhile, laid an egg and trailed by 20 at the break. They crawled their way back in a low-scoring contest to win by nine. Really, the way each team performed in the final 22 minutes should be evidence enough that these are the league’s two best squads. We may be in for one of UH Montvale’s best title games to date.

Splash is either a tricky team to figure out, or they simply know when to turn it on after toying with their opponent. The guess here is that it’s the latter. They destroyed Koko and the Ballerz in last summer’s final. This was after they had played competitive games in the regular season. This time around, Koko’s team has considerably more offensive talent, and it would be rather stunning to see them get routed. So what can we expect?

A short-handed Andiamo, led by Kokosinski and Goodall, beat a short-handed Splash by 11 in their only meeting. That is the only time these teams met. But really, what purpose does that information serve? If you watched Nick Guillemain dominate and carry his team to victory Monday night, it’s very, very tough to pick against Splash. We know this team’s history, and they have always come through when they really needed a win.

Does Andiamo have that same ability to ease up and turn on the gas at will? Talent alone suggests they will make this a good game. Leave Matt Vasel alone and he will scare any opponent – just ask the Ballerz. But this pick is based solely off of instinct. Splash just seems like nothing will phase them – not a size disadvantage, not an off night offensively and certainly not an early deficit. They should be motivated enough to get by in this one.

Prediction: Splash 60, Andiamo 55