International Basketball Championships 20 - IC Thread

[Ko-oren]

All has been said and done from Season 2 of the Union Basketball League. It's time to count down to Season 3, even if the UBL is probably not on your mind because of the IBC. But don't forget - the draft will happen pretty much as soon as the IBC is over, team training will start within two weeks from there, the teams will trim their rosters down to 15 from 22 and exactly a month from the IBC final is the start of Season 3. It'll be here before you know it. And that's why we'll help you gauge where your team stands, what it needs in the draft and how it looks like they'll be doing next season.

Last season: *playoffs | ^round 2 | "final | ~champion

Contenders
New Babylon Energy ~ NBE have a team that is young enough for another year of incredible basketball. They only need to address non-starters in the offseason. The only position that needs something is small forward, but they already have a good secondary player for that position. They don't need a draftee to solve an immediately problem.
San Dionisio Argonauts " SDA should be good to go. Last season, the only need was shooting guard, but they have put rookie Vincente Monserrate on that position and he showed he was immediately up to UBL level. The Argonauts will have to look for talent to play around the paint, they could use some backup PF and C.
Paraíso Bulls ^ The Bulls are in this category, but just barely. We have seen that this young team can compete, but it is up to the coach to make this young combination work next season. They should focus on getting experienced forces for a bad day that might happen, but all the starting pieces are there. Biggest concern is 20-year-old Maria Aldarete at power forward.

Almost there
Oak Lows Spartans * OLS are in a position to get prizes next season, but they shouldn't forget to think about the future and get players to use in the next couple years. Too much of a focus on immediate success might put this team in jeopardy for the years to come. Three good players, Neves, Bott and Wilks are good to go but an injury will put the Spartans in a difficult position.
New Détroit Snipers * NDS have a team of absolute stars. Like the Spartans, their starting team definitely isn't worse than say, Energy or the Argonauts. It's not even that the Snipers need to look out for aging stars, it's that with sacking their coach, there is just too much of an unknown to lob them in with the contenders.
Santiago Hurricanes ^ With their new point guard Paola Martínez, they are ready to take on the world. They are good in the tall positions PF and C, but in SF, SG and PG might have not enough weight to dominate teams. The Hurricanes are on their way to a good stretch of seasons, though!

One key position away
Teragaseki Pulse * They rely on Juliet Shillington, a huge character. The attention she draws takes away pressure from the other players, and that means that they can develop in relative quietude. Pulse needs a small forward to compete, and it might be a good thing for them to also already start worrying about centre.
Colorado Suns The Suns are set to compete, but like many teams in the league, they need a Centre, but it'll be hard to convince a UBL-top centre to join their team. First of all, most teams will pick a player before them in the draft, and there are many teams above them that could get immediate success once they have a centre. The Suns are in the unfortunate position of stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Weiyao Tigers The Tigers have a talented pair of players, but need a good point guard to start winning a little more so they can get to the playoffs. A good thing for them is that most teams seem good at point guard right now, so they shouldn't have too much competition. Chiu and Mai are a good pair, but whether they can be the cornerstone for a decent playoff team will be decided this season.
Nanhua Gold Gold is golden on most positions, but could use a huge caliber shooting guard or small forward. Jian, Cho and Bao are in the right age to almost break through as massive players, but on three players you can't build an immediate championship team.
Burnet Rubies The Rubies are a funny team. They are pretty much the only team to have their five starters under contract already, and they have been together for a year already, but there needs to be a player to stand up and lead this team. With the one key position, we mean a captain, a leader.

Nothing that Free Agency and the Draft can't fix
iMangatshebale Pride * The Pride are doing alright. They have an extremely young team, and could do with an experienced veteran and one or two good picks in the draft to consolidate on their playoff spot from this year and maybe build from there. The basics are in place, and this season will decide whether they will fall down again or keep growing. After all, a good few of the bigger teams are aging right now.
Furune Navigators They have the 21-year-old Imogen Ellis at point guard, but other than that, need to promote some backups to starters as well as get their roster together. The Navigators have an amazing front office that can get deals from anywhere and their scouts are among the best of the league. They will have to work some magic, but that's been done before in this team.
Santa Isabel Amazons SIA, the only team to have only female players by policy, which cuts the number of players available to them in half (or a bit less than that, even). That's why they need an excellent year and a lot of luck to push through. Nothing that free agency and the draft can't fix, though, but they need to have some luck to hit the jackpot on guards.
Mojón Bears The Bears are in a better position than you'd think. Parra, Calle and Brito are in charge of this team and only need a complimentary guard and a forward to make this team tick. It's a tall order though, as the trio that they already have might not be true UBL-level players.
San Pedro Fury Galas and Guillermo are good, coveted by many other teams, but we expect SPF to retain them. That means they still need a pair of guards from the draft to upgrade this team.
Yalloodoola Crocodiles Effectively, the Crocodiles only have a worldclass player in Katherine Grove, but no other players good enough to do the job. Through some effective trading and drafting they should get 3 or 4 starting positions ready before the start of the season, but even then it'll be a team that hasn't had any playing experience together. The Crocodiles are in an extremely tough spot, and we don't expect them to be very competitive this year.

