"Hustlers, - how my a$$ taste?!"
Reading, MA – Ok, the column title is a little aggresive, but Shaq created the line, and it makes me laugh for some reason. Origins Unknown put on another dizzying display of teamwork (in a good way) Thursday night at the Reading YMCA, beating an energetic Hustlers team by 20+ points. Impressive? Yes indeedy.
More impressive? It was done with four OU guys against a team of six 20-somethings from the Hustlers. No subs? No problem. OU had a faithful crew of supporters at the game (Max and Deanna) - and with stellar play and the fans, it ended up being all they needed.
OU and the Hustlers both started out a little slow. OU missed their first several shots, including some lay ups, but managed to get into the scoring column after a long Cap’n Mike three. That seemed to get the wheels rolling, and OU played the Hustlers even as the first half continued. OU had better control over the offense, as they distributed the ball evenly, and rarely forced any shots. OU showed a nice offensive patience lacking in recent games, as they continually focused on post up match ups, and watching Big Country Johnson dismantle his athletic defender. When Johnson wasn’t working the post, James “Stretch” Hogan IV, Shu-ter Patel and Cap’n Mike were hitting their strides. Hogan used a wallet full of moves to get to the hoop, and when all else failed, the kick out to Patel and Cap’n Mike always seemed to work as well. The Hustlers, meanwhile, kept the game somewhat close for the first 10 minutes by launching threes, and keeping fresh legs in the game.
After the first ten minutes, however, OU started to click. The low post game was working… The long ball was working… and the defense and rebounding was certainly working. The lead swelled to double digits before the half, and OU felt great headed into the break.
The second half really started to get out of hand when Cap’n Mike nailed a 25 foot bomb, and was then fouled on the subsequent play while launching another long-distance shot. The air was slowly coming out of the Hustler bunch as they realized that the lead wasn’t going to be cut easily. Big Country and Hogan continued to pound the paint offensively, and the defense never let down (even with no subs).
The highlight of the game was a breakaway opportunity for Big Country when he went up strong and back rimmed a two-handed dunk attempt. The effort was applauded throughout the gym, even as OU let the Hustlers big man throw down his own one-handed baseline dunk before the game was called.
OU moves to 7-1 on the session, and takes on the Untouchables this week. With only two games remaining, it looks like OU is headed for the 1st or 2nd seed.
After the game, OU broke out the chips and salsa to further diagram their unstoppable out of bounds play. Big Country = Phil Jackson?
More impressive? It was done with four OU guys against a team of six 20-somethings from the Hustlers. No subs? No problem. OU had a faithful crew of supporters at the game (Max and Deanna) - and with stellar play and the fans, it ended up being all they needed.
OU and the Hustlers both started out a little slow. OU missed their first several shots, including some lay ups, but managed to get into the scoring column after a long Cap’n Mike three. That seemed to get the wheels rolling, and OU played the Hustlers even as the first half continued. OU had better control over the offense, as they distributed the ball evenly, and rarely forced any shots. OU showed a nice offensive patience lacking in recent games, as they continually focused on post up match ups, and watching Big Country Johnson dismantle his athletic defender. When Johnson wasn’t working the post, James “Stretch” Hogan IV, Shu-ter Patel and Cap’n Mike were hitting their strides. Hogan used a wallet full of moves to get to the hoop, and when all else failed, the kick out to Patel and Cap’n Mike always seemed to work as well. The Hustlers, meanwhile, kept the game somewhat close for the first 10 minutes by launching threes, and keeping fresh legs in the game.
After the first ten minutes, however, OU started to click. The low post game was working… The long ball was working… and the defense and rebounding was certainly working. The lead swelled to double digits before the half, and OU felt great headed into the break.
The second half really started to get out of hand when Cap’n Mike nailed a 25 foot bomb, and was then fouled on the subsequent play while launching another long-distance shot. The air was slowly coming out of the Hustler bunch as they realized that the lead wasn’t going to be cut easily. Big Country and Hogan continued to pound the paint offensively, and the defense never let down (even with no subs).
The highlight of the game was a breakaway opportunity for Big Country when he went up strong and back rimmed a two-handed dunk attempt. The effort was applauded throughout the gym, even as OU let the Hustlers big man throw down his own one-handed baseline dunk before the game was called.
OU moves to 7-1 on the session, and takes on the Untouchables this week. With only two games remaining, it looks like OU is headed for the 1st or 2nd seed.
After the game, OU broke out the chips and salsa to further diagram their unstoppable out of bounds play. Big Country = Phil Jackson?
posted by Cap'n Mike at 12:31 PM
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