International Basketball Championship XII

[Andossa Se Mitrin Vega]

Time for your cut off and scores update... Congrats to the six of you moving on and to the two who forced game 3.

Thatius 59–96 Qazox (Qazox wins series 2-0)

Carasatoga 94–74 Darmen (Series tied 1-1)

Western Cuba 59–84 Cassadaigua (Cassadaigua wins series 2-0)

Saintland 78–77 Andossa Se Mitrin Vega (Saintland wins series 2-0)

Vaugania 64–100 Valladares (Valladares wins series 2-0)

Torisakia 69–79 Taeshan (Taeshan wins series 2-0)

Ko-oren 65–67 Kriegiersien (series tied 1-1)

The Sova Empire 58–74 The Andromeda Islands (The Andromeda Islands wins series 2-0)

[The Andromeda Islands]

Andromeda News Network
Andromeda Eagles vs. The Sova Empire
Trinity Center, Triarii Rivii
Thursday, August 5, 2027
11:20

ANN Sports Correspondent Mya Thomas stands on the Trinity Center Court nearly an hour after the final buzzer.

THOMAS: Before the opening tipoff, there was a moment of silence for the men who died in the New Bethlehem Prison Riot last week. Many prisoners at the New Bethlehem Correctional Facility in Sova were killed after watching their compatriots on their national basketball team won a spot in the IBC playoffs. Sova players and some Andromedan players requested that there be a moment to remember those who died.

(cut to post game interview with Cannonball Williams)

CANNONBALL: It’s really easy to go through this tournament with blinders on. We want to win, but we don’t wish no ill will on our opponents. What happened in Sova was a tragedy.

(cut to game highlights)

THOMAS: As for the game, it seemed like The Sova Empire showed up with a totally different squad from their last outing. They kept the game close for more than 30 minutes, until Chuck Taylor made an authoritative dunk over a Sova player they call “Bar Code.”

(cut to Cannonball interview)

CANNONBALL: It’s not his real name, but he’s got skills: Ball handling skills, Charity stripe skills, Computer hacking skills. People like players with skills.

(cut to Jake Shuttlesworth highlights)

THOMAS: An unexpected hero emerged to take the Eagles overcome the resurgent Sova players. Jake Shuttlesworth hadn’t been much of a contributor to the Eagles prior to tonight’s game. He averaged less than five points per game until tonight. He led the Eagles with 20 points tonight.

(cut to Cannonball)

CANNONBALL: Jake hasn’t had his head in the game. He’s also had his mind somewhere else.

(cut to highlights)

THOMAS: (off camera) Shuttlesworth nearly missed this year’s International Basketball Tournament. His wife was more than seven months pregnant when the Eagles left Beta City last week. Jacob Daniel Shuttlesworth IV was born prematurely on August 6, 2027. The child and his mother are at the Shuttlesworth home in Joppa. Shuttlesworth heard about this via text message just minutes before tip-off.

(cut to Cannonball interview)

CANNONBALL: We’re going to miss Jake for the rest of the tournament. There’s a new addition to the Shuttlesworth family.

(cut to Shuttlesworth highlights)

CANNONBALL (off camera): I told Jake to do what he had to do. I remember when my shortie and I had our first child. Sometimes, the game is everything. But if the past few days taught us anything, sometimes, it ain’t.

(cut to 3rd Quarter highlights)

THOMAS: (off camera) The story of the game can be encapsulated in a series of Sova drives late in the third. Three scoring attempts resulted in three blocks. Williams, Shuttlesworth and G-Train Jenkins were like an Iron Curtain stopping everything that came their way. That series helped the Eagles pull away to a 56-45 third quarter lead.

(cut to Cannonball interview)

CANNONBALL: When I was in school, my teachers always told me I was like a brick wall. Today, I can take that a compliment.

(cut to Thomas)

THOMAS: The Eagles will face either Kriegiersien or Ko-oren in the IBC Quarterfinals, which start early next week. Mya Thomas, Andromeda News Network.

FINAL SCORE: Andromeda wins 74-58

----------

21 F Jake Shuttlesworth

Age: 28
Team: Joppa Jaguars
Height: 6’8”
Education: B.S., Business Administration; University of Joppa, 2022
2027 Stats: 19.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg

The leading scorer for the Joppa Jaguars for the past three years, Jacob Daniel Shuttlesworth III helped Joppa win the ASBA Championship in 2024. Shuttlesworth was also the ASBA’s leading scorer in 2023 and 2024.

Shuttlesworth was also the leading scorer for the Andromeda Eagles in IBC XI.

[Ko-oren]

OOC: Thaulandi is my laissez-faire puppet

ThaulandiBetting.thl - Because betting is outlawed in Ko-oren!

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IBC Basketball - 16: Match 3

In the second match round, six out of eight series were finished 2-0. The majority of these were completely predictable, but because many agreed to outrageously specific bets, we didn't go broke. And for the rest: we can thank Saintland. They upset ASMV, and even finished it 2-0. Back to the two series that haven't been finished yet: and they are #8 vs. #9 and #7 vs.#10. The two closest series in seeding are actually the ones that have not yet been finished. The first one is Carasatoga and Darmen, that saw a Darmeni victory in the first game, but that was by a ridiculously small margin. This second game was by a difference of 20 (instead of 1). The other series is Ko-oren vs. Kriegiersien. The Greenblues looked close to a victory, when a final three-pointer shattered Ko-oren's hopes of an easy victory. But at least it was not as close as the first Darmen-Carasatoga match (67-66). Wait a second... this one ended 67-65. Is there some kind of default score that close teams end on? Maybe put some money on it?

The previously unranked Kriegiersien came a long way. This season is definitely their breakthrough in many sports, and now it's basketball. The nation seems to be enthusiastic about every sport, and while field hockey did not go as they wanted (loss v. Ko-oren, elimination after two losses against Saintland and Ancharmunn), they now are all over basketball. Ko-oren returned with the same team as two IBC's ago, after failing to register in time for IBC XI. This administrative oversight meant hell to their coefficient, though they are still 24th. And with every team either being unranked, having a ranking of around 0.50, having a ranking of around 2.00, or being all the way in the 10.00's, Ko-oren are still in that second tier.

All in all the teams are not far apart. They both did not play in IBC XI, and they both won one game in the IBC series (obviously). Don't forget to bet!

[The Sova Empire]

"That's a wrap. While we didn't go far in the postseason, we went farther than anybody in TSE. Ever. That's something you can hang your hat on. I'm proud of our efforts this season."

"Thanks, coach."

With a loss at the hands of The Andromeda Islands, the players were chilling in the locker room.

"Am I the only one who is liking the civilian clothes?"

"I love 'em! Makes me feel...free."

"Alright, I'm ready to leave. Where to, coach?"

"I don't care. You are free men. The season is over. Enjoy life."

"Oh yeah. Independence. That's cool."

There was a long pause.

"Now what?"

"Good question. I'm going to the airport, although some guys might want to stick around for the final games of the tourney."

"I'm going to go home too. Wait up for me!"

The coach and a few players took a bus to the local airport and got on the plane. After an unusually turbulent ride in the business class, the majority of the players were able to get off the plane in New Bethlehem. They all paused at the terminal, took a deep breath, and collectively sighed. They were home. And they were free.

GAME 12

The Sova Empire 58-74 The Andromeda Islands

1st Quarter
20-22
2nd Quarter
40-44
3rd Quarter
49-60
4th Quarter
58-74

[Qazox]

Wolves bite back hard in Game 2.

