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2021
WINTER | SEASON 47
WEEK 6
By: League Analyst
Contributing Writer
SATURDAY GAMES
Scorpions vs. South Central
BRONZE DIVISION
12:40 p.m.
Both
teams are looking for their first win as Pacoima based,
Scorpions, take on South Central.
Scorpions lost to Hennyboyz on Week 4, 67-36, as 3 players
scored in double digits. Malik Baker finished with 10
pts, 5 blocks while Kyle Oggs added 12 pts, 8 rebs.
Eric Alvarado scored 10 pts but outside of the 3 players,
the rest of the squad scored just 4 points. The lack of scoring
from the rookie team could be problematic against rookie team
South Central, a team that has depth and defenders.
South
Central lost to Blazers, 64-58, as John Henderson
finished with a double-double, 20 pts, 14 rebs. Juan Ramos
added 11 pts, 4 rebs while Mark Brown finished with
12 pts. The team has a lot of players and the rotation is the
team's biggest problem - which is a good problem to solve. The
team has more talent than their counterparts but solving the
team's rotation is key to earning their first win of the season.
Blazers vs. The Hills
BRONZE DIVISION
1:40 p.m.
Blazers defeated South Central on Week 4 as Sebastian Loera led
the team with 31 pts, 8 three-pointers and was the first Blazers
player named Player of the Week. Julian Chavez finished
with 10 pts, 3 rebs while Mario Navarette added 10 pts.
The team only had 6 players against South Central but that
opened a lot of playing time for the young Blazers players. The
team got into rhythm and shot well from 3-pt range, an area they
shot 37% from.
The
Hills are struggling with a 0-3 start and GM Sergio Gomez
blames it on the schedule. Gomez feels that having bye weeks in
between doesn't help his team get into rhythm so with their
second straight week playing, The Hills should win this one
against Blazers. If The Hills loses to Blazers, Sergio needs to
find another excuse as to why The Hills is winless this season.
LR135 Thunder vs. Jets
PLATINUM DIVISION
2:40 p.m.
LR135
Thunder showed up with just 4 players against Concrete as
Calvin Hollins carried the team with 20 pts, 8 rebs and 4
three-pointers. The rest of the team showed up late and believe
it or not, the team played better when they had 4 players suited
against Concrete. They won't get away with a 4-man roster
against Jets, a team that re-loaded and won their first game of
the season last week against AYMHIIGH Disciples.
Jets
won a thrilling match-up as Domo (28 pts, 9 rebs) and
Jonathan Guzman (16 pts, 7 rebs) made their season debut for
Jets. Jarret Gant added 8 pts while the game's hero,
Art Ponton, finished with 6 pts, 2 stls. If Jets shows up
with their new players, they should have their first winning
streak of the season.
Hilltop vs. TEAMNOSNEAKYSTUFF
PLATINUM DIVISION
3:40 p.m.
With
tournaments and injuries, Hilltop hasn't been on the schedule
for almost a month. Will that brief hiatus have their players
rested or will rust creep in against TEAMNOSNEAKYSTUFF?
Hilltop defeated Jets on Week 2, 77-60, as Jordan Demuynick
finished with 36 pts, 6 rebs, and 5 three-pointers. Billy
Nguyen added 12 pts, 3 rebs while Jesus Orbina
finished with 10 pts. GM Lance Ortiz led all players with
10 assists, 4 steals, and 3 pts. Hilltop has quietly climbed the
rankings with a 2-0 start and they face another team that's 2-0,
TEAMNOSNEAKYSTUFF.
TEAMNOSNEAKYSTUFF defeated Concrete in their last outing as
Haze Jtimier led all players with 20 pts, 6 three-pointers
on 46.2% shooting. Dean Cello added 14 pts, 5 rebs while
GM Franklin Canales added 9 pts, 5 rebs. Both teams are
on the older side in terms of age and this is an even match-up
where experience will determine who gets their first loss of the
season. Both teams are well coached and this match-up could come
down to the wire.
Chicle vs. Stay Up
BRONZE DIVISION
6:00 p.m.
Chicle
got on the W column against Cali Shockers in their last match-up
beating the rookie team, 99-64.
Jae
Simbol finished with 24 pts, 6 rebs and 6 asts while
Steven Trujillo scored 26 pts, 5 three-pointers and 2
steals. Jeff Briegel finished with 21 pts, 8 rebs, 4 asts
while Chris Escoto, a newcomer for Chicle, added 12 pts,
9 rebs and 2 asts. The team out-rebounded their opponents, 48-21
while shooting 53.5% from the field. The win was so good, their
opponents requested for Sunday games only for the rest of the
year - as if that was the problem when playing against one of
the top teams in Bronze Division.