At least a year away from success
Groenvoorde Ballers The name of Amy Janssen will still make opponents tremble, but apart from her, the team isn't up to snuff. Salary cap-wise, the Ballers made some bad choices and it'll take some years to correct those mistakes. It'll actually get a bit worse before it gets better, so the Ballers are going to take a while.
San Juan Bees SJB will have to draft some players not for the immediate needs, but for needs of next year. There is no way the Bees are going to turn their team around in one year, but they are in a great position to rebuild and be ready next year.
South Head Centurions Attempts to get prizes in recent years has turned this team into an aging group of players. Slowly but surely they will have to get some young players into the system, if only their coach knew how to work with draftees. The Centurions have a notoriously bad management.
Mika Blue Jays They have some class players, but really need to focus on getting a coach to make it far. We're not counting them out completely, and on a good day can beat any team, but consistency isn't in the vocab of the Blue Jays.
La Palma Force LPF have not enough competitive players, but they have enough cap space to work some magic. That, however, is a time-sensitive process and you can't build a team in one year.

Back to the drawing board
San Roberto Trojans Their young star, Buenaventura, is the only team keeping this team from total collapse and even he is looking at playing elsewhere. The SRT will have to get rid of expensive contracts, then attract a solid group of players, and then mold them into a team.
Shumei Rockets We're fairly optimistic of this team's chances in a couple years. Their strategy last year to draft players and immediately play them as starters didn't really work out, though, and the choice to then get rid of big players on the team will backfire, mark my words.
New Genoa Crusaders NGC has an extremely bland combo of players, and not one of them would be a starter on any playoff team. The Crusaders have a boring team and the only prize that they could (very realistically) win is the wooden spoon.
New Bogota Banshees The NBB has a team that is completely devoid of talent, and that's pretty difficult to do after picking top-5 for years on end. It's no surprise that most of those players aren't on the Banshees anymore. The Banshees have possibly the worst planned team in the league.
Suinohiro Titans The Titans have no offence, defence or transition, but they do have cap space, which is unlike the other teams in this category. The Titans will also need some changes in the front office to go anywhere, and before that's taken care off, the Titans are going nowhere.
Taonuping Arrows After roasting the Banshees and the Titans, it's improbable that there's another team below them, but it's true, the Arrows are also there. A team forgotten by most fans if you'd ask them 'can you name all UBL teams?', the Arrows have a boring mix of players, a boring front office, and their two decent players Teng and Shen are falling short after some initial talent and success.

[Ceni]

Ceni Wins Comfortably, Moves up to Second

---

Box Score

	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Total
Ceni	20	22	17	21	80
Silvacometopia	15	16	17	18	66

Ceni Stats Leaders
Pts: Wes Jarik (24)
Rebs: Wes Jarik (12)
Asts: Ace Stargazer, Wes Jarik (10 each)
PRat: Wes Jarik (9.0)

After their previous two matchdays - with a close win over the unranked Mountainasia and a very close loss, down to the wire, against Saint Kanye, Ceni was hoping for a morale-boosting win, and they got one with their decent eighty to sixty-six win over 52-ranked Silvacometopia, pushing them down to two-one and sending Ceni up to second place in the group. The group is now quite close, though, as three teams are all at two-one and have a good chance of reaching the playoffs (in addition to Ceni and Silvacometopia, Volcanoc is also in contention for the second playoff spot), while Saint Kanye - barring an upset - is ahead of the pack at 3-0.

