Tale of Two Halves

Reading, MA - Origins Unknown outplayed New England's Finest for one half, and seemed to be in the thick of a tight game when the second half commenced at the Readingdome. But, NEF went on an impressive second half run, and a five point lead quickly turned to a fifteen point deficit in a matter of minutes. With OU's spirit on the ropes, NEF never let off the gas. As OU proceeded to play a style that resembled "a comedy of errors" (according to Cap'n Wife Deanna) - NEF finished strong and ran away with the win, 80-64.

OU DID put together a solid first half against their younger and quicker opponent. Cap'n Mike was able to put up a strong shooting performance - knocking down long three after long three which helped match the quick offensive pace of the NEF bunch. Meanwhile, Jay "5 Minutes Late" Wandtke came out without any time to warm up and had a solid half on the low block and defensively. His presence allowed OU to pressure the shooters, but NEF boasts an athletic line-up which still found ways to score. OU seemed up to the task - with Danger Dan Fisher leading the way against Finest's best player - a very solid guard with a deadly shot and a quick first step. As the half wore on, OU battled their way to a five point lead at the half - 42-37. While OU held the lead, it was clear that legs were starting to tire against the team with what seemed like unending energy.

The second half was flat-out brutal - there isn't another way to explain it. NEF started trapping OU guards at half-court, and it seemed that every time OU got the ball out of pressure a turnover or missed shot was the result. NEF was still running at full throttle and when OU did turn it over, they paid on nearly every trip. NEF's own Cap'n and loudest talker let his game do the talking in the second half, as he nailed several long three pointers after being held mostly silent in the first half. The only second frame highlight was Shu-ter Patel's 14-inch Jordanesque shot captured in the below picture (no word on whether the shot went in)!

OU super-fans Lil' Cap'n Max and Deanna agreed that OU looked old in the second half... The 43-22 scoring difference certainly didn't help anyone's confidence either - although the team agreed in the post game interview that OU regulars James "Stretch" Hogan IV and Nick Dominator-Swain would have changed the outcome drastically.

OU now sits at 5-3 in league play, and is currently on the outside looking in, for one of the four available playoff spots.


Meanwhile, Lil' Cap'n Max continues to work on his game in an effort to join Origins Unknown as soon as possible.