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).