LEVEL Basketball – Game 5 (58-50)
Writen by: Hank WethingtonPosted on 24 March 2009
The streak begins!
LEVEL GOES ALL IN WITH WIN AGAINST SLO POKER
Team Sets Scoring Record And Ties Last Years Win Total
(For Immediate Release)
Arroyo Grande, CA – Before the game even started, the cards seemed to be falling LEVEL’s way. Two technical fouls for jersey infractions sent “The Playground” Daniel Parks to the line, where LEVEL opened up an early lead without the clock even starting. The question for LEVEL was how long could they keep the cards stacked in their favor? It took only minutes to see that maybe tonight, LEVEL would have a strong hand. LEVEL would have to look no further than the two Aces in the pocket, starting guards Daniel Parks and Miguel “All Hands” Castro. “The Playground” would again turn in solid play, as he scored a season high 18 points and contributed to LEVEL’s strong defensive presence, where Miguel “All Hands” Castro would have yet another all-star performance. “All Hands” Castro’s four steals and 8 points on the night set a tone that the rest of the team couldn’t help but follow.
“When you have pocket aces, you play to win,” said Hank “Smiles” Wethington. “What a surprise it was when another ace turned up on ‘the flop.’” The third ace? None other than Phil “Hornet” Siems. The “Hornet” immediately continued from where he left off after last weeks game. Scoring a quick 6 points in the opening minutes, Phil would hit a season best 12 points in the game. But points weren’t enough for Siems, as he would fill up the stat sheet, pulling down 5 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 assists, plus garnering his second straight Huge Game Award. “I’d like to thank the selection committee for truly making this March Madness,” Phil said during his HGA acceptance speech.
And while three aces may be enough to win most hands, LEVEL would be given some extra help when “the turn” revealed a pair, giving LEVEL a full-house and enough confidence to go ALL IN. Mark “Sasquatch” Grondin and Tom “Ace” Adamski would pair up well, playing strong 2-man basketball. Grondin, playing the post, would end up with 7 points and 5 rebounds. While Tom would return from last week’s absence and silence all critics with three 3 pointers. “Frustrated, yeah. You would be to after going 11-42, but I’m not going anywhere. LEVEL FOR LIFE!” Tom would comment when questioned about his whereabouts last week.
Getting the start tonight, in place of a late Mark Grondin, Rob Patti played fantastic defense to open the game, denying the ball in the key and coming down with some early rebounds. When Tom ended up in foul trouble, “Mini” Van Indra saw serious play time and made the most of it by contributing 4 points on offense and 2 timely tie-ups on the defensive end. Ale Lacerda would also get some limited play time, as the in the closing minutes LEVEL found itself trading free throws with a desperate SLO Poker team. An unfortunate, and untimely, TSA screening would leave late arrival and rookie sensation, Dan Connolly unable to play, as the referee required that he check in before half time. The one wild card tonight for LEVEL, was team manager Hank “Smiles” Wethington. Who, coming off the bench tonight, looked to bring some added energy into the game. Unfortunately, it back fired, as Hank would get his first technical of the season for slamming the ball after what he considered a bad call against “Ace” Adamski. “He’s an emotional guy, he plays hard and he cares about his players,” Adamski commented after the game. “I’ll have to fine him though. $10k ought to help him remember to keep his cool.”
With “the river” turned, and both teams “all in,” LEVEL found itself in possession of a full house. At 2 wins and 3 losses, LEVEL not only ties the previous two years winning records, only half way through the season, but also sets a team scoring record with 58 points tonight. “We don’t know who we play next, and we don’t care,” Phil stated about the rest of the season. “One thing I know after tonight, is every game is winnable. And we intend to win them.” Those were big words, but after a second straight win, it definitely looks possible.
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