Campionato Esportivano de Pallancesto Everything Thread

[Taijan]

Welcome to the Campionato Esportivano de Pallancesto, as hosted by Taijan. We are pleased to have you on our idyllic little island; please, support the local economy by partaking of sun and ganja! You will find that your hotels are located in one of three areas, each teeming with culture, be it downtown Coco Bay, the heart of the nation and capital of nightlife; Nova Tangiers, beachfront paradise and home of the latest and greatest discotheques; or St. Jermaine, Taijan's oldest university, intellectual capital of the island, and haven to hard-partying students from all over.

Each of these locations is accessible from the others by metro ride totaling no more than twenty minutes, or by car or even by foot if you're up for a hike. In any case, foreigners are advised to travel in groups and avoid flashy displays of cash; crime is high in Taijan, particularly the Coco Bay metro, and the police will have little sympathy for a foreigner whose designer purse gets snatched. Ganja (cannabis) is legal and accepted here, but other drugs are not, despite what their proponents will tell you, and possession will result in jailtime. Similarly, alcohol is tolerated, but public drunkenness is a crime and will be prosecuted.

The teams will be organized into three groups of four, with the top two from each group qualifying into the playoff stage. The top two group winners will have a bye to the semis, while the bottom four qualifiers will battle it out in the quarter finals. The loser of each quarterfinal match will also play the loser of the semifinal from the other bracket, with the winners of these matches playing each other for the consolation championship.

The groups, selected randomly, are as follows:

Group A (Dynamo Arena, Nova Tangiers)

• Northern Sunrise Islands (NSI)
• Sangti
• Slembana
• Swibia

Group B (Capital Arena, Coco Bay)

• Taijan
• Holy Kamote
• Shadowbourne
• Licentian Islands

Group C (Karl van Doren Fieldhouse, St. Jermaine)

• Felix
• Earo
• Chrovan
• Tasrailia

Matchday 1 -- Northern Sunrise Islands vs Swibia, Sangti vs Slembana, Taijan vs Licentian Islands, Holy Kamote vs Shadowbourne, Felix vs Tasrailia, Earo vs Chrovan
Matchday 2 -- Swibia vs Slembana, Northern Sunrise Islands vs. Sangti, Licentian Islands vs Shadowbourne, Holy Kamote vs Taijan, Chrovan vs Tasrailia, Felix vs Earo
Matchday 3 -- Sangti vs Swibia, Slembana vs Northern Sunrise Islands, Holy Kamote vs Licentian Islands, Taijan vs Shadowbourne, Earo vs Tasrailia, Chrovan vs. Felix
Matchday 4 -- Swibia vs Northern Sunrise Islands, Slembana vs Sangti, Licentian Islands vs Taijan, Shadowbourne vs Holy Kamote, Tasrailia vs Felix, Chrovan vs Earo
Matchday 5 -- Slembana vs Swibia, Sangti vs Northern Sunrise Islands, Shadowbourne vs Licentian Islands, Taijan vs Holy Kamote, Tasrailia vs Chrovan, Earo vs Felix
Matchday 6 -- Swibia vs Sangti, Northern Sunrise Islands vs Slembana, Licentian Islands vs Holy Kamote, Shadowbourne vs Taijan, Tasrailia vs Earo, Felix vs Chrovan

A reminder that one slot is open to any Esportivan country, to replace the puppet of Holy Kamote, up until the roster RP cutoff.

Go ahead and post rosters. The first matchday will be Thursday, with cutoffs being everyday at 12pm GMT thereafter, with a break next Sunday between the two round-robins.

[Taijan]

Pos	No.	Name	Height	Age	Club
G	1	Troy Baker	73"/186cm	19	Dynamo Nova Tangiers BBC
G	2	Wesley van der Berg	73"/185cm	22	St. Christopher United
G	4	Wilbur Couman	75"/191cm	21	National Polytechnic Institute
G/F	20	Dennis Hopkins	78"/197cm	26	Coco Bay Capitals
F	21	Arvel Jacobson	76"/193cm	17	Johnstown College
F	31	Tyrone Suggitt (c)	77"/195cm	25	BBC Nova Tunis
F	33	Peter Appleby	81"/206cm	24	Lepers BBC
F	42	Zhi Matsuoka	78"/198cm	21	Zion University
F	45	Dominic Abraham	80"/203cm	25	Green Star
C	50	Alvar King	82"/208cm	22	Nova Algiers
C	00	Kenny Ubrik	84"/213cm	26	Lion of Judah BBC

Head Coach: Jonas van der Wall (St. Christopher United) Assistant Coach: Richard Hendriks (St. Christopher University)

Code: Select all

GREEN IBEXES TO RELY ON SUGGITT AS PRIMARY BALL HANDLER, SAYS VAN DER WALL

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COCO BAY--Just hours after releasing his roster for the inaugural Campionato Esportivano de Pallancesto, Taijani national team coach Jonas van der Wall has sought to clarify with fans which player will be performing the role of primary ball-handler for the Green Ibexes in the tournament.

"I received a lot of tweets and e-mails from concerned fans regarding the roster," said van der Wall in a press conference at the Capital Athletic Club, where the national team has been training for the past few weeks, "I want to clarify that the team's primary ball-handler for this tournament will be Tyrone Suggitt. It is an unorthodox choice, but Tyrone runs the offense at Nova Tunis and he does a great job there, and I'm convinced he'll do the same for us."

Asked about the rest of the starting lineup, van der Wall confirmed that nineteen year-old Dynamo Nova Tangiers phenom Troy Baker will be starting at shooting guard in the tournament. "Troy is the best shooting guard in Taijani basketball, probably even in Esportiva," van der Wall said of the Coco Bay South College alumnus, who scored the Green League's first triple-double by a guard in a blowout against van der Wall's St. Christopher United. "He's a rock-solid defender, and he can score from anywhere. It's no secret he was a major problem for us at St. Chris, and I think he's going to be a problem for the rest of Esportiva as well."

Van der Wall also confirmed that Lepers power forward Peter Appleby and Lion of Judah center Kenny Ubrik will join Baker and Suggitt in the starting lineup. He added that while he is committed to a two-guard offense, he is unsure of who the fifth starter will be Contenders for the position are thought to be St. Christopher United rookie Wesley van der Berg, Polytechnic senior Wilbur Couman, and "swingman" Dennis Hopkins, who plays both guard and small forward at Coco Bay.

"We have a solid group of guards," van der Wall said on the subject, "No doubt about that, but Tyrone is the best ball handler who just happens to be a forward, and I can't lose sight of that. Not to mention, not many of these teams coming in will have seen a point forward in action, so that's just another advantage we can add to our game."

The Ibexes have an exhibition match tomorrow against the Taijan University All-Stars in the Dutch Fieldhouse at St. Christopher University.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to tonight's exhibition match between the Taijani national basketball team and the Taijan University All-Stars. Please rise for the announcement of the starters. First, for the All-Stars..."

Troy could barely here the announcer over the noise in the arena, and as he sat looking down the tunnel his teammates had formed for him, his vision began to conform to it, slowly condensing until the arena disappeared and with it the crowd, the coaches, the refs, leaving only the players and court in his whole world.

The crowd grew louder, and Troy began to listen to the announcer again, waiting for his name. He stood up out of the chair and bent his knees slightly, poised to take the court full-speed and show the whole island, no, the whole region he meant business.

"First up for the Taijan Green Ibex, guard, number two, Troy 'Rainmaker' Baker!" Troy shot down the tunnel like a bullet, veering left to shake the opposing starters' hands, then bouncing up and down on the court, each jump higher while the crowd cheered. From the bench he caught a dirty look on the face of Coach Hendriks, but he paid no mind; Hendriks always looked like that.

"Next, also six-feet even, please welcome guard number four, Wilbur Couman!" The crowd's cheering continued as Wilbur shook the hands of the other team and ran out to chest-bump Troy high above the three-point line.
"Six-foot five, team captain, number thirty-one Tyrone Suggitt!" The cheering reached fever pitch as Tyrone took the court, his entrance understated compared to the first two.
"Six feet, nine inches from the Lepers, number thirty-three Peter Appleby! And finally, last but not least, seven feet even, please welcome Kenny Ubrik!"

