IBC XXIX - Everything Thread

[The Puppeted States of The USUSNW]

The Puppeted States wins again:
After the second unexpected victory, The Puppeted States Basketball association, after viewing the recent blowout win from The USUSNW, decides to have a rigorous training program for their players. They give time for basic free time, rest, training, and time for players to make contracts with companies to use their likenesses on products.

[Free Republics]

News Magazine

Following National Television Brawl, Approval Ratings Collapse for Consuls Bolton, Nicholls
By: Matthew DeRose

After a recent press conference on the stock market crash culminated in a pier 6 brawl straight out of the NRWC, the approval ratings for Consuls Kyle Bolton and Scarlett Nicholls have both imploded. New polls conducted by WOLF News, FBC News and News Magazine all show Kyle Bolton's job approval ratings have now fallen to the single digits while Scarlett Nicholls's approval ratings are now lower than her age in all major polls. This has brought about a crisis of confidence in the Federation Government at the same time as the federation has fallen into the most severe economic recession in recent memory with an estimated 8-10% of the public currently out of work.

While the consul election increasingly looks like a 2 way race between Golden Age leader Nova Hellstrom-Hancock and Common Good leader Valentin Svensson, that has not stopped other figures outside the traditional center of Republican politics from throwing their hats into the race. Earlier today, Senator Samuel Izmailov announced the reformation of the Party for National Greatness (commonly known as "Nat-Gres"). Izmailov is believed by many to be the legitimate winner of the election from 16 years ago, which was won by Reino Kulseth of the Holy Party. Senator Izmailov spoke recently at a rally in Yoriac...

...

Matthew DeRose writes about the Federation Government. He is a graduate of the University of Republica with bachelors degrees in Journalism and Political Science. During his time in college, he interned with the Republica Post. Although the Post didn't have any openings for him upon his graduation, he had left an impression on their editor, who recommended him to Admiral Theriault.

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Senator Samuel Izmailov announces Candidacy for Consul of the Free Republics at Rally in Yoriac
By: Merci Masson

Today in Liago, Yoriac, Senator Samuel Izmailov (Nat-Gre from Yoriac) announced his candidacy for Consul of the Free Republics. Izmailov, who many believe to have won the election 16 years ago, spoke at length about the challenges facing the Free Republics in these times and his plans to revive the economy by restricting immigration and by expanding the military to eliminate unemployment. He also called for territorial expansion.

Izmailov began his speech by referring to the "unfinished business" that he has from his last campaign for Consul. As he said, "We likely won the election 16 years ago but the RepublicSoft voting machines were intentionally and maliciously designed to change our votes into Kulseth votes. Thus, Kulseth became our leader and led us to a humiliating defeat in the Great War. When we are victorious, we will avenge that humiliation and we will raise the Republican flag in Canterlot and put all the talking ponies in the zoo where they belong! We will liberate South Covello and install law and order in that lawless land where assassinating your political opponents is perfectly legal. Carter Redwin will be avenged! We will also regain our former colony of Ciqi from the Quebecois and we will make them pay tribute to us! We will invade the Main Nation Ministry and make their dictator pay for burning down O'Reilly Tower and murdering the great patriot Jasper Chuter because Gossip Magazine published some unflattering stories about him. Finally, I pledge to conquer any nation whose sports teams defeat or draw a Republican sports team without publishing their roster. We will establish an Empire and all will know that the Free Republics are the leading nation in the multiverse."

Turning to domestic affairs, Izmailov called for a number of changes to Republican society to "toughen up" the Republican people and restore our economy to greatness. "When we win, we will Make the Republican Economy Great Again! At the present time, a large portion of our population is unemployed due to irresponsible speculation by the finance industry. Therefore, I promise to strictly regulate the banks and stop them from harming our society with irresponsible behavior. Furthermore, I will implement a temporary freeze on immigration until such time as we reach full employment and I will use all measures at my disposal to ensure that this happens quickly and that we get our students some valuable work experience while they are in school. Work sets you free and we are going to set the people of this great nation free to work! I propose that all high school and college students be required to work 30 hours a week to help cover educational expenses which should otherwise be free of charge to students and their families. I also propose that JROTC and ROTC programs be expanded and that schools should make them mandatory for most male students. Our standards have become overly lax in recent generations which is why we aren't winning wars any more. This must change! Furthermore, I call for the introduction of flogging in our correctional institutions both as a punishment for misbehavior while incarcerated and as an alternative to incarceration for minor offenses. This will save us a significant amount of money and will ensure that misdemeanors are suitably punished and those committing them can return to their lives."

Izmailov also discussed his plans regarding expansion of the military. "Currently, our military is understaffed and is forced to fight with equipment that has not been replaced in over a decade thanks to the Nicholls dynasty's neglect of our military. We need to strengthen our military and we will do that by increasing pay for the military and encouraging more young Republicans to join. We will also seek to change the Constitution to authorize the use of conscription, a practice done in many other nations that would ensure that we always have enough soldiers to keep us free and safe!"

Izmailov has been a Senator from Yoriac since his appointment to the Senate 19 years ago following his loss to Venicio Piazza in the consul election. He also starred in the comedy film "The Interview" where he played Lord Almighty Gregory, who was then the dictator of what is now South Covello. University of Yoriac political science professor Jenna Douglas says Izmailov's candidacy is a "long shot" regardless of the poll numbers that show him polling well above the 10% threshold to qualify for the second round. "Izmailov's positions are rather extreme and are unlikely to play well with older voters who remember what life was like under Reino Kulseth and Caleb O'Reilly. I find it hard to believe that there is a significant portion of the public that desires to fight more wars or exclude immigrants again because these policies didn't exactly work for us the first time." I, on the other hand, think Dr. Douglas is wrong. I currently plan on voting for Senator Izmailov because I think it would do us a lot of good as a country if we had leadership that expected more from my generation than just hedonistic materialism. While I admire Nova Hellstrom and would like to be like her someday, I think Senator Izmailov is the kind of leader that this country needs right now and my boyfriend does too!

Merci Masson recently joined the staff of News Magazine as our newest intern. A student at the University of Yoriac, Merci is majoring in journalism. Her boyfriend Martin Course is an aerospace engineering major and an ROTC cadet who plans to join the Army Corps of Engineers upon graduation.

[Newmanistan]

Warren Peyser is a Southport man. Ever since he was a little kid, basketball was in his blood. It helped that he was taller the most of the kids in his grade, but he never wanted to be one of those players who simply relied on his height. He didn’t care all that much about school early on, and growing up on the east end of Southport, one of the more crime-ridden areas of the city, it was all about basketball. He was able to stay out of trouble, as his hard working parents worked for minimum wage but still made sure that their kids would at least do that. When Warren moved on into middle school, he began to appreciate things a lot more. It became very real to him that he had a lot of potential to go very far in basketball. This would lead to him taking his studies a lot more seriously, which led to some of his previous friends begin to stop hanging out with him, but that would never stop Warren as he still found time to play the game he loved. Though he was never an honor student, he graduated from junior high and was poised to play for the local school that represented eastern Southport.

Basketball is a big deal in the city. Loudon likes to claim that they are biggest basketball city in the nation, and they probably are. However, Southport also takes a lot of pride in it, as they often feel as though they have to convince Newmanistanians that there is more there then baseball and beaches. As Peyser was preparing to move on to East Southport High, his parents got an interesting piece of mail. It was from the administration of Bella Vista High School, a northern suburb of Southport known for its affluence. They had a great academic program, and a better basketball program. It seemed odd to Peyser that East Southport High was never better in basketball then they actually were, and that a suburban high school like Bella Vista would better, but that is how things where. One of the members of the Board of Education at Bella Vista was an owner of a large car dealership, and with that he promised Peyser’s family, “a beautiful home and a brand new car if they relocate to Bella Vista.” Peyser’s mom was the first to read the mail, and immediately thought about what life would be outside of the hard-pressed neighborhood in which they were growing up in. His father shared in those thoughts for a moment. Was this really how Bella Vista was so good? Bribing players to move to their area? And for high school sports? His parents talked to between themselves, and while they liked the idea of moving out of East Southport, they were not going to be bought like this. They responded that they would not be making the move and would stay where they lived.

Warren Peyser was starting to become a more well known name in the world of high school basketball. At Southport High, he was immediately the top player as a freshman, but he was just one man, and the team was not able to have any sustained success. His first game at Bella Vista saw the home side heckle him strongly in particular, it was if they knew that he had declined the offer to move there. Despite his best efforts, he was not able to lead his team to a victory in the game, but could at least be glad that Bella Vista didn’t advance out of the region, either. That was the story of his first three years of high school, as he gradually became more well known in the area, and the team improved on the court. Still, they could not ever come out of the region. At least Bella Vista wasn’t, either.

As a senior, Peyser began to be contacted by a slew of Newmanistanian colleges. His parents could not have been any happier. They tried their hardest and were firm on doing things the right way, but none of their kids were ever able to make it to college. Then, here was Warren, being contacted by elite schools throughout the Empire. He was an elite recruit now, so much had changed since when he was growing up, but he was convinced that he would never have gotten to this point if not for the guidance of his parents, and that was exactly right. When the offer from the University of Southport came, he knew that’s where he wanted to go. Maybe. I mean, it was still interesting to go check out other places, like the University of Tundra Falls, or Loudon Empire University. Why not, if it was all expenses paid? Even Pocono City Tech sent him an invite, though he had no interest in their academic focus. But he went anyway. While at the University of Tundra Falls, he stepped foot on the court of the Proving Grounds arena. Such a sacred place in Newmanistanian lore, everything to do with the Proving Grounds. He thought about how great it would be to be cheered on at this very court. How amazing would that be.

