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Week 7
X-Birds 37 vs. Streetballaz 29
Going into tonight Nothing But Net (NBN) playoff contest the X-Birds
were favorite to beat the
Streetballaz. The X-Birds met their expectations by defeating the
Streetballaz by a score of 37 to 29. Both teams got off to a bad
start but turned it up as the game went on. The Streetballaz started
the game with only four players but managed to keep it close. They
trailed 15-10 going into the half. Courtney Morrison put the Streetballaz
on his back, scoring all 10 Streetballaz points. He finished with
a game high 19 points but it was not enough. The X-Birds destroyed
the Streetballaz in transition; running the break to perfection.
The X-Birds' charge was lead by Scott Gomez (1st Team NBN) and Tory
Federicks (2nd Team NBN) scoring 13 points apiece. Dave Recinos
scored two key baskets to hold off the Streetballaz as they were
making their run. The X-Birds will advance to play against the Blazers
in  the
Nothing But Net League Championship on December 11, 2002 at 9:30PM.
Blazers 43 vs. GB Inc. 41
The Blazers vs. GB Inc. had playoffs written all over it. The
crowd could feel the playoff intensity in the
air as both teams were fighting for their playoff lives. The Blazers
did the unthinkable, upsetting powerhouse GB Inc. by a score of
43-41. No one thought the Blazers had a chance coming into tonight's
contest. NBN leading scorer John Gill was confident before the
game because Shamark Limehouse was activated from the injured
list. Shamark Limehouse (1st Team NBN) made his way back from
a broken hand scoring 14 points. Limehouse got the Blazers off
to a quick start but GB Inc. settled down to tie the game up at
12. Both teams traded baskets but there were unlikely heroes stepping
up for both teams. The Blazers had a spark from Barrington Douglass;
he did a great job on the defensive end. Douglass grabbed several
rebounds while coming up with a huge steal late in the game to
give the Blazers a two-point lead. Uche Okeneke also gave  the
Blazers some unexpected offense, scoring nine points. GB Inc's
Everett Robinson led his team with 12 points, hitting several
big shots when his team needed a bucket. With a little over a
minute to play in the contest, Blazers' John Gill (16 points)
made a tough shot over three defenders. GB Inc. answered with
a tap by Kevin Julien (8 points). The game was knotted at 41-41
with 10 seconds remaining in the game. The Blazers found their
star John Gill. He went to the hoop, was met by three blue jerseys,
but managed to draw the foul. Gill sank two clutch free throws
with two seconds remaining to give the Blazers a 43-41 lead and
a date with the X-Birds in the championship. The Blazers are officially
the "Cinderella" team of the Nothing But Net Basketball
League.
--Michael Lloyd
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