The crowd exploded as Tyrone waved the team in around the free throw line. "Alright, let's show these folks what we can do," he said, "Hustle, on three. One, two, three."

"Hustle!" The cheer was lost in the high drone of the crowd. Kenny moved to the circle to jump against the All-Stars' center while Troy matched up against his man, a slick Asian point guard he'd played against in college.

The first quarter began famously, with Troy and Wilbur spreading the defense, Appleby setting solid picks, and Tyrone driving in every chance he got for a layup. Two minutes in, they led eight to two and showed no sign of letting up. Troy got a steal near the opposing three-point line and ran with it, one-on-one with his man until he spotted a green jersey out of the corner of his eye. Stopping just outside the paint, he head faked and then wrapped the ball around his defender to Appleby, who brought it down hard in a two-handed dunk, much to the crowd's audible pleasure.

"Great job," Peter told Troy as he passed the ball inbounds. Troy nodded, then passed overhead to Tyrone and ran to set up the offense.

Another five minutes, another six points' lead, three of them Troy's off a beautiful fade-away. By the time van der Berg checked in for Wilbur at the beginning of the second quarter, the Ibexes were up by twelve, twenty-six to fourteen, and their rhythm had yet to hiccup. The All-Stars took the ball in for the quarter and went for the quick layup only to be stopped by Appleby, who tagged the opposing forward on the wrist trying to block the pass.

"Foul by number thirty-three Peter Appleby, his first, team's first."

The All-Stars took the ball out under their basket and Troy leapt in the way as they attempted to pass to the wing, reacting too slow to catch the ball but managing to swat it away from the basket. The following second felt like a lifetime as each player watched the ball bounce toward half court and processed what needed to happen. Troy was the first to react, sprinting after the ball and picking it up, and the next sound anyone heard was the rim snapping back into place as Troy shoved the ball through it.

"Troy Baker, coast-to-coast!"

The next thing Troy remembered was hearing the buzzer and looking behind him to see Wilbur and Dennis Hopkins kneeling in front of the timekeeper's stand, waiting to be let in. The ref waved them in, and Wilbur pointed at Troy, for whom the gesture didn't register until he saw Hopkins take out van der Berg. He crinkled his face, utterly confused, but Wilbur just shrugged and pointed at the bench.

Troy ran to the bench, high-fiving each player in turn and taking his seat on the end, next to a deeply flustered-looking Henriks.

"What the hell was that?" Henriks demanded of Troy as he sat down.
"What the hell was what, coach? I took a fast break."
"You didn't need to dunk it! I'm not going to put up with showboats on this team, Troy."
"Coach, I knew I could make the dunk, and there was no reason not to."

By this point, Zhi Matsuoka had taken an interest in the conversation and noticing him, Henriks laid off of Troy. The team went in for halftime leading by twenty, and van der Wall laid out what he wanted the second half to look like.

"Alright, we've got a solid lead, so it's time to try some things," he said, "Tyrone, you're going to sit the bench. Zhi, I want you to take his spot, but Wilbur, you're my man on the ball-handling, alright? Make good passes, keep the ball away from the defense. They're hungry. They don't want to lose this game. Let's win it. Drive on three, one, two, three.

"Drive!"

The team lined up to take the court again, and once Henriks was out of earshot, van der Wall caught Troy's attention. "Hey, Troy," he said, "Just ease up on the dunking, alright?"

Blood boiling, Troy caught a ball from one of the staff as he entered the court and followed Wilbur in the shooting line. Passing the ball to Arvel Jacobson, he ran to the block, received Arvel's pass, and, eyes fixed on Henriks, simply placed the ball on the rim and let it fall in. Fucker.

Troy took the ball out to start the second half, feeding it to Wilbur and running up the court to get into position. The All-Stars brought a trap defense, with the two guards almost immediately cornering Wilbur, who was forced to lob over to Troy, his outlet. Troy drove in to the three-point line and dished to Zhi, who immediately found himself double-teamed at the free-throw line, barely managing to get a pass out to Wilbur, who shot and missed, leaving the All-Stars to collect the rebound.

"Good passes!" van der Wall yelled from the sideline, "Good passes!"

Appleby grabbed an easy rebound off an ill-advised field goal attempt and slung the ball to Troy, who took it up court to run the fast-break. Zhi went with him, marking him until they hit the three-point line, where the forward cut to the basket, leaving Troy to bounce pass to him for an easy layup. A minute and a half into the third quarter, the score read All-Stars thirty-three, Green Ibexes fifty-two.

"Troy!" shouted Henriks, "Run the offense! What are you doing?"

Troy shot a confused look to the bench, where he glimpsed Tyrone shaking his head, but no indication of what he had done wrong. Appleby got a big block at the top of the key, but held onto the ball, elbows out, then simply flipped it to Wilbur as he went by. Wilbur took it up the court and immediately passed to Troy, who drove to the basket, throwing his defender into Appleby's screen only to come up against the opposing center under the basket. He quickly head faked and wrapped the ball round his defender to Kenny, who took an easy hook shot for two points. Troy was surprised to hear the whistle, and even moreso to see Henriks tapping his shoulder for a thirty-second timeout.

The team gathered round, starters seated, bench players standing, and Henriks began to rant, his face growing redder with each word.

"Goddammit," he said, "This isn't the schoolyard. You're playing international basketball, fucking act like it! van der Berg, Jacobson, in for Troy and Wilbur."

Troy looked at Wilbur in confusion as the rest of the team took the court, but neither said anything. The third quarter was by far the worst for the Ibexes, though Troy could not account for his own bias. Arvel took over at point, and his inexperience showed with a few ill-advised passes over the middle to Kenny and Appleby, as well as his getting beat at defense, leaving Zhi with mismatches that resulted in drawn fouls. The Ibexes finished the third quarter ahead by eight, their lead more than cut in half.

Troy went back in and played the entire fourth quarter, dropping another twelve points from outside the three-point line, and even when Kenny and Appleby came out in favor of the reserves, Troy stayed on, as though he were making up for lost time. The game finished eighty-six to seventy, but no one, players or coaches, went into the locker room satisfied.

After his shower, dressed in civilian clothes and feeling slightly better, Troy joined Wilbur and Matsuoka to walk to the train station. Matsuoka was silent, but Wilbur seemed like he couldn't spit out the words fast enough.

"What the fuck was Henriks's problem, man?" he demanded, "Taking you out like that. It's the goddamn Dutch mafia, man, him and van der Wall and Wesley. They're trying to re-establish the colonial order or some shit."

Troy laughed a little in spite of himself. "I just don't know what I did wrong," he said, "I mean, yeah, dunking the ball was a little showy, but seriously, that play with Zhi?" He nodded in the forward's direction. "That was exactly how they told us to do that, but 'cuz it's me they don't want me to. And I know it's because I didn't sign with the university."

The trio boarded the train and grabbed hold of the bar overhead, Matsuoka having to duck to fit through the door. It departed the station and promptly dove under the lagoon, coming up on the other side into the neon lights of San Marcos Island, the main entertainment district of St. Christopher. They got off at the next stop and walked down the street, purposefully avoiding eye contact with the drunken passersby as they trekked to their high-rise hotel. Their attempt at anonymity was vain, however, as a block from the hotel a loud, hoarse voice screamed:

"Troy Baker, get in here and let me buy you a shot, baby!" The entire bar quickly crowded to the rail on the roof to watch the three of them walk by. Wilbur and Zhi attempted to walk by casually, but Troy stopped and approached the bouncer.

"Hey man," he said, "Can I see that pen?" The bouncer looked at him oddly, then handed him the pen he'd been using on his clipboard. Troy opened his wallet and dug out a hundred-dram note and on it scrawled a sloppy signature and phone number. Then he got a running start, jumped, pushed off the wall and slapped the bill on the roof, near the feet of the woman who'd called him out. Tossing the pen back to the bouncer, he walked to join his teammates again. To Zhi's quizzical look he answered, "I'm trying to make this 'Rainmaker' thing happen, alright?"