It was a great thought, but in the end, it all came back to the University of Southport. No where else made sense. His parents would always be able to watch his games at home. Tundra Falls, Loudon, or Pocono City would be too far away. This was where he wanted to go, and he knew his parents would love the thought of their son going to this big school in their hometown. Peyser had a successful college career, and would be able to play at the Proving Grounds, but always as the visiting player. This meant, no one cheering him on. It didn’t mean as much then, as he was focused on having success with his team, and he would do that, having a national championship. They would have modest success in the NSCAA, but could have done a little better. As if things could not get any better, he was selected in the first round by none other then the Southport Tigers. He always was a Southport man. With newfound riches from being now a part of the Empire of Newmanistan Basketball Association, he would move his family out of East Southport, but definitely not to Bella Vista. In fact, he moved them to Crystal Shore, on the south end of the city. His family deserved it, but Peyser never forgot where he came from, and has done a lot to give back to East Southport, including the high school. Deep down, he knew there were a lot of other kids there that deserved the chance, but they had to want it and have people believing that they can do it.

Since playing for Southport, Warren Peyser has done almost everything a basketball player could want, and being named to the national team for the first time for IBC 29 yet another amazing honor. Now, he was not representing Southport, he was representing Newmanistan. What more could one ask for?

Well, there was one more thing. Finally in his lifetime, in matchday two against Juvencus, he would be cheered on at the Proving Grounds. A moment he would always cherish.

[Lisander]

The curious case of the High School basketball game that was more exciting than an International Basketball Championships match

Two games played on the same day, in the same arena. One scheduled for nine in the morning and the other at eight at night. One marked to be a great success, the other simply to be a support event, and gain crumbs of attention from the bigger event. But a number of small factors caused a complete reversal. The match between Lisander and Laeral turned out to be the supporting act on a day when the biggest stars of the national sport were the boys from Saint-Germain and Kasandora Norte.

How did that happen? Let's get to the facts:

The Arena was supposed to open at seven o'clock in the morning for fans to enter the National High School Championships final between the private École Lutetienne Saint-Germain from Soria and the public District School of North Kasandora (Kasandora Norte) at nine o'clock. It was planned to be a family game, with little or no media prominence or sponsor interest. But at six o'clock the Arena security team informed the police of a possible break-and-enter case. According to The National, a man was found sleeping in the bleachers even before the game began. The man was taken to a police station, identified as the owner of an annual ticket to the SuperLiga (which guaranteed him a seat in the game the day before, against Drawkland. In a statement to the police, Augusto Kuhne, 43, a native of Kasandora, said that he had fallen asleep in the bleachers and when he woke up he saw no one else. Due to this incident, the game had to be rescheduled for 11 am.

However, Saint-Germain, in possession of the information given by the police, informed the Federation that it would not be playing the match. According to information presented by the school principals, Augusto Kuhne was identified as the father of Titiano Kuhne, 16, Shooting Guard of Kasandora Norte. The school raised suspicions about what Augusto would have done during the dawn and requested, in a note, that "those responsible for the Arena and the Championship, accompanied by the police, search the whole place to ensure that no member of our team can be harmed by acts of sabotage." Representatives of Kasandora Norte refuted the accusations by publishing on the school's social networks evidence of Kuhne's reputation and respect, presenting him as a dedicated father who had orderly followed his son and the team the entire season and a supporter of the sport. After this happenings, the repercussion of the weak result against Drawkland and the expectation about the game against Laeral ended up in second place in the sports news.

At 1 pm, right after the police, accompanied by representatives of the two teams, searched the dressing rooms, the corridors and the court, the Arena was finally opened, and the match that would begin at nine in the morning would begin only seven hours later. The expectation for that game and everything that had been caused around it made TV5 (responsible for broadcasting the basketball games) move the game from TV5 Sports2 to TV5 Sports, the main sports channel of the station.

What was originally a mere "preliminary" took on gigantic proportions. No more than four or five thousand people were expected for that game, but little by little, the arena had four thousand more seats sold during the day. Relatives and friends who thought they couldn't keep up with the game because of the hour came rushing from their home cities. Many people who had bought tickets to watch the evening game arrived early and bought tickets to watch the High School Final as well.

When the schoolboys finally made it onto the court, what we saw was a far better match than expected for that tournament. Backed by fans on both sides, the boys from Saint-Germain and Kasandora Norte presented the best basketball of the day. With brilliant performances from both sides, the game went to half-time tied at 43-43, a score worthy of a professional game. However, in the second half, Kasandora Norte came on like a steamroller and unaware of the confusion of the day, the blue team's players opened up a wide lead in the third quarter (29-7). Unmotivated, the Saint-Germain players still tried unsuccessfully to recover. In the end, the team led by Lucas Pareto (15 PTS, 9 REB, 6 ASSIST), Ticiano Kuhne (14PTS, 7 REB, 4 ASSIST) and Rafael Sanna (11PTS, 7 REB, 3 ASSIST) won the game.

Lisander Basketball Federation - National High School Championships


École Lutetienne Saint-Germain 75-91 Escola Distrital de Kasandora Norte
Olympia Arena at Giannis Salmakis Pavillion, Lerna
MVP: Ricardo Monteiro (StG) (24 points)

However, the MVP of the match came from the defeated team. Ricardo Monteiro (24 PTS, 11 REB, 8 ASSIST) was vital for the Saint Germain team not to lose by even more points. With 24 points, the 16-year-old forward almost got a Triple-Double, having also made a magnificent series of three balls in the last quarter of the match, a record in a high school championship final. He practically carried the team on his back.

[Valladares]

The buzzer sounded at Abbey Court, and to the elation of the 19,000 people filling the facility where the Carloburgo Knights play their home matches, Valladares beat Delaclava 67-64 in a hard-fought match between two former IBC entertainers who are trying to get back to the limelight. While local idol Henry Brüning, who led the Blue Jaguars to victory with 22 points, was busy taking selfies with dozens of children on a side of the court, and the other players were high-fiving and congratulating each other on a good effort, coach Daniel Toro was trying to make his way among the media staff that had suddenly entered the floor, until a blonde, small girl working as reporter for VSPN stopped him for an interview. The 56-year-old accepted the request, and was asked about his opinion on how the game developed. Toro looked at the camera and replied:

"Well, thanks. It was indeed a good effort from the guys. We were expecting a tight game against Delaclava tonight, especially from what we saw of their prior win against Soutwest Eastnorth. The idea was to stay focused in defense in order to avoid them from hurting us too much and at the same time, hit them at the right times, which I think was largely accomplished. Our own match against Equestria also allowed us to find out some things that were still not working quite well and polish them, which was shown to have worked out well tonight. However, while it was true that Valladares was always in control of the game, Delaclava were good enough to keep themselves in the game until the final buzzer, so we still have a long way to go if we want to go far in this tournament."

Afterwards he was asked about the specific performances of his players, to which he said:

"We had our highs and lows, as usual, but I think the fact that players such as Brüning and Romano were playing in front of their fans, over a wooden court they already know right and back was instrumental to their great performances today, with Brüning having another game as leading scorer for the team, and Romano largely contributing with assists. There was some general improvement in performances from the match against Equestria, and there's still room for more improvement."

Daniel Toro also had some words for the fans that attended the match against Delaclava:

"Being here at Abbey Court was a nice experience for the players, and we're trying our best to make it an enjoyable one for the fans that will be coming during the competition. The fans here in Carloburgo are passionate, and their support is felt everywhere and at every time. In this city basketball really interests people, and it's totally different from what we used to see in Eterna City or Metropolis. I'm sorry to say this, but people there are colder and more disinterested. We will be hoping to repay this support with victories like today's."

Finally, he was asked on his opinion on Donnacona, the next rival for the Blue Jaguars:

"Donnacona are a team we have also followed closely. While it's true that they've had a rough start, having to play Banija, Equestria, and next us in quick succession, they have shown to be a competent side which might be an entertainer of this tournament in few time. The trip there is going to be one of the trickiest games we're going to have in this IBC, and we will have to pay special attention to players such as Luca Kjaer if we want to avoid any nasty surprises there. We will go out and play our game, as we have done against Equestria and against Delaclava, but we will be also looking for ways to neutralize Kjaer in order to get the result we want."

Then, the reporter thanked Toro for the interview, and headed to look for another player to feed the live post-match of the game with more info. For his part, coach Toro turned his head towards the few fans who were still in the arena, applauded with gratitude and entered the dressing rooms to meet with his players.

[Jeckland]

JECKEN STADIUM OPENS AMIDST DISCONTENT FROM BASKETBALL FANS

Jeckland's new state of the art basketball stadium opened today for their International Basketball Championships Clash with world number 1 team Vangaziland, but many basketball fans in the country are opposed to it.

The modern facility was in part funded by a sponsorship deal with Jeckish Chicken provider Jecken. Located in Rack City, the sponsorship is very evident on billboards around the stadium and in the catering choices. Whilst most agree that this is necessary to fund such a stadium, fans have questioned the need to have a single national stadium for basketball, especially given many other countries have their home matches in the IBC across different venues.

The decision to host all games in one venue in Rack City is one that splits opinion. On the one hand, the location lends itself to a market of potential new fans for a sport that is fairly niche in the country. However, areas where the sport is more mainstream, such as Jeckland’s second biggest city of Lingham, will be aggrieved by having to spend more time and money travelling to support the Spuds in their first IBC for a long time.

The match itself went as expected, with Vangaziland taking a comfortable 112-79 victory. The far more concering result on the pitch was the opening day 90-62 defeat in North Quadana, which combined with the more recent result leaves Jeckland dead last in their group after the first two matches and the only team yet to register a win. The team will know they have to improve for their next match, away in the Crystal Empire, before another tough match at Jecken Stadium against Vakolicci Haven & Celeria.

