Intervention: Intervale Ends OU's Rough Spring

Reading, MA - Origins Unknown finished the 2009 Reading YMCA Spring 4 on 4 Basketball league Thursday night with a playoff loss to top seed Intervale at the Palace in Reading Hills. And, while the game was a blow out for the last 25 minutes, OU should keep their heads held high after battling through a tough season without a consistent line up.

Big props to the three OU battlers who were able to make the game: Cap'n, Danger Dan Fisher and Danger Derek Chicarilli. The three, along with Jeff Yeakley-bombs, took on the challenge of facing an Intervale team that had all six of their horses.

For Intervale, their guard play is top-notch, with Mark Mulvey throwing daggers from all over the court. Mulvey is a former St. Mike's standout baller and buddy of Cap'n Mike, James "Stretch" Hogan, and Jay Wandtke. He and his stellar back court mate (who I am told played at Suffolk) are a handful, and tough to contain on the perimeter. Matched with versatile big man Jim Murphy down low, and a core of other solid players, Intervale will be the favorite to win it all again this session.

OU did their best out of the gate and actually kept the game close for most of the first half. Cap'n Mike struggled to find consistency with his outside shot, but everyone else kept scrappin' to keep things tight. OU was within 4 with less than 5 minutes to play, but a quick Intervale run - spurred by torrid shooting by their guards - ballooned the lead to 14 in short order.

Things got f-ugly in the second half, as Intervale decided to make about 10 three pointers in a row, from all over the court. OU was fatigued, and it showed as their opponents picked apart their poor excuse for defense and lowered the boom. As the lead continued to grow, Yeakley attempted to keep the game from getting out of hand by hitting several late threes of his own.

In the end, the game was never in doubt, and the OU players (or at least me) are left to wonder how close it would be if we had all of our big guns available. Perhaps in a session down the road, we will find out.

Lucky Losers

Reading, MA – In the final game of the spring session, Origins Unknown took on first place Intervale with a chance to lock-up a playoff spot but stumbled in the final 10 minutes, losing 91-77. Luckily, Howse Corp also lost later in the night, leaving OU in sole possession of 4th place, with a ticket to the REAL Final 4 (March Madness-schmadness)… Perhaps the second time will be a charm, as the OU bunch will take on the #1 seed….Intervale!

The final regular season game followed a similar pattern of other recent games against top-tier teams, as OU was competitive for the first 25-30 minutes– only to have a bad stretch of play derail things. OU played Intervale even in the first half, as the bunch shot the ball well, and kept pace offensively. Intervale’s top two scorers were also having a great night from the inside and outside, and the teams stayed within 2-3 points of each other from the tip.

The second half started with promise, as OU fought their way to a 5 point lead after several minutes. Things turned quickly though, and after some Intervale three point bombs and some OU missed shots – they were staring at a small deficit. OU missed several chances from then on out, and Intervale didn’t let up. A few turnovers later, OU was staring at a 14 point gap – without the energy to make a run.

OU finishes the season at a mediocre 6-4, which is somewhat remarkable based on the lack of team depth this session. Intervale wound up with the #1 seed, followed by NE Finest in the #2 seed, and The Muskets wrapped up the #3 seed.

Tale of Two Halves

Reading, MA - Origins Unknown outplayed New England's Finest for one half, and seemed to be in the thick of a tight game when the second half commenced at the Readingdome. But, NEF went on an impressive second half run, and a five point lead quickly turned to a fifteen point deficit in a matter of minutes. With OU's spirit on the ropes, NEF never let off the gas. As OU proceeded to play a style that resembled "a comedy of errors" (according to Cap'n Wife Deanna) - NEF finished strong and ran away with the win, 80-64.

OU DID put together a solid first half against their younger and quicker opponent. Cap'n Mike was able to put up a strong shooting performance - knocking down long three after long three which helped match the quick offensive pace of the NEF bunch. Meanwhile, Jay "5 Minutes Late" Wandtke came out without any time to warm up and had a solid half on the low block and defensively. His presence allowed OU to pressure the shooters, but NEF boasts an athletic line-up which still found ways to score. OU seemed up to the task - with Danger Dan Fisher leading the way against Finest's best player - a very solid guard with a deadly shot and a quick first step. As the half wore on, OU battled their way to a five point lead at the half - 42-37. While OU held the lead, it was clear that legs were starting to tire against the team with what seemed like unending energy.