As they approached the hotel, Troy noticed a tall man standing next to the doorman of the hotel, watching. He did a double take, and realized it was Wesley van der Berg, his opposite number from the United and their teammate on the national side. Wesley approached Wilbur, Zhi, and Troy.

"Hey, guys," he said.
"What's up?" Troy asked, genuinely curious as to why van der Berg was standing outside waiting for them.
"Troy, I think you should come home with me."
"Why's that?" Now Troy really was confused.
"Coach van der Wall and Coach Hendriks are upstairs talking about you right now, and I think it will make everything worse if you're there when they're done."
Troy cast a sideways look at Wilbur, who nodded. "Does Tyrone know?" Troy asked Wesley.
"It was his idea. Your stuff's in my car; let's go."
Troy nodded and peeled off to follow Wesley back to his car while Zhi and Wilbur went inside to join the rest of the team.

--

Peter Appleby was the only player that had ever scared Jonas van der Wall. Even playing basketball against crack dealers on the streets of New Zion as a kid, Jonas had simply refused to be intimidated by anyone, and that by itself had made him a dangerous player and a fearsome coach when he'd started at St. Christopher College. Appleby, however, was a different breed, more than a basketball player; he was a Green Ibex not only by virtue of wearing the jersey, but by virtue of being a member of the Green Ibex Corps, the elite paramilitary unit that kept the peace in Taijan through any means necessary. He'd graduated top of his class from training at the College of Land Management while also captaining its basketball team and refusing to skip any training events, which often meant arriving to games still in his fatigues, changing in the locker room, and taking the court at halftime. He'd continued serving while he was in university while also starting four years for the St. Jermaine Templars and graduating summa cum laude in philosophy. Afterwards, he'd been given the honor of a posting in the active-duty Corps, which he'd turned down to serve as a reservist and play professional basketball for his hometown team, the Lepers. Now he was seated on a bed in the coaches' hotel room, looking confused.

"So, how do you feel, Coach?" Hendriks asked van der Wall as he entered the room holding a plate of fruit from the hotel's ground floor. "Peter," he added with a quick nod as he spotted the power forward seated on his bed.
"Dick, why don't you give Peter that plate?" van der Wall kept his attention on the television where a cheesy soap opera was playing on low volume.
"What?" Hendriks sounded indignant.
"Peter, take that plate from him." Peter looked back at van der Wall askance, but stood up to his full height, at least two heads taller than Hendriks, and held out a hand. Hendriks gave in very quickly.
"Now," said van der Wall, standing up from his bed and looking directly at Hendriks, "Why don't you tell me what the FUCK it is that makes you think you can take my players out of the game as you damn well please? I don't know what the FUCK your problem is, but Troy Baker is the best guard we've got, and he was playing out of his MIND tonight, you understand me, and you wouldn't let him fucking BREATHE! I wasn't going to say anything in front of the team, and I won't, but I swear to God, you give any coaching advice you have for Mr. Baker to ME, until further notice! Is that quite fucking clear? Just because he's not a good Dutch boy like van der Berg and didn't play for the University does NOT mean he doesn't play here! He's too damn good for the University! He's too damn good to play on this God-forsaken island, and if you don't fucking straighten up, he's going to figure that out!" Van der Wall took a few deep breaths before continuing in a calmer, more intense tone. "So if you care about basketball, or Taijan, let alone this fucking team, you'll lay off him. Clear?"

Peter remained unflinching throughout his coach's tirade, but he was deeply surprised that the cool and level-headed van der Wall would lose his patience so quickly with the assitant he'd chosen. The relationship between van der Wall and Hendriks was legendary in Taijani basketball, with fully half of the St. Christopher United roster being alumni of Hendriks's St. Christopher University team. He stood up as Hendriks ducked into the bathroom, and turned to face van der Wall.

"You wanted something, Coach?" he asked, as inoffensively as he could.
"Yeah, I was afraid I was going to hit him. What happened to Troy?"
"He went home with van der Berg, sir."
"That's good Dutch hospitality right there," van der Wall said approvingly, "Go join your teammates, Peter. Good job tonight."

Holy hell that's a novel

Don't injure my players past the end of the game, don't divy up more than half of my points, otherwise have fun.

[Chrovan]

Coach: Braeden Wil. An old star from the heyday of Chrovanian basketball and grainy television feeds, Braeden is without a doubt a bit of an anachronism. Nevertheless, his old strategies still have some pop to them, especially since they've passed so far out of vogue that these young'ns aren't even being taught how to counter them anymore. He runs a very loose game, with all of the starters being very versatile, and usually in a very aggressive scoring-intensive manner.
Style: +3.75

Starters:
Combo Guard: Alfie Goode, #12. 5'7". An all-around threat from the outside, Goode is usually the go-to man when the team needs to make up a lot of points quickly. Due to the team's general lack of height, offensive rebounds are few and far between, so Goode has groomed his three-point shot to pinpoint accuracy. He's the teams best straight stealer on defense, and his surprisingly good vertical (as well as great reflexes) has led to more than a few blocked jump shots.
Swingman: Hector Bennett, #23. 6'3". Bennett is the best all-around athlete on the team. He's quick, he's strong, and he can nail a clutch three when needed. He also has a tendency of making ridiculous plays on the outside paint, turning around plays gone wrong and practically pulling points from thin air.
Point Forward: Roosevelt Day, #13. 6'0". <Captain> The playcaller and passer. Day has worked closely with Coach Wil and knows every play inside and out, and knows how to get his teammates into position. Whenever he doesn't have a pass, he likes to charge in and either make use of his good short-range shot or draw the foul. He's the team's best from the free-throw line, having gone entire seasons without missing one.
Cornerman: Cedric Lee, #34. 6'4". The inside scorer. Lee is the primary source of points on the team, being able to score anywhere within the three-point line. He's also infamous for turning 'real' three-pointers, often being able to convince refs that he'd been fouled on a questionable play. Fans of his opponents like to call upon his degree from Chrovan's premier (and only) acting academy to accuse him of faking fouls, but I'm not going to complain if someone can make something productive of an acting degree.
Bigman: Paul Boone, #45. 6'6". Boone isn't the best on the ball. He knows this, Day knows this, the coach knows this. But there's a reason he still gets the start over dunk-happy Bryan; he does everything else magnificently. An phenomenal shot blocker, a good passer, and a great ball handler, he's a great support player and usually second behind Day for assists. If he ever brings the ball to the basket, it'll usually be on the slamming end of an alley-oop.

Bench:
6^th Man: Rastus Franklyn, #6. 6'2". <Vice-Captain> Bennet's protegé, Franklyn is the second-best athlete on the team. He's always the first sub on and gets plenty of playing time, doing just about everything well, albeit not to Bennet's level (yet).
The Tall One: Spike Bryan, #5. 6'9". He likes to dunk. A lot. And that's about all he does.
Passer: Jepson North, #2. 5'8". If Day needs a break, North is pretty good for a step down. His playstyle is very different from both Day's and Wil's, but everyone on the team is flexible enough to work with that--and it really screws with the opponents when we switch strategies suddenly.
Shooter: Pete Watson, #1. 5'5". Essentially Goode without the defense. Often comes in for Lee during late-game rallies, when the other players have the defense on lockdown and threes are in demand.
Inside Man: Dayton Walton, #4. 5'9". Rarely used, he does Lee's job to a lesser extent.
The Backup: Lucian Darby, #3. 6'5". Basically just there in case there's a rash of injuries. A very middling player--can do just about everything, but not particularly well. A jack of all trades but master of none, if you will.