[Drawkland]

IBC 28 CHAMPIONSHIP
Written By: Andrew Miller and Jimmy Fisher

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Finally, after their breakthrough success in IBC 25, the Net Corps has delivered and won the IBC championship once again! Despite the early loss in the group stage to Lochario and having to play through the breakneck gauntlet presented in Lisander, the Corps managed to perform and come away with silverware. Let's review the championship game from last cycle, and look at our chances in this upcoming IBC 29 at a repeat win.

CHAMPIONSHIP vs VANGAZILAND
Many nations have become used to tight journalism restrictions by Vangaziland's media and government. Even so, IBC 28's Vangazi squad presented additional difficulties. This time, rather than not permitting outside organizations to write about the performance of the players on their roster, they didn't even send the roster listing out to nations at all. This presented additional challenges to not just us and other sports journalists, but it actually also made it difficult for the Net Corps scouts and coaching staff to ascertain the biggest threats on their roster. The coaching staff expected it to be a big problem, as leading into the championship, Vangaziland's national team had been tearing up all the teams in their way from the group stage all the way through the semifinals.

Therefore, nobody from Drawkland or anywhere else besides Vangaziland knew what to expect that fateful night. As thousands of fans streamed into Giannis Salmakis Pavillion in Lerna, Lisander, the Net Corps staff were busy reviewing all the practice and walkthrough footage they had obtained of Vangaziland before the game. Head coach Cody Morgan had been telling the Corps leading up to the game that all they could do is go out their and play their game. It worked against Kita-Hinode, it worked against Newmanistan in spades, and it worked just barely against Free Republics.

Earlier in the day, Free Republics had slapped down Valanora by 31 points in the third place match. Considering the history of Drawkland vs Vangaziland (Drawkland is 1-4 against Vangaziland all time), and the performance of both teams in the IBC thus far (Vangaziland was cruising undefeated with little issue, Drawkland had lost to #31 Lochario in the group stage and barely beat FFR in the semis), it was reasonable to assume that Drawkland was in for another blowout loss in the final.

Fate had different plans, though. The energy in Lerna was starting to ramp up as it got closer to game time. There were a lot of Drawkian fans in the 20k seat Pavilion. They may have even outnumbered the Vangazi, but among the assorted fans from every nation and locals from Lisander, but it was difficult to tell the exact split. In any case, it was set to be a banging matchup. Despite what most pundits and fans were saying and thinking beforehand, it was clear who would be controlling the game from right off the tip-off. Gerald Madison got the ball off the tip and it flew right into the hands of Darren Roser, who tossed it across the court to a wide-open Taveon Holland. Holland and Brian Campbell had set up a screen play right off the tip, so Holland had an unopposed run straight to the basket to hit a layup and take the quick 2-0 lead to start the match.

From then on, it was the all-Drawkland show. Vangaziland did well in the first half, but they never seemed to get close enough to Drawkland to make the game tight. The halftime score was 30-39, and the second half only compounded on the problems Vangaziland had on offense and defense. The Drawkian squad was simply operating at the highest possible level, and it showed when they pulled away for good late in the third quarter. By the time the final buzzer sounded, Drawkland was up 92-62. The official celebration of their championship began then, but it really started all the way back at the beginning of the fourth quarter for Drawkian fans.

DYNASTY IN THE MAKING?
Some may consider Drawkland's performance from IBC 25 on to be the makings of the dynasty, but in my opinion, we still have a lot of work to do. Two titles and three semifinal appearances in four editions is definitely something to be proud of, but I'm not sure it's objectively dynasty material. Now, suppose we win this IBC 29 that's just begun. Then we have repeat titles, three in five cycles, four semifinal berths (three in a row), and we'll maybe even be ranked #1 (by the way, absolutely bonkers that we won the title and actually went down in the ranks). That's what I would call solid criteria for being considered a dynasty. Even then, we'd need to float around the semifinals and championships for the next few cycles to really solidify it.

The question arises: what really qualifies as a dynasty? Do you need to win more than one title? How many? Does reaching the semifinals at all lend itself to extending a dynasty? Do the rankings come into play? If a nation has a couple bum seasons, does their dynasty end? If so, how many bad seasons does it take to end a dynasty? How long of a gap between titles disqualifies a nation from being considered a dynasty?

Let's take Drawkland's World Bowl squad, for instance. They didn't have a lot of success early on, but they broke through in World Bowl XXX and won their first title against Abanhfleft. Despite floating around the top and making deep playoff runs, it wasn't until World Bowl XXXV that they would win their second title. World Bowl XXXVI and XXXVIII resulted in final appearances, but no title. Would you consider the current Grid Corps to be a dynasty, and when would you say it started? These are impaortant ethical questions, people!

In any case, this is all speculation about stuff that (in all likelihood) will never come true. Dynasties, in these turbulent cycles of international sports, are hard to come by. Maybe we'll become one, maybe we won't, and maybe we already are. No matter what, there's teams to play and games to win. We'll be back soon with coverage of the IBC 29 group stage, already in progress. On Corps!

[Trolleborg]

Mark Finn Lammert is happiest man in his small town. He was one of the 12,000 lucky people who received tickets for the Trolleborg basketball team match as a result of the lottery, and for each such lucky person there were, according to statistics, 152,311 people who did not get tickets. It doesn’t matter what place you ultimately get, whether you can clearly see the pitch from it, whether anything is visible at all, every basketball fan is happy to receive the coveted ticket for one of the matches. The town has its own basketball team, a matter of its pride, so Mark Finn Lammert had a suitable scarf for his occasion and was determined to put his heart and soul into supporting the Trolleborg team. And he had to invest not only his efforts, because probably every male resident of the town did come up to him in order to ask him to fan for him as well. Of course, everyone knew that international sport is cruel and there are hardly many chances in a battle with the 12th team of the world, especially angry the defeat on the home turf from a direct competitor, but still everyone who was present in the stands and everyone who watched the game in squares and streets, in houses and bars, hoped that our basketball players would be able to level the advantage of a formidable opponent by force of will, multiplied by energy and frantic support.

As in the first game, our team won the throw-in and after a few seconds made the first throw, the ball hit the bow and bounced into the field - but the fans did not have time to exhale disappointedly, because it was delivered to the basket, 2-0 and stormy roar of the audience is a best award to our fighters. But Kita-Honde with her experience is not a team that can be broken by a quick goal and wild pressure from the stands. The first minutes of the game our team was still able to keep up, responding with an attack on the attack and once having managed to come forward again. But by the break it’s already 19:25. The stands were noisy and looked like a torn anthill during the break, fans was in such a condition that even a buffet, an innovation that has spread arount country after last year's qualifying tournament for the World Cup, few have nerves to go and test properly. The nervous buzz, however, turned into a coordinated chant when the teams showed up from the tribune rooms. Our guys started as if they had just come out on the floor. For a minute it seemed that the match could still be saved, but alas, again Kita-Honde with iron discipline and skill which can be gained only by practice, took her points over and over again and did not allow her opponents to do it. –12 for a break. Still not deadly, but the dynamics of the game did not allow the illusions to form, how it all would end. From the break, our guys were again greeted by the roar of the stands, as if spectators had just begun to warm up. How else to help support? How to turn the tide of the game when it is clear that there are few chances of such outcome? A throw, a fight under the ring, a throw again, selfless attempts to pick up the ball after all, failure, retreat in defense, an attempt to intercept, failure, and again the ball flies and like magically guided flow right into the basket. –15 to the last quarter. The stands already understood everything, but continue to hope for a miracle. Many people are hoarse today, many tomorrow they will not be able to utter a word, spending all they can put on. The struggle on the floor continues, Scherpen almost broke first two rows trying to get a clearly and hopelessly leaving ball, then talked with doctors for a long time and was forced to ask for a replacement. People continue chant the names of the players, chant “Trolleborg! Trolleborg! ”, almost every patriotic song are sung. The fight was on every meter of the site. But shhhhh - the last time the ball slips into our basket, and after that the siren sounds. –16.

STATISTICAL SUMMARY
Trolleborg – Kota-Hinde 83:98 (19:25, 41:53, 64:79, 83:98)
Arena, Trolleborg City 11,998 (cap. 12,000).

In other games of our group Newmanistan comfortable won against Juvencus 82-60 and Nova Roma at home lost to the Puppeted States 65-76, making serious bid for a one of the qualifying spots.

[Equestrian States]

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Foreign Ministry Monitoring Election in Free Republics
Consul candidate Samuel Izmailov threatens Equestria in speech
by Sudden Spark

CANTERLOT - In a speech yesterday, while announcing his candidacy for Consul of the Free Republics, Senator Samuel Izmailov of the so-called Party for National Greatness issued a bizarre and unprovoked threat to Equestria, proclaiming that he would "raise the Republican flag in Canterlot and put all the talking ponies in the zoo where they belong." When reached for comment, a Foreign Ministry spokespony responded simply that "the Foreign Ministry is monitoring the Consul election in the Free Republics," declining to make any statements regarding individual candidates.

Equestria has never enjoyed friendly relations with the Free Republics, with many in both nations viewing the other as an antagonistic, if not outright hostile, foreign power. Although recent years have seen a mild thawing in Equestrian-Republican relations, at least to the point where the two nations are no longer constantly at each others' throats, should Senator Izmailov win the Consul election, it would seem likely that tensions would once again escalate. Fortunately, according to experts in Republican politics, Senator Izmailov is currently considered a long-shot candidate in the election.

