Giant Battle

Reading, MA - Living up to all of the pre-game hype, old foes (and friends) Howse Corp and Origins Unknown met for this session’s bragging rights last night in Reading. OU put together a well-rounded, 40-minute effort, to hold off the always hard-fighting Howse bunch 75-70.

It was a game that required every player to step up - on both teams – and everyone did at some point. The first half started a little sluggish for both teams, and with OU coming off of a bye, they appeared to have their fair share of cobwebs. Even with their heavy feat, OU started out with a small lead, using Chris “Big” Johnson wisely in the post. Johnson’s footwork and quickness has improved game over game, and he was easily able to post up the smaller Howse defenders to score at will. Howse, meanwhile, brought in an athletic free agent from the Stoneham league to fill in for a couple missing bodies. His aggressive defense on Cap’n Mike, as well as his slashing offensive game kept Howse close for most of the first half. Throughout different points, all of the OU players took their turns stepping up on the offensive end. Howse was also using all of their players to keep close, including Fireman Dave, who sneakily ended with double digit points. Danger Dan Fisher kept OU in the game offensively, and mentally as well, barking out for everyone to wake up from the sidelines. His orders were clearly heard, as Dr. J Greg Robinson buried some silky smooth mid-range jumpers, James “Stretch” Hogan IV controlled the glass, and Shu-ter Patel out-stretched his defender down low to give OU at slight halftime lead.

The second half was the epitome of a “back and forth” affair. OU lost their lead, only to catch back up through will and hustle. There were several highlight plays, including a great block by Johnson on Richie Curran which seemed to spark the OU crew. Both teams made runs, but OU made a run when it counted the most. A defensive lapse by Howse left Cap’n Mike with a mismatch, and he exploited it by knocking down a couple threes, and cutting for another bucket as the clock started to wind down. After some unbelievable offensive board work by Hogan, OU went ahead for good at the 4-minute mark. Forced to foul, Howse sent Cap’n Mike and Danger Dan to the line, and while Cap’n had a slight hiccup on the first one and one, the duo didn’t waiver after that, dropping 4 of 4 to end the game and seal the win.

Cap’n Mike was 5-7 from the line in the game. He now stands 19-25 for the session.

The victory vaults OU into sole possession of second place at 5-1, a half game behind the Hustlers. Next week is another stiff test, as OU takes on the team that knocked them out of the last session’s playoffs - Chili’s.