A day after Qazox' toughest game of the year, the defending champions showed why they are the team to beat with a 96-59 beatdown of Thatius to advance to the quarterfinals. Antonio Berrini just missed a historical night, finishing 2 assists shy of a triple-double, but still lead the way with 41 points. Qazox awaits the winner of the Carasatoga v. Ko-oren series in the next round.

QZX 26 23 29 18  96
THT 10 16 15 18  59

BOX SCORE

PLAYER        FGM/FGA  FTA/FTM  3PTA/3PTM  PTS  AST  REB  FOUL  MIN
Brady           2/5      0/0       0/0       4    7    2     1   30 (left in 3rd with minor foot injury)
Berrini        16/24     5/5       4/7      41    8   10     3   38
Vereson         6/12     1/1       0/2      13    2    5     2   38
Folkes          6/10     0/1       0/0      12    1    8     2   38
Amare           5/12     0/2       0/0      10    1   14     4   38
Washington      2/5      0/0       1/2       5    6    4     1   18
McKnight        1/1      0/0       1/1       3    0    3     1   10
Sanchez-Venkman 1/4      0/0       0/1       2    1    3     2   10
Nambe           2/4      0/0       0/0       4    1    2     1   10
Hobbes          1/4      0/1       0/0       2    0    5     0   10 
TOTALS         42/81     6/10      6/13     96   27   56    17  240

FG%: 51.85%
FT%: 60.00%
3Pt%: 46.15%
OFF REB: 10
Techincal fouls: NONE
FOULED OUT: NONE

[Andossa Se Mitrin Vega]

Cut off time is here again. Scores up shortly

Darmen 68–98 Carasatoga (Carasatoga wins Series 2-1)

Kriegiersien 67–75 Ko-oren (Ko-oren wins series 2-1)


Elite Eight Fixtures

Qazox vs Carasatoga @ Viastromin Memorial Gardens, Errion Vega

Cassadaigua vs Saintland @ Island Convention Center, Tapia Reis

Valladares vs Taeshan @ South Beach Arena, Kelsey

Ko-oren vs The Andromeda Islands @ Yumbo Jumbo Sports Complex, Carrington

[Saintland]

Prince Ioannes Buzzer-Beater lifts Saintland past ASMV

(SP) Game 2 came down to the final seconds. After a Tijis Dar'usk 3-pointer put Andossa Se Mitrin Vega up 77-76 with just 5.5 seconds left on the clock, Stephanus Axius in-bounded the ball to Matthaeus Acilius near midfield. Acilius passed almost instantaneously to Prince Ioannes and somehow the Prince of Saintland caught it and quickly got in position for a shot as time started to expire. Prince Ioannes jumped into the air and released a long 2-point attempt over block attempts by both Aeldechau Ir'an and Indanon Ealrian. The clock hit all 0s as the ball flew through the air. It went through the rim just before the buzzer went off. Saintland had eliminated the hosts in 2! "When they hit that 3-pointer, I knew everybody on the team knew what to do in this situation. If the game is on the line, I want to be the one to take the decisive shot. Stephanus [Axius] and Matthaeus [Acilius] set me up just as we designed it in practice. I just had to make the shot and there was no way I was going to let this opportunity slip away. Eliminating the hosts in 2 probably didn't make us very popular in the host nation, but this is a basketball tournament, not a popularity contest. We came here to win the championship and, if that is what God Wills, that is what we will do." - Prince Ioannes

This game started fairly even as the 2 teams traded baskets early on. The game was tied at 15 late in the first when Prince Ioannes was called for his 2nd foul of the game. He placed himself on the bench for a precaution. Suddenly, the Sanctii were playing the Dexius brothers at forward. The hosts took advantage of this, going on a 7-2 run to finish the first quarter up 22 to 17.

In the second quarter, Andossa Se Mitrin Vega initially continued their momentum. They brought in Snut Cyr and played 7-footers at once. The Sanctii could not hope to match up with their size, as they blocked Sanctii shot attempts and methodically made their way to the other end of the court for dunks. Although the Delluius brothers were able to make a shot each fall from behind the 3-point line, the Vegai were able to dunk, seemingly at will. By the midpoint of the 2nd quarter, the score was 34 to 23 in favor of the hosts.

Prince Ioannes finally decided to put himself back into the game. He was careful not to commit any more fouls as he began to turn the momentum around in this game. The turning point occurred when the Prince of Saintland leaped into the air and blocked a shot attempt by the 7-foot 7-inch Snut Cyr. After this the Sanctii finished the second quarter on a 10 to 2 run. The score at halftime was 38 to 35 in favor of the hosts.

Early in the 3rd quarter, Stephanus Axius was on fire. Prince Ioannes kept passing him the ball and he kept hitting shots and completing successful dunks. The Vegai were able to score some points, but they could not quite keep up with the Sanctii offense, especially when Prince Ioannes and Stephanus Axius were also picking up blocks on the defensive end. Soon, the Kingdom of Saintland had taken a 48 to 43 lead. At that point, Prince Ioannes decided to give Axius a rest so he would be ready in the 4th quarter. Petrus Sacerdus and Lucas Cornificius were now in at forward.

As expected, this allowed the Vegai to get back into the lead. Although Prince Ioannes was making a few plays to keep the game close, Andossa Se Mitrin Vega still went on a run. Making sure to have at least 2 6-foot 10-inch or taller players on the court at all times, ASMV would just pass the ball to whoever Prince Ioannes wasn't covering and he would use his height to score on the smaller Sanctii defenders. This allowed Andossa Se Mitrin Vega to get out to a 61 to 54 lead late in the 3rd quarter. At that point, Prince Ioannes decided to bring Axius back in and the Sanctii cut the deficit slightly, going into the 4th quarter down 63 to 59.

Early in the 4th quarter, both teams struggled with their shooting and the score was still 63 to 59 a few minutes later. That would change when Prince Ioannes laid down 2 consecutive dunks to tie the game at 63. At the midway point, the score was still tied at 66 to 66. For the remainder of the game, one team would make a basket and pull ahead, but they would lose the lead on every single basket. Finally, Stephanus Axius dunked to put the Sanctii up 76 to 74 in the final minute. The Vegai methodically ran down the shot clock before Indanon Ealrian passed to Tijis Dar'usk as the clock clock reached 3 seconds. Dar'usk stood behind the 3-point line and let a shot go. It went over the head of Abraham Talmudius and found the net. Andossa Se Mitrin Vega led 77 to 76 with 5 and a half seconds to go. The Sanctii would not be denied, as Axius in-bounded to Matthaeus Acilius. Acilius passed to Prince Ioannes, who barely got the shot off in time. It went in right as the buzzer was going off. The Kingdom of Saintland had won on a buzzer-beater! The hosts had fallen in 2!

Following the buzzer-beater, the crowd at Viastromin Memorial Gardens went silent. They could not believe that their national team had been eliminated in 2 by a first-time entrant into the International Basketball Championship. Apparently, they were too busy watching their time finish as the runners-up to Audioslavia in the World Cup to notice the Saintland National Soccer Team's strong debut. Apparently, they didn't pay any attention to the National Gridiron Team's impressive performance in the World Bowl. Apparently, they didn't notice the National Ice Hockey Team winning silver at the last Winter Olympics and then go on to finish 3rd at the field hockey World Championships despite having never played the sport before. How does this tiny nation of 500 thousand or so do it? We attain success because it is God's Will. We attain success because the Church of Saintland is the True Church. We attain success because it is meant to be. This was no fluke.

