NationStates

Those who had enough of a clue could easily tell that the Hinodejin weren't playing as well as they normally would. The news had caught up with them too fast. Misei had been targetted by Dreamplanet in a surprise attack, to the point where the war had been declared just an hour before the game even started. The administration of the tournament (ran by people from Lisander) was sensitive enough to attend the request of the Hinodejin Basketball Federation, which was passed along to them by Hinodejin manager Nene Izakura, to replace the usually serene anthem of the Empire for the war anthem that the Empire only used when necessary. It was based after the Sunrisian anthem and it was probably the first and only time ever that the Hinodejin used said anthem for an event.

Alisa Kamakura requested not to play, her boyfriend was killed in the very first attack. The girl was clearly shaken, which was something that Izakura had in mind when calling up her team, youth could lead to players not capable to act in situations that they weren't ready for. No Hinodejin athlete was ever really ready to play during war-time but thankfully most of her team put up a fight, despite their worries. They were worried about themselves as well, not knowing whether they'd be forced to leave the tournament early and go fight, wars aren't exactly things that end quickly.

With their minds not focused on the task at the hand, the Hinodejin were easy prey for Free Republics. At least the war itself ended shortly.

By night time, the Hinodejin had already established a temporary government while figuring out what exactly would be done with the territory. One thing was certain, however: the Hinodejin had tasted blood for the very first time in this realm.

That never ends well.

Consul Kyle Bolton walked out of the Consul's Mansion, surprising the many assembled members of the press by appearing to be at least somewhat sober for once. He walked up to the podium and grabbed the microphone:

Kyle Bolton - First off, I want to welcome all of you to the Consul's Mansion. Today, I have a major policy initiative to announce but first I will take your questions. How about you go first? Yes, hottie, I want you to start us off here. Name, publication and question.

Journalist - I'm Pensee Richer from the WOLF News Channel. Mr. Consul, I'd like to know who you think will win the WBC Finals.

Kyle Bolton - Well, the politically correct thing to say would be that I'm not going to pick sides because both are great teams and all that shit but honestly I'm not picking sides on that shit because I don't give a single fuck about baseball.

Pensee Richer - So you're not a fan of Honomi Kamei and Sarah Fuerst then?

Kyle Bolton - Hell no. Those dykes are an embarrassment to our nation. I don't understand why Scarlett likes them but its an open secret that they're lesbian lovers. Wait a minute, that's not fair. Sarah Fuerst is a bisexual. Next question, please.

Journalist - Ayana Sekiguchi of TNB Republica (OOC: Taiyou National Broadcaster). Mr. Bolton, where do you stand on relations with Taiyou?

Kyle Bolton - Taiyouese girls are lots of fun in bed. I mean, seriously, they put forward a prim and proper facade in public but they're complete whores in the sheets.

Ayana Sekiguchi - Sorry for my English but I meant to ask you what you think about Taiyou.

Kyle Bolton - Taiyou is a lovely country. Its a shame that they chose independence over remaining our colony but they are one of my favorite foreign countries. Hey Ayana, how about you give me your number so we can go out for sushi after this press conference?

Ayana Sekiguchi - I'm honored to receive this offer, Mr. Bolton, but it would be difficult to accept. I have a husband.

Kyle Bolton - Well, what he doesn't know won't hurt him babe.

---

This continued for about an hour and a half as Bolton would only accept questions from female journalists and kept finding ways to turn questions into sexual advances. By this time, the press conference had already run an hour long and pre-empted a large portion of the IBC game. Finally, as the networks were about to cut Bolton off, he cut to the chase and finally got around to his big announcement:

Kyle Bolton - Today, I want to announce my new policy proposal. Its called "Daylight Savings Time". This ingenious idea, which I came up with last night while I was drinking at my favorite bar, will increase the amount of daylight all of us experience! All you have to do is change your clocks twice a year. In the spring, we "spring forward" by moving clocks ahead an hour. Then, come fall, we "fall back" by moving our clocks back an hour. This will give all of us an extra hour of sunlight to enjoy during the summer while ensuring that kids can walk to the bus in daylight during the winter!

The assembled members of the press burst out in laughing. The following day, newspapers across the Free Republics proclaimed on their front page. The New City Times proclaimed "Bolton loses it, proposes Daylight Stupid Time". The Republica Post said "Bolton Sexually Harasses tons of Reporters, Proposes Moronic Idea to Change Clocks twice a year". By the time the network joined the basketball game between the Free Republics and Kita-Hinode in progress, the game was already a lopsided blowout...

SIRENIA, LISANDER- We are two games into the International Basketball Championships here in Lisander, and that means we are two thirds of the way through group play. Unlike the last tournament, where you had a 10 game, double round robin group stage that was followed by a series of Best of 3 playoff series to determine a champion, this format is intended to be more of a short, wild format. The intended format promises chaos in a sport where you typically rotate between dynasties, and it offers the best chance for anyone to prevent the incoming three-peat of the Vangaziland dynasty- they just have to be beaten once. Easier said than done, of course, but what needs to be done, at least in the abstract, is clear. But before we can think about Drawkland, or the Royal Kingdom of Quebec, or Vangaziland, we must first try to get past our group. And that put us in a large matchup with GSW rivals Valanora, between the two teams whom most recognize, with all due respect to Equestria and Hapilopper, as the best two national basketball teams in the extremely competitive subregion.

