Bookstore Basketball XXXII: No. 8 Roc Sports Café uses inside game to get victory
BY ERIK POWERS
Sports Writer
Roc Sports Café likes it rough.
The eighth-ranked squad pounded the ball inside early and often in a physical contest where it used its size advantage in order to outmuscle and intimidate. The result was flared tempers and harsh words between the teams. Roc Sports parlayed stifling defense and dominating rebounding into an 11-2 halftime lead.
Notre Dame womens basketball players Jacqueline Batteast, Le'Tania Severe and Katy Flecky were among the first half spectators. Batteast and Flecky left at halftime, but Severe decided to watch the game to the finish.
"They're going to fight," Severe said to her departing teammates. "That's why I'm going to stay."
At first it appeared as if Severe would be wrong. Halftime was extended by several minutes when the teams were unable to locate the ball. The break from play seemed to cool the players' tempers as play resumed at a much more relaxed pace. Roc Sports relied on crisp passing and opportunistic defense to build a 16-4 lead.
Then, the Roc Sports's center then attempted a dunk, a midair collision ensued and he went down hard. He got back up and began a shoving and shouting match with Immediate Threat captain Dennis Creed. The two were separated by teammates and Bookstore commissioners and remained in the game. Roc Sports then traded second-chance points until the end of the game.
Bye 21, Y Tu Mama Tambien 9
Ugly. Feo. Whatever the language, Tuesday's game was difficult to watch.
Neither team shot with any accuracy and the result was a 65-minute spectacle of missed tips, layups and fast breaks.
Both teams played hard, hustling on defense and chasing down the multitude of rebounds. Bye implemented a trapping 2-3 zone and Y Tu Mama Tambien played a zone as well.
Bye entered halftime with an 11-5 lead. In the second half, the crowd began to get into the game. Bye's fans began jeering whenever opposing players shot an air ball. This took the focus off of Bye captain John Pogge, who was plagued by a male fan holding a sign claiming "Pogge is my boyfriend."
"It was terrible," Bye guard Tim Fiorta said. "We got [the win] anyway, though. Survive and advance."
Future Welfare Recipients 21, Eliminatus Est 4
The Future Welfare Recipients rose from The Observer's ashes yesterday in a decisive victory. Earlier, The Observer mistakenly reported that the Recipients lost to Team 457 21-4. Tuesday, the No. 27 Recipients were never close to defeat.
Using a rapid transition game, crisp passing, and dominating rebounding, the Recipients ran out to a 7-0 lead.
The first half was over in roughly 10 minutes with the Recipients leading 11-2. At halftime the Recipients used their excess energy to practice dunks.
The second half resumed where the first left off. The Recipients immediately stole the ball from Eliminatus Est and an outlet pass later were up 12-2. The Recipients played smoothly and gracefully in the second half. The game took on a relaxed feel and the Recipients unsuccessfully attempted an alley-oop.
Eliminatus Est was down to four players for a brief stretch in he second half when a player went out with a leg injury. He returned a Recipients basket later, and the Recipients went on a 6-2 run to end the game.
Gunzelmann Express 21, Powdered Sugar: It's Delicious! 19
In the early stages, the Express and Sugar relied heavily on the transition game. Steal followed steal, and fast break follow fast break, but the teams were still playing controlled basketball.
The Express ran out to a 4-2 lead, but both squads soon tired after this frenetic pace. Fast breaks started leading to fewer and fewer lay-ups. The teams often franticly pushed the ball up-court only to settle into a half-court set.
Sugar remained close throughout the first half, closing to within one basket until the Express scored the final three baskets of the half for an 11-6 lead.
The Express extended its lead to 15-9 in the second half, but was unable to close out the game. Powdered Sugar pulled closer and closer until a sideline jumper finally put them away.
Five Guys Who Want a Hummer Like LeBron's 21, Team 430 3
Team 430 lost to its 24th-ranked opponents by a wide margin, but lost in style.
Ripping through a newspaper barrier, Team 430 burst onto the court in order to do a lay-up drill. A fan's boom-box blared "It's Raining Men," "I'm Super, Thanks for Asking," and "Let's Get It On" during the game. Sporting short shorts and tight t-shirts, Team 430 perfected the look of a team of San Francisco YMCA gym rats.
But for all their hustle and team spirit, they just didn't have as much talent as the other Five Guys.
At the end of the first half, the Five Guys were up 11-1 with most of the scoring coming from fast breaks and easy put-backs.
Five Guys relented on defense slightly in the second half, allowing Team 430 to score two baskets. Team 430 and their fans remained upbeat throughout the game, and created an uproar during their team's rare baskets. Afterwards, Team 430 was more than happy with its performance.
"We took it to them," Team 430's Luke Busam said. "It's all thumbs up and smiles. Valiant effort."
All Sports Stories for Wednesday, April 16, 2003
