Jammers Int. Weekend League, SE12
Game 8, Sat. 27.02.16
UWC Dover Campus

ENTOURAGE BBALL INC vs. MDIS: 63 – 33

On a day when Entourage Basketball Inc. could only “field” 7 players, team MDIS had one goal to start the 2nd meeting between both clubs this season: come out gunning.

The young team sped off to a 5:0 lead early in the first quarter, catching their older counterparts dozing, a common trend this season for the Entourage team; 1st quarter scoring droughts being the norm in 5 of 8 games so far.

Turnovers, missed layups, sometimes uncontested, and distracted play defined the first 6 minutes of the match, relief coming only after point Guard Evan made a pair of freethrows to get his team on the scoreboard, 2:7.

The Skeleton crew, Evan, Terence, Ronnie, Alex, Sebastien, Daniel and player/coach Dave, went to their tried and tested playbook to regain control of the game: team defense. Aggressive hounding of ballhandlers and control of the boards led to good transition opportunities for the Entourage men, the fastbreak points started piling up from the start of the 2nd quarter.

Sole available big man Daniel was particularly adept at snuffing any drives to the basket. Showcasing his talent as a help defender, D-Tall changed numerous shots and was equally efficient on offense, scoring on multiple “rim runs” and putbacks. He chose a good day to have his best game of the season.

The game, similar to the first meeting between both teams in late January, was basically over by the 3rd quarter, Entourage Bball holding their opponent to 20 points by that point.

The 2nd half was utilised to work on the transition play (introduced by injured teammate, Chi, back in December), which led to more easy baskets for the team. Young small forward, Alex and veteran guard Ronnie repeatedly ran the floor well, scoring most of their points on layups; team pace was very good given only 7 players present.

Entourage Basketball’s dominant 30-point win, poor start and small rotation notwithstanding, was their 4th in a row. With only 2 more games to go in the regular season, the team is close to securing a playoff spot with the current record at 6-2.

Before the next game against Kelekonas (March 12th, 4.45 pm), the squad is moving ahead with increased midweek practice sessions, anything to keep the edge of the last 4 performances intact. And on that note, the most intense player on a team full of hyped up ballers gets the last word…

Performance rating

Backcourt 
Only 3 guards available, but 3 of the best on the team: Evan, Terence and Ronnie were in control of the game from the 2nd quarter on. The now-expected standout pressure D mixed with relentless fastbreak runs. Tery finishing smoothly in traffic, Ronnie with numerous assists and Evan being his usual unstoppable force equals wins.
Standout players: Evan, Ronnie

Frontcourt 
Joined by multiposition players Dave and Seb, a very good showing by the 4 remaining teammates. Help defense was sharp all game long, rebound dominance and lots of scoring by the bigs. Special kudos to the 2 youngest Entourage players; Alex and Daniel. They both scored in bunches, and were reliable on both ends of the court. Breakout performances by both.
Standout players: Daniel, Sebastien

Overall 
Holding opponents to 37 points per game during the four game winning streak, no surprise that the defense swung the game in Entourage Basketball’s favour. Superb stamina, focus and execution by the shortened roster; outplayed their much younger counterparts in every aspect. Each player had multiple shining moments but Ronnie, after a 2 game absence, was omnipresent on offense hence game MVP.
Standout player: Ronnie