The first step toward proving that this was no fluke will come in the quarterfinals, dubbed the "Elite Eight," as the Sanctii will face Cassadaigua. Cassadaigua picked up 2 Qazoxesque victories over Western Cuba to advance to the last 8. The winner of the best-of-3 series, to be held on the Island Convention Center in Tapia Reis, Andossa Se Mitrin Vega, will likely face Qazox in the semis. The wicked foreigners in sinful countries like Thaulandi that engage in Internet-based sports gambling will probably be heavily favoring Qazox and The Andromeda Islands to make the finals and Qazox to repeat. The winner of the upcoming series between Saintland and Cassadaigua will probably be favored to defeat Valladares or Taeshan in the 3rd place playoff. Regardless, it will be interesting to watch on Royal One and see if the Kingdom of Saintland's National Basketball Team can continue to pull off "upsets" and prove that they are not a fluke.

[Andossa Se Mitrin Vega]

And Now the cut off. Good luck to all


Qazox 84–74 Carasatoga (Qazox leads series 1-0)

Cassadaigua 79–78 Saintland (Cassadaigua leads series 1-0)

Valladares 82–75 Taeshan (Valladares leads series 1-0)

Ko-oren 70–90 The Andromeda Islands (The Andromeda Islands leads series 1-0)

[The Andromeda Islands]

Andromeda Times
Andromeda Eagles vs. Ko-oren
GAME 1 – IBC Quarterfinals
Yumbo Jumbo Sports Complex, Carrington
Tuesday, August 10, 2027

Center Orlando Chambers injured his hand after only two minutes. Instead of letting veteran center Cannonball Williams in, G-Train Jenkins came in at center. Despite being a bit undersized, Jenkins filled the center role nicely.

“We had a bit of a smaller offense, but it worked out,” Coach Bill Green said.

Much of the game involved Jenkins running the pick-and-roll with Velvet Jones.

“It got to the point where the Green-Blues had no clue what to do,” Coach Al Gooden said. “They didn’t have an answer for the pick-and-roll. They saw it coming and they still couldn’t stop it.”

Jenkins led the Eagles with 28 points and 10 rebounds. Jones also registered a double-double with 17 points and 10 assists.

“Veronica and I just get along nicely,” Jenkins said. “She knows just where to put the ball. It just feels right when we play together.”

Velvet Jones was just as complimentary.

“I give it (the basketball) to George and he puts it in the hole,” Velvet Jones said. “When we run the pick and roll, we just get into this nice groove.”

“Once we get it started, it’s hard to stop,” Jenkins said, referring to their success with the pick-and-roll against the Green-Blues. “It’s a beautiful thing to be a part of.”

When asked about their rumored relationship, “George” and “Veronica” got defensive.

“This is all about basketball,” Jenkins said. “Really, this is just about basketball.”

“Who put you up to this?” Jones asked. “Butterfly (Brown) and Coke (Jackson)? You should hear Butterfly go on about how things go better with Coke.”

FINAL SCORE: Andromeda wins 90-70

[Qazox]

Wolves continue perfect run with Game 1 win.

Carasatoga, after outlasting Darmen in a 3 game thriller actually lead at half time by 11 points; but the extra day of rest for the Wolves proved to be the deciding factor as Carasatoga could only manage 25 points in the 2nd half as Qazox won game 1 of the quarterfinal series. Qazox shot an team record low 13.33% from 3-point land (2-15) by far the worst by any team this IBC with a mininum of 2 made 3-pointers.

CAR 22 27 12 13  74
QZX 17 21 26 20  84

BOX SCORE

PLAYER        FGM/FGA  FTA/FTM  3PTA/3PTM  PTS  AST  REB  FOUL  MIN
Brady           3/8      3/3       0/2       9   14    6     3   43
Berrini         5/14     3/3       1/6      14    3    8     4   43
Vereson         7/12     2/2       0/2      16    4    9     3   43
Folkes          5/10     4/5       0/0      14    2   14     4   43
Amare           7/15     5/7       0/0      19    1   15     5   48
Washington      0/3      0/0       0/2       0    2    4     2    5
McKnight        1/2      0/0       1/1       3    0    3     2    5
Sanchez-Venkman 3/5      0/0       0/2       6    0    1     1    5
Nambe           1/1      1/1       0/0       3    1    1     1    5
Hobbes          0/0      0/0       0/0       0    0    0     0    0  DNP-coach's decision
TOTALS         32/70    18/21      2/15     84   27   61    25  240

FG%: 45.71%
FT%: 85.71%
3Pt%: 13.33%
OFF REB: 17
Techincal fouls: Vereson (4:10 3rd) Berrini (11:34 4th)
FOULED OUT: NONE

[Ko-oren]

"You are in the final eight. You are not going to give this up now, are you?"

"I know, coach. We've given it our all. But we just couldn't stop them."

"They were forced to give up their tactics after two minutes already. I thought we had a chance. I'm still the coach, I expected to get an advantage from their early sub. Even with a smaller Center, they got the better of us. But please, don't think you can't win. We can still fix this."

"But do you know where it went wrong?"

"We trained so much to take on the Andromeda Islands as they played most games until now. They wouldn't change a winning team, would they? And then, two minutes in, Chambers got injured, and Jenkins was subbed in. I think... they just had another strategy just for these kinds of situations."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you know how we have the starting five players. Someone could spend hours and hours to come up with just one tactic for the team. Like we've done all this time. The Andromeda Islands, however, apparently are on a whole different level. We've seen key players subbed out earlier, but usually the team just keeps doing what it did. Our opponent of last night did not. Instead of the experienced Center, or the powerful Center, they went on with the slightly smaller Center. First of all, with a roster of 10 players, we don't even have three Centers. They not only used a different target man, but also a different strategy. We could have stopped them with a few tactical differences that I could have explained in a time-out. But no matter what, they always were a step ahead of us."

"So what can we do for the next game?"

"Don't forget we only lost by 20 points. That means that we weren't completely hopeless either. Actually, we gave them a good run for their money. If we can be a bit more adaptable, we could win this. And if it's 1-1, anything can happen. That last game will be like a final by itself. And we've got nothing to lose."

"Right. We just have to keep doing what we've done. Don't get nervous because of a loss. That didn't work against Kriegiersien either, last round. And we're last eight, we can be proud of what we've done here. If only we could just end up one with the last four..."

[Cassadaigua]

Saintland brings out the protestors,
by Rachel Sharper, Concord Heights Times

The nation of Saintland is relatively new to international sports. In fact, prior to Cassadaigua’s absence from these competitions, Saintland wasn’t even a nation known to us. Now, this nation has made their presence felt across all sports, even attracting other nations top horses to take a chance at their triple crown. One other thing about Saintland? They’re an opinionated bunch! While there will be comments about what happened in those triple crown races, and a lot of longshots having success, or favorites not having it, with the possible intentions of creating big wagering payouts for their own locals, it wasn’t until the Swamp Soccer World Cup that they began to make little remarks at us here and there. You were following the Swamp Soccer World Cup, weren’t you? Huh? Well, you missed out if not! Anyway, take for instance, “Saintland advises the men of Cassadaigua to join the Church of Saintland and convince their women to do the same.” Or even more, the outspoken remark of, “If they weren't a backwards, female-dominated society, this would be their regular soccer World Cup team and it would probably be even more successful than their all-female side has been.” But just when you think Saintland is the perfect place for Daniel Huxley and his insane group of male militants to go, you then get this, “ While the SP is skeptical that women can actually rape men”. These comments did not go unnoticed, and while it may have been too late for protests to be organized for the final match of the Swamp Soccer World Cup, a game won by Cassadaigua, the quarterfinal series between these two nations will certainly get people excited, and as such, protestors were in full force in the city of (location uncertain), to speak out against many different things.