The second half was flat-out brutal - there isn't another way to explain it. NEF started trapping OU guards at half-court, and it seemed that every time OU got the ball out of pressure a turnover or missed shot was the result. NEF was still running at full throttle and when OU did turn it over, they paid on nearly every trip. NEF's own Cap'n and loudest talker let his game do the talking in the second half, as he nailed several long three pointers after being held mostly silent in the first half. The only second frame highlight was Shu-ter Patel's 14-inch Jordanesque shot captured in the below picture (no word on whether the shot went in)!

OU super-fans Lil' Cap'n Max and Deanna agreed that OU looked old in the second half... The 43-22 scoring difference certainly didn't help anyone's confidence either - although the team agreed in the post game interview that OU regulars James "Stretch" Hogan IV and Nick Dominator-Swain would have changed the outcome drastically.

OU now sits at 5-3 in league play, and is currently on the outside looking in, for one of the four available playoff spots.


Meanwhile, Lil' Cap'n Max continues to work on his game in an effort to join Origins Unknown as soon as possible.

OU Bowl Over Warriors

Reading, MA - In the fast-paced, high pressure world of being a YMCA Men's League Team Cap'n - things can often change in a matter of minutes. One minute, you think the team is down to three available players for a game that night... The next, you not only have enough guys, but you also have an extra player who you've never played with that turns out to be an absolute motor on the court. Such is the life I have chosen.

So, when I got a call from Nick Destroyer-Swain saying he didn't think he could make it for the game Thursday - I was concerned. Then, when Nick called back an hour later and told me that he would be able to make the game AND had another buddy who could play with us... Well, I was just a tad relieved.

Nick would put in one of his more dominating performances of the session, dropping 34 in his last game before heading south to Connecticut to continue his career in medicine. And, his buddy Derek - a Roomba-like energy player - fit in with the existing OU crew perfectly.

On the other end of the court, the Warriors showed up game-ready, but unfortunately had to take the brunt of Nick's presence. They were missing several key players, and after starting out the game 3 for 3 from behind the three-point line - they were overwhelmed by OUs speed and tenacity. OU pushed the pace and remained tenacious on the defensive end for all 40 minutes. By the end of the first half, OU had already built a 20 point lead, and was cruising towards the W. Threes were droppin', post play was poppin', and OU wasn't stoppin' (That sentence has to put me in the running for a Pulitzer).

The second half was a simple continuation of the first... Derek and Danger Dan Fisher continued to run all over the court, and Cap'n and Shu-ter Patel simply spotted up wherever there was open space. On top of all the points he scored, Nick also had about 20 rebounds, 20 free-throws and 20 collisions where he was a bus and an unlucky Warrior's player was a Mini Cooper.

The final score of 97-62 didn't really do the Warriors justice, as they battled with a less-than full line-up. OU, meanwhile, moves to 5-2 on the session - with three games remaining.

Turkoglu and The Gang Get W

Reading, MA - Maybe it was Shu-ter Patel doing his best Eddie House impersonation when he scored seven straight points off the bench in the second half. Maybe it was Jay Wandtke putting in a Hedo Turkoglu-ish performance that saw him handle the ball at the high post, dish assists and score from the mid-range and in close. Danger Dan Fisher certainly showed up, and fired off some second-half daggers of his own against their Anderson opponents, as well. Whatever it was, it worked as OU battled, and then cruised, to an 81-65 win to get back above .500 on the season.

OU started the game on fire, as their passing and floor spacing was on full display. They kicked the game off with a ball-reversal to James "Stretch" Hogan IV for a slashing deuce. It was Hogan's first game back after missing a couple weeks with back spasms.

