Steal Seals Deal - For Real

Reading, MA – Origins Unknown survived a torrid shooting night by Howse Corp sharpshooters Nicky and Rusty to win the second greatest game of the day (slightly behind the Syracuse vs. UConn six overtime game) by three points, 85-82. The win, combined with a Muskets win over Northwestern Mutual in the late game moved OU into a three-team tie for first place.

OU took the court with 6, COUNT ‘EM SIX, players and everyone contributed to the win, which showcased OU’s depth and diversity – but also exposed some weak perimeter defense as Nicky lit up the Reading sky like bombs over Baghdad. Post play dominance was OU’s true advantage in the game, as the front-line of James “Stretch” Hogan IV, Nick “Destroyer” DS, and Jay “Wunderkind” Wandtke all boast 6’3”-6’7” frames. Howse, meanwhile plays physical, but relies more on speed and a solid nose for the ball to hang down low.

OU built a solid single-digit lead in the first half. Scoring was balanced, and the buckets came from a good mixture of their inside and outside games. On the other side of the ball, Nicky started by making some quick release three pointers, and rode the hot streak all the way through the end of the first half when he drained a trifecta over Cap’n Mike’s outstretched hand.

As the second half got underway, OU was never quite able to shake the pesky Howse bunch. The teams would trade buckets, and OU would build a small lead, only to see it erased by Rusty squeezing a three-pointer off between two OU trees. With the clock running down, and a close game inevitable, OU watched as Howse swing forward Dennis Curran sank two free throws to cut the lead to one point. On the ensuing possession, OU was called for a very questionable three second call after just crossing half court, which gave the ball back to Howse.

Nicky brought the ball across the timeline, but was stripped towards half-court by Cap’n Mike - who then released and waltzed in for an uncontested layup to stretch the lead to 3. A last second heave bounced off the back iron, and the win was in the books.

OU holds the tie-breaker over the other teams locked at 6-2, and faces the Warriors in their final regular season game on Thursday. A win looks to lock up the #1 overall seed for March Madness (The Reading MA version).

Hero Returns

Reading, MA – He didn’t have to hobble back onto the court... There wasn’t even a noticeable limp when James “Stretch” Hogan IV returned from missing four games with a badly bruised knee. Big Red didn’t miss a beat, and contributed mightily in Origins Unknown’s 78-58 victory over Andersen in YMCA league play. Other than his return, the game was forgettable as OU built a 15 point lead out of the gates… only to see the lead disappear… only to build the lead back up in the final 10 minutes.

OU came out with good energy, possibly due to the fact that they finally had a sub!! Hogan came out of the gate and tested the knee right away, driving through the lane and tossing up a runner. Meanwhile, Jay “Touch The Sky (with his jumper)” Wandtke was getting good looks from every angle, and Danger Dan Fisher and Cap’n Mike ran around making plays here and there. While things started at a quick pace, they got even quicker when Nick DS “DeStroyer” came in off the bench and proceeded to pound the Anderson crew senseless on both ends.

Anderson made a comeback after the initial spurt, and cut the lead to a tie at the beginning of the second half. OU regrouped, however, and made a nice run to open things back up. The entire team was in on the scoring, and the substitute certainly allowed them to have more energy at the end of the game. Anderson was cooked, and OU had plenty left in the tank to finish them off.

The win moves OU to 6-2 on the session, with just two games remaining and a match-up against a rejuvenated Howse Corp team on Thursday.

Nightmare Ending Against Dream Team

Reading, MA - Origins Unknown had the Dream Team (no relation to the original Olympic Dream Team) down four with less than 40 seconds left in the game Thursday, and while OU may have deserved the win, they couldn't hold the lead and ended up on the wrong end of a disappointing 88-86 loss.

Other than the classy Warriors point guard offering to stand in as OU waited for Jay Wandtke's arrival, I cannot recall much in particular about this game. I know that it was a four-man OU crew battling against an athletic team with a couple fresh legs on their bench... I remember Shu-ter Patel banking in a huge three with under five to play... and I think that I had a half-court shot to win bounce off the rim right before the buzzer. But, all in all, it felt like a bad dream. So, my mind is erasing the nightmare.

The loss knocks OU down to second place in the standings with a 5-2 record. They look to take on Anderson in their next match-up, in hopes to get back to their winning ways.