- WEEK 13 RECAP -
As the East Toronto Basketball League’s regular season nears its end, teams vie for playoff positions and advantageous seedings. Only one week left before we hit the playoff button. Here is a small recap from the action on Sunday at Playground Durham.
BUCKS VS LAKERS: The opening game had everything you could ask for to set the tone for late season action. Lakers’ Hasan Chaudhary had an outstanding performance with 15 points through just the first 21 minutes. Meanwhile on the other side of the court, statheads kept their eyes on Bucks’ star Garan Ganesh who was 2 assists and 1 point shy of a triple double in the first half alone! Picking up most of his assists by passing it to Mr. Robert Scott who dominated inside and finally showed his capabilities. He has dealt with injuries this season and would love to see him next season with full health as he coulda been a huge factor for the Bucks. With the Lakers down in the second half...a big time comeback was made to force OT and kept their season alive. They clinched in overtime where freethrows made the difference. Lawrence Tappin went to the line multiple times late in the game and practiced perfection going 8/8 from the line to complete the victory. LT was super clutch down the stretch! As admirable as their efforts were, neither Garan’s squad could take a W nor could he complete the triple double by the final buzzer.
Final score: Lakers 84 - 80 Bucks Player of the Game - LAWRENCE TAPPIN 24pts/4rebs/2asts/1stl
SPURS VS SUNS: A hard-fought, chippy game as the Suns and Spurs battled for supremacy in this matchup. Each team tallied 4 fouls in the first 8 minutes of play to open the game but it was the Spurs’ stout defense and outstanding ball movement that took the lead in the first half. The Suns entered the second half with energy led by Reshean Notice. It was a 2 possession game late with the Suns looking to comeback but Spurs’ Vijay Kailainathan, who had two steals on back to back possessions, shut down the Suns’ late push. Vijay had it going on offence and defence as he led the charge for the Spurs who needed this win for their morale.
Some Top Performers:
Spurs #15 Vman Vinay 14 pts, 5 reb, 6 ast, 3 stl
Spurs #23 Shawn Joseph 16 pts, 9 reb
Suns #31 Reshean Notice 23 pts, 5 3PT
Suns #1 Trevon Foster-Bowen 8 pts, 10 reb
Final Score: Spurs 68 - 55 Suns Player of the Game - VIJAY KAILAINATHAN 18pts/4rebs/4asts/3stls/1to - 57% Shooting - 2 Triples
BOBCATS VS NETS: This game was better than expected for the most part as we saw the top squad Bobcats take on the Nets who had a sliver of hope for the postseason. As expected, the Bobcats set the pace for the game, going on a 11 - 3 run from the get-go. This game wasn’t expected to be close but it was the efforts of the Nets’ defense along with Waqar Dogar and Nasim Ameri (each putting up 10 points on the half) to keep them in the game. Foul trouble struck the Nets’ defense hard with Bobcats Allan Macintosh driving to the bucket early and often resulting in a 19 point lead for the Bobcats after 21 minutes. Allan has just been an absolute beast this season. The Nets played their hearts out closing that gap to an 8 point differential with about 12 minutes to go, but it was then that the league’s finest offense took over.
Some Top Performers:
Bobcats #0 Kalsang Tashi 21 pts, 9 reb, 5 stl, 5 3PT
Bobcats #33 Allan Macintosh 25 pts, 11/19 FG
Nets #1 Waqar Dogar 17 pts, 3 3PT
Nets #24 Khalid Faizi 19 pts, 3 3PT
Final Score: Bobcats 87 - 67 Nets Player of the Game - MATTHEW CAMPBELL 21pts/9rebs/6asts/5stls/2blks/0to - 53% Shooting - 5 Triples
ROCKETS VS SONICS: The last game of the night had both teams hit the ground running, or should I say sprinting… Each team sported stellar defense and the score reflected that. Through the first 15 minutes of the game, each team was limited to single digits in the points column. It was only in the last 5 minutes did we see a breakthrough in offense with the Rockets going on a 11 - 2 run to close out the half. During the first 21 minutes, the Rockets shot 6/22 meanwhile the Sonics shot 3/14. The second half brought a little bit of offense but was still highlighted by the Rockets’ shutdown defense that limited Sonics’ Jeroy Williamson’s lightning speed.
Some Top Performers:
Rockets #22 Tobi Ojajuni 11 reb
Sonics #23 Zaid Parekh 8 pts, 12 reb, 2 3PT
Final Score: Rockets 46 - 30 Sonics Player of the Game - ROSHANE ROBERTS 18pts/5rebs/3stls/0to - 2 Triples
CLIPPERS VS BLAZERS: The Blazers didn't show up to this game as they didn't have enough available bodies and thus it ended in a forfeit. The Clips will secure the 25 point forfeit win and lock up 2nd seed.
Final Score: Clippers 25 - 0 Blazers Player of the Game - All the people that didn't have to witness this massacre
THUNDER VS BULLS: The Thunder were shorthanded but so were the Bulls as they had zero subs (not a suprise at this point). It was an entertaining game but the Thunder were able to make just enough plays to keep the Bulls at bay. They almost let it slip as Tes, Shang and Davion all dropped at least 18 points but eventually ran out of gas. Janath was great and has really been there for his team when they need him. He has picked his spots nicely knowing when to cook and when to let his teammates eat.
Final Score: Thunder 58 - 55 Bulls Player of the Game - JANATH KUMAR 25pts/6rebs/2asts/2stls - 73% Shooting - 2 Triples
KINGS VS RAPTORS: This game started late as both teams initially only had 4 players. We finally got it started and the Raps once again took the L as they have done quite a bit this season. We have already harped on what they needed to do this season so we will see how they respond for next season. The Kings will face the Rockets on Sunday.
Final Score: Kings 39 - 34 Raptors Player of the Game - NISHAN THURAI 16pts/8rebs/4asts/1to
THUNDER VS HAWKS: Two games is tough for anybody and the Thunder still managed to pull this game out. They were down 34 to 24 and then closed the first half on a 11 - 0 run which ended up being the turning point. The Hawks had them on their heels with their speed and quickness but eventually the Thunder adjusted and overcame it all. They had a couple reinforcements in the 2nd game which definitely helped or else they would have been too gassed and probably lose pretty easy. Now they have put themselves in a position for one of the top spots in the league.
Final Score: Thunder 64 - 57 Hawks Player of the Game - CAMREN KORHANI 14pts/7rebs/1stl - 55.5% Shooting - 2 Triples
GRIZZLIES VS WOLVES: The Wolves were shorthanded in a critical game which was dissapointing to say the least. Michael Mines and Walshak did whatever they could to keep this game close but whenever Walshak had to sit with foul trouble...BIG BEN WENT TO WORK! One of the most impressive stat line all season...Ben has just taken his game to another level. By the way, Jesse almost had a nice triple double with 10/15/9 but it's kinda forgotten with the performance Mr. Okyere put in. The Wolves will have one last chance to make the postseason and they will need to beat the Warriors on Sunday. Win or go home.
Final Score: Grizzlies 75 -63 Wolves Player of the Game - BEN OKYERE 38pts/23rebs/2asts/2stls/1to - 83% Shooting - 2 Triples