Retired Vice Admiral Ironclad of the Royal Navy, in appearances on several Canterlot radio programs this morning, also downplayed the threat that the Free Republics' military could actually pose to Equestria, stating "the Republican Navy is, quite frankly, in no condition to pose a threat to anyone outside Lunia. Even if it came to a war between Equestria and the Free Republics, any Republican force would be lucky to survive the trek to Atlantian Oceania, much less raising their flag over Canterlot, as Senator Izmailov claims he will. I'd advise Senator Izmailov worry more about his own sorry excuse of a country before he even considers making such empty threats against a naval superpower like Equestria."

More stories from The Canterlot Daily Journal:

• Food: Princess Celestia's top 25 favorite cakes, ranked
• Hoofball: Ponies off to strong start in Eagles Cup
• Basketball: Weavers dismantle Donnacona in Manehattan, now 2-0 in IBC

[Pemecutan]

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Modest Result for The Last Two Matches

Campuhan - Pemecutan Basketball Association or Pesamuan Bola Basket Pemecutan eagerly join the XXIX IBC competition after previously only join in the club competition where all Pemecutan basketball club failed to advance further from Group Stage. As a newcomer, PBA Team Manager Komang Panca Setiawan doesn't set any target for his team.

"We just focus on having a great match, gain experience and playing a great game. Advancing beyond Group Stage is a plus for us," says Komang Panca Setiawan.

As the domestic competition is still ongoing, Setiawan asked Agus Pambudi, the Head Coach to recruit players from the top 8 clubs that enter Conference Semifinal Round to be his national team. The players are selected evenly from the 8 clubs.

In the IBC XXIX, Pemecutan is draw into Group C together with Gekkeom, Wielka Rzesza Sealandzka (both newcomer), Northwest Kalactin, Qasden and Free Republics. Following the Group Stage match, Pemecutan team has finished two matches. The first was against Gekkeom and the second against Wielka Rzesza Sealandzka. The first match against Gekkeom was a complete disaster after Pemecutan loss badly by 79-90. The players seems to be very depressed and shock to play in the international competition for the first time. Although playing at Pemecutan seems to have no effect at all. The second match against Wielka Rzesza Sealandzka was better for Pemecutan. Although they still struggle to play against Sealandzka players but they have gain their confidence and play more relax. The match was exceptionally tight and Pemecutan only win by 8 points of 78-70. The result of two matches placed Pemecutan in the fourth place of Group C under Free Republics, Qasden and Gekkeom. The third match will be a hard match where Pemecutan have to meet Free Republics. Currently, Free Republics lead Group C with 2 wins against Qasden and Northwest Kalactin. The team also the highest ranked team in Group C so it is going to be a hard match for Pemecutan.

[Northwest Kalactin]

NKBA draft

Round 1
R1P1: Lismore: Joe Green, CG, St. Mikes High School
R1P2: Kempsey: Greg Cox, PF, Ballina CC
R1P3: Yamba: Oluwaesung Tionge: C, Coffs Harbour University
R1P4: Ballina: Kaulana Akoni, SF, NNSW
R1P5: Purple Town: Knox Blythe, C, Akers State
R1P6: Gold Coast: Frank Hughes, PG, Kempsey State
R1P7: Coffs: Grant Reyes, PG, Northwest Ballina State
R1P8: Murwelldobah: Bruce Cook, PF, Akers State
Round 2
R2P1: Lismore: Perry Hill, PF, Harbour City College
R2P2: Kempsey: Brandon Thomas, SG, Northwest Ballina State
R2P3: Yamba: Bobby James, PG, Kyater State
R2P4: Ballina: Roy Richardson, C, Coastal State University
R2P5: Purple Town: John Diaz, SG, NNSW
R2P6: Gold Coast: Carl Coleman, PF, Lismore CC
R2P7: Coffs: Brian Richardson, PF, Coastal State University
R2P8: Murwelldobah: Harry Morris, C, Kyater State

Draft Grades
Lismore: A: addressing their need for a combo guard, Lismore Basketball club drafted phenom Joe Green out of St. Mikes. They also got Perry Hill in the second round who they could switch to SF to address his height problem.

Kempsey: B-: outside of the questionable decision to take Greg Cox instead of Tionge, Kempsey had a decent draft getting the skilled shooter from Ballina, Brandon Thomas.

Yamba: B+: Getting a steal on great Center Tionge the Yamba draft was very successful. You can picture them grabbing another playoff berth this season. Bobby James will improve their perimeter defense.

Ballina: C+: the worst draft we have seen so far, instead of drafting Frank Hughes, where they could’ve improved their outside offense they took Kualani Akoni, the Small Forward from the North New South Wales. They also got the better side of the Richardson brothers from Coastal state college.

Purple Town: B: the worst draft lottery for any team on this list they were able to take Knox Blythe to address their need at center. They also took the High risk John Diaz from North New South Wales.

Gold Coast: B-: getting a good steal in Frank Hughes they improved their perimeter play for next year. They also got Carl Coleman from the small Lismore Community College.

Coffs: B: needing to improve their guard play to win a championship they took Grant Reyes who they expect to start at Point Guard. They also took the younger half of the Richardson Brothers trying to find a good player to come off the bench.

Murwelldobah: C-: after making the questionable decision to not take Perry Hill and leave him to Lismore they took a high risk pick in Bruce Cook. They also took Harry Morris to come off the bench from Akers State.

What can we take away from this? Well for one, we could see a Coffs Dynasty in the near future. Also Lismore is greatly improving their chances to rebound from the 1-13 season last year to make the playoffs in the next 3 years. Murwelldobah May start to see their team struggle after a few years as they made questionable choices at best. Yamba could also start to see a dynasty start up with Tionge who they can build their franchise around in the next few years.

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

OOC : The moment of king's passing and onwards will be addressed in subsequent RPs. This one's set more or less from the reader's perspective, long into the future (let's say around year 2060). Stay tuned!

The Chronicles of the Royal Kingdom of Quebec and the Shingoryeo (퀘벡신고려왕조실록)

The Veritable Annals of Jacques IX, Book XXXII (현종실록 33권, 현종 32년, 8월 10일 계혜년)

His Majesty passes away in sleep.

'On the 14th September, in the thirty-first year of his reign, in year 2044, Anno Domini, His Majesty Jacques IX, sobriqueted as 'the Wise', by the grace of God, of Quebec and the New Goryeo, Lord Protector of the Isles of Sealtainn Eireann, Regent Defender of Acadiana, and the Quebecois Dominions beyond the Seas, King, Defender of the Faith, Commander of the Quebecois Commonwealth, breathed his last. His temple name was declared Solaris Fortissimus Magnus, Rex Goriæ, according to the Quebecois Scheme; his funeral name, written in the aforementioned manner in Latin, Jacques IX Magnus, Caeli Gratia Quebecia et Goriæ Regnorumque Suorum Cæterorum Rex, Dominus et Defensor ex Insulæ Sealtainna Eireanna, Domitor et Arbiter ex Felixia, Dux Defensor Fidei ex Acadinaeum, Praeceptor Res Publicaem.'

'His late Majesty was possessed of worldly demeanour, sagacious in divining the wills of heaven, earth and all its people, bright and wise beyond all, loyal in his servitude towards the state, enamoured and continuous in his pursuit of virtue, righteous in war and courageous in peace. Thus he met with triumph in his endeavours of the Shingoryeo and the Commonwealth Commonwealth, as Victory herself favoured him in glory.'

'It was he who decreed that the Commonwealth and its allies be strengthened; it was he who rejoiced above all others at the closeness shared and enjoyed by the Commonwealth; it was he who found himself delighted and rejoiced above all others at the sight of their histories, journeys and progresses; it was he who read and appreciated the virtue that originate from the rarest letters of the people.'

'Faithful in his adherence to the canons and their casuistry, constant in his observance of the ancient rites, respectful and welcoming in example to his ministers and servants of the State, his late Majesty stayed true and faithful in his course of all duties royal and humanly from the first day he ascended to the Throne to his very last breath, attending to all matters civil, military, and of the people, in measured, humanly and honourable manner. Thirty-One years have passed since he in his youth pacified the four seas and succoured the people, and another twenty since he brought Felix to the East and the Holy Republican Empire to the South to their defeat with his fist; for this we extol his love and pursuit of justice.'

'The chronicler observes:'

'It is said in the memory and honour of his late Majesty Jacques XIV that the cenotaph erected in his honour bears no legend or inscription, for no single monument is sufficient a vessel to bear the record of his accomplishments, and no single pen possesses the eloquence to do them justice. He settled the realms like Vespasian, pronounced judgment like Hadrian, and defeated all his foes like Trajan; at Higuera he crushed Herman with his fist, at Yellow Bay he brought Kulseth to his death; he calmed the Slavonics of the Commonwealth north and proved wiseness towards the Banijans to the south; in governance he exceeded many fallen regimes that stood against the High and Aboe, he brushed history with one hand and embraced it with the other. It is thus that no single monument is to be created to his majesty's inviolable and honourable memory with a humanly monument.'

''At the behest of his late Majesty, four copies of the Veritable Annals of Jacques IX (퀘벡신고려왕조실록 현종실록) were sent to Nyhavn, Busukuma, and Santa Maria, as a sign of honour and goodwill to commemorate the everlasting ties of Quebec with not only its allies of the Commonwealth, but also the recipient of gratitude by the Quebecois. One was intended for Kristian XVI, Christianus Magnus Rex Norskæ; and the second and third copies respectively to Kabaka Mwanga, Magnus Rex Banija, and Pavel IV, Magnus Rex Peteraeum. The final copy was intended for Gilbert Förstner, then-President of Felix who was the Commander of the Felix Liberation Army whose dedication to the Felixian State continues the freedom that was hard fought to be won in the days of Nazi oppression. It is said that Kristian XVI henceforth reigned in continuation and betterment of Jacques IX the Wise, modelling his reforms and advents upon the Norrish state, and thereby leading Norrish Union to a powerhouse in her own right. The proliferation of the Annals thereafter would herald the continued strengthening of both the Quebecois Commonwealth and its relentless pursuit of the 'Righteous cause', widely understood and appreciated by the reigns of Kristian XVI of Norrehavn, Pavel IV of Novopetrograd, Kabaka Mwanga of Banija, and Gilbert Förstner of Felix.'

