It's The Little Things That Count
Reading, MA – Little things sometimes make a big difference… As was the case Thursday night at the Burbank Coliseum when first place Origins Unknown took on second place Intervale. This time around, Intervale got the best of OU, 78-73. And, if a few little things played out differently, the game could have had a different outcome.
The game was expected to re-unite old college buddies, with Intervale’s Mark Mulvey taking the court against OU’s Cap’n Mike and James “Stretch” Hogan IV. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) Mulvey, who won the 1997 Bob Cousy Award for being the top college player in New England under 6'0", regardless of division (6th in career points, 5th in assists, 1st in free throws, and 5th in three-point percentage in St. Mike’s history), didn’t make the game. But Intervale still trotted out a stellar squad including one of the league’s best guards, a solid small forward, and a solid big man.
OU countered with the usual suspects, minus Shu-ter Patel, but with Craig Andrews in his place. Intervale has a completely revamped team – and one which went from worst to first in the span of one session. This was OU’s first look at the new team, and Intervale’s athleticism out of the gate took some time to get used to. A flurry of three-pointers by Intervale helped propel them to an early lead. Intervale’s point guard used some quick crossovers and pull-ups to frustrate OU’s defenders. On the other end, OU was struggling with turnovers and pace, and didn’t establish Chris “Big Country” Johnson the way they had in recent weeks. The combination of these things had OU down double digits within the first ten minutes. Once OU got their legs underneath them, the teams battled evenly, but the early gap remained 9 at the half.
The second half belonged to OU almost entirely. Cap’n and Andrews nailed several three pointers and pull-ups, and OU seemed to sense that the momentum was shifting. Intervale looked haggard, and unwilling to commit on the defensive end. Danger Dan Fisher continued to feed off the positive energy, as he came off the bench to hit a pull up jumper and a fast break three-pointer. Intervale called a timeout, and just like that, OU had climbed back within 1 point of theie suddenly vulnerable opponents.
Out of the timeout, Intervale went back to their big man and their point guard offensively. But defensively, they were having trouble keeping up with the movement of OU. OU used several picks and slides to find gaps and eventually take a lead with under 5 minutes to play. “I really felt that was our game to win and that they were on the ropes… unfortunately we made some mistakes down the stretch which ended up being the difference,” said Cap’n in his post-game media session. The teams went back and forth until Intervale took a small lead, with under a minute left. OU missed their opportunity next trip up the court, and after a foul and two made free-throws by Intervale, OU was on the ropes. OU missed another three on the next trip up the court, and that was... just...about... all she wrote... Like Manny, they were gone.
The loss knocks OU down to second place, headed into the playoffs. Now that they have seen every opponent, OU is optimistic about their chances for success in the postseason. "I know we can play with any team in the league," said General Manager Max Nolan, "It's about guts, and I know we have what it takes to win it all".
The game was expected to re-unite old college buddies, with Intervale’s Mark Mulvey taking the court against OU’s Cap’n Mike and James “Stretch” Hogan IV. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) Mulvey, who won the 1997 Bob Cousy Award for being the top college player in New England under 6'0", regardless of division (6th in career points, 5th in assists, 1st in free throws, and 5th in three-point percentage in St. Mike’s history), didn’t make the game. But Intervale still trotted out a stellar squad including one of the league’s best guards, a solid small forward, and a solid big man.
OU countered with the usual suspects, minus Shu-ter Patel, but with Craig Andrews in his place. Intervale has a completely revamped team – and one which went from worst to first in the span of one session. This was OU’s first look at the new team, and Intervale’s athleticism out of the gate took some time to get used to. A flurry of three-pointers by Intervale helped propel them to an early lead. Intervale’s point guard used some quick crossovers and pull-ups to frustrate OU’s defenders. On the other end, OU was struggling with turnovers and pace, and didn’t establish Chris “Big Country” Johnson the way they had in recent weeks. The combination of these things had OU down double digits within the first ten minutes. Once OU got their legs underneath them, the teams battled evenly, but the early gap remained 9 at the half.
The second half belonged to OU almost entirely. Cap’n and Andrews nailed several three pointers and pull-ups, and OU seemed to sense that the momentum was shifting. Intervale looked haggard, and unwilling to commit on the defensive end. Danger Dan Fisher continued to feed off the positive energy, as he came off the bench to hit a pull up jumper and a fast break three-pointer. Intervale called a timeout, and just like that, OU had climbed back within 1 point of theie suddenly vulnerable opponents.
Out of the timeout, Intervale went back to their big man and their point guard offensively. But defensively, they were having trouble keeping up with the movement of OU. OU used several picks and slides to find gaps and eventually take a lead with under 5 minutes to play. “I really felt that was our game to win and that they were on the ropes… unfortunately we made some mistakes down the stretch which ended up being the difference,” said Cap’n in his post-game media session. The teams went back and forth until Intervale took a small lead, with under a minute left. OU missed their opportunity next trip up the court, and after a foul and two made free-throws by Intervale, OU was on the ropes. OU missed another three on the next trip up the court, and that was... just...about... all she wrote... Like Manny, they were gone.
The loss knocks OU down to second place, headed into the playoffs. Now that they have seen every opponent, OU is optimistic about their chances for success in the postseason. "I know we can play with any team in the league," said General Manager Max Nolan, "It's about guts, and I know we have what it takes to win it all".
posted by Cap'n Mike at 10:36 PM
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