Stay
Up had a thrilling 66-64 win over The Hills as LJ Besong
hit the game winner while finishing with 26 pts, 10 rebs and 3
stls. Vince Rodriguez III added 31 pts, 6 rebs and 3 stls while
Esteban added 6 pts, 2 stls. The team's defensive stopper,
Jerome Anderson, is a key addition and he led the team
with 6 assists. This is the team's biggest match-up of the
season and a win here could be a huge statement against the rest
of the Bronze Division.
ACODJ vs. Block Party
BRONZE DIVISION
7:00 p.m.
ACODJ
lost to Buckets in their last outing, 61-57 as Ben Reaves
finished with 23 pts, 4 rebs, 2 asts. The team played without
their other scorer in Michael Dominguez and against Block
Party, Dominguez needs to be in the lineup. Damon Sway
was the second leading scorer with 16 while Juan finished
with 10 pts, 8 rebs. They face an undefeated Block Party and
scoring has been ACODJ's biggest concern this season. Two
players are lethal scores in Bronze Division but outside of
Dominguez and Reaves, ACODJ seems to be a 2-man team.
Block
Party is just as deep as the house music Ben Reaves plays
as a hobby. Four players scored in double digits last week as
Rob Talamontes finished with 24 pts, 4 three-pointers and
was named Player of the Week. Ryan Abraham finished with
21 pts, 4 rebs while Ryan Espinoza added 12 pts, 4 rebs.
The team played without 2 of their big scorers in GM Anthony
Camacho and Chris Dees and still defeated one of the top
teams in Bronze Division, previously undefeated Blazing Kings.
Breakdown vs. Los Lobos
GOLD DIVISION
8:00 p.m.
Los
Lobos last defeated Zu's Finest on Week 4 as Tray Caples
led all players with 18 pts, 6 rebs and 3 asts. GM Christian
Preciado added 10 pts, 5 rebs and 5 asts while Alex Ortiz
finished with 17 pts, 9 rebs. Los Lobos looked re-loaded in
their 2nd game of the season but now they face a team that's
also re-loaded, Breakdown.
Breakdown added Mike Munoz (19 pts, 12 rebs) and Eric
Alvarez (18 pts, 5 asts) and despite the loss to Reigning
Champions, Buckets, Breakdown looked pretty good. Juan Pena
shot 53.8% from the field while finishing with 18 pts. GM
Pablo Sanchez is playing limited minutes and he finished
with 3 asts, 4 rebs, and 3 pts.
Wastemanz vs. Zu's Finest
GOLD DIVISION
9:00 p.m.
Wastemanz hit a game-tying 3 pointer that was waved off against
USA Hoops Academy as Wastemanz returned to Superstar with a
loss, 86-83. Despite the year off to Covid, Wastemanz looked
like they haven't miss a beat as Bishop Mency led all
players with 24 pts, 9 rebs and 4 three-pointers. Wesley
Forbes finished with 12 pts while GM Warren Forbes
added 8 pts, 7 rebs. Zander Smith was the second leading
scorer with 20 pts. Wastemanz has a loaded roster while Zu's
Finest is running with just 6.
Zu's
Finest needs to add depth and against Los Lobos, they lost
53-46. GM Ben Reaves finished with 19 pts, 4 asts while
Nate Reaves added 6 pts on 28.6% shooting. Jeff Jordan
added 4 pts, 6 rebs while Jarris Jordan scored 4 pts and
a team-high, 3 stls. Zu's Finest key to winning is adding more
players because a 6 man roster against Wastemanz won't get it
done.
SUNDAY GAMES
Cali Shockers vs. Buckets
BRONZE DIVISION
6:30 p.m.
Cali
Shockers last played on Week 4 losing to Chicle, 99-64. They
hope to bounce back against Buckets, a team that won their
match-up against ACODJ, 61-57.
Cal
Shockers had 3 players score in double digits as Ajaun
McLaughlin finished with 21 pts, 3 three-pointers. Joe Ramirez
added 15 pts, 3 asts while GM Michael Weston added 17 pts, 3
stls. Cali Shockers shot just 36.2% from the field and against a
much bigger team in Buckets, Cali Shockers can't settle for
3-pointers. The team shot just 34.5% from downtown against
Chicle and were out-rebounded, 48-21.