[Valanora]

"Well the Dragons are off to a good start, convincing first win of the campaign and then having the resolve to hold on to a win that could have very easily turned into a loss. It is a bit of shame that the squad does not the same sort of media coverage that the Marauders and Calcuttas do, though even the latter is suffering a bit of a media burn out lately. The squad has managed through perseverance and a tad bit of good fortune to climb into the top ten rankings of the IBC and could be considered by some to be an outside title contender with the likes of Saint Kayne no longer participating in the competition."

"It is a bit of a shame but they have a lot more things to be focused on besides just us sports people, like they fact that the Empire has slowly been integrating two new states into it or that the government is still a bit of a shambles after all that mess with the Calling and what not a decade or so ago. The Elves were the cornerstone of the Empire and with so many of them gone, just a small fraction of the population remaining here in the Empire, it really has been a bit of a turbulent time. It is a minor miracle that the Empire did not completely fall into disarray when the elves did leave. Not that one can blame them with all that had transpired in short amount of time, but still, for those of us left behind trying to pick up the pieces, it has not exactly been the easiest of ventures."

"That is true but that is what makes these escapes in the form of sports all the more important, not only does it allow for a momentary escape from the intensity of the world that surrounds us, but it also brings us together closer as communities, as cities, as region, and as a nation. International competition breeds a sort of pride and unity among a populace that is very difficult to replicate through normal means, it gives people a reason to feel pride in their country besides some arbitrary numbers or borders or who was fortunate enough to have a rare resource inside those borders. That competition also breeds good will, it gives those we are challenging and ourselves something to aspire to and focus all that effort and energy on that others dissipates into nothingness or things that are not positive nor productive. While by no means is it a cure all for the different problems that we face as a nation or as a society, it provides a lot of good things that help mend the wounds that have been left on our soul and the society as a whole. It is community healing."

"I suppose, though the scope of such things is often lost on those who are partaking or competing in them, I think."

"Oh no doubt but you can not be blind to it forever and sooner or later what is truth makes itself known, in some fashion or another. For the time being, I am content to watch the Dragons try to assert themselves upwards into the basketballing echelon, what with the domestic league seeing great success in the IUBC. The Valanari Highlanders are making quite the name for themselves as being one of the premier basketball clubs in all of the sporting community, not just inside the Empire itself. You can see its influence in the national team to, what with the quick passing, three point shooting system that the Dragons use, though a lot of that can also be attributed to the fact that Vanorians as a whole are generally more quick and more apt to learning technical aspects of sports than the more strength based parts, even now after most of the elves have gone. There is just something about the way sport has developed here in the Empire that seems to favor quick, smart, and technically gifted athletes over those with raw physical strength..."

[Equestrian States]

Laeral 63–83 Drawkland
Kriegiersien 57–115 Lisander
North New South Wales 92–80 Petroslovania

  Group A                       Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD    Win %
1 Drawkland                       3    3   0   262  195  +67    1.000
2 North New South Wales           3    2   1   226  241  −15    0.667
3 Lisander                        3    2   1   263  207  +56    0.667
4 Petroslovania                   3    2   1   236  223  +13    0.667
5 Laeral                          3    0   3   194  233  −39    0.000
6 Kriegiersien                    3    0   3   189  271  −82    0.000

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Kita-Hinode 69–84 Nova Roma
Juvencus 68–84 Trolleborg
Puppeted States 79–86 Newmanistan

  Group B                       Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD    Win %
1 Newmanistan                     3    3   0   260  207  +53    1.000
2 Trolleborg                      3    2   1   260  239  +21    0.667
3 Puppeted States                 3    2   1   216  209   +7    0.667
4 Nova Roma                       3    1   2   222  238  −16    0.333
5 Kita-Hinode                     3    1   2   235  259  −24    0.333
6 Juvencus                        3    0   3   186  227  −41    0.000

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Wielka Rzesza Sealandzka 72–72 Gekkeom (80–79 OT)
Free Republics 93–58 Pemecutan
Qasden 71–79 Northwest Kalactin

  Group C                       Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD    Win %
1 Free Republics                  3    3   0   257  202  +55    1.000
2 Northwest Kalactin              3    2   1   217  217    0    0.667
3 Qasden                          3    1   2   229  219  +10    0.333
4 Pemecutan                       3    1   2   215  253  −38    0.333
5 Wielka Rzesza Sealandzka        3    1   2   216  234  −18    0.333
6 Gekkeom                         3    1   2   225  234   −9    0.333

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Filindostan 77–64 Welzat
Mkabia 75–87 Chinese Congo
Quebec 88–57 ZSeparatists

  Group D                       Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD    Win %
1 Quebec                          3    3   0   271  187  +84    1.000
2 Chinese Congo                   3    2   1   231  215  +16    0.667
3 Filindostan                     3    2   1   213  203  +10    0.667
4 ZSeparatists                    3    1   2   204  221  −17    0.333
5 Welzat                          3    1   2   212  241  −29    0.333
6 Mkabia                          3    0   3   194  258  −64    0.000

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Donnacona 66–76 Valladares
Southwest Eastnorth 67–82 Equestria
Delaclava 70–72 Banija

  Group E                       Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD    Win %
1 Equestria                       3    3   0   251  211  +40    1.000
2 Banija                          3    3   0   254  218  +36    1.000
3 Valladares                      3    2   1   224  213  +11    0.667
4 Delaclava                       3    1   2   218  204  +14    0.333
5 Donnacona                       3    0   3   206  244  −38    0.000
6 Southwest Eastnorth             3    0   3   203  266  −63    0.000

---

Crystal Empire 70–76 Jeckland
Andromeda Islands 78–68 North Quadana
Vangaziland 92–61 Vakolicci Haven & Celeria

  Group F                       Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD    Win %
1 Vangaziland                     3    3   0   282  214  +68    1.000
2 Andromeda Islands               3    2   1   230  220  +10    0.667
3 Vakolicci Haven & Celeria       3    1   2   211  221  −10    0.333
4 North Quadana                   3    1   2   222  213   +9    0.333
5 Jeckland                        3    1   2   217  272  −55    0.333
6 Crystal Empire                  3    1   2   194  216  −22    0.333

---

Valanora 93–76 Xanneria
Preiva 62–75 Sarzonia
Nouveau Quebecois 64–68 TJUN-ia

  Group G                       Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD    Win %
1 Valanora                        3    3   0   254  205  +49    1.000
2 Sarzonia                        3    2   1   212  199  +13    0.667
3 TJUN-ia                         3    2   1   201  226  −25    0.667
4 Xanneria                        3    1   2   214  226  −12    0.333
5 Nouveau Quebecois               3    1   2   224  220   +4    0.333
6 Preiva                          3    0   3   214  243  −29    0.000

---

Abanhfleft 84–72 U.S. of Nuclear Weapons
HUElavia 82–75 Devonta
Terre Septentrionale 73–74 Cassadaigua

  Group H                       Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD    Win %
1 Abanhfleft                      3    3   0   276  208  +68    1.000
2 Cassadaigua                     3    2   1   230  241  −11    0.667
3 HUElavia                        3    2   1   247  242   +5    0.667
4 Devonta                         3    1   2   220  236  −16    0.333
5 U.S. of Nuclear Weapons         3    1   2   232  221  +11    0.333
6 Terre Septentrionale            3    0   3   212  269  −57    0.000

[Chinese Congo]

The Chinese Congolese Basketball Association wondered how they would do with their near-centurion athletes, and especially if this was legal and respectable in other countries, and in games didn't look like a mass of withered flesh and skin came to play for the Afroasians. It certainly wasn’t homeland competition, but you couldn’t blame the athletes for looking like they were having a ball in training camps prior to the competition. Mind you, these guys came around last edition as well, and are also very brazen that they lost each of their games by less than three points.

There is Citrus Chao, who, while currently managing Mbandaka Athletic as a retired footballer, is surprisingly quite a novelty player on the court. He knows the secrets taught to him by players out-of-the-country and gets around quite a lot, counseling and being trained by several La Fioritan basketball coaches, of which there where very few. The country is as twice as small as their predecessing San Marino came to be and lacked really any sporting advice, being worst in the world at every category. Nevertheless, the media in the Congolese part of Chinese Congo could not start to wait to put the pressure on his back once he started playing. He plays as a point guard for the reason of being small in stature, compact, lively, and fast. He is currently the mental anchor of this up and coming national team.

Aboubacar Lucks came to the role of shooting guard, and isn’t as bad on his feet as the players that we'll mention below. He has decent composure, size, and can burrow through defenses without aid, although not as good as the players that we'll mention below. He's the player that needs the least mental strengthening, although he melts down when he fortuitously loses the ball, which happens rarely, but can still happen. In his role, he's quite good at stopping shots that are underhanded or come from the right hand, no matter if they're underhanded or overhanded, or even aided by another hand. He is commonly called "Hand-blocker" because, well, you know...

Abdoulaye Laughinghouse comes to the subposition 'Small Forward' in the position of 'Forward', he sucks donkey toe regarding anything related to his feet and the ball, thus causing himself and others multiple pulled elbows and torn ACLs, leading rival media to call him "Mr. American Football" due to the physicality and injury-proneness of the sport itself. Laughinghouse is quite an emphatic character off the field though, most of the CCBA's inspirational quotes come from that figurehead alone.. "Never give up; you don't want to be as bad as the media thinks I am!"