Of course, before that matchup, we had a game with Cyvass to open this tournament. Cyvass, of course, was unranked and a first-time entrant to this tournament- they were not expected to do much damage to Banija's hopes. Banija played an excellent game against them, coming out with focus and energy to deny their group opponents a foothold in the game, and never stepping off the gas as we finished with a 37 point blowout victory. Even in those games against a team like Cyvass, they are of outweighed importance in a tournament as short as this one- just one loss could have put the whole project, the entire ambition to finally rise to the summit of international basketball, in jeopardy. That would have put us greatly behind the 8 ball and into a desperate must win situation in Valanora. You see what happened in the World Lacrosse Championships when a Pot 1 Banija side loses to unranked sides? Championship ambitions entering the tournament cannot be reached with that level of inconsistency. Fortunately, the Lions avoided that on this night.

But that made the game between Valanora and Banija, both lightyears ahead of their two unranked group rivals, Cyvass and HUElavia, the de facto Group title bout between them. Of course, the Banijans and Vanorians competed fiercely in the Round of 16 in Filindostan last time around. It was a Best of 3 series, and Banija got off on the wrong foot. Although Banija was the favorites to advance in the quarterfinals, the Lions were thoroughly outplayed by their Glorious Southwestern rivals, as the Dragons notched a 13 point victory over the Banijans to put the Lions and their fans on notice- the Dragons were here to reclaim the title of best basketball team in the Glorious Southwest, and possibly more. The Lions had to dig deep against the Dragons in consecutive do-or-die games for them, but fortunately, Lavaga's squad was able to stave off elimination and advance to the quarterfinals, and then eventually advance all the way to the semifinals, where we were no match for the Vannish machine. But look at how we won those games. 3 point win in Game 2, and another 3 point win in Game 3, with Saihou Uster hitting the game-winning 3 pointer with 12 seconds left.

Games between Banija and Valanora in IBC 27 were decided on the margins. And this one, here in Lisander at IBC 28, would be no different. These two teams were very familiar with each other after that three game series, and now, this was the anticipated matchup in the group stages, for both sides. And the matchup, even for the neutral fan, did not disappoint. The Lions and the Dragons largely went back and forth for the first three quarters of the game, with neither team really gaining a foothold. And even with 7 minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Banijans were only leading the game by 2 points, 74-72. But it would be the next spurt of the game that would functionally act as the decider, and allow the Banijans to stake their claim as the best team in the group, and simultaneously mathematically punch their ticket to the knockout stages. The Wassa Itraba had arrived to Sirenia. Guarding Alfons Nordström, he got a block, a block that was recovered by Uster, and pushed up the court by Secka. He layed it up and in, to make the score 76-72.

But it would be quality defense that would quickly lead to the next Bnaijan bucket. A sloppy pass coming down the court was stolen by Uster, who against pushed the ball up to Banija's point guard, who finished at the rim while getting fouled. In that 15 second span, the Banijans went from almost seeing a tie game to a small 5-0 burst and a 79-72 lead. But the Lions weren't done yet. After strong defense at the other end forced a poor shot, the Banijans brought it back down, and passed the ball into Sadio Bartaba, the center. He posted up against Manne Holmgren, and the baby hook made the score 81-72. The Banijans were looking for the dagger against the Dragons, and they'd get it on the next possesion. After another strong defensive showing, it would be Ilman Corr drilling from deep, to make the score 84-72 and cap off a 10-0 run, that happened just outside the span of 2 minutes.

That's what makes the Lions so dangerous, and why we are IBC contenders once again- playing close for so long, but then that quick burst, towards the end of the game, to effectively bury their opponent. We were outscored the rest of the way, but the Dragons were absolutely gutted at that point. We finished with a 92-84 victory. Assuming head-to-head is the first tiebreaker, this clinched two things for us- a berth in the knockout stages, and we have now won the group, with a game to play. However, that does not mean we can take HUElavia lightly. While HUElavia will almost certainly be going home, they would absolutely love to go home with a win over a top 5 team. The Banijans, while giving their starters some rest and extending the rotation likely to all 12 players, still want a win for confidence and seeding purposes. It's a classic trap game as people look towards the knockouts, but going 3-0 in this group will send a message that the standard of excellence is exactly what you are going to get from the Lions, no matter what.

An announcement from hosts

As I was saying before I was kicked from Discord by Supreme Overlord of Nephara, cutoff for LISANDER IBC 28 should be postponed a little, to around 23:00 GMT.

