Super coming in needed to play the p n roll better after they got squashed in game 1. The effort was there immediately Oully / Rosi came out firering, but Basket getting hoops from JJ / Koller were right in it 8-8.
Oully lighting release 3 was good for the 11-8 edge. Lead would get to 13-8 after a Jacobson hoop. Basket would fight back and Euler would give them there 1st lead splashing a 3 17-15. We would almost be stale mated as these teams were going up and down back and fourth ,when the smoke cleared it was basket up 28-25.
Koller running hard gets 2 more 30-25. Rosi crazy spin shot but JJ cut keeps them up. JJ one Euler 3 basket was trying to take the ship . Koller pick and roll 42-33 it was looking good for basket .
Super would not go quietly into the night wise 1-2 , frongi take , 2 Oully 3″s and all of sudden it was tied at 44. Super momentum kept going as Rosi slashes 3 for lead 47-44, Oully add 2 fts to keep the pressure 49-44. Huge j for Leblanc , Jacobson frongi sexy 2 man game 51-46. Euler easy hoop, Kap sneaky . Rosi goes off window 53-50. Euler springs open he and fires it was good 55 all, and head to OT.
Leblanc and 1 to start overtime but Rosi slashes contested 3. Super would get a stop Rosi would take another deep contested 3 and it was $$$ . Basket couldn’t get deep 3 to go . Super survives 63-60. We have a game 3 !!
Grades Super Hoopers Oully – A+ – he’s a psycho killer !! Rosi – A- dude is so mentally tough . Those late 3″s were epic . Frongi – c+- not many hoops but assisted nicely and good D . Jacobson – b+ – loved his fight contribution. Wise – b- good big man night Skates – c-) hustled but not many results.
Grades Basket Cases Kap – c+- wasn’t his day at the office 0-6 from 3. Koller – C+- rough travel turnovers , only 6 2nd half points. Leblanc – C- needs to be more aggressive. JJ – A- bright spot , he gives them a chance to win when he plays like this . Euler – A- was awsome at times. Like to see 1ast thou
FINALS GAME 1 Nov. 29, 2023 Basket Cases 76 – Super Hoopers 55
Recap
By Devin Quinlin
Game 1 | Basket Cases: 76 – Super Hoopers: 55
Basket Cases Roll Super Hoopers in Dominant First Game Win
The narrative coming into Game 1 of our Championship matchup was, more or less, that Basket Cases had been stellar the entire session, while Super Hoopers finally found their groove late in the season and came in with championship pedigree. Regardless of the result, the fans were expecting a close battle between two strong teams, and with only one absence for Basket Cases, this appeared to be an even matchup. Basket Cases clearly did not care about any narratives, as they came out blazing hot. Kap and Euler were making plays defensively, forcing SH into turnovers and uncomfortable shots, while Koller was dominant inside on offense with some nice finishes and even better kick-outs to wide open shooters.
With a 53-27 lead at the half, the result of this game was never in doubt, as BC ended up cruising to a relatively uncontested 76-55 win. As an aside, I thought the officiating from Mark was fair and unbiased, as his calls were consistent. In the second half, SH got a few calls for free-throws that were a bit soft, but they were also down 30 points for stretches of this game, and I can confidently say the officiating had minimal impact on the result of this game.
Kap, Euler, and Koller got their kudos in the opening paragraph, and deservedly so, but the Game 1 MVP was undoubtedly Marc LeBlanc. LeBlanc’s performance was SH’s worst nightmare, as he hit literally every catch and shoot three he got on kickouts from Koller and Kap. He shot seven for eight from deep, finishing with 30 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal, playing respectable defense on Rosi and Ouellette for stretches of the game as well. Overall, a completely dominant performance from LeBlanc, who played his role perfectly in this one.
Koller and Kap were just as impressive in their roles. Koller finished with 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists, finishing well in transition and in half-court sets, and serving as the focal point for the offense. BC’s game plan quickly turned into “give Koller the ball and let him make the right play,” which he did consistently. I was impressed with his patience, as he calmly drew double teams and found his guys for a team-high 5 assists, and even more impressed with his mid-range jumper, which he knocked down several times to keep the defense honest.
Kap really set the tone in this game, putting up 16 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 6 steals, and 1 block. There was a stretch late in the first half when SH cut the lead to around 12 points, but Kap quickly hit a barrage of shots, including two pull-up threes, to firmly cement the lead at the half. His shooting and passing were on point, unsurprisingly, but his defensive intensity was second to none. I did not expect him to match up well with Rosi at all, but he forced tons of turnovers and uncomfortable shots, finishing with an official 6 steals and 1 block and leading the game in decibels per yell.
Erik Euler had a great game as well, going for 8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. I had never seen Euler play, but his impact was felt immediately when he subbed in. He had a few nice takes to the rim, hit a middy, hustled for offensive boards (3), and played solid defense on any assignment he was given. Most importantly, he had excellent chemistry with his team’s big three, as he was quick to move the ball to guys in their spots on off-ball screen actions. Though he finished with only 2 assists, he had several hockey assists and was excellent in his role.
JJ Kazlauskas added 3 points, 11 rebounds (5 offensive), 1 assist, and 1 steal, converting an and-one down low and doing work on the boards. His sheer grit and hustle underneath paid dividends for his team, as he got them second chance opportunities but also kept momentum in his team’s favor with the hustle plays. Not the best scoring output, but, like the rest of the group, he played his role perfectly. Excellent all-around performance for BC, who finished with 13 team assists, shot ten of eighteen (55%) from three, and recorded 9 steals and 2 blocks on defense.
