Microgaming Cavaliers 58 – 52 Ron Smiths Turkeys
Looking to rebound from their loss in the last round, Cavs needed to win this game to avoid ceding the top spot to Phillies and welcomed back Daniel Pieciak to the fold to add some much needed hustle on the boards. Turkeys, themselves in recent good form with a victory over Warriors recently needed a win to cement their own place in the top four for the final round of games to determine the league winner. These two teams have a long history of close competitive games and match up well with each other and this game proved to be no exception. Cavs have traditionally had the upper hand in the paint but the landscape has changed this season with the loss of their twin towers and Allan Walkingshaw took full advantage of this in the opening exchanges, driving hard to the basket and bullying his way to rebounds. With the Cavs zone collapsing, it freed up the pure shooting Dominic Gribben outside and he aced a long range three early to set the inside out tone of the Turkey offense. A low scoring first quarter saw Cavs get plenty of looks but not many points. The second quarter was evenly matched, the shooting of Gribben from outside was key as he buried back to back threes but these were swiftly answered by David Clarke from Cavs. A late surge at the end, capped with a final three from Paul Ellison gave Turkeys a little cushion going into the half time break and Cavs were on the wrong side of a seven point lead. Teams traded baskets early in the third and Cavs looked stagnant on offense but the turning point came with the late arrival of Sean Doyle and his insertion to the game. Doyle’s pace and lanky frame gave Cavs a different look on offense and the defensive intensity picked up, despite him being asked to play out of position guarding veteran centre Brett Venables. The lead was shaved to a single point in the fourth and both teams smelled victory but it was the Cavs who pulled away with a pair of clutch threes from Paul Kilic, who up until that point had struggled with his shot and despite a late running bank three from Ellison, Cavs managed to eat the clock up enough to edge this highly competitive encounter.
Celton Warriors 88 – 58 Rams
Warrior’s up and down season continued as they played out a first half fraught with turnovers and missed shots, not settling into any sort of groove on offense despite the difference in league placings with Rams. For their part, Rams played an excellent game, taking full advantage of their limited shots and hitting a high percentage with Mel Valencia and Aris Canson leading the charge. The play calling from the side from coach PJ Mallorca was impeccable as Rams matched Warriors basket for basket and kept themselves right in contention. Warrios coach Colin Kirkham had strong words for his team as the struggled to get any momentum but something clicked for them in the third and their shots began to fall and their defense ramped up to prevent Rams keeping pace. Strong shooting from Chris Wolfendale and Wayne Mears put some distance between the teams and the earlier concern vanished as they stretched out their legs to romp to a comfortable win but it was certainly a game of two distinct halves and Rams will need to maintain their consistency to the end of the game if they want to win more games this season. Coach Mallorca was clearly delighted with his teams performance throughout though and was rightfully proud of the effort levels in what is still his teams first season in the league.
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