Derrick Tamanaha was on fire for Buckets, finishing with 27
pts, 5 three-pointers in their last outing. David Williams
added 13 pts while Center Jonathan Spaniol added 4 pts, 7
rebs, 3 blocks. Offensively, Spaniol has been struggling this
season but when he gets going, Buckets will be tough to beat. GM
Jonathan Wynn needs to get Spaniol at the top of the key
where he shoots a high percentage from the field.
City Boyz vs. SkyRyse
GOLD DIVISION
7:30 p.m.
City
Boyz defeated Life Alert, 58-49 on Week 4. GM LJ Besong
finished with 11 pts while Brandon Ortiz led the team
with 18 pts, 3 three-pointers and 6 rebs. Udengwu Nnadi
scored 15 pts, 8 rebs while Damon Sullivan added 3 pts.
City Boyz is stacked with players and playing time has been an
issue for the team, despite their 2-0 start.
SkyRyse defeated Unfazed Ballers, 43-41, as SkyRyse Center
Nick Pacitti led the way with 18 pts o 87.5% shooting. Nick
was fundamentally sound down the stretch showing off his ability
to hit the bank shots and mid-range 10 footers. Andrew Bongo
added 7 pts, 8 rebs while GM Donovan Morris finished with
4 pts, 6 rebs, 6 asts.
Prodigy Plug vs. The Rock
GOLD DIVISION
8:30 p.m.
The
Rock returns to action after a year off due to Covid. They face
former Champions, Prodigy Plug.
Prodigy Plug has a tendency to win close games this season with
thrillers against Most Hated and Dream. Their last win was over
Dream, 73-72 as Darae Elliot led all players with 31 pts,
10 rebs, 2 stls. Adam Flash added 16 pts, 8 rebs, 5 asts
while Isaiah Watson finished with 12 pts, 5 rebs, 2 stls.
Prodigy Plug combined to out-rebound their opponents, 32-24
while shooting 46.8% from the field. In their 3rd game of the
season, don't expect any close wins as they face a team that's
returning after a whole year off.
P4E vs. SkyRyse
PLATINUM DIVISION
9:30 p.m.
P4E
has had the toughest schedule in the league thus far. They've
faced undefeated team, Undisputed Division, Reigning Champions,
The Heights, and now they face MVP Donovan Morris and SkyRyse.
Will their losing streak end this Sunday?
SkyRyse defeated Beast Tribe, 78-70 on Week 5 as Markus
Monroe finished with a game-high, 21 pts, 2 rebs and 3 asts.
Monroe was named Player of the Week making him the second POW
from SkyRyse along with MVP, Donovan Morris. Morris
finished with 13 pts, 7 rebs, 10 asts while Marcus Bell
finished with 15 pts, 9 rebs, 4 stls. SkyRyse committed just 8
turnovers and combined to shoot 42.6% from the field.
Against The Heights, P4E was led by Justin Young who
finished with 14 pts, 2 rebs, 3 asts. Kenny Barnes added
12 pts, 7 rebs and 2 asts while Marquis finished with 13 pts, 2
rebs and 2 asts. The team struggled from the charity stripe
shooting just 58.8% and committed 16 turnovers. The team must
take care of the ball or GM Don Weyrick is going to see
P4E scratch the L column for the 3rd time this season.
Concrete vs. The Heights
PLATINUM DIVISION
10:30 p.m.
Concrete won the layup scrimmage against LR135 Thunder, 63-45 as
four players scored in double digits for Concrete. Konlile
finished with 18 pts, 7 rebs, 6 asts while Troy Perry
added 12 pts, 5 asts. Aesh Dabbas scored 13 but against
The Heights, don't look for scoring to come so easily against
the Defending Champions.
The
Champs are 1-1 this season and in their last win, Ryan Carter
had 29 pts, 2 rebs, 2 asts. Adam Flash added 11 pts,
5 rebs while Isaiah Watson finished with 5 pts, 4 rebs.
Sammie Archer made his season debut with 9 pts while
Tourre Atwater finished with 4 pts. As loaded as The Heights
is, they k now competition is tougher this season and they
cannot overlook Concrete, a team that's recently reloaded with
top rookie, Konlile.
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Game
Previews and Recaps are written by league analysts on Saturdays
and Mondays. If there is a typo on your name, please e-mail
commish@superstarbasketball.org. Thank You.
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