So far, protests have been limited to Cassadaigua, and have not been taken to the road. Unfortunately for neutral fans in this city, and law enforcement, a series between Cassadaigua and Saintland is going to bring people out. First, there was a group of people from MEN (Male Equality Now). This of course is Cassadaigua’s older men’s rights organization who has sought to achieve their goals in a peaceful manner. They were not pleased with the comment that women cannot rape men, and intended to have a peaceful demonstration, led by male rape victims. However, they also spoke against the Church of Saintland, saying that their approach would absolutely be the wrong thing for Cassadaigua. Some will recall that before Saintland became an international player in sports, members of MEN already made a religious conversion, to Orthodoxy, with guidance of leaders from The Archregimancy, and these members still strongly believe in those traditions. That conversion was mocked by the Queen and others throughout Cassadaigua as simply being a gimmick, and is actually used by Daniel Huxley as a prime example of why MEN has failed as an organization and a more aggressive approach was needed.

Huxley himself remains in hiding, but his followers were also in Andossa se Mitrin Vega to preach their message. They concentrated their efforts on the Cassadagan basketball team, and reacted to comments made by Ashley Stokes as she refuted allegations that she too, was part of the group responsible for the rape of Seth Johnson, leading to his suicide. When it seems like this group might actually get along with Saintland, given their ideals, it is important to note that they, too, do not see eye-to-eye with religious leaders of that nation. Given that MEN already attempted a religious conversion, members of Huxley’s group see Saintland as just another group of religious fanatics who are trying to use the Cassadagan culture to their benefit to try and convert people to their religion. They also see the comments made by the press that they were skeptical that a woman could rape a man as being insulting, even though if those comments were expanded further, they do go on to say that they do believe something happened there. That is what Huxley’s group seems to be all about, though. Picking and choosing comments that can incite revolution, and ignoring other facts and comments that would not be as powerful or be contrary to their message.

Violence was limited to interactions between the two men’s rights groups as far as we can tell, but there may have been people from Saintland or perhaps locals form Andossa se Mitrin Vega that got caught up in it. There were no reported deaths, but many fights broke out, and arrests likely made. A favorite tactic of Huxley’s group: burning parked cars, seemed to not be a part of the agenda, at least not for today. Though perhaps they know this is a three-game series, and have further plans. Unfortunately, this really overshadows what was an exciting game, with the Dagans defeating Saintland by a point, 79-78. It was a back and forth game with several lead changes, but the big moment came at the end with the game-winning shot by (who else after all this?) Ashley Stokes. With Saintland up 78-76, Stokes broke free for a split second of her defender, enough time to get a clear look for a three-point attempt with three seconds remaining. The shot went in, to give Cassadaigua the lead, and they held on defensively to secure the win.

After the game, Stokes made a comment that may be a little unfortunate and figures to get protestors and the opponents worked up: “If the allegations were true and we needed to join another Church for this supposed justice, do you think the Higher Powers would have allowed me to hit the winning shot like that? I didn’t think so!”

[Saintland]

Sister Polus's Thoughts

Hello again. I am Sister Maria Polus, High Inquisitor at Progress High School in St. Ioannes. I am joining you once again on Sanctustube to discuss the situation in Cassadaigua. As you have probably heard by now, Cassadaigua is a female-dominated nation that brutally oppresses its male population. They send all-female teams to international sports events, undermining their own competitiveness. Yet, even the women from their country are great athletes. They have the potential to be a great nation, but their men need to take over and put their wives and daughters in their rightful place. To do that, they should join the Church of Saintland, a Church that believes in the natural gender roles that God intended. Indeed, one of my most difficult tasks as High Inquisitor at a foreign resident school that was openly teaching its students to be wicked before I took this position has been dealing with the young ladies. These young ladies, having had their minds corrupted by foreign-born teachers with false ideas about a woman's place, tend to be very rebellious, especially when I am trying to teach them how to be proper ladies. Although boys will be boys and they do some mischievous things, the boys at Progress High School have mostly adapted well to my reforms and tend to at least understand right and wrong. The exceptions to that rule have been that handful of disrespectful punks that disrupted a Cantus Virginum performance earlier in the International Basketball Championship. Unfortunately, it seems to be harder to get young ladies back onto the righteous path once they are corrupted by Satanas and his agents. They may pretend to be good to avoid getting into trouble, but in their heart they are still wicked, which makes it all the more difficult to mold them into proper ladies.

As you know, there is a group in Saintland known as Feministvs Sanctvsterra that have become infamous for their numerous stunts that have embarrassed our Kingdom on an international stage. If they had their way, Saintland would look much like Cassadaigua. Fortunately, they have not been heard from since the Cup of Harmony after I assisted St. Ioannes police in detecting the local Feministvs Sanctvsterra compound and apprehending all the local members of the organization. Although I have heard that they erased evidence and are probably still in hiding, the members of Feministvs Sanctvsterra that were at the last Cup of Harmony have not been seen since. The last they were heard from, they were running around naked outside of the Barton Software Arena prior to the match between Saintland and Gordonopia, as the Saintland Press reported. Rumor has it that some country will soon be holding another World Korfball Classic to determine the champions of that wicked mixed-gender sport, so it would not surprise me if they show up at that. Hopefully, the King's Government can prevent another day-long Internet outage in the Kingdom, like the one Feministvs Sanctvsterra caused by overloading Royal ISP servers with spam containing links to videos of the last "World Korfball Classic" event.

Actually, Feministvs Sanctvsterra originated several months ago, at the same time when there were a number of incidents of immoral behavior by foreign residents, primarily students at Progress High School. That led to a Decree by the Great and Wise King Paulus XV creating the office of High Inquisitor at foreign resident schools. I was honored to receive the appointment and I believe I have done the task His Majesty wanted me to do by cleaning up that school in the last several months, but I feel like the job is not done and I hope King Paulus XV extends my term as High Inquisitor. While the foreign resident youths were misbehaving, Feministvs Sanctvsterra burst on the scene by blockading the streets of St. Paulus on a Sunday morning, preventing the people of that city from attending Church services on time. Numerous members and sympathizers of Feministvs Sanctvsterra have been arrested and the police and Royal Military have been monitoring foreign resident-dominated neighborhoods throughout the Kingdom for signs of subversion. Still, the job is not done and the emergency is not over. I am certain that Feministvs Sanctvsterra will soon do something on a massive scale that will embarrass our Kingdom and undermine our efforts to spread the Truth Church of Iesus Christus to the world.