LISANDER - Xannerian Basketball has showed up onto the International stage. A win over Tornado Queendom saw Tyson Breida, and Max Antilles both get double doubles and although game one was a loss, it was a hard fought match between the Maroons and the Steely Dans of Aja . Breidas has been a breath of fresh air as in both game he has averaged 19 points per game (15 points in the game versusthe steely Dans of Aja and 23 versus the Queendom), the star for the Vanosdale Beavers has been hot and could even be getting looks from International Clubs soon. Shaquelle Broussard gave a special performance from the 3 point line, over the last two games he went 8 of 15 attempts in two games so far including a 4 of 6 performance against the Queendom. A strong game versus Newmanistan will show the Maroons the door towards a playoff run.

STATS

XAN - 80
AJA - 84

XAN
Brieda - 15pts 7rbs 4ast
Broussard - 14pts 2rbs 6ast
Moresby - 12pts 4rbs 1ast

XAN 90
TQD 83

XAN
Brieda - 23pts 7rbs 11ast
Broussard - 17pts - 3rbs - 3ast
Antillies 10pts - 13rbs - 8ast

Group A
Greater Vakolicci Haven 72–70 Chinese Congo
Hapilopper 67–80 Lisander

Group A                 Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD    Win % 
1 Lisander                  3   3  0  234 217 +17    1.000
2 Hapilopper                3   2  1  228 229  −1    0.667
3 Greater Vakolicci Haven   3   1  2  218 229 −11    0.333
4 Chinese Congo             3   0  3  223 228  −5    0.000

Group B
Qasden 96–69 Hampton Island
The Cult of Motherbread 79–85 Royal Kingdom of Quebec

Group B                 Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD    Win % 
1 Royal Kingdom of Quebec   3   3  0  248 215 +33    1.000
2 Qasden                    3   2  1  260 231 +29    0.667
3 Hampton Island            3   1  2  216 250 −34    0.333
4 The Cult of Motherbread   3   0  3  232 260 −28    0.000

Group C
Kita-Hinode 93–68 Furby Island
Bolgano 61–64 Free Republics

Group C                 Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD    Win % 
1 Free Republics            3   3  0  232 180 +52    1.000
2 Kita-Hinode               3   2  1  252 210 +42    0.667
3 Bolgano                   3   1  2  202 221 −19    0.333
4 Furby Island              3   0  3  185 260 −75    0.000

Group D
Valanora 79–61 Cyvass
HUElavia 66–77 Banija

Group D                 Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD    Win % 
1 Banija                    3   3  0  263 207 +56    1.000
2 Valanora                  3   2  1  259 220 +39    0.667
3 Cyvass                    3   1  2  196 247 −51    0.333
4 HUElavia                  3   0  3  207 251 −44    0.000

Group E
Abaja 67–73 Tornado Queendom
Xanneria 59–76 Newmanistan

Group E                 Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD    Win % 
1 Newmanistan               3   3  0  288 188 +100    1.000
2 Xanneria                  3   1  2  229 243 −14    0.333
3 Abaja                     3   1  2  223 248 −25    0.333
4 Tornado Queendom          3   1  2  213 274 −61    0.333

Group F
Lochario 62–71 Aldaveria
Pratapgadh 60–94 Drawkland

Group F                 Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD    Win % 
1 Drawkland                 3   2  1  257 210 +47    0.667
2 Lochario                  3   2  1  228 218 +10    0.667
3 Aldaveria                 3   2  1  225 230  −5    0.667
4 Pratapgadh                3   0  3  212 264 −52    0.000

Group G
Equestrian States 84–61 Bakhdi
Sarzonia 51–92 Abanhfleft

Group G                 Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD    Win % 
1 Abanhfleft                3   3  0  279 181 +98    1.000
2 Equestrian States         3   2  1  236 232  +4    0.667
3 Bakhdi                    3   1  2  206 245 −39    0.333
4 Sarzonia                  3   0  3  196 259 −63    0.000

Group H
Aristian Republic 90–77 Greater Cebu
The Sarian 59–93 Vangaziland

Group H                 Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD    Win % 
1 Vangaziland               3   3  0  270 196 +74    1.000
2 Aristian Republic         3   2  1  241 244  −3    0.667
3 Greater Cebu              3   1  2  224 235 −11    0.333
4 The Sarian                3   0  3  194 254 −60    0.000

Note: Teams highlighted in green are qualified to next stage. Groups E and F were decided by Point Difference.



Round of 16

SORIA, LISANDER- The knockout stages are complete. Group D did not offer us much in the way of surprises. In the tournament that promised chaos, Group D, at least, saw chalk prevail at an almost perfect rate. The top ranked Banijans went 3-0, with the only game the Lions were truly in trouble in being against a top-10 Valanora side, a game that was back and forth until the final moments, when Banija broke away late in the fourth quarter to put down the Dragons. We blew out Cyvass, winning by almost 40 to open the tournament. While we did not run HUElavia out of the building like we did to Cyvass in Game 1 of this tournament, we still had a strong performance, leading from the game's very first moments, not once relinquishing it. Hitting back-to-back three pointers to start the game did help, and although we didn't simply pile it on like we did in our opening game, we played well enough to ensure that we wouldn't trail, or even see a tie, after 0-0. Quite an impressive performance to lead from end to end in this sport, and the Lions can be proud of their effort. The bench carried a lot of the load here, as Lavaga was able to dip deep into his bench. All 12 players played, and the starters got to rest, as the short tournament continued on.