Wes Jarik, the experienced Cenian small forward, headed up Cenian playing statistics with a triple-double while leading Ceni in the player rating, while Ace Stargazer, the almost complete opposite of Jarik (tall where Jarik is short), also recorded ten assists in the game. Ashur El-Amin also landed sixteen points after replacing Javier Aiza midway through half-time. None of the Silvacometopian players stood out too much, as apparently the jersey company that makes most of the group members' jerseys is going out of business, as none of the players had names attached to them.

Ceni started off confident with its wheel offense as the quickness of their players was able to outmatch the taller Silvacometopian players, who were slower and less quick to the uptake on the ball. Neil Halcyon opened up scoring with a three-point shot that landed in the basket perfectly, and it seemed from that point that Silvacometopia, even though it was higher ranked than Ceni, would be outclassed from the start.

The wheel offense continued to grind away at the Silvacometopian defense as their game tempo was unable to be disrupted by the players on the field. With all the moving around and good ball-handling skills, the Cenian team managed to keep Silvacometopia off balance and ahead throughout the first quarter, where they landed a five-point lead, and they extended their lead in the second quarter to land at halftime with a six point lead.

Javier Aiza had not performed so well at the halftime, so coach Lauren Vox switched him off for Ashur El-Amin, who had done well at practice the previous day. He got on a roll, shooting ten points worth of layups in a row, in the third quarter. However, Silvacometopia fought valiantly, scoring the same amount of points as the Cenian side in the third quarter. While it was a bit of a setback for the Cenian team, it by no means did anything to their, at this time, almost insurmountable lead.

In the fourth quarter, the Silvacometopian offense mounted a last-ditch effort to get the side off the ground, but found themselves blocked at the hands of Wes Jarik, who managed to get three rebounds in the last quarter, and the tall Ace Stargazer, who was able to get the defense rolling smoothly and the momentum heading back toward the offense. The Cenians, proponents of the quick turnover strategy, followed their plans almost to the letter, having a great turnover for possession, with Neil Halcyon netting another three-pointer against an almost empty court as the opposing team's stamina began to run out.

By the end of the fourth quarter, Ceni had run up the lead to fourteen points, taking into account some of the lessons from their earlier match against Mountainasia. They did enjoy quite a bit of confidence this time, buoyed by their valiant performance against Saint Kanye, and their wheel offense started to work better as the team grew more comfortable playing with each other. They started to more fully implement the quick turnaround method and the players began to have more confidence in their shooting and dribbling. Overall, it was a good game from the Cenians as they hope to secure their place in the Round of 16.

[Ceni]

This is an early cutoff due to today's later function...

Group 1
Mountainasia 71–75 Fluvique
Ceni 92–53 Volcanoc
Saint Kanye 82–58 Silvacometopia

Group 1                               Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Saint Kanye                             4   4  0  318 254 +64   12
2 Ceni                                    4   3  1  318 259 +59    9
3 Silvacometopia                          4   2  2  293 287  +6    6
4 Volcanoc                                4   2  2  299 309 −10    6
5 Fluvique                                4   1  3  266 329 −63    3
6 Mountainasia                            4   0  4  284 340 −56    0

Group 2
New Gelderland 58–86 New Edom
Cosumar 68–83 Abaja
The Royal Barangay 72–71 Banija

Group 2                               Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Abaja                                   4   4  0  323 265 +58   12
2 Cosumar                                 4   3  1  319 292 +27    9
3 The Royal Barangay                      4   2  2  305 291 +14    6
4 Banija                                  4   1  3  288 297  −9    3
5 New Edom                                4   1  3  283 323 −40    3
6 New Gelderland                          4   1  3  273 323 −50    3

Group 3
Bendicion 76–76 Rennidan (88–87 OT)
Abanhfleft 84–62 Drawkland
Valanora 92–52 Kaboomlandia

Group 3                               Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Abanhfleft                              4   4  0  333 262 +71   12
2 Valanora                                4   3  1  336 262 +74    9
3 Kaboomlandia                            4   2  2  287 327 −40    6
4 Drawkland                               4   2  2  274 295 −21    6
5 Bendicion                               4   1  3  293 346 −53    3
6 Rennidan                                4   0  4  278 309 −31    0

Group 4
Yymea 95–61 Li Qing
Ko-oren 77–66 Purple Rabbits
Kirisaki 98–71 United States of Devonta

Group 4                               Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Ko-oren                                 4   3  1  333 297 +36    9
2 Kirisaki                                4   3  1  358 300 +58    9
3 Yymea                                   4   3  1  355 325 +30    9
4 United States of Devonta                4   2  2  315 307  +8    6
5 Purple Rabbits                          4   1  3  298 313 −15    3
6 Li Qing                                 4   0  4  250 367 −117    0