RP Permissions:
Choose my scorers: Y
RP injuries to my players: Y, only out for the game
Godmod Injuries: N
Godmod scoring events: Y
Give out technical Fouls to my players: Y
Eject/Foul Out my players: Y
Godmod other events: Y

[Sangti]

SANGTI GLOBOS ANGAS
MEN'S NATIONAL BASKETBALL TEAM

SPONSORED BY

ROSTER

Jersey	Name			Age	Height	Pos
4	Ahlen Columbino		23	6'8"	C/PF
5	Amando Sumisim		23	5'8"	SG
6	Cesar Macalindong	26	5'0"	PG
7	Marchal Chang		24	6'5"	PF
8	Nataniel Silungan	24	6'2"	PF/SF
9	Adrian Yau		36	5'2"	PG
10	Keano Ongsyping		35	5'11"	SF
11	McDarvin Bejosano	25	6'2"	SF
12	Masahiro Donalvo	34	5'4"	PG/SG
13	Alarice Lazada		36	6'4"	PF
14	Ceazar Dolorfino	23	5'10"	SG
15	Agustini Espiritu	23	7'0"	C

DEPTH CHART

Pos	Starter		Bench		Reserve
C	Espiritu	Chang	
PF	Columbino	Lazada	
SF	Bejosano	Silungan	Ongsyping
SG	Sumisim		Dolorfino	
PG	Donalvo		Macalindong	Yau

COACHING STAFF

Head Coach	Jenichi Tayzon
Assistant Coach	Nicco Imperial

JERSEYS (Provided by Sangti Sports)


RP PERMISSIONS

0. Go crazy, but there are some limitations.
1. Don't destroy my home stadium. (If applicable)
2. Don't kill my players.
3. You cannot provide scoresheets for my team. I'll do it myself.

[Taijan]

Matchday 1 Cutoff
Group A
Northern Sunrise Islands 77–93 Swibia
Sangti 92–72 Slembana
Group B
Holy Kamote 67–78 Shadowbourne
Licentian Islands 64-Taijan 79
Group C
Felix 94–70 Tasrailia
Earo 100–79 Chrovan

Current standings:

Code: Select all

  Group A                  Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts
1 Sangti                     1   1  0   92  72 +20    3
2 Swibia                     1   1  0   93  77 +16    3
3 Northern Sunrise Islands   1   0  1   77  93 −16    0
4 Slembana                   1   0  1   72  92 −20    0

Code: Select all

  Group B               Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 Taijan                  1    1   0   0    79   64  +15     3
2 Shadowbourne            1    1   0   0    78   67  +11     3
3 Holy Kamote             1    0   0   1    67   78  −11     0
4 Licentian Islands       1    0   0   1    64   79  −15     0

Code: Select all

  Group C                  Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts
1 Felix                      1   1  0   94  70 +24    3
2 Earo                       1   1  0  100  79 +21    3
3 Chrovan                    1   0  1   79 100 −21    0
4 Tasrailia                  1   0  1   70  94 −24    0

Obrigado to NSI for the scores in Group B. Next cutoff is this time tomorrow.

[Sangti]

THRASHING
Romeo Matubis, El Diario Deportivo del Sangti

Sangti 92 - 72 Slembana
Group A, Campionato Esportivano de Pallancestro
Dynamo Arena, Nova Tangiers, Taijan

The Globos Angas Team made its victorious debut when it crushed Slembana 92-72 in the first edition of the Campionato Esportivano de Pallancestro. Spearheaded by captain Ahlen Columbino, the Sangtians made quick work of Slembana in the third and fourth quarters to seal the game after leading by just 5 in the half. Amando Sumisim scored 20 points on 4/7 three points shooting, and Masahiro Donalvo almost getting a triple-double, 17 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists.

Coach Jenichi Tayson giving instructions to the players

The game started slowly for the Angas, with the center from Slembana scoring basket after basket, making Agustini Espiritu's work a lot difficult. Slembana was leading 13-6 when the first wave of Sangti's attack came through a 11-0 run sparked by Espiritu and McDarvin Bejosano. The last basket was an alley-oop from Donalvo to Espiritu slamming the basket. Slembana scored a three to make it 16-17. Sumisim shot a reply three to end the first quarter, 20-16.

Slembana scored a 12-4 run to give the lead back to Slembana, 28-24, when Nataniel Silungan scored a three-point play and a fastbreak dunk, 29-28. The lead was extended further when Donalvo made a three of his own and scoring a circus reverse layup to give Sangti a 34-28. Both teams exchanged shots until the halftime buzzer, and the score was 52-47, Sangti.

Masahiro Donalvo falling on a Slembana play

The third quarter finally sparked a big 14-2 run for Sangti courtesy of Columbino, Donalvo, and Sumisim. Sangti's lead balooned to 15 after three, 73-58. And in the fourth quarter, Columbino finished off Slembana, 92-72.

THE SCORES

PLAYER		M	P	R	A	S	B
Espiritu	28	13	17	4	0	2
Columbino	26	6	15	3	3	1
Bejosano	25	13	4	7	2	3
Sumisim		34	20	5	12	1	0
Donalvo		33	17	11	8	0	1
Chang		10	5	2	0	0	1
Lazada		2	0	0	0	0	0
Silungan	17	8	6	2	0	1
Dolorfino	1	0	0	0	0	0
Macalindong	13	4	3	1	2	0
Ongsyping	8	3	0	2	1	0
Yau		3	3	0	0	0	0

[Taijan]

Code: Select all

GREEN IBEXES OPEN WITH STRONG SHOWING AGAINST LICENTIAN ISLANDS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COCO BAY -- The Taijani national basketball team began its Campionato Esportivano de Pallancesto campaign in good stead today with a riveting 79-64 defeat of the Licentian Islands to put them in first place of Group B. The team arrived to much fanfare, as a sold-out capital arena was already at capacity when they began their warmups, and not long after, the team began its first scoring run, outpacing the Islands eight points to two in the first four minutes of the game. Combo guard Wilbur Couman, who got the starting not despite a lackluster effort against the university all-stars, put up ten points in the first half, including a four-point play and an additional set of free-throws, all made almost effortlessly. His opposite number Troy Baker dropped six from a single three-pointer and a handful of free-throws in a disappointing first half that saw him sit the bench in favor of Capitals swingman Dennis Hopkins.

Hopkins came in at the half and promptly took control of the game, hitting ten points in the third quarter alone and a total of sixteen for the night, second only to Kenny Ubrik who played every minute of the match and showed no sign of slowing down. Ubrik dominated defensively with a total eleven blocks and, with power forward Peter Appleby, effectively shut out the Islands' backcourt. Appleby himself put up nine, and point forward Tyrone Suggitt managed an impressive fifteen despite spending most of the night dishing passes to the rest of his team. Ubrik was man of the match, leading the team with twenty-two points and a triple-double, the first of the tournament.

Christopher Chang lowered the binoculars from his face, spitting a thin strip of saliva from between his front teeth. Everything on the ground was wrong; the police were in the wrong places, which put his people in the wrong places, which meant that the crowd would go to every wrong place it could find and possibly compromise the whole operation. Maybe if the police had called for backup earlier, instead of walking around like everything was fine until eighteen hours prior to the event, they could have done this right, instead of scrambling to get into places. Maybe if the goddamn government wasn't too busy giving handouts to crackheads, they could have paid the Green Ibexes what they were worth and had a professional force on the ground from the start.

Chang was a social conservative, a rarity in Taijan and even moreso among the Green Ibexes. Even though the Corps was supposed to be apolitical, he'd kept his beliefs to himself throughout training, and yet he still felt that not buying into all the save-the-goats bullshit was what had cost him the opportunity to become a billy, a full-time member of the Corps. So instead he was a hunting guide, taking rich tourists into the mountains to shoot Taijan's endemic game with composite bows. That was one form of environmentalism he could get behind; save the forests so we can sell them to rich bastards with nothing better to do. Still, he'd jumped at the chance to mobilize with the force that was securing the grounds for the tournament, and had been placed at the head of the Coco Bay segment which was usually the responsibility of Peter Appleby.

Appleby. Chang had gone through training with that prick. Showing up late to everything, blaming basketball, and then taking over immediately like it was no big deal. Everyone had thought he was the shit, but Chang had found him abrasive and aloof, completely unwilling to do anything other than be in charge and bossing people around. Their instructors had said over and over that you had to follow to lead, but apparently when you're a good enough basketball player, you skip the following stage and take right over.