But as we said earlier- the tournament that promised all sorts of chaos was simply not to be. Group D was perfectly chalked up. Valanora handled both of the unranked opponents they played as well, as the GSW sides were clearly a couple of classes ahead of the group's two unranked sides. What about the rest of the tournament? The promised chaos did not happen. In fact, chalk ruled throughout the rest of the groups, as well. All 8 group winners were the Pot 1 sides in their groups. The tournament's 7 highest ranked sides, plus the hosts(Lisander), who were all in Pot 1, won their groups. Makes the magazines, like this one, look quite foolish- we all promised chaos, and yet, the best sides continuously prevailed. It looked like the tournament's favorites were ready for the challenges that a short group stage brought us, and all of the Pot 1 sides were ready for the challenge. In fact, our own rivals, Drawkland, were the only Pot 1 side to drop a game in the group stages, although they won their group anyways.

When there is less chaos in the early stages of a tournament, however, that means that you are going to certainly have a much more entertaining back end of the tournament. Newmanistan has emerged as the early favorite- roaring onto the scene with a 60 point victory to open the tournament. You have all of these talented squads reaching the knockout stages, meaning that the margin for error is going to small. We are going to have a lot of close, entertaining games for the rest of this tournament, and while the group stages were unbalanced, the potential knockout stage matchups will be salivating. And, honestly, the Round of 16 matchups are going to be entertaining. Ours is Equestria- our fiercest rivals in our biggest sport, soccer, although that rivalry is quite one-sided. Banija has been able to hold its own against Equestria in anything besides soccer, although this one will surely get higher ratings among basketball fans in both countries because of the opponent.

What are the other games to watch? Newmanistan, just after defeating Xanneria, is going to turn around and face Xanneria again. It's hard to beat the same team twice in a row, but now, there's so much more on the line when these two teams play each other- a spot in the quarterfinals. Newmanistan has been eviscerating teams this time around, so they'll be the favorites, but Xanneria is capable of pulling off an upset. There is quite a bit of talent on Hapilopper's squad as well, and they'll try to be the next ones to take out the two-time tournament defending champions. The Quebecois face off against Qasden, two teams that the Banijans are always interested in. And a fifth GSW side, Valanora, will be in the knockout stages as well, facing off as the heavy underdogs against the host nation, Lisander.

The ambitions for this team is the sky- will we knock off our ever present Equestrian rivals and get back to the quarterfinals of this tournament? Or will we be on the next flight to Busukuma? Find out tomorrow in Soria, when Banija puts its tournament on the line against Equestria.

SORIA, LISANDER- The first knockout stage has been played. Finally, the tournament that promised us chaos has now offered us much in the way of upsets. You have seen Valanora, quite surprisingly, taken down the host nation Lisander, in a tough away environment. WE have seen Qasden, from the Glorious Southwest, take down fellow AO rivals the ROyal Kingdom of Quebec, here in the Round of 16. Chaos is coming to this tournament, even if it is late arriving. Now that we've reached a quarterfinal where the standard of excellence is so high, we can expect lots of close games, lots of entertaining matchups.

The Banijans took on Equestria for a berth in the quarterfinals of this tournament. The Banijans, fortunately for the Lions, were able to largely dominate this game from start to finish. Saihou Uster was feeling himself from deep, as the streaky shooter went 5/6 from deep in the 1st half, sparking a great offensive start to the game for the Banijans, They'd never let go, ensuring that they continued to pile it on Equestria to ensure they couldn't come back. The killer instinct was welcomed from Isaiah Lavaga. "Remember in IBC 27, in the Round of 16, when we came out so flat against Valanora? We didn't take the threat of a GSW rival seriously, and we were caught looking ahead to the Royal Kingdom of Quebec. We almost got eliminated. And now, it's single elimination. IF we had done that, we could have been on the first flight home to Banija, which would have been an absolute failure to achieve our goals."

Of course, it is not spoken, but many believe that Lavaga will not consider this tournament a success unless they can reach, at minimum, the semifinals for the second consecutive International Basketball Championships, and for the third time in 5 tournaments. We shouldn't call the Banijans the favorites for anything just yet- Newmanistan has been eviscerating opponents, notching a 55 point victory over Xanneria in their Round of 16. Roundup, there are many competitors whom others would rank ahead of the Lions still remaining, besides just Newmanistan. Valanora remains. The two-time defending champions, Vangaziland, remains. And, of course, Drawkland remains. As well as the Free Republics.

Ah, the Free Republics. Our co-hosts for WOrld Cup 81. A nation that we have a history with, though the history of actual sporting competition between the Free Republics and Banija is quite short. This, in our opinion, is probably the most important match that we've played against a Republican national team, in any sport. Led by the youngster Queen" Patricia Thibodeau, who is only 20 years old, they are sure to provide a fierce matchup for the Lions. There's almost nothing to choose between these two sides- a pair of excellent teams, neither of whom has lost yet at this tournament, battling for a spot in the semifinals. And with the winner of Newmanistan and Drawkland on the horizon, it doesn't get any easier.

