What went down…

The Mill St. fall semifinals provided us with two great games that did not leave anyone bored. The first game featured a scrappy showdown between Myodetox
Performance and the Trojans. Neither team shot the ball particularly well, and the
score was surprisingly low for a stop-time game. The two teams battled it out in the
first half, and the score was 35-34 in favour of the Trojans at intermission. The
second half was when things really started to get interesting however. Simply put,
the Trojans’ Ancil Martin took over. He would hit 8 of his 11 field goal attempts in
the second half, many of them coming at key moments of the game, en route to 35
total points. Martin was great on the defensive end too, grabbing 9 rebounds and
swatting away 5 attempts. His play gave his team a decently sized cushion to play
with, and although Myodetox were able to get the game to 59-55 with little time
remaining, the Trojans would close it out with a 4-0 spurt. It wasn’t a pretty game
for the Trojans shooting the ball, but holding an opponent to just 22-of-74 shooting
is no small feat. 

The second and final game of the night saw Superclub put on their best performance
as a team, possibly ever, on both ends of the floor. They came out of the gates
blazing, seemingly hitting every three-pointer they took. Everyone watching could
not help but to be amazed at the kinds of shots Superclub were hitting in
succession. At the same time, they mucked it up on D and made it very hard for their
opponents to get anything going. In particular, Patrick Zabak did an incredible job
of guarding the Vipers’ Jerome Brown. That defensive performance in the first half,
which saw Brown score just 3 points and pick up four fouls (two of which were
charges), was the best any team has played on the Vipers’ superstar. At the half,
Superclub held a communing 53-21 lead. But during intermission, Jerome let it be
known that he was gunning for a 30 point half and to his credit, he almost
delivered. Suddenly all the shots he missed earlier in the contest were falling, and
he gave his team a decent shot of closing what was an impossible margin. Jerome
Brown would score 29 in the second half on 9-of-12 shooting. Perhaps it was the
presence of Superclub leader Craig Dowden, still out with an injury, that pushed the
team to this type of high-level play. 

Players of the Week
Andrew Motta (Superclub) – 31 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists 
Oron Miraie (Superclub) - 21 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists
Jerome Brown (Vipers) -32 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals
Ancil Martin (Trojans) - 35 points, 9 rebounds, 5 blocks

Play of the Week
There were so many good plays in the Superclub vs Vipers game, and any one of Kris
St. Clair’s 7 assists could make the cut for play of the week. He showed excellent
court vision all night, and seemed able to thread the needle again and again and
passes to the inside which almost always led to an easy layup.

Next up!
The finals are all set now, with Superclub taking on the Trojans once we come back
in January. There is no mistaking the fact that Superclub are the heavy favourites
in this contest. The team has had a great season, and although credit must be given
to the Trojans for making it this far, they know they have been very inconsistent
all throughout. The Trojans have a chance if they execute to the fullest of their
potential, but if they don’t, it looks as if Superclub is going to win a
championship.

Written by: Matthew Kwan