[Holy Kamote]

HOLY KAMOTE NATIONAL BASKETBALL TEAM
THE KAMOTES

ROSTER

Jersey	Name			Age	Height	Pos
4	Majed Latoza		36	5'5	PG
5	Ruelito Libongco	37	7'0	C
6	Alejandrino Almajeda	31	6'4	PF
7	Miguel Timtim		34	6'6	PF
8	Jvee Tejeresas		35	5'4	PG
9	Gio Olalia		27	5'10	SF
10	Broderic Privaldos	27	5'7	PG
11	Jejomar Legaspi		23	6'10	C
12	Tedmund Eala		34	5'7	SG
13	Gonzalo Mejia		21	6'0	SF
14	Jerald Sisante		37	5'9	SG
15	Alexandrei Jamias	23	5'9	SG

RP PERMISSIONS
0. Go crazy, but there are some limitations.
1. Don't destroy my home stadium. (If applicable)
2. Don't kill my players.
3. You cannot provide scoresheets for my team. I'll do it myself.

[Holy Kamote]

LOSS
Loss against Shadowbourne, Kamotes moves on as they face hosts

TAIJAN - The debut of the Holy Kamote basketball team was a bit disappointing as they were beaten by Shadowbourne, 67-78. It was an 11 point loss for the Kamotes, who will now face the host Taijan.

It was a tough going for Latoza and company, since they were trailing for the entire game. Shadowbourne had a 21 point lead at the end of the third quarter, reason enough for Holy Kamote to lose despite a 10-0 run at the start of the fourth quarter.

SCORES

PLAYER			M	P	R	A	S	B
Ruelito Libongco	33	13	22	6	1	8
Miguel Timtim		30	10	11	2	0	2
Gonzalo Mejia		33	11	3	9	1	1
Jerald Sisante		26	3	8	9	2	0
Majed Latoza		33	12	9	3	2	1
Gio Olalia		2	0	1	0	0	0
Broderic Privaldos	2	0	1	0	0	0
Jejomar Legaspi		16	7	7	1	1	1
Tedmund Eala		6	0	3	0	0	0
Jvee Tejeresas		1	0	0	0	0	0
Alejandrino Almajeda	7	3	1	2	0	0
Alexandrei Jamias	12	7	1	2	0	0

[Northern Sunrise Islands]

NORTHERN SUNRISE ISLANDS ROSTER
THE VAPOREONS

POS.	#	Name			Height	Team
C	2	Felipe Almagro		2.01 m	Weddington Warriors [SBL]	
C	00	Terry Uniondale		2.09 m	Brentwood Heat [SBL]
C	11	Hayato Sakamura		1.89 m	Boston Celtics [SBL]
PF	6	Yago Alvim		1.95 m	Porto Alegre Bulls [SBL]
PF	22	Mizuki Sato		2.00 m	Brentwood Heat [SBL]
PF	33	Marcílio Dias		1.88 m	Selyne City Charge [SBL]
SF	3	Kurt Bacon		1.96 m	Weddington Warriors [SBL]
SF	12	Marcelo Berna		1.94 m	São Paulo Mets [SBL]
SF	8	Filipo Alavés		1.91 m	Spagonia Knights [SBL]
SG	10	Hiroshi Akinawa		1.99 m	Watanabe Sky [SBL]
SG	17	Martin Beaudonen	1.99 m	Selyne City Charge [SBL]
SG	19	Félix Brauneau		1.98 m	Tokyoto BEAT [SBL]
PG	7	Filipe Diamantina	1.88 m	Porto Alegre Bulls [SBL]
PG	4	Matt Preacher		1.89 m	Boston Celtics [SBL]
PG	9	Louis Guissevanc'h	2.00 m	Ayeville Shock [SBL]

RP PERMISSIONS
Everything aside from killing, man.

[Taijan]

Group A
Swibia 65-66 Slembana
Northern Sunrise Islands 61-83 Sangti

Group B
Licentian Islands 68-82 Shadowbourne
Holy Kamote 92–88 Taijan
Group C
Tasrailia 78-97 Chrovan
Felix 81-61 Earo

Code: Select all

  Group A                  Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts
1 Sangti                     2   2  0  175 133 +42    6
2 Swibia                     2   1  1  158 143 +15    3
3 Slembana                   2   1  1  138 157 −19    3
4 Northern Sunrise Islands   2   0  2  138 176 −38    0

Code: Select all

   Group B              Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 Shadowbourne            2    2   0   0   160  135  +25     6
2 Taijan                  2    1   0   1   167  156  +11     3
3 Holy Kamote             2    1   0   1   159  166   −7     3
4 Licentian Islands       2    0   0   2   132  161  −29     0


Code: Select all

  Group C                  Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts
1 Felix                      2   2  0  175 131 +44    6
2 Earo                       2   1  1  161 160  +1    3
3 Chrovan                    2   1  1  176 178  −2    3
4 Tasrailia                  2   0  2  148 191 −43    0


[Sangti]

DOMINANCE
Romeo Matubis, El Diario Deportivo del Sangti

Northern Sunrise Islands 61-83 Sangti
Group A, Campionato Esportivano de Pallancestro
Dynamo Arena, Nova Tangiers, Taijan

Globos Angas Sangti continued to steamroll its opponents in the Campionato Esportivano de Pallancestro by beating the Northern Sunrise Islands Vaporeons, 83-61 to lead Group A with a 2-0 record. McDarvin Bejosano led the way with 21 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists. They also got a good production from the bench with 23 bench points compared to NSI's 19. Felipe Almagro scored 12 points for the Vaporeons, who now lost both their opening matches and will look to have a good match with Slembana, who edged Swibia 66-65 earlier in the day. Sangti will then face Swibia in Matchday 3.

Jenichi Tayzon said in the post match conference, "It is good for the boys. We have now won two games convincingly, that will give us a chance to nab the first basketball championship in Esportiva. We want to make a good impression for the upcoming IBC XIII."

STATS
NORTHERN SUNRISE ISLANDS

PLAYER			M	P	R	A	S	B
Felipe Almagro		31	12	6	1	1	1
Yago Alvim		21	10	6	6	0	1
Kurt Bacon		19	1	1	5	1	2
Hiroshi Akinawa		24	11	3	0	0	1
Filipe Diamantina	31	10	9	11	2	0
Terry Uniondale		3	1	2	0	0	0
Mizuki Sato		7	1	1	1	1	0
Marcelo Berna		5	2	0	0	0	0
Martin Beaudonen	7	1	1	0	0	0
Matt Preacher		1	0	0	0	0	0
Hayato Sakamura		12	7	0	0	0	2
Marcílio Dias		15	3	4	0	1	1
Filipo Alavés		7	1	3	0	1	0
Félix Brauneau		16	3	2	3	0	1
Louis Guissevanc'h	1	0	0	0	0	0

SANGTI

PLAYER			M	P	R	A	S	B
Agustini Espiritu	19	10	10	2	0	3
Ahlen Columbino		21	11	0	0	1	1
McDarvin Bejosano	35	21	6	7	1	2
Amando Sumisim		28	7	8	9	4	0
Masahiro Donalvo	21	9	8	0	4	0
Marchal Chang		6	1	0	0	0	1
Alarice Lazada		13	1	1	1	1	1
Nataniel Silungan	13	8	0	1	1	1
Ceazar Dolorfino	11	6	3	3	1	0
Cesar Macalindong	6	1	0	2	1	0
Keano Ongsyping		12	3	0	1	1	1
Adrian Yau		13	3	1	1	1	0

[Swibia]

Swibian National Basketball Team
Campionato Esportivano de Pallancesto

ROSTER

Jersey	Name			Age	Height	Pos
4	Gavin Josephson	        23	6'8"	C/PF
5	Casey Stiver	        23	5'8"	SG
6	Landen Lanford	        26	5'0"	PG
7	Jamari Bramlett	        24	6'5"	PF
8	Charles Trow	        24	6'2"	PF/SF
9	Adrian Yau		36	5'2"	PG
10	Micheal Gellatly	35	5'11"	SF
11	Grant Walle	        25	6'2"	SF
12	Brock Howley	        34	5'4"	PG/SG
13	Alonzo Hardgrave	36	6'4"	PF
14	Dakota Pelfrey	        23	5'10"	SG
15	Ryder Byron	        23	7'0"	C

COACHING STAFF

Head Coach	Duane Burrowes
Assistant Coach	Johan Clemence

RP PERMISSIONS

1. Go crazy, but there are some limitations.
2. Don't kill my players.

[Swibia]

SWIBIA STRIKES IN CAMPIONATO ESPORTIVANO DE PALLANCESTO

The Swibian National Basketball Team has struck twice, with great results on both occasions. In the first match against the Northern Sunrise Islands, the Swibian team won with an overall score of 93 to the Northern Sunrise Islands' 77. However, in the second match Swibia lost extremely narrowly to Slembana, 65 points for Swibia and 66 for Slembana.