Group 5
Aji No Moto 95–73 Bonapartium
Royal Kingdom of Quebec 103–62 Mapletish
Flardania 79–90 Ethane

Group 5                               Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Royal Kingdom of Quebec                 4   4  0  358 235 +123   12
2 Ethane                                  4   3  1  306 306   0    9
3 Flardania                               4   2  2  326 285 +41    6
4 Mapletish                               4   2  2  276 316 −40    6
5 Aji No Moto                             4   1  3  274 311 −37    3
6 Bonapartium                             4   0  4  260 347 −87    0

Group 6
Leperconia 75–90 Beaverriver
Saintland 102–66 Old Corcra
San Llera 74–61 Chromatika

Group 6                               Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Saintland                               4   4  0  362 276 +86   12
2 San Llera                               4   3  1  336 304 +32    9
3 Chromatika                              4   2  2  269 287 −18    6
4 Old Corcra                              4   1  3  278 316 −38    3
5 Beaverriver                             4   1  3  304 326 −22    3
6 Leperconia                              4   1  3  293 333 −40    3

Group 7
The United States of Saints 69–85 Yesopalitha
Vangaziland 81–67 Katawohan
Valladares 73–79 Frenline Delpha

Group 7                               Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Vangaziland                             4   4  0  359 274 +85   12
2 Frenline Delpha                         4   3  1  312 315  −3    9
3 Valladares                              4   2  2  305 295 +10    6
4 Yesopalitha                             4   2  2  290 291  −1    6
5 The United States of Saints             4   1  3  281 326 −45    3
6 Katawohan                               4   0  4  274 320 −46    0

Group 8
United Vietussia 74–67 The Brand New Salvatagard Republic
Electrum 117–64 Holy Philippine Empire
The Sword Bloke 77–88 Banguela

Group 8                               Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Banguela                                4   3  1  319 267 +52    9
2 The Sword Bloke                         4   3  1  333 310 +23    9
3 Electrum                                4   2  2  327 252 +75    6
4 Holy Philippine Empire                  4   2  2  279 336 −57    6
5 United Vietussia                        4   1  3  261 308 −47    3
6 The Brand New Salvatagard Republic      4   1  3  283 329 −46    3

[Kaboomlandia]

Phoenix hammered by Valanora

The Kaboomlandia Phoenix basketball team took a big hit this afternoon, as a 92-52 loss to Valanora left the team on shaky ground in Group 3 after a strong start that included two wins over Drawkland and Rennidan. Despite the skilled players on the Phoenix side that included Michael Buckner, Jorge Carpenter and Bruce "Batman" Wane, the team still only managed a paltry 52 points, with 20 of those coming from Buckner, who was by all rights the best player on the Kaboomlandian side. Valanora simply got to every ball first, had insane shooting accuracy from the field, and was wiser - which is to be expected when Raiiel Landhriniel, the youngest Vanorian, was older than every single Phoenix player combined.

So what's up next? Kaboomlandia is eliminated because they lost to Valanora, but at least they can save some face against Benedicion.

[Vangaziland]

Once again, a strong defensive effort paired with an efficient offense led to a Vangazi win. The final score was 81-67, Vangaziland over Katawohan.

"This was a game we knew we had to win", said coach Tomasson. "Our shots were falling and our defense held it down."

Frank Hurcle came off the bench, but played four more minutes than Lonnie Knucks at center. The Royals wanted to rest their starting big man. Hurcle finished with 15 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks.

"We saw a little bit of a different lineup tonight", said assistant coach Kate Foyelson. "We figured we'd test the depth of the bench, even if just to give some of them more playtime. It'll be good for them to get more experience playing on the world stage."

Sarah Overson also played more minutes than Hectare Yulssen. She finished with 16 points and 7 assists. She constantly created space, bringing crossover after crossover to her opponent.

"Sarah is taller than me", said Yulssen. "One has to remember, she is a 6'4 point guard. That's a lot of size at this position and she's quick too."

Tom Gravu had his best night of the tournament with 17 points, 5 rebounds and 1 steal. He had been cold in the previous games. "I'm just glad my shot fell tonight", Gravu told reporters.

One of the most emphatic highlights was a 2-on-1 fast break where Jolla Borgsen and Myke Fulborg pushed the ball forward. The two Vangazi tossed the ball back and forth until Fulborg took off from just short of the foul line and landed a one-handed windmill dunk.

