Week 2 of the Men’s Spring League provided fans with a bit of everything. Fans witnessed three physically bruising games played in the paint, excellent ball movement, a slew of shots from downtown and yet another game decided by overtime.
Game#1: Italian Stallions 58 – LB Woodchoppers 56
Both teams entered the week fresh off opening day victories, but only one team was going on a two-game winning streak. The teams matched up well, each using their three-point shooting to spread the defense out, only to feed the ball inside when locating mismatches. In their efforts to keep Woodchoppers undefeated, Bobby Rupert and Brayden Kirschner accounted for more than half of the offense with 23 and 10 points respectively. However, the Stallions closed out the final two minutes of the game with an 11-6 run, squeaking out a thrilling two-point finish. Mike Lange drained five three-pointers on his way to a 22-point night for the victorious Stallions.
Game#2: Dave Ralla 56 – Co-op 54 OT
This was another evenly matched pair of teams looking to notch their first win of the season, and it would take OT to do it.
Adam Yaredic’s 21 first half points helped Team Ralla jump out to a very early 10 point lead. Co-op regrouped through a time-out and battled back, turning the game into a seesaw battle. Late into the second half, Co-op surged ahead on an 8-0 run to earn what appeared to be a three-point victory. Team Ralla had other plans, and with only two seconds remaining, drained the game-tying shot from beyond the arc to send it to OT.
After trading a few buckets in OT, Reg David’s three-pointer late in the extra period was enough to seal it for Ralla. Eddie Fred (17 pts) and Kevin Titian Jr (16 pts) led the way for Co-op and Adam Yaredic (25 pts) and Cecil Mack (12 pts) pushed Ralla over the top.
Game#3: Ladybird Engraving 56 – Twisted Willow Studio 79
Early on, Ladybird frustrated Twisted’s desire to run-and-gun, controlling the tempo and establishing a physical presence. Coby Felsman’s pace was relentless in the face of that physical play. Eventually, Twisted’s speed negated Ladybird’s physical style and allowed them to put Ladybird on the short end of a series of 8-4 runs.
Twisted’s lead continued to build, despite Ladybird’s Gredy Barney (16pts) and Ian Samuel (14pts) combining for 10 three-pointers and Jayden Moss’ 22 points from the paint. Ultimately, the game was determined by Twisted’s dribble-drive and kick style that allowed four different players to snipe long range makes. Twisted Willow’s Coby Felsman and Kenneth Johnson both recorded 20-pt nights for win number two.
Next Thursday, May 3 schedule at ADSS:
6:30 p.m. Twisted Willow vs Dave Ralla
7:30 p.m. Italian Stallions vs Ladybird Engraving
8:30 p.m. LB Woodchoppers vs Co-op
