Jammers Int. Weekend League, Season 12
Game 2, 12.12.15
UWC Dover Campus

ENTOURAGE BBALL INC vs. KELEKONAS: 68 – 63

Two weeks after facing an undermanned IFS team for the season opener, it was Entourage Bball’s turn to show up short-handed for the second game of the season. The graveyard shift of Jammers League, Saturday at 7.15 pm, plus a few travel absences meant the team only had a 7-man roster.

Luckily the opponents, team Kelekonas, had the same number of players available. That did not stop them from racing off to an 8:0 lead early in the 1st quarter though. The men in black & green could not buy a basket, missing putbacks, midrange jumpers and layups. 2 freethrows by Dave stopped the bleeding and Entourage settled into the game.

Kelekonas, known for overly aggressive man-to-man defense, swarmed around, forcing turnovers and outrunning their opponents. What stopped them from pulling away was a switch to zone defense by Entourage Bball, and the one-man offensive surge of starting Point Guard, Evan. He scored the last 8 points of the 1st quarter and single-handedly closed the gap, Entourage trailed by 1 point at the start of the 2nd quarter.

With the momentum shifting, the referees must have felt left out of the action and called a questionable offensive foul on the now rampaging Evan (13 points in 17 minutes). The subsequent short discussion seemed civil enough, and the fiery team founder passed the game ball to the ref, who declined to catch it and proceeded to issue a disqualifying foul. Reason given; ball thrown at the ref! A true headscratcher of  a decision that led to the Point Guard’s ejection late in the 2nd quarter.

At this point, Entourage was up by 7 and past version’s of the team were quick to adopt a victim mentality, focusing on complaints instead of weathering the storm. Not this time, the Champs dug deep and proceeded to play some of the best team Basketball in their 7 year existence.

Statsheet: click for full size 

Led by the always Zen-like Ronnie at Guard, the team maintained the lead into the 4th quarter and even increased it to 12 at times. Kelekonas kept chipping away at the lead with their very dangerous mid-range shooters, occasionally dropping in 3 pointers yet they never got close enough to be a true danger.

Veterans JJ, an active player for the SBL-ProAm champions, Falcons, and Dave attacked the rim repeatedly, got to the line regularly and made timely shots. Youngsters Daniel and Alex were aggresive on both sides of the court, using their size and athleticism to overpower defenders. Yet the most dominant player was big man Tony.
The Center put on a low-post clinic, patiently backing down defenders and finishing plays at the rim with a soft touch. After early foul trouble, he was able to finish the game while always being a safe station to pass to.

Communication was key as player/coach Dave kept changing up defensive schemes, while putting in time at the Point Guard position. No less than 3 schemes were used, a testament to the team’s intelligence and preparation.

Team Entourage overcame the ejection of their most dominant guard to play a well rounded game and win by 5 points. Alex sealed the game with a Freethrow with 9 seconds to play, putting the finishing touches on a very satisfying victory.

Due to the upcoming Xmas break, Jammers International Weekend League (season 12) resumes January 2016.

Performance rating

Scorers:
Dave (16), Evan (13), JJ (13), Tony (10), Alex (8), Ronnie (4), Daniel (4)

Backcourt 
Reduced to 2 players after Evan’s ejection. Calm on offense, scrappy on defense. Eye-opening game with lots of good decision making and timely shot-making. First line of the zone defense: outplayed in the 3rd quarter, regrouped in the 4th.
Standout players: Dave, Ronnie

Frontcourt 
Backbone of the team. Great at establishing post position; sealing defenders. Too many missed shots at the rim. Excellent at playing through early foul trouble. Solid D and rebounding
Standout players: JJ, Tony and Daniel

Overall 
Great win by 7 (later 6) players against a fast, jump-shooting opponent. Fantastic communication among teammates. Repeated exploitation of mismatches worked in team’s favour and consistently got to the FT-Line. Total team effort.
Standout players: JJ, Dave and Tony