Sangti has won both of their matches and is currently top of the group, Swibia being second, Slembana third and Northern Sunrise Islands fourth. Head Coach of the Swibian Team has had this to say "The Swibian Team has performed very well so far on their first outing together. Nobody has high expectations so the further we go in the competition the better."

[Taijan]

Group A
Sangti 89–84 Swibia
Slembana 85–103 Northern Sunrise Islands

Group B
Holy Kamote 76–96 Licentian Islands
Shadowbourne 79-69 Taijan

Group C
Earo 70–81 Tasrailia
Chrovan 92–70 Felix

Code: Select all

  Group A                  Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts
1 Sangti                     3   3  0  264 217 +47    9
2 Swibia                     3   1  2  242 232 +10    3
3 Northern Sunrise Islands   3   1  2  241 261 −20    3
4 Slembana                   3   1  2  223 260 −37    3


Code: Select all

Group B
                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 Shadowbourne            3    3   0   0   239  204  +35     9
2 Taijan                  3    1   0   2   236  235   +1     3
3 Licentian Islands       3    1   0   2   228  237   −9     3
4 Holy Kamote             3    1   0   2   235  262  −27     3

Code: Select all

  Group C                  Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts
1 Felix                      3   2  1  245 223 +22    6
2 Chrovan                    3   2  1  268 248 +20    6
3 Earo                       3   1  2  231 241 −10    3
4 Tasrailia                  3   1  2  229 261 −32    3


No matches tomorrow, to give us a chance to get caught up.

[Swibia]

SWIBIA MAINTAINS SECOND POSITION

In their most recent match, the Swibian National Basketball Team played the current group leaders Sangti. The match was a very, very close situation with all the skill of the Swibian Team being utilised to stay in the game. Alas, winning was not in their grasp and by the end of the game the score was 89 to Sangti and 84 to Swibia. However, with scores being so close, and Northern Sunrise Islands winning their match against Slembana, Swibia has retained the second position in the group with just 3 points.

[Taijan]

Code: Select all

TAIJAN STILL IN THE CEDP DESPITE BACK-TO-BACK LOSSES
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COCO BAY- The mood was somber in the locker room as news came in of the Licentian Islands' decisive victory over Holy Kamote, placing the bottom three teams of Group B in a deadlock over the second-place qualifying slot, with Taijan in the lead by eighteen points of goal difference over Holy Kamote. Still, no one in the room was happy with the Ibexes' loss to group leaders Shadowbourne, who remain undefeated after the first round robin at the Capital Arena.

"We need to play better, that's all there is," said captain Tyrone Suggitt, "Individual guys are playing well, but we need to move the ball better as a team, know what's going on, make good passes."

Coach Jonas van der Wall declined to comment except to say that Suggitt had hit the nail on the head. Suggitt's performance was a rare high point, scoring twenty of the team's points on a triple-double. The Green Ibexes started well, outscoring Shadowbourne ten to eight in the first quarter, but foul trouble benched starting power forward Peter Appleby quickly, and a physical performance by the Shadowbourne center forced Kenny Ubrik to play back. Coming in for Appleby in the second quarter, Zhi Matsuoka managed two three-point plays back to back, but failed to contribute on defense, unable to overcome Shadowbourne's physical intimidation.

With a clean slate in the second period, Appleby brought his A game once again, dominating on the perimeter but missing several opportunities to feed balls out to his guards. Shooting guard Troy Baker, despite his profile and much-touted three-point shooting skill, saw few opportunities to land points for the Ibexes, putting up a modest twelve points despite playing nearly the whole game. Baker did shine on defense; however, poor play on the inside by Ubrik and Matsuoka made most of his effort in vain. The second guard was a revolving door as starter Wilbur Couman managed only three points, all of them from free throws, and United rookie Wesley van der Berg put up only four in the entire second half.

Three matches remain in the group phase of the inaugural Campionato Esportivano de Pallancestro, with Taijan squaring off against the Licentian Islands once again tonight.

"Run the offense."

The mood was tense at practice on the team's off-day. Muscles were still sore, and egos still strained, from the previous night's whipping, and so Henriks and van der Wall had opted for a simpler day of running scrimmages rather than punitively difficult drills. Presently, the starters squared off against the subs; Tyrone was carrying the ball up the court alongside Troy, while Wilbur set up on the wing and Appleby and Kenny played high-low in the paint. Tyrone faked in side and shot a pass out to Troy, who quickly passed off to Appleby before Hopkins could get to him. Of all the players present, Hopkins hadn't even played the night before, yet he grimaced more than anyone, no doubt still angry at being benched for refusing to pass against the Islands. It was hard to believe that was only a few nights ago, that they were on top of the world.

Appleby spun around Dominic Abraham, the soft-spoken power forward from Green Star, and drove to the basket only to come up against Zhi, who crossed his hands over his crotch and took the charge. From the sideline, Henriks blew the whistle.

"Charge, Appleby," he said, "You gotta watch that. Going the other way; Arvel, in for Hopkins."

Still looking angry, Hopkins took the bench while the baby-faced black kid from Johnstown, Arvel Jacobson, took the ball up the court, van der Berg on his wing. Troy picked Arvel up at half-court, pinning him close, eyes on the numbers, until Arvel turned to run. Troy went with him, keeping up as far as the three-point line whereupon he slammed into Zhi's chest and found that the tall Japanese boy had no intent of moving. Appleby picked Arvel up, but the boy deftly outmaneuvered him, using his size against him with a nasty crossover, then dished to Alvar King, who drew a foul from Kenny as he easily placed the ball in the basket.

"Damn," thought Troy as he stood behind the three-point line watching Alvar shoot.

Tyrone started to take the ball back up, but van der Wall waved up him off, indicating for Arvel to turn his practice jersey inside out and sending Wilbur to the bench. Arvel took the ball up and passed to Troy immediately, who turned and shot for a beautiful, nothing-but-net three-pointer. The next play Arvel got beat badly by van der Berg, who got an easy pass off to Matsuoka inside. Zhi faked once, then wrapped the ball underneath to Alvar, who tipped in into the net easily.

Practice continued for another forty-five minutes or so before the team was ordered into the locker room for a meeting. Troy saw the whiteboard that van der Wall always used, and he saw it being rewritten.

[Sangti]

UNBEATEN
Romeo Matubis, El Diario Deportivo del Sangti

Sangti 89–84 Swibia
Group A, Campionato Esportivano de Pallancestro
Dynamo Arena, Nova Tangiers, Taijan

Globos Angas have just completed a first round sweep of Group A with a close but convincing 89-84 win over Swibia. Sangti relied on their bench, which got 36 bench points to beat their opponents. However, Amando Sumimsim scored 16 points to lead the Angas into their third straight victory. Brock Howley scored 16 points for Swibia. Sangti will next face Slembana again while Swibia face Northern Sunrise Islands.