I want to finally get to why I am making this video today. I want to discuss the situation in Cassadaigua. As you probably have heard, Cassadaigua is a nation that is dominated by women. As you would expect from such a nation, women in that country brutally dominate men. Men in Cassadaigua are routinely discriminated against and expected to be subservient to their women. It is just a grotesque society that is completely contrary to Nature. God intended for women to obey men. We women are weak, for it was a woman named Eva that brought sin into the world by allowing herself to be tempted by Satanas into eating the forbidden apple. Adam, in an act of compassion, to prevent her from being lonely, also ate the apple and accepted the same punishment, but God knew who the responsible party was for the original sin. That is why St. Paulus commanded wives to submit unto their husbands. In Cassadaigua, husbands submit unto their wives, which is an abomination to God.

All of this brings me to the repulsive actions of several of Cassadaigua's athletes, who compete on all-female teams because their men, who are, of course, their superior athletes are denied the opportunity to compete. At Grande Mountain University, it is alleged that Ashley Stokes, now a member of their National Basketball Team and Meghan Kinson, now a member of their National Soccer Team, were responsible for "raping" a man who later committed suicide. I disagree with the characterization of the incident as "rape" because rape is a crime that only happens to women. Rapes is a crime committed by men against women, although it is defined overly broadly by Godless foreigners. Rape is a crime that happens when a virtuous woman, meaning either a virtuous virgin or a proper married lady, is attacked by a wicked thug and forced to engage in the reproductive act against her will and despite making her best efforts to resist. If a woman is dressed like a prostitute, she cannot be "raped" because she is asking for it by inspiring lust in men to run wild. The idea of a man being "raped" is an absurdity and one I cannot believe is true. Actually, there is a way that men can be raped. A man can be raped by a homosexual and that is typically the way that those perverts convert other people to their perversion.

Male Equality Now and the other, more radical, men's group in Cassadaigua condemned us because the Saintland Press declared that the evil act Ms. Kinson and Ms. Stokes, and I use the term "Ms." with utmost contempt, committed against the man they abused was not rape. I believe the act was still a form of assault and I would not consider the man morally responsible for having engaged in the reproductive act outside of the proper means. If something like that were to happen in Saintland, Ms. Kinson and Ms. Stokes would be in prison right now and a prison in our Kingdom is not a very pleasant place to be. For the benefit of MEN and Mr. Huxley's organization, let me clarify on behalf of the Kingdom of Saintland that we condemn Meghan Kinson and Ashley Stokes for their atrocious behavior and advise authorities in Cassadaigua to punish them severely. I will not presume to speak for King Paulus XV, but it wouldn't surprise me if Ms. Kinson and Ms. Stokes would be immediately arrested should they ever set foot in the Kingdom.

I want to advise every man from Cassadaigua watching this video that, while I sympathize with both of your men's rights organizations, they are both misguided. Cassadaigua should seek salvation through the Church of Saintland. The Church of Saintland will provide assistance in putting your women in their proper place and asserting your rightful authority in the home. Instead of pointless protesting or violence, you should embrace Iesus Christus and his True Church. The Church of Saintland will save your country and your souls, if you will only accept Iesus in your hearts and obey the Church hierarchy. If we gain a foothold in your nation, we will consecrate men from your nation as clergy and open monasteries and convents. Eventually, God-willing, your nation will be just like Saintland, a nation that acts in perfect harmony with God's Will. Why live for yourselves when you can live for a greater purpose? Why be selfish when you can dedicate yourself to the cause of righteousness?

I want to address the allegations of Rachel Sharper, a reporter for the Concord Heights Times, a newspaper in Cassadaigua. This reporter had the audacity to claim, and I quote, that "there will be comments about what happened in those triple crown races, and a lot of longshots having success, or favorites not having it, with the possible intentions of creating big wagering payouts for their own locals." Yes, they are actually alleging that the Triple Crown was rigged! I don't even know how it would be possible to rig a horse race. If we wanted to do that, surely we could have rigged the Briskness so the Derby winner won. That would have led to massive TV ratings around the world for the Grueling Stakes, which would have given us a golden opportunity to spread God's Message to the world. I think it is repulsive that they would spread false allegations about us just because their horses failed to have success in the Triple Crown. The reason why the Triple Crown was so competitive this year was because of the high caliber of the entrants. Maybe the sore losers in Cassadaigua's press should just accept that their horses weren't as good as those from other nations.

According to the Nightly News last night, there was violence in Andossa Se Mitrin Vega between the 2 men's rights groups from Cassadaigua. To our knowledge, nobody from Saintland got caught up in the violence. If you have not yet heard, the King's Government has issued a warning to all Sanctii fans that traveled to Andossa Se Mitrin Vega to cheer on the National Basketball Team. They have been warned to stay in their hotel rooms, except when traveling to and from the games. It simply isn't safe on the streets of Tapia Reis right now. The behavior of those organizations is appalling, but not as appalling as the comments of Ashley Stokes.

Last night, as you probably know, Ms. Stokes hit a late 3-point shot to give Cassadaigua the victory. She went on to say, and I quote that, "“If the allegations were true and we needed to join another Church for this supposed justice, do you think the Higher Powers would have allowed me to hit the winning shot like that? I didn’t think so!” I do not know how to even begin to respond to this. This scandalous trollop continues to be unrepentant about her sins. Even worse, she is mocking our Church and appears, from this comment, to be a Pagan. Apparently, she is unaware that God has said that we shall have no other Gods besides Him. By saying this, she mocks the One True God and the One True God does not appreciate being mocked. Ashley Stokes will regret those comments. I do not know if God intends to deliver the National Basketball Team a victory tonight in Game 2, but I know that Ms. Stokes will face His Judgment eventually, even if she has to wait until the next life to get what she so richly deserves. I am Sister Maria Polus and I thank you for watching.

OOC: This RP references an RP (CoH Quarterfinal match report) that I have already finished and saved on my hard drive for the first match day of World Cup 65. Obviously, the opinions expressed by Sister Polus in this RP are hers and hers alone.

[Taeshan]

"Well we finally lost again."

"Od did we."

"Yeah we one like 9 games in a row, make it to the quarterfinals and lose to Valladares by 7."

"Well Valladares is really good aren't they? And they have a much higher ranking than we do."

"Well relatively in the top ten, they are a much higher team then us."

"And they do historically more than we do."

"Maybe we can at least push the series to 3, or make another good showing in the next game."

"Yeah i would be fine being top 8, and pushing them to a game three here. We are not as good as them, we barely expected to get this far anyways."

"Yeah, just happy to be competing."

"Yeah, not like we are the soccer team or anything."

"Word/"

[Andossa Se Mitrin Vega]

cut off


Carasatoga 64–97 Qazox (Qazox wins series 2-0)

Saintland 67–82 Cassadaigua (Cassadaigua wins series 2-0)

Taeshan 74–79 Valladares (Valladares wins series 2-0)

The Andromeda Islands 75–62 Ko-oren (The Andromeda Islands wins series 2-0)



Final Four Matchups

Qazox vs Cassadaigua

Valladares vs The Andromeda Islands

[The Andromeda Islands]

Yumbo Jumbo Hotel
Carrington, ASMV
Thursday, August 12, 2027
8:45 pm

The Andromeda Eagles had defeated Ko-oren a few hours ago at the Yumbo Jumbo Sports Complex 75-62. Tournament organizers had arranged for the “Main Event” game to be scheduled as the late game. The Andromeda/Ko-oren Game began at 4:30 pm that afternoon, and ended at about 7:00. Although the Green-Blues played a good game, the Eagles kept them at arms length, leading by double figures for most of the second half.

