Finishing Strong

Well, we were able to finish off the season strong today by winning in overtime, 93-85 over Darussafaka. We would have ended up in the playoffs either way, but we didn’t know that while we played the game! And either way, it is always good to win your way into the playoffs. Thankfully, we were able to do just that, winning our last 5 out of 6 games. That definitely feels good.

I had a very strong first quarter with 13 points. I slumped a bit in the third quarter, but was able to finish strong in overtime especially. I ended up with 23 points and 10 assists, shooting 7-11 from the field. It wasn’t a perfect game, but it was one of my better ones.  And interestingly enough, I played the game in a fresh pair of basketball shoes that I had to purchase about an hour and a half before, because I forgot my normal pair on the bus last night.  I forgot to tell our team manager last night, so when I finally told him today, the bus was 400 kilometers away!  I was glad to have a good game for him after giving him such a headache with that….

Now it is off to play the first place team in the first round of the playoffs. We will probably play game two this coming weekend. And that’s right, I did say game two. Because we are already down 1-0 before we even played a game! For some reason, they have a rule that if you lost to the team during the season two times (and you play each team twice), then they are given the first game of the playoff series. Yes, I agree that it is absolute nonsense. But it is the rule….at least for now!

Needless to say, there will be a great deal of pressure to win that second game. But I am hopeful that we can make a strong showing. Either way, it has been great to see the team come together during these last six games. It has been a pleasure.

Enjoying the game,
Joe

Huge Win

Well, it was a tough one this afternoon. Both our team and Mersin (our opponents) had to win in order to make the playoffs. Thankfully, we were able to pull out the victory, 99-97.

We didn’t play well in the first half and ended up down by 8 at the break. Things didn’t look much better at the beginning of the third quarter, because we were soon down by 16! But then we really starting opening up the game and were able to make a great run at it during the last 14 minutes. It was an intense game, and a high scoring one in the second half….my favorite kind.

I ended up with 25 points and 8 assists. Twenty-two of those points came in the second half. I started off very slow, but naturally played much better when we just spread out the offense and played a more full-court style. As a team, we ended up scoring 62 points in the second half. It was fun to play that way, but after doing so the entire second half, I am wiped and looking forward to a day off tomorrow.

So…one game remains in the regular season. If we win, we are sure to be in. If we lose, we will probably be in the playoffs, but the team we lost to a few weeks ago will have to lose to the first place team. It would certainly be better to just win the game and be sure to make the playoffs, but it won’t be easy, because the team we play Saturday isn’t assured a place in the league next season if they lose either. So it is bound to be another battle! But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Thankful for an enjoyable victory,
Joe

Crispin Basketball School 2008

Greetings everyone,

It is my joy to announce the final dates and times for this year’s Crispin Basketball School at Pitman High School in Pitman, NJ. The week actually features two camps, a morning session for grades 6-8 and an afternoon session for grades 9-12. The camps will run from June 23-27. More information can be found by clicking here.

Or you can download the flier/registration form with here:  2008 Crispin Basketball School

Looking forward to seeing you there,

Joe

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