Fab Four

Reading, MA – When Origins Unknown sauntered out to mid court for the tip-off of their match-up with Me and the Revolution (MATR) Thursday night at the Readingdome, it was unclear whether they were going to be able to overcome some obvious disadvantages. Their opponents had eight players, a taller line-up and a few more athletic looking dudes. OU had… well… four guys and a knee brace.

But OU brought their 'A' game, and put together a spectacular 40 minutes of hoops to pull away from MATR 83-70. Shu-ter Patel, Cap'n Mike, James "Stretch" Hogan IV and Craig "Kid Rainmaker" Andrews were the only players available for the game - and that combination was a deadly one. No subs? No problem... OU stayed with their younger opponents, took their best shots and came out victorious.

There was cause for concern early, as Hogan has been hobbled by a lingering knee injury since last session's finals match up with the Muskets. And, he drew the task of guarding a versatile left-handed big man right off the bat. But Hogan was up for the task as usual, and showed his toughness as he still spun and worked his way around the hoop on offense and defense. MATR has several solid hoopsters for this session, led by their big man and two small forwards with excellent strength and skills. This combination will certainly be tough for many opponents as the season progresses. Meanwhile, while Cap'n Mike and Andrews were being hounded by some aggressive defenders, they still found a way to score and keep the collective OU head above water.

Patel started the game struggling from the field in the first half, but easily made up for it by snatching every single missed MATR shot. As MATR pushed the pace on both ends of the court, OU didn't back down one bit. Hogan was spinning, Cap'n Mike was 'gettin his' and all of the OU bunch was playing lock-down D. The score went back and forth, but ultimately OU held a small lead heading into the half.

The second half started with MATR putting the clamp down defensively. They pressed OU into some early turnovers, until the crew figured out that the easiest way to beat the pressure was the simplest - let Andrews go get the ball by himself and get out of the way. This lead to a nice OU run, as they built the lead to 6 midway through the half. Patel also found his groove, banging home some low block buckets, while still using his positioning to rebound. With time winding down, MATR was forced to foul, but Cap'n Mike and Andrews calmly stepped up and made eight straight free throws to doom their chances.

The game was called with a minute left, and MATR clearly frustrated by the veterans. Next up for OU is a rematch with their final's opponents - The very Crusty Muskets (and their revamped team?)...