The question is this- can we beat the Free Republics? WE won't have a score like the one we just saw against Equestria. We've made at least the quarters in 4 of 5 IBCs, so we can certainly hold our own, but the Free Republics are every bit as talented. It will be like the Valanora- coming down to the last few possesions? Do we have the heart, the willpower, the pure talent, to pull it out at that point? We'll find out soon enough, when the Lions take on the Republicans for a spot in the semifinals.

NEWMANISTAN RIVARLY TO BE RENEWED
Written By: Andrew Miller and Jimmy Fisher

---

In this fast-flying Lisander IBC, there's been no room for error. Despite losing during MD2 of the group stage, the Net Corps managed to keep their wits about them and cruise into the playoffs. After managing to survive Round 1, we're already on to the quarterfinals. Now we have the opportunity to play an "old friend" in the Rockets of Newmanistan. Anybody who's been following the IBC for the past few cycles will know how well-acquainted we are with Newmanistan in basketball, both collegiate and international. Before we dive into that matchup though, let's take a look at how we've managed to get this far into the quick-running IBC 28.

GROUP STAGE - vs ALDAVERIA
The first match on the schedule for the Net Corps was admittedly the easiest possible option. Who can complain about getting to start off your tournament with an unranked team that's never played on the international scene before? Still, with such a short-running group stage, there's almost no room for error. In a normal large-group single or double round-robin format, this would definitely be a "rest the starters" type game, and have the second string players get most of the minutes. Unfortunately for Aldaveria, the Net Corps couldn't afford to do this. Their first foray in international basketball would be against possibly the hardest competition available.

Still, Aldaveria managed to hold their own. Some unranked teams on MD1 were getting blasted by 40 or 50 points, but the multi-species lineup known as the Iron Eagles found a way to keep it close. The halftime score was a mere 45-40, punctuated with a last-second half-court shot by Izayah Silviane, the resident dragon on Aldaveria's starting five. They had been fighting tooth and nail to stay in the game after allowing a 7-0 run by the Net Corps to start off the match, and were within shouting distance of the lead. They started off the second half with a three-pointer (by the star Patrick McConnie), cutting the deficit to two, but they never got closer than that.

The Iron Eagles were trailing by 10 to start the fourth quarter. This is where disaster really struck for them however, as the experience and stamina by the Drawkian players really kicked in. The starting lineup for Aldaveria had simply run out of energy, and the second rotation simply couldn't keep up. The Net Corps took care of business and went on a 12-0 run to start the fourth quarter that effectively ended the game. By the time the final buzzer went off, the score was Drawkland 95, Aldaveria 75.

GROUP STAGE - vs LOCHARIO
With the first of at least two wins needed to make the playoffs, Drawkland was looking to roll over Lochario with ease to virtually secure their spot. This would not be the case, however. Stress struck early for the Corps when captain Taveon Holland went down in the first two minutes with an apparent right ankle injury. Upon further examination later that night, it was revealed to be nothing serious, but he still sat out the rest of the game. To make matters worse, top shooter Autumn Trallen decided to sit out on her own accord following halftime due to a nagging knee issue.

Because of the injuries keeping the two best players off the court, the Corps were forced to rotate most of their backups throughout the game. Now, the bench of the Corps is still special, but the fact of the matter is that the chemistry which makes the Net Corps so deadly was not in force for the night. Again, under normal circumstances, the bench players would be starting a few games in the group stage and getting more significant playing time more often, but with a maximum run of 7 games, a short group stage, a single-elim playoff, it's too much of a risk to put in backups in favor of a starting lineup which can get the job done.

Unfortunately for the Corps, their ideal vision of coming out of MD2 virtually guaranteed a playoff spot was not to be. Lochario managed to edge out the Corps thanks to an incredible 6-0 run in the final minute of play. The loss was crushing, and would suddenly put an immense amount of pressure on the MD3 matchup. For Drawkland, the playoffs would start one matchday early, thanks to the 68-75 loss to Lochario.

GROUP STAGE - vs PRATAPGADH
While Pratapgadh came into this IBC at a Pot 3 team, they were still ranked. In fact, in this really small-scale IBC, their rank of 39 was the lowest of all participants. It may not be impressive, but the experience a team gets from even one cycle of participation can make a big difference. This wasn't going to be a sleeper matchup for Drawkland in any case. The fact that this game was make-or-break for their playoff chances though simply compounded the fact that the Net Corps would be throwing everything they had at this matchup.

With both Holland and Trallen recovered from their minor injuries of the previous matchup, the starting line for Drawkland would be full-strength. Coach Cody Morgan made the executive decision to put in a heavier rotation of backups throughout the match though, thanks to the disaster that was the Lochario game. This made no difference in the match, however. The Corps still played at maximum output, and arguably the use of backups in the previous matchup helped the squad's cohesiveness and chemistry. Drawkland needed this game, and it came out in spades.