Most of the team is in Norm Peterson’s room. Norm had reserved the Presidential Suite so that the team could come up and watch games in his room. The first to come up was Fiona Braunschweiger. Peterson answers the door. Braunschweiger walks in as if she’s familiar with the penthouse.

PETERSON: So how’s Coach Tyson holding up? Has she heard from her daughters?

F-BOMB: She says Robin and Michelle are safe. They’re definitely having second thoughts about playing pro ball in Cassadaigua, but they’re okay. Who’s all coming?

PETERSON: Most of the guys. You know, we’ll watch the Valladares on the team bus tomorrow. Tonight, it’s Cassadaigua and Saintland. ‘The Main Event.’ You order room service?

F-BOMB: It should be up before half time.

----------

10:00 pm

Most of the players are in Peterson’s room, eating snacks and discussing the situations in Cassadaigua and Saintland. There are several different conversations going on at once. Dom Pagnotti, Florina Yushenko and Chuck Taylor are discussing their opinions about gender roles.

PAGNOTTI: You can’t argue with me on this. It’s natural for the man to be the head of the household.

TAYLOR: In general, yes, but it isn’t always that way. See, you know who your father is. With me, I have no idea. I was raised by my mother, so she was dominant.

YUSHENKO: Would you make it so that the man is the dominant figure?

PAGNOTTI: No, no, no. You don’t understand. I said it’s natural. You don’t need the government to enforce something if it’s inherently natural.

YUSHENKO: So, you think the man is the Head? Can the woman be the neck?

Pagnotti and Taylor start to laugh.

PAGNOTTI: The man’s the head and the woman’s the neck. I like that.

----------

10:30 pm

The game is playing in the background. The players are having a big conversation about the political situation in Cassadaigua.

CANNONBALL WILLIAMS: I don’t know about Cassadaigua, but whatever problems they got, becoming like Saintland ain’t gonna solve it.

COKE JACKSON: Tell it, Cannonball. Tell it.

CANNONBALL: I did some reading. You know you can get arrested there for blasphemy? Blasphemy, Dog Gamnit.

Everyone starts laughing. Ed Williams stands up.

E. WILLIAMS: Besides, if old boy was raped, why didn’t he report it right then? Was there any formal complaints?

PETERSON: Hold on, Alex Holmes. You’re not saying it’s a false flag…

E. WILLIAMS: That’s it!

Ed Williams holds his hand up, as if he were a television detective who had just discovered key evidence. Most of the players start to laugh.

E. WILLIAMS: It’s one of them false flag operations. It’s the Cough-Childs and the New World Order. They got money on Saintland tonight, so they started the Huxley in Cassadaigua years ago, in anticipation…

Butterfly Brown, sitting next to Coke Jackson, speaks.

BROWN: Brother Williams, how did they even know Saintland would get to the Quarters?

JACKSON: Baby, they know everything. They know how many pieces of pizza you had since we got here.

Everyone starts laughing before they turn back to the game.

It appears that the Daigans have the game in hand with just a few minutes remaining. The game stops at the two minute mark. It appears that both teams will run the rest of the game with their reserves.

Most of the players leave Peterson’s before the game ends. Game 1 of the Semifinals will be next Tuesday against Valladares, so the team will hit the road tomorrow afternoon.

[Cassadaigua]

When you’re offered apples, make apple pie
by Brittany Baynes, starting PG

Prior to the game, Ashley Stokes and I were reading this piece from Sister Polus of Saintland, and we found it really difficult to read. This is something supposedly written by an educated woman, yet it makes comments like “They have the potential to be a great nation, but their men need to take over and put their wives and daughters in their rightful place.” Really, what kind of bullshit is that? Evidently, in Saintland, they had some feminist radical group going around the country called Feministvs Sanctvsterra. The people had the chance to listen to this organization, and adopt its beliefs, but instead they chose to arrest them. I have to ask you then, how often have we put up with Male Equality Now’s gimmicks? We let them speak though, because that’s what we do. Instead, this “Sister” (though her thoughts make her a disgrace to the usage of that term) assisted local police to take down Feministvs Sanctvsterra. Instead of having a group of forward thinking women in their country, they forced them into hiding. If any members of that group want a place to stay where they can live freely, then I am sure they would more then welcome to come to Cassadaigua.

This “sister” talks about that story about Eve, Adam, and the apple again, and it was something that many Cassadagans had read as evidenced to greeting Saintland fans with apples whenever they saw them. It was surely a good day for local produce markets as hundreds if not thousands of apples were purchased with the intention of tossing them at these fans, as well as at their players. Sure, this caused a couple of disruptions of play to have to clean apples off of the court, but we were very amused by the whole thing, and could tell that the opponents were bothered. After each of the three delays, we went on runs in the game, one a 10-0 run, then a 8-2 run, then another 8-2 run, and that really helped us secure the victory. It wasn’t until after the third apple tossing incident, did the referees realize it was our fans responsible and were we assessed a technical over it. Even with that called, they missed the free throws and turned the ball over to us right away. We were laughing about it the whole game, and we really felt it was something that allowed to stay loose on the bench and not to get all worked up about the importance of winning the game. Don’t forget, fans, that if Saintland were to make the playoffs of the World Baseball Classic, that we will have more opportunities to toss apples at that them for their silly interpretations of that whole Eve and Adam story. We all know what really happened there anyway, Eve was just showing some initiative in taking the apple first and we all know Adam would have done the same thing. Adam was probably more distracted and focusing on other things, which is why his temptation to take the apple wasn’t as strong. Through that, we know that it is always the woman that will take initiative and take risks to achieve what they want, while the man is more content to just sit back and watch. We’re all sinners, anyway.

Let me get back to, for a second, this Feministvs Sanctvsterra. I want to again call out any members of this group who feel they need to be in hiding. Come to Cassadaigua. We’ll treat you the way you should be treated and if you ever decide to go home, we’ll give you the strength to take on the oppressors of your backward-society. Also, while you’re here, you can throw all the apples you want at people from Saintland if their baseball team makes the playoffs, and if any of them have a problem with it, they can learn what it’s like to be arrested.

Now, for the game and for this tournament, we prepare to take on the defending champions from Qazox. But in the meantime, what better way to celebrate this win then to have some nice, warm, Cassadagan Apple Pie. So Tempting!



Queen Condems Actions Towards Feministvs Sanctvsterra,

In a stunning move, and very uncharacteristic, Queen Cassie openly declared a condemnation of the nation of Saintland’s treatment of Feministvs Sanctvsterra. Her statement this morning went as follows,

“With so many nations in our world, it can be difficult at times to keep up with everything that is going on, especially while you have problems of your own in the homeland. However it was brought to my attention something horrible going on in Saintland. A group of forward thinking women, known as Feministvs Sanctvsterra, are being arrested simply for trying to get equal rights in their country. Now, I know that all Dagan men will begin to think I am a hypoocrit right now, but there is a big difference. We allow men to peacefully protest. I have had numerous meetings with Preston Grant, his father, and other leaders of Male Equality Now to attempt an open dialogue of issues within our borders. In Saintland, innocent protests, such as standing outside of entrances of Cup of Harmony games and presenting their message to the public. That was viewed as harassment, and they are viewed as a terrorist organization. This is something that cannot continue, and I am not just going to allow it to happen.

