Nylon Strokers, Verzatility advance
By LAUREN CONTI
Sports Writer
It was a close contest Saturday on the Stepan Courts, as the Nylon Strokers picked up a 21-17 victory against the 14th-seeded Lazy Boyz.
The Lazy Boyz were riding high after upsetting third-seeded NDToday.com on Thursday night, but not quite high enough to dominate the aggressive style of the Strokers.
"We may not be as pretty as some of the other ranked teams," said the Nylon Strokers' Courtney Watson. "But we go out there and play hard and rebound hard, and it's gotten us where we need to be."
The Strokers took a 5-2 lead early on behind an aggressive offense and dominated for most of the rest of the game.
Both teams played a physical and fast game right from the start. The crowd got rowdier and the court was tense toward the second half, as a few of the Lazy Boyz players hit the ground amidst questionable calls.
"The inconsistency of the calls was detrimental to the game," said the Lazy Boyz' Daniel Boston. "When the refs let the game get out of control, it hindered the play of both teams."
"The refing at these games is a hard job, to be honest, I don't even like to talk about it, because it's not something either team can control," said Watson. "The other guys played a fair game, though. I'd say they were the best team we've had to play so far."
The Strokers took an early 5-2 lead despite the calls, and led 11-8 at the half.
"We give credit to their tenacity on the defensive end," said Boston. "I think it really made the difference."
Though the Lazy Boyz tied it up more than once after the half, the Strokers quickly answered every point and eventually won by a solid four point margin.
"We didn't play our best ball," said Boston. "Today is not an indication of the team we usually are. But next year we'll be back."
In another Elite Eight game, 13th-seeded Verzatility continued its upset run Friday on Stepan Courts by defeating fifth-seeded Please Call Us Bosephus 21-17.
Verzatility has now defeated both the fourth and fifth seeds on its way to gaining a coveted spot in the Bookstore Basketball Final Four.
"We beat the Majestics on Thursday, and then to beat Bosephus was great," said Verzatility's Brian MacKinnon.
Verzatility took an early lead over Bosephus, holding them 11-7 at the half. Solid shooting by senior Hunt Hanover was key, allowing Verzatility to hold the lead despite tough defense as Bosephus missed several shots.
"We knew Hunt was going to be their go-to guy," said Bosephus' Brian Ostick. "We played good `D' on him, but he still made some tough shots."
In the second half, a run of four missed free throw opportunities ultimately doomed Bosephus, as Verzatility was able to capitalize on their aggressive play and solidify a five-point lead late in the half.
"Our shots were in and out," said Ostick, a first-team all-tournament selection. "On another day, the outcome could have been different. We didn't play like we usually can, and I give them credit for taking advantage of our mistakes."
Verzatility moved on to play Five Reasons Your Girl Left You, while the future of Bosephus was left more uncertain.
"Unfortunately, we won't all be here next year," said Ostick. "But the two of us that will be are looking to put together a team that can win the title."
All Sports Stories for Monday, April 30, 2001