According to their historical record, the largest margin Pratapgadh lost to last IBC was by 31 points in MD10 to the Royal Kingdom of Quebec. With Drawkland's absolute wiping of them this IBC, that margin is now 34 points thanks to a final score of 60-94. The Shooting Stars may still be a middling young squad, but they certainly have a bright future if they continue to show up and play in the IBC. Still, they may want to improve their performance on the final day of the group stage. So far it's been their biggest weak spot.

ROUND of 16 - vs KITA-HINODE
There was a little bump on the way, but the Net Corps still managed to cruise into the playoffs with a 2-1 record and a decent point differential. Drawkland was the only group winner to not come in undefeated, but thankfully the close loss and two blowout wins propelled them to the top of the 2-1 teams to grab the #8 seed. Of course, this isn't going to help matters going forward, but at least it means they'd be punching downward for the first round of the playoffs.

This would be no walk in the park though, as their first-round opponent would be the #9 seeded Kita-Hinode. Now, the Hinodejin squad is nothing to sniff at. While they haven't achieved a whole lot of success recently, they're by no means a team to sleep on. The Corps would have to be playing their top game once again to keep the title hopes alive. I guess that's kind of obvious considering the fact that it's the playoffs and everything, but the point remains.

The game was a high-scoring affair, with Trallen once again being the Drawkian top scorer. Rikku Marufuji was the top scorer for the Jiangshi, and both teams went at it for the full game. Coming into the fourth quarter, the match was tied at 58, but the Net Corps went on 8-0 to start the quarter. While Kita-Hinode eventually managed to get their team back into the swing of things, it was already out of reach. The Corps kept their bearings and finished the job, with an 89-80 score at the final buzzer. It was a well-fought game, and thankfully, Drawkland came out on top.

NEWMANISTAN
Now we've made it further than just the first round of the playoffs, the stakes are now high. Anybody who wins in the quarterfinal has a guaranteed chance of playing for a podium position. Obviously, even winning the quarterfinal matchup is only part of that equation, as there's two much tougher matchups to deal with before you can think about titles, but still. A win here is what separates the reals from the fakes, and a successful playoff run from an unsuccessful one (at least at the higher level).

So not only is this an important quarterfinal matchup (not to mention the increased stakes from the format), but we'll be playing none other than Newmanistan. If you'll remember, Newmanistan were our opponent in back-to-back semifinals back in IBC 25 and 26. In fact, they could've been our semis opponent in IBC 27 if they hadn't fallen early in the playoffs. It's safe to say these teams are well-acquainted with each other at the highest levels of IBC play. The Rockets and the Net Corps split their two-tourney series, with Drawkland taking the first and managing to turn it into a title, and Newmanistan taking the second and faltering to Vangaziland in the championship. Drawkland managed to make it to the IBC 27 final without having to face Newmanistan, but since that was due to Newmanistan falling earlier in the playoffs, we can assume we won that pseudo-matchup.

In any case, you can objectively say Drawkland has come out on top in their lifetime matchups against Newmanistan. But once again we have to prove that on the hardwood, and this could be the toughest matchup yet. Newmanistan has been the best team in the IBC through this short 4-game stretch so far, outdoing even the likes of Abanhfleft and Vangaziland. However, their dominance is just a little bit disingenuous. In the immortal words of anybody who hates a successful team before the late phase of the season: "they ain't played nobody!"

As much as I hate to use that line of thinking, it's pretty true so far. Newmanistan so far has played #23 ranked and rusty Abaja, unranked Xanneria, unranked Tornado Queendom ... and then Xanneria again in the round of 16. They were lucky enough to get a paper-soft group, and then had the advantage of being able to play a team they blew out by 15 points again in the first round of the playoffs ... who they proceeded to drop a stunning 121 points on. That's not only unfair for Xanneria, being beat up by a top-level squad who already has experience against them in the playoffs, but for the rest of us who had to fight a little harder to get where we are.

Really, this quarterfinal matchup will go one of two ways. Either Newmanistan proves that their titillating performance in the first 4 games is the real deal, and that they're about to tear up the IBC going forward, or Drawkland comes out and exposes them once again for exploiting an easy lineup. Now obviously, unless you're wearing a tin hat, Newmanistan had no hand in their easy schedule or absolute dominance, but you can't also say they're the greatest based on their point differential alone. The key will lie in how Drawkland can respond to a really difficult opponent.

PLAYOFF OUTLOOK
With this reduced-size IBC, it's fair to say Drawkland hasn't had a super tough schedule either, but they did just get done beating Kita-Hinode, a solid mid-major team, by a comfortable margin. From here on out, it will be tough opponents in any case. Newmanistan is ranked #4, and Drawkland is #2. This is a semifinal-level matchup happening early thanks to our dropped points against Lochario in the group stage. But there's no room to complain, only room to perform and play your hardest on the court.

If we manage to play our game against Newmanistan and come out on top, our reward will be playing Banija or Free Republics in the semifinals. That's like ... congrats for making it to the semis after winning the toughest matchup in the playoffs so far! Your reward is playing the new toughest matchup in the playoffs! It's not going to be an easy road, but that's the way it should be. After all, if you can run the toughest gauntlet the tournament has to offer and come out on top, you can really take that title to heart. Especially because (barring a weird upset), the title match will be against the winner of #1 Vangaziland and #3 Abanhfleft.