Tough game for SH, who shot only six of eighteen (33%) from downtown and surrendered 12 offensive rebounds, all while turning the ball over at a very high rate (though I did not keep track of turnovers). Ryan Ouellette led the scoring with 21 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block. As usual, he was hyper-efficient, shooting four of eight from three and converting some middies as well. While he was the best player on his team, he needs to do more. At a certain point, the efficiency doesn’t really matter, and you need your best shooters to apply pressure to the defense. He also finished with 0 assists, which I think is more a product of his team’s poor ball movement and his lack of touches than any passing/vision deficiency. If SH want to grab Game 2, Ouellette needs the ball in his hands more.
Eric Rosiello finished with 19 points, 10 boards, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block, playing a decent game but not up to his standard. He was effective attacking the rim, but too many of his buckets came in the second half when the game was already out of reach. I’m not going to fault a guy for playing hard the entire game, but as arguably the best player in this series, he needs to apply that pressure earlier in the game.
Nick Frongillo finished with 5 points, 3 rebounds, and 7 assists, a game-high. Frongi was stellar in the distributor role, as he made some great extra passes and also dishes out some dimes to cutters and shooters, and I thought he played his role well. At the same time, he scored only 5 points, and I know he’s capable of more. One of the role players will have to reach double digits for SH to win a game, and Frongi is the best candidate.
Thomas Skates finished with 5 points and 3 rebounds (all offensive), while Shawn Wise finished with 5 points, 3 rebounds (all offensive), and 1 assist. While neither guy was ‘bad,’ both will need to do a bit more to compete with BC’s role players. Wise needs to use his size to battle on the boards, and I also think he could afford to foul on defense to disrupt BC’s rhythm and prevent easy layups. Skates is pretty athletic and can start hounding Kap on defense. It might not work, but at least he can speed Kap up and potentially cause a few turnovers in the process.
Mat Jakobsons was disappointing in this game, as he finished with 2 rebounds and 1 steal. I think I’m much higher on Jakobsons than other people, as I love his mid-range jumper, defensive intensity, and willingness to mix it up with anyone, but all of that was missing in this one. He only took two shots max, and while I don’t expect him to become the focal point of this offense, he’s a capable shooter who needs to get up some middies to keep the defense honest. SH also desperately need some edge, as Kap was talking crazy the whole game, Koller got to the rim with little resistance, and LeBlanc got way too many open looks. I know SH is capable of a much better performance, but I struggle to see them winning this series, even if they manage to steal Game 2.
Player GradesBasket Cases:
Marc LeBlanc, A+. 30 ball, ridiculous efficiency, solid defense when it was needed. He only had 1 assist despite his strong passing ability, but it wasn’t what was needed in this game, so no lowering of the grade for that.
Matt Kaplan, A. Not an A game numbers wise, but the intangibles were insane. Three of six is good efficiency and 4 assists is ok by Kap’s standards, but 6 steals and the havoc he wreaked on defense can not be understated in this game, as well as his vocal leadership and general assholeish behavior.
Ben Koller, A+. Koller has had better games, but I don’t really care. Nice double-double, good defensive effort, and finished with 5 assists, his second most in a game this session. With his team relying on his decision making in the low post, he did everything right and balanced his own scoring with his teammates’ touches perfectly.
Erik Euler, A-. I loved what I saw from Euler in my first time watching him play, my only knock is zero from three from deep and missing a few jumpers. He was looking to pass, which is the right play, but going forward he needs to take a few of these shots more confidently, regardless of make or miss. Still, excellent passing and defense and some strong takes to the rim.
JJ Kazlauskas, B+. Loved the energy and effort from JJ, as he gathered 5 offensive boards and finished a nice and-one inside. I do have to knock his grade as he missed a few open/makeable layups and got lost on defense a few times, allowing wide open shots. Didn’t matter in this game, but can’t have those types of lapses in a close game. Still, strong performance underneath
Super Hoopers:
Ryan Ouellette, B. I struggled with this grade because he led his team in scoring and was generally solid and very efficient. Conversely, he needs to take more shots and frankly he needs to play better defense on Koller. Koller made some tough shots, but he also had far too many open/easy looks around the rim and in the mid-range. Gotta make him uncomfortable and play him more physically going forward, so the main knock here is on the defensive end.
Eric Rosiello, B-. Tough grading by me here, but I personally think Eric is the best player in this league (never seen Hollis) and needs to be better for his team. 19 and 10 is good, but too many points late in the game, also got a few whistles that he probably wouldn’t in a close game. The main issue was the turnovers, as Kap disrupted far too many of his passes and he also threw a few out of bounds as he wasn’t on the same page as teammates. I love the intensity, fight, and physicality he always brings, he just needs to clean a few things up.
Nick Frongillo, B. Great passing/movement, but needs to be more involved. Only 3 rebounds, no stocks. SH desperately needs Frongi to be more confident in his shot and his overall game, as he’s a capable shooter and defender. He needs to bring the edge that he plays with in Over-30. He might not score 25ppg, but he’s good for double-digits and defense and opens up the floor for his whole team when he’s aggressive.
Thomas Skates, C+. Skates just needs to do a bit more overall. He didn’t do anything ‘bad’ or ‘wrong,’ but he got good minutes and could help his team tremendously with more defensive effort, just to make Kap uncomfortable/speed him up. That said, I loved his effort on the offensive glass.
Shawn Wise, C+. Exactly the same thing as Skates, nothing wrong with his game, but he just needs to do a bit more on both ends to make things easier for the rest of his team. In the championship, role players need to step up in their role. SH doesn’t need a monster double-double, just some more rebounds and defensive presence inside.
Mat Jakobsons, D-. Harsh grade, but like I said, I think Jakobsons has a lot to give on the court and 2 rebounds and 1 steal is not gonna cut it in the championship. Hunt the mid-range a bit more, talk some shit, force a few turnovers, just bring that edge that I’ve seen him play with many times. Too smart of a player to have this little production.