Zedong Barkow is a power forward, and what power he exerts! He's less injury-prone, more stable with shooting the ball, passing under, going back, you name it! He's horrible at his feet though, but the least out-of-control of the three forwards on the team. Raised in Duhang, a city established in the Chinese part of Chinese Congo only up until 2068, he first went into the field of basketball, field not referring to any educational position, when he was only 7. At 10, he suffered an accident in the passenger's seat of an oil rig truck on a bring-your-kids-to-work business trip that ended very horribly and resulted in a 500$ prosthetic limb change, due to his other, more organic leg needing to be amputated from stationary oil and tar infections that swelled up every part of his body, mostly and obviously, his soon-to-be-amputated leg. You can't really make fun of that guy, he's only getting used to it in terms of not dribbling the ball into his near-uncontrollably unreparated prosthetic leg. Wait, I did? Shit and ass.

Ning Bookhart, the near-frontman on the court, and are these surnames getting even more American, or what? Anyways, this guy is not as bad as Laughinghouse, but not as good as Barkow on the ball. Just think of him as the middle child who is also mind-boggilingly tall, at 195 centimeters on the y-axis, or 6'5. Absolutely shocking! He's really prone to breaking down in buzzer beaters and misses every opportunity, which is why he assists most of the 3-pointers. TL;DR, big guy, absolute powerhouse, sucks at taking opportunities and finishing off games, mentally breakable for any player.

---

The First Three Games: Overview

G1
Chinese Congo 67-75 Welzat | Big opening game, favorites won, blah blah blah, all that, but the team really got to them, only losing by eight-fold. It's a new points against record to lose by, but if we, as a team wanting to be more experienced and hardened, wanted to take either the road of winning, losing by less than 4 points, or losing by more than that, I think we'd take the latter we just went to again.

G2
Chinese Congo 77-65 Filindostan
And this is what experience gets you in the world stage. We, a third-world country, only needed 4 games of losing, sweat, blood, and tears to know when to wake up our true selves and win. Even the basketball greats of this multiverse didn't start out this great as their great selves needed be! From now, I don't think we'll lose a game in the group stage if we keep biting at the ball like this - like we have so often an occasion as this World Cup.

G3
Chinese Congo 87-75 Mkabia
Now this, this, is where the burnout gets to most teams. But we will not be normal, we will stay in that drive, and vye for a qualifying spot in the hardest group we've ever been in since our cinderella exit last World Cup. We do not strive to be normal anyway, we strive to be unreadable, uncatchable, like a gnat in the Tibetian wind - not a normal, fairly vulnerable, basketball player. (These are just metaphors, the coach isn't actually instructing Chinese Congo to wear gnat costumes while they're running defenses ragged)

With my first post being said,

Code: Select all

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my Scorers: Y
Choose Scoring Events: Y
Godmod Scoring Events: Y
RP Injuries to my Players: Y
Godmod Injuries to my Players: N
Godmod Other Events: Y

[Northwest Kalactin]

So yesterday we talked about the best IBC dynasty’s, now we will be looking at the other side of the spectrum the worst teams. We will go through the pst 5 IBCs to bring you the worst team from each edition.

IBC 28- Furby Island (0-3)
For IBC 28 it is hard to come up with a “worst team” as there were only 3 games played in the group stage however, Furby Island managed to lose their games by an average of 25 PPG while going 0-3. A 93-68 loss to Kita-Hinode topped off a horrible tournament for the team. Some honorable mentions where the Tornado Queendom and Huelavia.

IBC 27- North Quadana (1-9)
There were 3 teams who finished with a 1-9 record during this edition of the championships however, one rises above the rest. North Quadana managed to put up a 1-9 record in a group that wasn’t necessary a power group. They had the fourth worst point differential the entire tournament and somehow all the teams with worst point differentials than them had a better record that them. In fact, the team in frount of them in their group who was Bernegastad, had the worst in the tournament.

IBC 26- Halfdansodal (1-9)
Again there where multiple teams with 1-9 record and this one was worst than the rest. In their final game they lost by 35 to a team that finished with a losing record. They actually did have some pretty close games however, the problem was they didn’t actually win those games. Their only win was against Nicana.

IBC 25- Valliesta (1-9)
Why do 1-9 teams always make this list when can we have a 0-10 team? Anyways this squad of IBC newcomers went 1-9 in a group where... the great chota qualified for the playoffs. This is a new low. Of course they lost by 20 points by a team who didn’t make the playoffs... three times. That is an amazingly bad team.

IBC 24- Indusse (0-10)
Ah, we finally got our first 0-10 team on this list and it’s everyones favourite WC nation, Indusse! The Indusse national team managed to go 0-10 in a top-heavy group with Kita Hinode and Abanhfleft. Why is Kita Hinode always on this list? That’s the 4th time so far! They topped it off with a 77-48 loss in a embarrassment campaign.

[The Andromeda Island Group]

North Quadana vs. Andromeda Eagles
Sun Kings Arena
Angeles City, Allied States
Game Day #3
2:00 pm

With just a few minutes remaining, the Andromeda Eagles are close to achieving their first home win of the 29th IBC. All but two of the Andromeda Eagles have scored tonight. Guards Abby Salliewhite and Ruby Jordan wait at the scorer’s table to replace for Liv Stuckey and Peg Harper.

The Eagles are up 72-63. Jane Kano just made her first foul shot as Salliewhite and Jordan go in. A few minutes ago, there had been a scuffle as Quick Tillis grabbed a defensive rebound under the North Quadana basket. The brief confrontation erupted into a full-blown riot when most of the North Quadana players rushed the floor. Their side is now down to four players. Quick Tillis was also ejected despite what many considered a relatively mild reaction to being attacked by a dozen players.

Jordan and Salliewhite both eye an apparently inexperienced North Quadana guard as Kano methodically sets up for her second foul shot. It bounces off the back of the rim. Shawonda Brownlee grabs the rebound and passes the ball behind her to Jordan. Jordan shoots and scores.

As North Quadana sets up for the inbound, Jordan and Salliewhite double team the inexperienced guard, hoping for a deflection. Jordan taps Salliewhite on the shoulder.

“I got this. Get the ball.”

Salliewhite did just that. After intercepting the inbound pass, Salliewhite waits for the offense to set up. Brownlee, Kano and Odessa Paige assume their positions.

Meanwhile, on the bench, Melissa Long and Jane Russell discuss their approaches to how they play their position.

“It’s just hard to maintain that balance,” Russell says. “Between being a beast under the basket like Shawonda and maintaining the kind of poise that you have.”

“Don’t let the smooth taste fool you,” Long says. “I throw an elbow or two, and mine are sharp.”

“But you’re not like Brownlee…”

“Baby, Shawonda Brownlee’s good for 20 (points) and 10 (rebounds), but she isn’t like that off the court. You know, her husband’s a Baptist Minister.”

“She’s married?”

“Not only that, she brings a Bible with her everywhere she goes.”

“But underneath the basket…”

“That’s IN THE GAME. Off the court, she’d give you the shirt off her back if she thought you needed it.”

“With a giant dose of Jesus?”

As Russell says His name, Salliewhite becomes the final member of the Eagles to score. There are two minutes left in the game. The Eagles are up by 13.

“You saw that fight a few minutes ago?”

“Yeah. Tillis was fighting for the rebound. Hits happen.”

“And the Guantanamarans all came off the bench. Brownlee put herself between Tillis and those two guys. No fighting, but stood her ground. And Tillis kept the others at arms-length.”

Russell thinks about what happened.

“That’s who Brownlee is off the court. There’s some beauty in that beast. So we could all use a little dose of Jesus. Know what I mean?”

“Yeah.” Russell says. “But Tillis did cold cock that dude. Laid him out.”

Russell and Long laugh.

“They don’t call her ‘Quick’ for nothing.”

As the game clock expires, the remaining Eagles on the court extended their hands to the players from North Quadana, congratulating them on a valiant effort. The remaining crowd applauds the gesture of reconciliation.

----------

FINAL SCORE: Andromeda 78, North Quadana 68

PLAYER OF THE GAME

#12 Shawanda Brownlee

Age: 25
Height: 6’4”
Team: Portsmouth Lady Pirates
2020 Stats: 20.2 ppg, 12.2 rpg, 3.9 bpg

A native of Portsmouth, Shawanda Brownlee has started for the Portsmouth Lady Pirates for the past two seasons. A dominant presence in the paint, Brownlee has led the Lady Pirates in scoring, rebounds and blocked shots for the past two seasons.

Brownlee played basketball for the University of Portsmouth for five seasons. Her husband is an Associate Pastor at Portsmouth’s Sermon Park Baptist Church.