It's a bit early still to be making predictions and calls like that. It still lies in the balance of how we perform in this matchup against Newmanistan. If we win, we're set to have a solid run going forward, both thanks to motivation and level of performance we can achieve. If we lose ... well we're knocked out of the tournament, but that proves that even if we managed to fluke win there's no way we'd be able to make a shot at the title. That's just the reality of the situation. The best part of it though? We control our destinies. And if we come out on top, things are looking up for our future. Let's leave it all out on the court. On Corps.

Bronze Match: Free Republics - Valanora @ The Box, Kasandora
Final Match: Drawkland - Vangaziland @ Giannis Salmakis Pavillion, Lerna

CHAMPIONSHIP WITHIN REACH?
Written By: Andrew Miller and Jimmy Fisher

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In what seems like an instant, IBC 28 is soon reaching its climax. 32 teams have been whittled down to a mere 4 - these top-level nations now have a chance to prove their total dominance over the basketball world - either for the first time or once again. Thankfully for us, Drawkland is one of those elite four nations battling for a top spot once again. This is the fourth straight time the Net Corps has made the IBC semis, and I'm sure it won't be the last. There's about a million takes you can have about this situation, but we'll get to those later. For now, let's look at our previous matchup against our biggest basketball rivals in Newmanistan.

QUARTERFINALS - vs NEWMANISTAN
In case you didn't read the previous article, let me just remind you that Drawkland and Newmanistan are huge rivals in basketball. It started in the NSCAA when Newmanistan returned to the international sports scene several cycles ago. Newmanistan were always major players in that tournament, and it was no exception when they came back to the stage. Despite being new to the scene, Drawkland had instantly exploded in collegiate basketball, and were doing their best to prove their worth with silverware. Both nations had teams clash throughout the length of the NSCAA season, establishing a small rivalry quickly.

Things came to a head in the proceeding IBC tournament, when Drawkland and Newmanistan's professional outfits met in the semifinals of IBC 25. This edition was abnormal for the Net Corps. As a new nation in IBC 19, Drawkland failed to escape the group stage, but later editions saw Drawkland falling in the Round of 16 several times in a row. It was approaching meme status in the 25th edition, but the Net Corps achieved the inconceivable and escaped the doldrums of the early playoff exit. The glass ceiling had broken, and Drawkland was set to meet Newmanistan in the semifinals. Drawkland famously beat them out and managed to turn their shock playoff run into a championship by breezing through the Royal Kingdom of Quebec in the final.

The next cycle was a similar story with the two meeting in the semifinals once again. This time though, Newmanistan were victors (though they were put down with ease by Vangaziland in the final). IBC 27 was almost the same, but Newmanistan lost out early, resulting in Drawkland having to make it to the final without beating the new rival. Unfortunately for Drawkland, we met the same fate as Newmanistan in IBC 26, losing the final to Vangaziland. But finally, the rivalry gets to be renewed. With Drawkland being the only group winner with a loss in the group stage, and Newmanistan the best-performing team so far, it was expected to be a tightly-contested affair.

Unfortunately for the Rockets, this would not be the case. The Net Corps, whose offense had been workable at best and mediocre at worst so far, finally lit up. The match was hotly contested in the first half, as most fans and pundits expected. The halftime score was tied at 50, as both offenses were trading blows back and forth. Taveon Holland was the leading scorer for the Net Corps with 20 points, and many expected him to continue to dominate in the second half.

Coach Cody Morgan of the Corps did not rest during halftime. He had seen enough during the first half and changed up the defensive scheme. Coming out of the locker room, the Corps' new look absolutely stumped the Rockets, and shut them down. The Net Corps went on a 16-2 run to start the third quarter, and after that it was the all-Drawkland show. Newmanistan couldn't keep up, and Morgan demanded that the Corps keep the pedal to the metal until the final buzzer. The result? A tournament-high 86-105 scoreline for Drawkland, and indisputable evidence that the Net Corps are the team to beat.

SEMIFINALS - vs FREE REPUBLICS
From that drubbing in the quarterfinals, it was on to the semifinals. We were expecting to go against Banija in this round, and that was a terrifying concept. After all, Banija are the 3rd-ranked squad, just below us, and they'd been putting together a fine run before being unexpectedly snuffed out by the Free Republics in the quarterfinals. Unfortunately, it was no fluke win, either. The FFR managed to win by a whole 12 points, dropping 90 on Banija to advance to the semis.

Playing against Banija in the semifinal would arguably be harder based on what you'd expect from the Banija squad, but the Free Republics team was good enough to convincingly beat them. Even being ranked 5th (tied with Quebec) is nothing to sniff at. As we've said before in this tournament, there are no sleeper matches. Every single game counts, and we were lucky enough that the one loss we let up was in the group stage when there was still time to make up for it. With a single-elimination tournament, there's no longer any time for error.