The leadership of Saintland claims to be religious, but there is nothing religious about oppressing the population. They will talk about a basketball player like Ashley Stokes getting what she deserves in the second life. So will you, you hypocrits. This oppression is not looked highly upon, and God has never told women to be subservient to men. It is a radical message in which you teach your populace, likely starting when they are little kids. It is you, who will get what you deserve in the after-life. You may think you are living the Word of God right now, but I can tell you that you are doing anything but that, and He knows.

I implore you now, to atone for these sins and to release all members of Feministvs Sanctvsterra which are held in captivity. Allow them to be free citizens, and allow them to express their message. Allow them to come to Cassadaigua, and become properly educated women, if they choose. We will provide them funding and anything else to be strong in the delivery of their rightful message. We will not allow you to continue this oppression.”

[Qazox]

Qazox reaches semifinals sets to face off v. Cassadaigua.

Qazox used a 28-2 run during the 2nd and 3rd quarters to put away Carasatoga 97-64 and advanced to their 6th consecutive semifinals, along with Valladares, Cassadaigua and The Andromeda Islands. 4 teams, excepting Sarzonia, who have dominated the past decade or so of the IBC, with all 4 teams reaching multiple semifinals and championships. But this marks the 1st meeting between the Cassies and Wolves since IBC IX. This will likely be Qazox' toughest test to date in this IBC.

QZX 20 31 25 21  97
CAR 18 13 12 21  64

BOX SCORE

PLAYER        FGM/FGA  FTA/FTM  3PTA/3PTM  PTS  AST  REB  FOUL  MIN
Brady           3/7      2/2       2/4      10   15    3     4   40
Berrini        10/16     3/3       0/5      23    7    8     3   40
Vereson         3/9      0/1       0/1       6    1    3     1   34 
Folkes          6/10     3/3       0/1      15    3   12     3   40
Amare           9/14     3/5       0/0      21    1   14     4   40
Washington      0/3      0/0       0/2       0    2    2     2    8
McKnight        1/3      1/1       1/1       4    0    2     1    8
Sanchez-Venkman 3/7      2/2       0/1       8    5    5     3   14
Nambe           2/3      0/0       0/0       4    1    3     1    8
Hobbes          3/6      0/2       0/0       6    1    2     2    8
TOTALS         40/78    14/19      3/15     97   36   54    24  240

FG%: 51.28%
FT%: 73.68%
3Pt%: 20.00%
OFF REB: 15
Techincal fouls: none
FOULED OUT: NONE
NOTE: Ben Vereson sat out 4th quarter due to possible concussion, status TBD for Game 1 of Semis.
NOTE 2: highest assist % in team history: (36/40-- 90.00%)

[Andossa Se Mitrin Vega]

All Final Four games are being played at the Yumbo Jumbo Sports Complex in Carrington


Qazox 66–95 Cassadaigua (Cassadaigua leads series 1-0)

Valladares 80–80 The Andromeda Islands (86–100 OT) (The Andromeda Islands leads series 1-0)

[The Andromeda Islands]

Andromeda Eagles vs. Valladares
Yumbo Jumbo Sports Complex, Carrington
Tuesday, August 17, 2027
9:31 pm - ASMV time

At the end of the third quarter, Valladares was up 64-58. Coach Gooden told the starting five to double team the starting center Adrian Ortega.

GOODEN: He’s got 18. Don’t let him score on the floor. Make him earn it from the line.

Cannonball Williams gets up and interrupts.

CANNONBALL: Put me in the game.

Coach Gooden normally gives Williams a lot of leeway. He’s wary about letting Williams replace Chambers at this point.

GOODEN: I don’t want to know what you’re up to. Just don’t make me regret it.

G-Train Jenkins and Chuck Taylor joined Cannonball in the front court. Velvet Jones and Coke Jackson are in the back court. Jackson has 18 points. Williams stands next to Valladar Center Adrian Ortega. The Eagles run down court. Velvet Jones is running the offense. Williams starts talking to Ortega

CANNONBALL: Como eastas! You see that woman behind your bench, the one who looks like Lady Gaga?

Cannonball knew that Adrian Ortega was dating a popular Valladar pop singer. She had a vague resemblance to a young Madonna.

ORTEGA: That’s my girlfriend.

Jackson makes a three. The Eagles are within two. Williams and Ortega run back down court. Williams continues the conversation.

CANNONBALL: She a freak?

ORTEGA: What?

CANNONBALL: You and shorty have a Bad Romance?

ORTEGA: Don’t go there, mo…

CANNONBALL: She don’t be wearing that Poker Face in bed, does she?

ORTEGA: You son of a…

Ortega starts swinging at Cannonball. Cannonball defends himself. They come to blows. Both the starter Adrian Ortega and Cannonball are ejected. As Cannonball is escorted to the locker room, he looks over at Coach Gooden and gives him a knowing look.

Gooden put Chambers in at center, knowing that he had four fouls. Gooden also knew that Jenkins, despite being undersized, could play center in most circumstances, but not against the starter Adrian Ortega. He and Cannonball both knew that Jenkins could deal with the other Ortega. (there are two players named Adrian Ortega)

----------

At the end of regulation, Coke Jackson made a baseline jumper. He was fouled in the act of shooting. The game was tied at 80 with 0.5 seconds left. Jackson missed the foul shot that would have won the game in regulation. There was a collective gasp throughout the Yumbo Jumbo Sports Complex. The game would go to overtime.

----------

With both OC Chambers, Kareem Akbar and Cannonball Williams all out, the Eagles were running with a small lineup. Chuck Taylor and G-Train Jenkins were up front while Norm Peterson and Coke Jackson joined Velvet Jones in the back court. Valladar starters Thomas Girard and Martin Tallec had also fouled out.

Coke Jackson scored 12 of his 36 points in overtime, carrying the Eagles over Valladares in perhaps their biggest test of the tournament. He went 8-for-9 from the free throw line.

FINAL SCORE: Andromeda wins 100-86 in overtime

----------

PLAYER OF THE GAME

51 G Coke Jackson

Age: 21
Team: Beta City Barons
Height: 6’4”
Education: B.A., History; University of Joppa, 2027
2027 Stats: 10.5 ppg, 7.5 apg

The ASBA Rookie of the Year, Cornelius “Coke” Jackson helped the Beta City Barons win the ASBA Championship in 2027. In 2026, he led the University of Joppa to the Andromeda college basketball championship and the NSCAA elite eight.

Jackson has an endorsement deal with the Coca-Cola Company’s Emeraldise Division, headquartered in Beta City.

[Qazox]

Wolves bitch-slapped by Cassadaigua in Game 1.

Ben Vereson's concussion forced him out of the starting line-up, and just 5 minutes in, Antonio Berrini went down with an apparent knee injury, leaving Qazox's 2 most consistent scoring threats out of the game. Cassadaigua took full advantage winning game 1 95-66, Qazox' worse loss to a non-Sarzonia team ever. The Wolves shot only 23.9% in the 1st half, giving up a 47-18 run over the last part of the 1st half as Cassadaigua held a 58-28 lead and Qazox couldn't get any closer than 25 (79-54 early in the 4th) in the blowout loss.

Now faced with their 1st loss of the tourney and the possibility that Berrini and Vereson might not be playing in Game 2, Qazox is up against the ropes. Will they come out (figuratively) swinging or go down without a fight?