[Delaclava]

Delaclava 70, Banija 72

Banija       	17 - 15 - 20 - 20 -- 72
Delaclava	23 - 13 - 16 - 18 -- 70

#	Pos	Name	Min	FGM	FGA	3PM	3PA	FTM	FTA	OREB	DREB	TREB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	+/-	PTS
Starters
2	SG	Carly Davis	25	3	7	1	4	1	1	0	3	3	3	1	0	3	3	-4	8
3	PG	Evgeny Golubkin	30	1	4	1	3	0	0	1	2	3	6	2	0	1	2	3	3
10	SF	Randy Price	35	4	11	2	7	3	3	1	5	6	2	0	1	2	4	-1	13
21	C	Đorđe Zubić	32	3	9	0	0	5	5	3	10	13	1	0	2	2	4	-5	11
23	PF	Rick Jones	36	5	11	3	6	4	4	2	8	10	1	2	1	1	4	0	17
Bench
4	G	Evan Galliano	15	1	4	0	1	1	2	0	0	0	2	2	0	2	2	2	3
12	G	Simon Rybakov	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	-1	0
31	F/C	Mily Turgenev	15	4	6	0	0	2	3	3	5	8	1	0	1	2	2	1	10
35	G	Dave Savage	7	1	3	1	1	0	0	0	1	1	0	1	0	1	0	-4	3
43	F	Jacob Puskedra	2	1	2	0	0	0	0	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	-1	2
Totals			200	23	57	8	22	16	18	0	0	0	0	8	5	14	21	-10	70
Percentages					40.35%		36.36%		88.89%

DNP - #40 Debka, #52 Mnatsakanian

---

It was almost 9:30 in the morning, and Carly Davis was still in bed, immensely grateful that she had nowhere to be anytime soon. The team wasn't leaving for the Skladdul airport until the early afternoon, as they'd still make it to the destination - Everfree, Equestria - by the evening. The night before, coach Jim Levins had given them this morning off - they'd forced the #4 team in the world to sneak out with just a two-point victory; they had earned a bit of rest, and could regroup at their new location.

But when Carly got back to the hotel room that night, she couldn't sleep well at all. After a few fitful intervals of sleep, she conceded defeat at about 6 o'clock - the sun was shining bright anyway - and called the front desk for breakfast. A hotel attendant brought up a large carafe of coffee and a few croissants. The pastries would remain untouched - she wasn't very hungry - but with the coffee she was all set for the morning. The attendant smiled at her with understanding before she left the room.

Davis couldn't stop replaying the last ten seconds of the game in her mind. The Phoenixes have a chance to tie or win in front of a raucous home crowd. They're inbounding from the baseline. Levins calls time, draws up a play that will free up the last shot. Đorđe Zubić will inbound the ball, Davis will set an upscreen for Evgeny Golubkin to get the ball in the corner. Davis will roll off the screen, get the ball from Golubkin, and swing the ball to the middle, where Rick Jones is going to take a screen from Randy Price, come around and take whatever shot he can get around the top of the arc.

The noise is deafening as Levins sends his team away. Zubić walks over to the referee to retrieve the ball. Davis is ready. The center slaps the ball in his hand, Davis turns upward and puts a screen on Rosine Bright. Golubkin has a step on Akio Yoshida, who had followed Davis and now switches his assignment. Davis rolls a few steps onward and turns around.

On her left, Golubkin has the pass and is turning towards Davis. On her right, Jones is ahead by a few steps on Event Horizon. He's going to drain this three-pointer.

Golubkin passes. Davis got set, but tries to pass the ball to Jones a split second before she has the ball herself. She bobbles the ball. Bright has recovered enough, gets her fingers on the loose ball and knocks it down the court. Davis tries in vain to recover and stumbles to the floor. She looks up as Bright retrieves the ball and dribbles away.

The horn sounds. The fans groan. The game is over.

And as if Carly couldn't get enough of it in her own head, now she was watching it on TV again. Morning Sporting had shown what happened throughout the game - the early Phoenixes, the mid-game falter, and every moment of the fourth quarter as welterweight Delaclava and heavyweight Banija traded blows. Now it was pundit time. Carly just couldn't stop herself from watching as fans called for her to be benched or cut. Harry F. Hayes was going on about how Carly "didn't show up" for the game. "Coach Levins, you tried your little experiment. It didn't work out. Now get your house in order or this basketball team is in big trouble."

Carly simply couldn't tear herself away. There was something oddly comforting about watching the basketball world lose their minds, yet she was alone in a hotel room on the beach in Verceola, watching out the window as the sunlight shimmer struck the ocean, where no one could bother her or really get to her. Of course, she'd turned off her phone - she was sure there were supportive messages mixed in with the vitriol, but she didn't want to deal with it now. But she was the picture of luxury, legs crossed with a porcelain cup of coffee in her hand, staring out with a picturesque view. And yet she was immensely pained thinking about those last ten seconds, and walking off the court. The team didn't really say much to her in the locker room, and she didn't want to go to breakfast because she didn't want to find out what the team thought of her. Of course, she couldn't delay the inevitable: they'd be leaving in a few hours.

And there was a tiny part of her that felt this just wasn't quite fair. The Phoenixes had lost a game in similar circumstances just days earlier off a turnover from Rick Jones. She knew his social media didn't look so good after that game, but everyone still wanted him to start the next game.

There was a knock on the door. "Yo Carly!" Rick Jones shouted.

You think someone's name... Carly mused. "It's open."

Rick walked, his tall, lean frame still limping slightly from the beating he'd took the previous night. Holding a brown paper bag in his hand, he first looked at Carly, then the TV. "Jeez, Carly, you're really doing this to yourself?"

Carly shrugged. "I know... but I'm going to think about it anyway, I might as well not be the only one."

"Well, let's both think about it," Rick retorted, and he turned off the TV. He reached into the bag and lobbed a warm, foil-wrapped disc that landed near her leg. "Egg and cheese?"

"Thanks," Carly said, opening up the sandwich. "You didn't just go downstairs for breakfast?"

"Nah, so many tourists here," Rick said, now getting his own food out of the bad as he took a seat. "We walked to the Dell Farms half a mile from here. It's in that kind of industrial neighborhood. No one goes there on purpose, so no one knows who we are."

"Good day for it," Carly thought out loud.

Rick looked at her. "You know, no one's mad at you, right?"

"Really?"

"Yeah! I mean... no one likes that you made the mistake. But you're still good enough to be on this team. That's not any different."

"Didn't seem like the guys wanted to talk to me much last night."

Rick laughed. "Carly, we could've beaten the number four team in the world at home. We led at the end of the first half. We had every opportunity to win that game and blew it. The guys didn't want to talk to anyone last night."

Carly didn't say anything; she felt uncomfortable accepting that it wasn't all her fault. Rick continued: "You shouldn't have dropped that pass. But we still should've been up by five or ten points at that point. I know that's weird to say, because they're a much better team. But we all let them back in the game. So let's move on."

Carly nodded. "Thanks."

"Whatever. It's the truth." Rick took a moment to eat, then shook his head and chuckled. "It sucks, though, doesn't it? We lost two games by a total of five points. But we've still lost two games. Might as well have lost by forty."

"Yeah," Carly laughed. "Apparently we're the best 1-2 team in the tournament right now. Whatever that means."

"Exactly. I'm sure the fans will be really happy if we just play close games and go 4-6." Rick rolled his eyes. "Whatever. It's not like we can really make it out."

"Well, can't we?" Carly asked.

"Carly-"

"Look," Carly sat up now, "I didn't let you in to give me a pep talk just so we could try to get fourth in our group. If we beat Equestria, we're a game out of second place and this all looks a lot different. I know, no one should be expecting us to make it. But don't go joking around that we're screwed. We have a long way to go before that."

Rick smiled. "There it is." He stood up, crumpled up his wrapper, and casually threw it into the corner trash can. "All right, see you downstairs in a few hours. And don't be weird, okay? Really, the guys are fine. They want you here."

[Sarzonia]

The game itself was never really in doubt.

Sarzonia won comfortably in its first away match of the 29th International Basketball Championships against unranked Preiva 75-62, silencing the home crowd with a couple of 14-2 runs that gave the Stars a 22-point lead at the end of the third quarter and gave coach Thomas Manningham a chance to play all the depth players.

Even so, point guard Jayne Cruz wasn't having it when centre Calvin Baker suggested the team hit a local watering hole for a Cinco de Mayo celebration. She gave Baker a death glare that made clear that she could take Baker in a fight, even giving away 10 inches and 85 pounds.

Besides, she was more concerned about what was happening on Cyanea as the waning seconds of the Delaclava-Banija match began to play out. She saw Carly Davis and got the sense she would be involved in the play Jim Levins was drawing up. Baker was going to give up in exasperation when his attempt to convince Cruz to join him in a night of drunken carousing fell flat, but he heard the Delaclav accents and the unmistakable sounds of basketball on the tele coming from her hotel room.

"What's the score?"

"Banija's up by two with seconds left," she said.

"Against Delaclava, right?"

"Yeah, the Phoenixes have the ball from the baseline."

"Nice! Can I watch?"

"Sure. The rest of the team is here, too." Baker looked in to see the rest of the Stars sitting in various positions of comfort or the decided lack thereof, but all of them being rapt with attention to the game. Baker walked in and watched as the official handed the ball to Đorđe Zubić.

The whistle sounded, then the ball launched toward Carly Davis, who fumbled the pass and saw it knocked harmlessly away and down the court as the final buzzer sounded and the fourth ranked team in the multiverse just barely escaped Cyanea with a two-point victory over the unranked Phoenixes.

Cruz looked down, knowing how frustrating it must be for Davis, who like her was the only female on her team, even though unlike Davis, Cruz's inclusion on the Stars hardly batted anyone's eye. Whereas Delaclavs took the news of a female player among the men as a curiosity, Sarzonians included women with men as a matter of course.

Hell, some Sarzonian teams included gender nonconforming players on their squad lists, with the recently minted Baby Stars Under 18 national football team including a terrific example of a presumably straight, cisgender male player not only accepting his gender nonconforming teammate, but also being their best friend and staunchest defender.

Cruz knew immediately and the rest of the team quickly understood that Davis was about to become the centre of intense scrutiny among more frustrated and angry Delaclav basketball fans. Mike West looked over at Cruz and saw a look that realised that some of the vitriol Davis would face was going to be sexist.

