It All Comes Down To This

GREEN VALLEY REC: Championship Prediction

By Michael Palmer | Green Valley Media Associate

No. 2 TD Rayguns (8-2) vs. No. 4 Dyme Pieces (8-2)

Here we go. The moment you've been waiting for. The title game as the second-ranked TD Rayguns will battle for glory against the defending-champion Dyme Pieces. Before we get to the preview and predictions, let's see how these teams got here.

The Dyme Pieces finished the regular season at 6-2 and beat the SUNZ in the quarterfinals, followed by the top-ranked Houdini in the semifinals. Meanwhile, the TD Rayguns also finished the regular season at 6-2 and edged out a two-point win against the Lifetime Lakers in the quarterfinals, followed by a three-point win against The Industry in the semifinals. Let's just say that this is going to be a highly competitive contest with some key matchups to look out for.

For starters, Joshua Watson of the TD Rayguns and Josh Ross of the Dyme Pieces will most likely be the 'it' factors for both teams and they will also be guarding each other throughout the game. Ross, who was named the Rec Fall MVP, is averaging 25.1 PPG and will look to be aggressive from the get-go. He's also a solid defender as he leads the team with 2.8 steals per game. The TD Rayguns better not foul him as he's a perfect 29-29 from the charity stripe. The one thing that is pretty special about Watson is that he doesn't panic. He knows what it takes to get the job done and takes smart shots all the time. He went 10-12 from the charity stripe in the semifinals, and that's impressive as his free throw percentage has improved significantly since last season. 

Another matchup to look out for is the Dyme Pieces' Marvin Campbell and the TD Rayguns' Dominic Pedotto. Campbell scored a game-high 33 points against Houdini in the semifinals and is one tough guy to defend. If anyone can stop him, I truly believe Pedotto will be up for the challenge in slowing him down. What Campbell needs to look out for when guarding Pedotto is defending in the paint as Pedotto comes from no where all the time and grabs those big-time boards.

Other players to watch for the TD Rayguns is Oliver Erickson from downtown, Brian Staton down low and Paul Sexton from the perimeter. The question that remains for the TD Rayguns is will Joe Paulk suit up? He missed the semifinal game and has missed other games in the Vet B league this season. I have a feeling he'll suit up and be a difference-maker from downtown.

The Dyme Pieces have quality shooters in Tom Gibson and Dylan Hansel, as well as strong weapons down low in Zach Dean and Jim Reilly. Hansel can not only shoot the ball extremely well, but his defense is on point and something to watch for. Reilly is a tough guy to defend as he's one of, if not, the tallest players in the league and if he suits up in this one, Stanton may have the responsibility of trying to contain him. 

Now comes the prediction. Will the Dyme Pieces make it back-to-back titles, or will the TD Rayguns win their third overall championship? The last time they won the title in the Spring 2018 season, they were the underdogs but still got the job done. I know this is a championship-caliber team, but the Dyme Pieces have size, speed and strength that may be too much for the TD Rayguns. 

Prediction: Dyme Pieces -4.5