CDG 24 34 20 17  95
QZX 18 10 18 20  66

BOX SCORE

PLAYER        FGM/FGA  FTA/FTM  3PTA/3PTM  PTS  AST  REB  FOUL  MIN
Brady           3/7      0/0       2/4       8    8    5     3   42
Berrini         2/3      0/0       0/1       4    0    1     0    5
Vereson         0/0      0/0       0/0       0    0    0     0    0 [DNP- Concussion]
Folkes          5/8      0/0       1/1      11    3    9     2   44
Amare           5/14     1/3       0/0      11    1   11     6   37
Washington      0/2      0/0       0/2       0    2    1     0    6
McKnight        4/8      4/5       2/5      14    3    3     4   43
Sanchez-Venkman 5/9      0/0       0/2      10    5    4     3   48
Nambe           0/1      0/0       0/0       0    1    2     0    4
Hobbes          4/9      0/1       0/0       8    0    3     3   11
TOTALS         28/61     5/9       5/15     65   22   39    21  240

FG%: 45.90%
FT%: 55.56%
3Pt%: 33.33%
OFF REB: 8
Techincal fouls: Bench (5:01 1st); Sanchez-Venkman (9:39 3rd); Nambe (4:56 3rd)
FOULED OUT: Amare (11:03 4th)
NOTE: Berrini left in 1st quarter with knee injury, status for Game 2 uncertain.
NOTE2: Team record low for FT's made and Attempted.

[Cassadaigua]

Our apples are still fresh and healthy,
by Brittany Baynes

As expected, after defeating Qazox, their media pointed at the injury to Antonio Berrini and the concussion to Ben Vereson, sustained against Carasatoga. Qazox leads the world in excuses for loses, and here we go again. There’s a little philosophy that we like to suggest to that nation: step up. In the world of sports, things don’t go according to plan, and injuries at the international level is never an excuse for a loss. I really don’t care if so and so was the best player your country has ever seen, if you have a team, then the rest of it needs to STEP UP. Ben Vereson sustained a concussion in the prior series, so there has been plenty of time for his replacement to prepare him/herself to play us. They should have expected that they would be playing, and therefore this does not excuse his poor play. Berrini sustained a knee injury, and is questionable for game two. The combination of these factors, of course, is the reason Qazox lost. Not because the team has no other leadership to get the team prepared and ready to play.

Qazox must be one of those nations that waves the white flag as soon as one thing goes wrong. I can tell you that if one of us in the starting lineup were hurt before the game, the rest of us would step up for that player. We’d talk about it in the locker room, and whoever the replacement in the starting lineup would be, would be a player prepared to go in there and play the game. The rest of the team would support that player to the fullest, and if we lost a second player during the game, then we’re stepping up even more. If this was a domestic league game, certainly any club team would have difficulty replacing its top two scorers, but this is not a club team, this is an international team. The players on the international roster are presumably the best players in your nation, and as such the backup center for example, is not really a “backup center”, but the second best center in your nation. This is why you need to step up in the face of injury, not just be a bunch of cowardly pacifists. Oh wait, Qazox loses to them too.

We won this game not because Qazox lost a couple players, we won this game because we were the better team. As we did many times during group play, we jumped off to an big lead early, with Ashley Stokes having a huge game. I have to give credit to Ashley, because she has brought her game to whole new level since she was accused of rape. For some, and likely for anyone from Qazox, they would have backed down when hit with that such a false criminal accusation, but not Ashley. Ever since that came about, she has been lights out from the floor, and led us in scoring again, this time with 40 points, including 17 in the first quarter. Ashley is motivated like I have never seen before, and seems to be enjoying the fact that people from Saintland are disgusted with some of the comments that she made earlier. If she continues to play like this, then I am excited about our chances to not just win this series, but to leave Andossa se Mitrin Vega as champions.

It seems as though a lot of the protestors have gone home or at least decided to stop being a nuisance before the game. That’s a good thing, because there is no reason to cause trouble. Had there been a game three against Saintland, maybe there would have been more protestors, but you have to think that they are going to re-focus their plans on the World Baseball Classic now with the playoffs beginning there soon. That didn’t stop the apple tossing though, I guess that some people bought some anticipating a third game, so they needed to get rid of them. Nothing wrong with tossing them at Qazox. After all, remember they are the reason we didn’t qualify for that World Cup playoff.

[Andossa Se Mitrin Vega]

Scorination will be a couple of hours late tonight as D&S and I have decided to go watch Fast 6. Scores when we get home.

[Andossa Se Mitrin Vega]

Cassadaigua 81–70 Qazox (Cassadaigua wins seriers 20)

The Andromeda Islands 78–65 Valladares (The Andromeda Islands wins series 2-0)




Third Place Series
Qazox vs Valladares

Championship Series
Cassadaigua vs The Andromeda Islands

Both Series will be played at Viastormin Memorial Stadium in Errion Vega

Will Cassadaigua continue the upset run?
Will The Andromeda Islands live up to being the favorites now?
Wull Qazox regain their usual form?
Will Valladares be the next to knock off the Q Machine?

find out beginning tomorrow night!


And yes, the movie was awesome.

[The Andromeda Islands]

Andromeda News Network
IBC Semifinals – Game 2
Andromeda Eagles vs. Valladares
Yumbo Jumbo Sports Complex, Carrington
Thursday, August 19, 2027
11:02 pm

The second game of a semifinal double-header at Yumbo Jumbo just ended. Mase Gumbel finds player of the game Norm Peterson and attempts to interview him in the midst of the noise.

GUMBEL: Norm Peterson, Player of the Game, you scored 18 points off the bench and helped the Eagles advanced to the IBC Championship Series. How do you feel?

PETERSON: It feels great, Mase. It’s hard to believe that we just started playing with each other two months ago. We’ve come so far.

GUMBEL: Would you say that the Eagles played a more methodical game tonight against the Valladars?

PETERSON: Valladares gave us a good scare in Game 1, as you know. So before tonight’s game we worked on the fundamentals. It was a wake up call, Mase. We were determined to close this series out tonight by any means necessary.

GUMBEL: Earlier tonight, Cassadaigua closed out their series against Qazox. Have you been following the controversy concerning Ashley Stokes?

PETERSON: I haven’t kept up with the hubbub surrounding Ashley Stokes, but that whole madness has helped Cassadaigua come together at just the right time. Stokes and the Daigans really stuck it to the basketball experts and bookmakers who were predicting an Andromeda/Qazox final.

GUMBEL: In the figurative sense, of course. How do you feel about facing the sentimental favorites in the finals?

PETERSON: That’s why we play the game, Mase. Frankly, at this level, all we can do is play our game and watch each other’s back. As for the happenings in Cassadaigua, we don’t got time to pontificate about religion or politics. Right now, our politics is reality and our religion is basketball.

GUMBEL: Sounds like you have a future in politics. The Andromeda Eagles take their undefeated record to the Errion Vega and clash with Cassadaigua next week. With Norm Peterson, I’m Mase Gumbel. Back to you, Billy.

FINAL SCORE: Andromeda 78-65 Valladares

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PLAYER OF THE GAME

41 G Norm Peterson

Age: 28
Team: Andromeda Sultans
Height: 6’3”
Education: B.A., Political Science; University of East Portsmouth, 2020
2027 Stats: 18.5 ppg, 5.0 apg

One of the most exciting players in the ASBA, Norman Thomas Peterson has been the starting small forward for the Andromeda Senator. He has been the Sultans leading scorer for the past three seasons.

As a starter, Peterson led the Sultans to the ASBA Semifinals for the last two seasons.