The time for this match came and tensions were high. The winner of this match would have a berth to the final. Drawkland had been clamoring for this ever since their 2-0 series shutout loss against Vangaziland in the last IBC, and the Free Republics had never won it all. As the game tipped off, it was clear that nerves were getting to the Corps. Free Republics had gotten up 8-0 before Drawkland got on the board, and things weren't looking up from there. The Free Republics managed to keep ahead of the Corps for the first and second quarter, and had a commanding 37-45 lead at halftime.

There was no doubt about it; Drawkland had its backs against the wall, and only two quarters left to try and make up the deficit. It was not a good atmosphere in the locker room going in, but the team hyped itself up during the break. Coach Morgan outlined the places where the team needed to execute better, but he didn't beat up on the team. Just before heading back out to the court, captain Holland led a hype circle that got the team back into their spirits going in.

Thankfully, the halftime break was good to the Corps and bad for the Free Republics. With their gameplan executed almost flawlessly in the first half, there were no real adjustments to be made for them and thus they didn't have anywhere to go once Drawkland stormed out of the gate. They managed to get into their groove once Drawkland tied the game back up, but by then there was no lead for them to keep. It was set to be a barnstormer from then on, with both teams trading blows back and forth.

The rest of the match progressed just like that, with both teams hitting shots again and again. The crowd was getting unruly, as each basket threw the tensions up another notch. Everything came to a head in the final minute of play, as you might expect. Drawkland was leading 79-78, trying desperately to hold on to a lead. With 40 seconds left after a timeout, "Queen" Thibodeau of FFR got the inbound pass and was looking to make something happen. Despite her small size, she had been maneuvering around the Corps all night and had put up some pretty points. Being down one, they needed points to take the lead, and couldn't afford to miss a shot.

The shot clock was winding down with 20 seconds left before the final buzzer, and Queen Thibodeau ran in from outside the arc to try and drive in to the paint and possibly pass the ball off. The problem was that she didn't, and instead stepped back behind the arc and shot off a quick 3 which drained right into the net. Suddenly, with a few ticks over 10 seconds left, the Corps were down 2 and facing elimination. Drawkland had no timeouts remaining, so Taveon Holland inbounded the ball to Autumn Trallen immediately to try and get down the court with the transition offense. Hopefully the Free Republics defense would be caught off guard and wouldn't be locked in enough to stop the final shot.

This was not the case, as the Republican defense locked down too quickly. Trallen was forced outside the arc and couldn't drive in, and there was nowhere to pass the ball. By now there was only five seconds left, and it looked like the luck was out for the Drawkians. Out of nowhere though, Gerald Madison came up from behind and blocked Demeter Moricz (the one defending Trallen) in a quick pick play. Brandon Owens, the center, had been given the slip, and now the screen left Trallen wide open. She took two steps to the right, set her feet, and launched the three-point ball with a second left on the clock. It arced high, the crowd collectively gasping, and banked off the backboard right into the hoop as the buzzer sounded.

The crowd exploded, and Trallen fell backwards to the ground in celebration. The Net Corps cleared the bench and mobbed her as the Free Republics team slowly trod off the court. The Net Corps just pulled off the buzzer-beater win to advance to the final.

FINALIST OUTLOOKS
For the third time in four cycles, and the second time in a row, Drawkland has booked its ticket to the IBC finals. Once again, it will be the famed and feared Vangaziland that Drawkland will have to face in the final match. Last IBC these #1 and #2 nations faced off, and Drawkland got cleanly swept to the curb while Vangaziland captured their repeat title. This IBC is a little different though.

Last IBC it was clear through the whole tournament that Vangaziland was unstoppable. They were sweeping through the whole playoffs, even high-level Pot 1 teams were crumbling. Drawkland itself barely made it there in the first place, having to survive two straight series where they lost the first of three games. It was a lopsided matchup and the game results showed. This IBC is different though. With such a short and quick schedule, teams have just now started to get into a rhythm, Drawkland being one of them.

Here's the thing. While Vangaziland looks as good as ever, they still have a lot to prove. Sure, they went 3-0 and won their group. Sure, they beat their early opponents convincingly enough. They only beat Valanora by 4 points in their semifinal matchup, but the Vanorians are a Top 10 team, their hardest opponent to date. You'd think things are lining up just like they were last cycle. You can even look at Drawkland: the only group winners to lose in the group stage and not even beating their Round of 16 opponent by double digits, which most of the Pot 1 teams managed. They required a stressing buzzer-beater against the Free Republics, who are only ranked fifth. And yet ... they routed #4 Newmanistan. They've had the most momentum in the tournament thus far. It really doesn't even look like the Vangazi team has started getting into their groove.

It's easy to just write this off as Vangaziland topping off another IBC to secure their three-peat and continue their route of dominance in the recent IBC. But Drawkland is a surprising team. They went from perennial Round of 16 losers to IBC champions in a single tournament, and have been floating around a second title every cycle since. They're a set piece in the basketball world now, and you simply can't ignore that. Right now, they have the hot hand. If it were me, I would think Drawkland are the favorites in this championship, even if it's only a slim advantage.

Games aren't played on paper, though. There's only one way to find out who's good enough to win this IBC ... watch and see. I know who I'll be cheering for ... On Corps!