Anderson kept the game fairly close throughout the first half. After OU made their initial run to open the game, they then proceeded to turn the ball over like a bunch of 3rd graders on the playground and let Anderson back in. There were missed connections on ally-oops, 3 on 2's, and everything in between. But OU also sprinkled in some open three pointers and fast breaks to maintain a small lead.

Anderson wasn't able to sustain the second half offensive pressure, and Patel and Fisher helped catapult OU to the double digit lead, which they never relinquished.

OU moves to 3-2 on the season, with an upcoming match up with The Hustlers.

Howse of Pain

Reading, MA - Howse Corp. joked coming out to the tip that the Origins Unknown players were 'licking their chops' when they saw only four out-sized players suited up in gold. But, when the game ended with OU losing 85-84 in overtime, OU was simply licking their wounds.

Howse played a great game, and withstood every run that OU was able to put together. The height advantage worked for OU at certain points, but the Howse team also scrapped together some nice defense and outworked OU on many possessions. The game was a tight affair throughout, with both teams building 5-point leads in the last 10 minutes and neither team seeming to be able to take control.

OU had a chance to seal the win with 13 seconds left and Cap'n Mike shooting a one and one, but the Cap'n didn't come through - and 2 free throws later from the younger Howse sent the game into OT. In overtime, the teams traded punches and when Jay Wandtke made an 'and-one' to give OU the lead with only six seconds left - things were looking good.

Unfortunately for OU, the Howse point guard made quick work of pushing it up the court and when he got near the basket, OU was forced to commit. When the defenders collapsed, he kicked it out to Young Howse - who calmly sunk a 12-footer for the win.

OU drops to 2-2 on the season, with an upcoming match-up with Anderson.

Round Two Goes To OU

Reading, MA – For the third time in the past four games, Origins Unknown and The Muskets tangled like Kobe and Ron Artest in a battle for supremacy at the Reading YMCA. In this latest installment of their rivalry, OU outplayed their nemesis' and held on for an impressive five-point victory.

OU was without the services of James “Stretch” Hogan IV, who proved to be less stretchy than usual when he threw out his back a day earlier. Without the fiery red-head, OU went to battle with the rest of the regulars – but faced a 7-man-deep Muskets team with plenty of size and speed.

The Muskets came out on a mission, and with their bigger lineup opened up a quick lead on OU. The game had plenty of energy, as the Muskets seemed to be on point with their drives and posts ups. Their big-bodied small forward worked his way around the hoop for hard-earned baskets, and OU was forced to weather a storm that saw the Muskets start out nearly perfect from the field. OU was hanging tough, through excellent post-play by Jay “WhateverIlike” Wandtke (Cause he can do whatever he likes) and Nick “Downlow”-Swain, as well as some timely long range bombs by Cap’n Mike. As the game progressed, the teams proved to be an even match. OU eventually caught up to take a six point lead – only to lose the lead in the final 3 minutes of the half. With the clock down to 8 seconds in the half, Wandtke made a strong move to his left from the three point line and finished a sweeping drive with only seconds left. The Muskets turned and pushed the ball up quickly though, and hit a lay-up to respond and keep it a one-point game.

There were several highlight plays for the OU bunch in the second half. Danger Dan Fisher making some tough pull-up jumpers in the thick of the defense. Shu-ter Patel finishing off a tough fast-break over a defender. Cap’n Mike getting to show off some post and mid-range skills (not to mention a soaring rebound in the paint where he looked a little like Rajon Rondo – ok, maybe not). Dutton-Swain punishing whoever guarded him on the block and going 4-4 from the line in the process. Or, Wandtke directing traffic on defense and hitting turnarounds/jumpers all over the place. It all added up to a 5-8 point lead that the Muskets could never quite penetrate.

As the game came down to the wire, the Muskets tightened the clamps – but OU responded with deft passing and stellar team defense. Even with the Cap’n missing three straight free throws - an event that is about as likely as Manny Ramirez being a steroid user… um… never mind – OU refused to give up open looks and kept the Muskets at bay.

The win, and a blowout win last week which didn’t warrant a write-up, pushes OU to 2-1 on the season.