SCORES
SANGTI

PLAYER			M	P	R	A	S	B
Agustini Espiritu	26	9	18	1	0	4
Ahlen Columbino		28	12	3	4	0	3
McDarvin Bejosano	18	2	7	0	1	2
Amando Sumisim		26	16	4	2	4	1
Masahiro Donalvo	30	14	9	3	2	0
Marchal Chang		6	4	3	0	0	0
Alarice Lazada		6	1	2	1	0	1
Nataniel Silungan	9	4	0	2	1	1
Ceazar Dolorfino	11	7	2	0	1	0
Cesar Macalindong	13	4	2	2	1	0
Keano Ongsyping		15	9	4	2	1	1
Adrian Yau		10	7	2	2	0	0

SWIBIA

PLAYER			M	P	R	A	S	B
Ryder Byron		21	12	4	4	1	3
Gavin Josephson		22	14	2	0	3	1
Charles Trow		36	4	13	3	3	3
Casey Stiver		27	9	2	2	3	0
Brock Howley		25	16	5	3	1	1
Alonzo Hardgrave	17	4	5	3	0	2
Jamari Bramlett		9	2	4	0	1	0
Micheal Gellatly	0	0	0	0	0	0
Dakota Pelfrey		17	10	2	1	2	0
Landen Lanford		6	2	1	1	1	0
Grant Walle		6	4	2	0	0	0
Adrian Yau		13	7	3	1	0	0

[Taijan]

Group A
Northern Sunrise Islands 63–88 Swibia
Sangti 79–83 Slembana
Group B
Holy Kamote 83–77 Shadowbourne
Taijan 64–68 Licentian Islands
Group C
Felix 77–87 Tasrailia
Earo 76–74 Chrovan

Code: Select all

   Group A                  Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 Sangti                      4    3   0   1   343  300  +43     9
2 Swibia                      4    2   0   2   330  295  +35     6
3 Slembana                    4    2   0   2   306  339  −33     6
4 Northern Sunrise Islands    4    1   0   3   304  349  −45     3

Code: Select all

   Group B              Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 Shadowbourne            4    3   0   1   316  287  +29     9
2 Licentian Islands       4    2   0   2   296  301   −5     6
3 Holy Kamote             4    2   0   2   318  339  −21     6
4 Taijan                  4    1   0   3   300  303   −3     3

Code: Select all

   Group C              Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 Chrovan                 4    2   0   2   342  324  +18     6
2 Felix                   4    2   0   2   322  310  +12     6
3 Earo                    4    2   0   2   307  315   −8     6
4 Tasrailia               4    2   0   2   316  338  −22     6


[Swibia]

SWIBIA SCOOPS UP MORE POINTS AGAINST NORTHERN SUNRISE ISLANDS

The Swibian National Basketball Team played the Northern Sunrise Islands team and beat them for the second time in a 88-63 victory. The match was much closer in the second half, but Swibian domination in the first half paid off because it meant that they had already secured enough points that they didn't need to worry about taking points against them in the second half.

Swibian Head Coach, Duane Burrowes, had this to say "The team has been amazing so far and I think only good things can come from such a performance. We will keep training hard and I hope we get more results in the future too."

[Sangti]

COLLAPSE
Romeo Matubis, El Diario Deportivo del Sangti

Sangti 79 - 83 Slembana
Group A, Campionato Esportivano de Pallancestro
Dynamo Arena, Nova Tangiers, Taijan

Globos Angas lost its first match in the Campionato Esportivano de Pallancestro to Slembana, 79-83 after leading by 15 in three quarters. Slembana outscored Sangti 28-9 in the fourth quarter to record its second win in Group A play. In the Group's other match, Swibia recovered after the loss it suffered against Sangti and Slembana by beating the Northern Sunrise Islands 88-63.

Masahiro Donalvo and McDarvin Bejosano led the Sangtian charge in the first half, with three after three, bombarding Slembana with a 14 point lead. A tight third quarter brought the scores at 70-55. However, the defense collapsed after Agustini Espiritu and Ahlen Columbino struggled with foul trouble in the entire fourth quarter. This sparked a 11-0 run by Slembana bringing down the lead to 4, 70-66. Nat Silungan scored for Sangti 72-66. However, Slembana capped another 11-0 run to make it 72-77. From there Slembana never turned back, prompting the two starters to return to the court, but Espiritu was fouled out just as Sangti started to come back, 79-81. Sangti could have taken the lead with Bejosano's three at the dying seconds, but Slembana rebounded the ball and shot two crucial free throws to put the game beyond doubt. Espiritu finished with 4 markers, a season-low.

Jenichi Tayzon was irate after the match, with his shouting heard outside their locker room in the Dynamo Arena. He snubbed the post-match conference, possibly incurring a fine for doing so. Sangti will next face NSI while Slembana will face Swibia. Sangti is the favorite to clinch the group on matchday 5 and it might happen if they beat NSI coupled with Slembana beating Swibia.

THE SCORES

PLAYER			M	P	R	A	S	B
Agustini Espiritu	26	4	12	0	1	3
Ahlen Columbino		26	9	2	0	1	0
McDarvin Bejosano	23	10	6	5	1	1
Amando Sumisim		16	9	2	2	1	1
Masahiro Donalvo	30	13	8	9	4	1
Marchal Chang		12	3	8	1	0	1
Alarice Lazada		13	6	3	3	1	1
Nataniel Silungan	11	6	4	0	1	1
Ceazar Dolorfino	6	3	1	0	0	0
Cesar Macalindong	10	6	0	0	1	0
Keano Ongsyping		15	4	3	1	1	1
Adrian Yau		12	6	1	1	1	0

[Taijan]

Code: Select all

TAIJAN RACKS UP THIRD STRAIGHT LOSS VERSUS LICENTIAN ISLANDS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COCO BAY -- All appeared to be well with the Green Ibexes following the break in the Campionato Esportivano de Pallancesto, and yet it all went horribly wrong as Taijan dropped yet another game to the Licentian Islands, extending their losing streak to three games. A re-constituted starting five took the court against the Islands, with seventeen year-old Arvel Jacobson replacing Polytechnic senior Wilbur Couman in the starting lineup and taking over ball-handling duties from forward Tyrone Suggitt. The new formula worked well for the first quarter, until Jacobson began to show signs of fatigue and was replaced with Couman, who made a series of poor passes which contributed to a 10-2 run by the Islands in the second quarter, to finish the half ahead by twelve after Taijan had started the game in the lead.

The game reached a stalemate in the third as Zhi Matsuoka replaced Suggitt at small forward, and Suggitt moved to a pure point guard position. This arrangement benefited the Ibexes defensively, with Suggitt's size allowing him to dominate his opposite number, but offensively Matsuoka failed to contribute, and Suggitt had little presence on the perimeter, leaving the scoring to shooting guard Troy Baker, who put up eight in the period.

After the fourth-quarter buzzer, with Taijan down by eight, the original starting five, including Couman, took the court and proceeded to play the kind of basketball that won their game against the Islands in the first round; however, the Islands kept pace, and the Taijani team eventually ran out of time to bring the score up, losing in a heartbreaking 64-68.

Troy Baker, Kenny Ubrik, and Tyrone Suggitt each played every minute of the game and contributed throughout, putting up twelve, fourteen, and fifteen points respectively. Baker also dominated defensively, scoring a tournament-high thirteen steals, while power forward Peter Appleby, who got into foul trouble early in the third but returned for the fourth, put up nine points and five blocks.

Two matchdays remain in the inaugural Campionato; Taijan must play Holy Kamote, and Shadowbourne.