He nodded quickly to Cruz as the rest of the team stood up and prepared to head back to their respective hotel rooms. Even Baker, who wanted to observe a "cinco de drinko" before he knocked on Cruz's door, was now in no mood to go out on the town. Besides, he saw Cruz was busy with her phone, sending her condolences to Davis along with a message of support.

The other Stars players all did the same, even though they were well aware that their support might ring hollow coming from a team that now sat at 2-1 and in second place in Group G thanks to point differential. That didn't dissuade reserve centre Terry Rutledge from fiercely defending Davis on his own social media and clapping back at the trolls who dared go after Davis.

The Stars were getting ready for the return trip to Woodstock and a still empty Palestra as Woodstock Mayor Claudia Alta still wouldn't lift social distancing restrictions to allow Sarzonia's home court to include fans as the country continued to battle the SARS 2 novel Coronavirus.

Their minds now began to focus on Nouveau Quebecois as the Stars continued a three-match streak against the unranked sides in the group. After the off day, they would battle a 23rd ranked Xanneria that would likely be itching for revenge in another away match. Then they would travel to Valanora with revenge for own one-point defeat to the Dragons likely a pipe dream.

That matchup against the Vanorians would be the third of three consecutive away matches with the possibility that the home match against Preiva might see some Stars supporters in the audience for the first time.

Either way, Manningham, Cruz and company were living out that old Sherpan curse.

These are definitely interesting times.

[Jeckland]

AN OPEN LETTER FROM THE JECKISH BASKETBALL SUPPORTERS GROUP TO THE BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION OF JECKLAND

We are writing to inform you of our disappointment at the decision to host all home games in the 29th International Basketball Championships at Jecken Stadium.

The Supporters Group represents basketball fans all across Jeckland. The decision to stage all games in one venue harms the growth of the sport in Jeckland, as many fans from lower income groups will be unable to afford to travel to watch the team play. In addition, prices within the stadium are too high and clearly designed with the intent to drive custom to Jecken, the stadium sponsor.

This is clearly a decision made with financial implications in mind. The Supporters Groups accepts the financial benefits of this deal are substantial, but questions whether these funds will be redistributed in the correct manner to ensure the continued growth of basketball across the entirety of Jeckland.

Unless the Association can clearly demonstrate how this will happen, the Supporters Group will formally oppose the idea of all further matches for the Jeckland national team being played at Jecken Stadium, whilst accepted that the current deal for the 29th IBC regrettably cannot be changed at this time.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

[Free Republics]

News Magazine

Consul Nicholls, Senator Emeritus Nicholls to attend Funeral of King Jacques IX as Consul Bolton Snubbed
By: Matthew DeRose

Consul Kyle Bolton will not be attending the funeral of King Jacques IX, the late king of Quebec, after Tribune of State Remo Angelo decided not to permit the controversial senior consul to attend. Both Consul Scarlett Nicholls and her father, the Senator Emeritus Robert Nicholls, will be in attendance at the important diplomatic event days after fringe candidate Samuel Izmailov called for a war against Quebec over the status of Ciqi, a former Republican colony that is now part of Quebec.

Robert Nicholls, the longest serving consul in our history and Senator Emeritus, released a statement on the passing of King Jacques IX: "Like most of my fellow Republicans, I am deeply saddened to hear of the death of King Jacques IX, a man whom I long considered an important friend and ally. King Jacques IX will be forever known as the leader of Quebec at the time when their armies helped overthrow the tyrannical regime of Reino Kulseth and end the Holy Party's reign of terror over our Federation. He will also be known for his many years of capable rule over his great kingdom. I extend my condolences to the people of Quebec at this time." Scarlett Nicholls released a statement of her own declaring: "A great king has passed away today. King Jacques IX is a man who devoted his life to the "Righteous cause" and not only played an essential role in freeing us from Reino Kulseth but also freed Felix from the fascist dictatorship that they once suffered under. On behalf of the Federation of Free Republics, I extend my condolences to the Royal Family of Quebec and the people of Quebec."

Notably, there was no statement from Kyle Bolton. News Magazine's sources told us that he tried to release a statement but others within the executive branch deleted the draft from his computer as the statement was "extremely inappropriate" and "would needlessly create international tensions". Since the recent press conference brawl, Kyle Bolton has yet to make any public appearances or take any official acts as consul. While impeaching him may have failed, our sources tell us that many officials within the Federation Government want to "minimize the damage" he can inflict before his successor is elected.

In other foreign affairs news, the Foreign Ministry of Equestria has declined to comment on the calls by Senator Samuel Izmailov, a longshot candidate for consul, to "raise the Republican flag in Canterlot [the capital of the Equestrian States] and and put all the talking ponies in the zoo where they belong". Many have expressed concerns that the inflammatory statements by Senator Izmailov could adversely affect our foreign relations. While the Free Republics have never really been on good terms with the ponies of Equestria, most Republicans do not have any desire to invade their country and turn them into zoo animals. A retired Vice Admiral of their Royal Navy did claim however that "the Republican Navy is, quite frankly, in no condition to pose a threat to anyone outside Lunia." Such statements will fuel calls by a number of more mainstream candidates to upgrade our armed forces which are largely using equipment that is nearly 20 years old due to budget cuts following the Kulseth and O'Reilly administrations.

Matthew DeRose writes about the Federation Government. He is a graduate of the University of Republica with bachelors degrees in Journalism and Political Science. During his time in college, he interned with the Republica Post. Although the Post didn't have any openings for him upon his graduation, he had left an impression on their editor, who recommended him to Admiral Theriault.

[TJUN-ia]

The Way of the Jaguar is Tight. It was first displayed back in Riverside, and now it was displayed again in Noveau Quebecios. The Hoops-Jags arrived in Montréal after winning their first home game against Preiva and the expectation was to try to the same against the only other unranked team to win a game so far in this group.

This game produced a similar feel to the previous one: the Jaguars held a point advantage, but the opponents were always not far behind. NQ provided good opposition as they tried to get their 2nd win but we wanted that too. A dagger-3 by José Peñalez sealed this game by 4 points. Winning 2 on the bounce is not something we expected by game 3 but we'll take it.

We beat Preiva by 2, now NQ by 4. If the pattern holds, then we should beat Xannaria by 6 or 8. But don't expect anything like that. Xan is the 2nd seed in this group, 23rd in the entire tournament, and are looking to try and catch up to us and Sarzonia. We have shot, however, if we can keep the momentum up in Dominica City.

SCHEDULE
MD1: @Valanora (8) L 54-85 (6th [Point Differencial])
MD2: vs Preiva (UR) - Unity Center, Riverside W 79-77 (5th [Point Differencial])
MD3: @Nouveau Quebecois (UR) W 68-64 (3rd [Point Differencial])
MD4: @Xanneria (23)
MD5: vs Sarzonia (82) - Unity Center, Riverside
---------------------Rest Day-------------------
MD6: vs Valanora (8) - Unity Center, Riverside
MD7: @Preiva
MD8: vs Nouveau Quebecois (UR) - Unity Center, Riverside
MD9: vs Xannaria (23) - Unity Center, Riverside
MD10: @Sarzonia (82) - The Palestra, Woodstock

[The United States of Nuclear Weapons]

The Nuclear Fallouts lose again...
After the recent game lost, the Nuclear Fallouts plan to ramp up training. They also are partnering with the biggest company in the home country to get better equipment.

[The Puppeted States of The USUSNW]

The first loss...
After last night's beat down, The Puppeted States plan to win next round, but are preparing for anything surprising in training...

[Newmanistan]

THE ROCKET REPORT

ROCKETS IMPROVE TO 3-0

by Taylor Larson,

It was not an easy match against the Puppeted States, as after all you know that they were training very hard to put on a show against our Rockets. However, as most pundits would have expected that Rockets soared over this country, and landed with the sky blue winning 86-79. This gives Newmanistan a 3-0 record in the tournament, which is currently enough to be in sole possession of first place in Group B. Across the tournament, you see the top ranked teams in the world taking care of business. Drawkland, Free Republics, Banija, Quebec, Valanora, Vangaziland and Abanhfleft are all 3-0 as well. In other words, the top eight teams in the world right now are a combined 24-0. The giants have come to play, but this does not mean they are having easy games every time out.

The opponents, known as the Puppeted Spacers, have a unique characteristic in that their first name is all “John”. Not sure if this just a coincidence, or if it just a national custom to use that name. They are tall, but as we have seen in the past, you need to be more then just tall to beat Newmanistan because we do not rely on the inside game as much. The Rockets were a little slow out of the gate, as the long shots were not hitting as well as they would have liked, and the Puppeted Spacers did have their expected rebounding edge. This allowed them to take leads of 16-12 and 28-18 before things began to shift our way. It was not a comeback where at 10-0 run immediately erases the deficit, but gradually Newmanistan outplayed the Puppeted States for the remainder of the first half, and only trailed at half time by the score of 42-39. Since the team was starting to get their groove back, there was no cause for concern in the locker room, and within a few minutes of play in the second half, Newmanistan pushed ahead 53-51, and they would never trail again. Eventually the team would open up a lead as much as fourteen points, before settling for the seven point win. It is not a game that is going to impress many outsiders, but you could see it as a workmanlike, blue-collar, type effort where the team did what needed to do and got the “W” in the end.

Lucas Bennerman was the leading scorer for the team, with 22 points, but it was a well rounded effort which included effective play from off the bench. Sixteen of those points came in the second half. Next on the agenda for the Rockets will be another road match, this being in Nova Roma. After this game, three of the next four will be played in Newmanistan as our fans await the homecoming of the squad. However, many are expected to make the trip to the nation that is currently unranked, and sporting a record of 1-2, and are coming off an impressive 84-69 win on the road at Kita-Hinode.