[Taijan]

Group A
Swibia 84–56 Slembana
Northern Sunrise Islands 79–74 Sangti

Group B
Licentian Islands 80–84 Shadowbourne
Taijan 77-77 Holy Kamote (85-84 OT)

Group C
Tasrailia 67–57 Chrovan
Felix 74–90 Earo

Code: Select all

   Group A                  Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 Swibia                      5    3   0   2   414  351  +63     9
2 Sangti                      5    3   0   2   417  379  +38     9
3 Northern Sunrise Islands    5    2   0   3   383  423  −40     6
4 Slembana                    5    2   0   3   362  423  −61     6

Code: Select all

   Group B              Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 Shadowbourne            5    4   0   1   400  367  +33    12
2 Taijan                  5    2   0   3   385  387   −2     6
3 Licentian Islands       5    2   0   3   376  385   −9     6
4 Holy Kamote             5    2   0   3   402  424  −22     6

Code: Select all

   Group C              Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 Earo                    5    3   0   2   397  389   +8     9
2 Tasrailia               5    3   0   2   383  395  −12     9
3 Chrovan                 5    2   0   3   399  391   +8     6
4 Felix                   5    2   0   3   396  400   −4     6

[Taijan]

Code: Select all

TAIJAN SNATCHES VICTORY FROM HOLY KAMOTE TO REMAIN IN THE CAMPIONATO
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COCO BAY -- The mood in National Arena was a mixture of relief, euphoria, and absolute disbelief tonight as the Green Ibexes edged Holy Kamote by a single point to remain in the running for the Campionato Esportivano de Pallancesto. The win puts Taijan in second place in Group B and revives what had been a down-and-out campaign for the green and white.

After an unorthodox arrangement versus the Licentian Islands last night, Taijani head coach Jonas van der Wall returned to his initial starting lineup of Baker, Couman, Suggitt, Appleby, and Ubrik. The game had a sluggish start for the Ibex, as they failed to produce on offense out of the gate, being limited to a measly nine points in the first quarter, five from free throws. Substitutes were used liberally as van der Wall attempted to get something going against the Kamotes, with Matsuoka, Hopkins, van der Berg, and Abraham logging minutes in the first, in addition to the starting five.

The game began to pick up in the second as the Ibexes opened up their offense and reached a rhythm, getting a game-high streak of 10-2 as Tyrone Suggitt began finding more and more lanes through the opposition. Wesley van der Berg came off the bench to score six points in the quarter from back-to-back three-pointers, both shot without a defender in sight. The Ibex finished the first half ahead by eight and looking good.

The Kamotes' defense came online in the third, as Kenny Ubrik got into foul trouble early, forcing his replacement by Alvar King who played the rest of the game at five. The loss of Ubrik's defense meant more scoring opportunities for the Kamotes, who made repeated drives to the basket where their forwards easily overpowered the thin Matsuoka. Peter Appleby got three of his seven blocks in this quarter, but foul trouble forced him to stay his hand, and he split minutes with Matsuoka and Abraham in the second.

The fourth quarter was played on the outside as both teams' fouls pre-empted physical play inside. Troy Baker put up a tournament-high twenty-three points in the game, fifteen of them in the second half, where he fired three-pointers on play after play. Fatigue began to show on the Kamotes as the Taijani depth chart rotated in and out of the game, with Matsuoka, van der Berg, and Hopkins putting up numbers consistently. Taijan was up by ten with six minutes to go, but it was at that point that the Kamotes went on a scoring run, managing fourteen points to the Ibex's four and forcing overtime.

Overtime resembled a game of volleyball as both teams scored and answered in quick succession. With a minute remaining, the draw seemed imminent, with both teams at 82 points, until Kamotes guard Tedmund Eala drew a foul from Zhi Matsuoka to shoot two baskets from the line. He made both, putting the Kamotes over 84-82, but Taijan took the ball from under the basket and, with fifteen seconds remaining, Troy Baker shot from half-court and made it, scoring three points for the Ibex and winning the game.

Taijan's stats were well-spread among the players, all of whom saw playing time except point guard Arvel Jacobson. Baker's twenty-three points lead the team, followed by Appleby with fifteen, Ubrik with fourteen, and Matsuoka and King with six each.

Troy's heart thumped in his throat as he hustled to the bench following the first and only time-out of overtime. With the score seventy-nine to seventy-nine and only eight minutes to go, it was clear no mistakes could be made; he just hoped that van der Wall had a plan that would win them this game.

"Alright, guys," said Jonas as Troy settled into his seat, "Now is not the time to panic; now is not the time to freeze. Now is the time to relax, and play some good basketball. Catch your breath right now, run the plays, and let's bring this bitch home. Anyone need out?" He looked at the five players on the bench; all of them shook their heads. "Alright."

The Kamotes passed the ball inbounds, and Troy picked up his man, forcing him to the corner. The point guard tried to roll out, but Troy sprinted and cut him off, leaving him outside the three-point line alone. Behind him, Troy heard the squeak of sneakers as someone cut, but couldn't react fast enough to prevent the guard from passing over his right shoulder. Troy immediately cut to the basket, but by the time he'd gotten there, the ball had already gone through. Eighty-one, seventy-nine, Kamotes.

Troy took the ball out and passed it to Tyrone. The Kamotes ran a full-court press, like they had the whole second half, and Tyrone had to feint to the outside to shake his defender, but once he did, he found an open lane to the top of the key, where Peter was wide open. Tyrone shot a bullet to Appleby, who quickly turned and power dribbled into his man, driving him back, then shooting up and over him. The ball rattled off the backboard, but Alvar was there to tip it in. Tied at eighty-one.

The Ibexes set up on defense, with Troy once again pressing Eala into the corner. This time, they were ready, though, and Troy found himself thrown against a massive screen. Zhi came out to defend against Eala, who took the size mismatch as an opportunity and fired from just inside the three-point, drawing a foul from Zhi's awkwardly long body. Troy cursed under his breath, then louder when he looked at the clock; in the excitement, he'd forgot how close they were to the wire. Fifteen seconds. He lined up at half-court, trying to control his breathing. "Turn and shoot," he told himself, "It's that easy." Then Eala made both free throws and Troy's nuts tied themselves in a knot.

Zhi ducked out under the basket and lobbed the ball to Troy, much to the surprise of the Kamotes, who were not yet in position and hadn't got far enough back to guard Troy yet. In a hundredth-of-a-second calculation, Troy determined that he was better off shooting from half-court unguarded than driving to the line and having someone in his face, and so he let the ball go, a hook shot from half-court, like something an eighth-grader might try. He looked away as it approached the basket, convinced his attempt had been in vain.

And then the crowd went wild.

He later reflected that it was good he was so dehydrated, or else he might have pissed himself. Immediately, he was blindsided by the huge form of Peter Appleby, who rushed off the bench to get him in a judo hold, holding Troy on his shoulders and slowly turning him for the whole arena to see. The sound was deafening, and as Troy looked down at Peter, he saw tears streaming his teammate's bearded face. The Kamotes didn't look angry so much as stunned, as though the idea that they could lose was still registering in their minds.

In the locker room, van der Wall gave them a reality check. "The good news is, we're still in this bitch," he said, to several cheers and whoops. "The bad news is, we're still in this bitch. The game against Shadowbourne tomorrow night determines everything, and those guys don't make many mistakes. Nobody celebrates tonight; we're not there yet, but we're gonna be. Congratulations, lads."

I just want to reiterate that NSI has been scorinating my matches, not me.

[Taijan]

Group A
Sangti 80–84 Swibia
Slembana 96–93 Northern Sunrise Islands

Group B
Holy Kamote 89–82 Licentiapacisterra
Taijan 75-64 Shadowbourne

Group C
Earo 73–95 Tasrailia
Chrovan 65–79 Felix

Code: Select all

  Group A                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 Swibia                      6    4   0   2   498  431  +67    12
2 Sangti                      6    3   0   3   497  463  +34     9
3 Slembana                    6    3   0   3   458  516  −58     9
4 Northern Sunrise Islands    6    2   0   4   476  519  −43     6

Code: Select all

  Group B               Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 Shadowbourne            6    4   0   2   464  442  +22    12
2 Taijan                  6    3   0   3   460  451   +9     9
3 Holy Kamote             6    3   0   3   491  506  −15     9
4 Licentian Islands       6    2   0   4   458  474  −16     6

Code: Select all

  Group C               Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 Tasrailia               6    4   0   2   478  468  +10    12
2 Felix                   6    3   0   3   475  465  +10     9
3 Earo                    6    3   0   3   470  484  −14     9
4 Chrovan                 6    2   0   4   464  470   −6     6

First round of playoffs will be Friday, 5 July: Taijan vs. Tasrailia and Felix vs. Sangti. Semi's will be played Saturday, and the finals Sunday.