"It looked like something from the 1980s", an excited fan told a television host during a live segment.

Vangaziland controlled the clock and the pace. They didn't quite take their foot off the gas, but seemed to be holding back just a little.

Vannish Sports Network talking head, Chip Maydress, had something to say about that. "The Royals are third in the point difference column with the other unbeaten teams. I think Vangaziland should keep pushing and try to score as many points as possible. I guess coach Tomasson is comfortable enough with his chances."

Coach Tomasson responded by saying, "We aren't taking it easy on teams. I do feel there is a time and a place to conserve energy though."

The lead was cut down to 7 in the fourth quarter until Vangaziland went on a run which led to the 14 point victory.

Jon Jennsen called the opponent's effort "valiant."

[Chromatika]

Chromatika once again fell short in the second half as San Llera took over to a tone of a 74-61 win in the second to last game of the Group Stage at the twentieth International Basketball Championships. Although the Leaping Frogs will be favored the win the last game of the group stage against Leperconia, the form of Saintland and San Llera, along with them both having won against the Chromatik squad, will most likely mean that the Leaping Frogs will be going home after the Group Stage.

It could be argued that the full-court press system employed by The Leaping Frogs worked to a point. Keeping an international team to the seventies is an impressive feat. However, the problem has been on the offensive end for Chromatika, who are only averaging 67.25 points per game. Peter Rasmussen and Martin Beauchanon are showing up to play, but the rest of the squad is not; it was the same way in the loss against Saintland where they accounted for thirty-five of the team's sixty points.

Moving forward, it would seem that Coach Theodore Williams will need to think of getting better complementary players for the squad instead of the current roster. The seniors graduating from the NSCAA participating schools should provide a boost to both the CBA and the national team; perhaps better days await the team then.

Until then, Beauchanon and Rasmussen will continue to try to be enough, and often, fall short in the process.

[Saint Kanye]

THE KARDASHIA KIBITZER

IBC 20: SURGE REMAIN SPOTLESS WITH THRASHING OF S'TOPIA, CLINCH GROUP 1 TOP SPOT

by Ray Wright



CENIAL - "3-0 is not comfortable. Two upsets can change the playoff picture entirely. Play as if every win is crucial, because they are."

These were St. Kanye Surge head coach Paulie Brewster's words to his wards before the fourth game of the 20th International Basketball Championships group stages in the Cenial Pavilion, against 2-1 Silvacometopia. The boys in purple and lime responded to their coach's words by never allowing their opponents to lead during the game, ending it 82-58 and handing Silvacometopia its second straight loss after a couple of huge victories. Darren Overton and James Blackwell, the Surge's two co-captains, scored fifteen apiece for the team that secured the top spot in Group 1 regardless of whether they win (making their record 5-0; all the other Group 1 teams have losses) or lose (tying Ceni at 4-1, but with the edge over the hosts due to beating them by a single point) tomorrow against Volcanoc (2-2). Overton is aware of this, but says that the team doesn't want to give a game up against a team 83 places below them in the world rankings. "I don't want those other strong teams like Saintland, Vangaziland and Abanhfleft to think lowly of us, seeing us getting upset like that." All of the three nations Overton mentioned are, like St. Kanye, undefeated so far, and so are Abaja and the team the Surge beat for bronze last season, Royal Kingdom of Quebec, which beat its Group 5 opponents by a whopping average of 30.75 points.

The Silvacometopians looked lost from the start, losing the opening tip and only getting their first points, off their point guard's close jumper, with 4:28 remaining in the first quarter, when the Surge had already scored 15. Short rallies in the first and second quarters pulled the Silvacometopians to within four, but they made crucial errors which the Kanyeans used to their advantage to pull away the rest of the game. Coach Brewster allowed Billy Forrest and Adrian Page to run up the score and improve the Surge's point differential by ending the game with a crowd-pleasing dunk each. The number of Kanyeans in attendance rose again, to 1,712.

SKYNET (Saint KanYe NETwork) Sports Channel 12 will be once again bringing all the Group 1 action live, on television and online at http://www.skynet.stk/12-sports/ibc-20. Selected games in other groups will be made available on a delayed telecast. IBC fan stories can be submitted at http://www.the-kardashia-kibitzer.stk/ibc/fan-stories. We will notify you via email if your story has been selected for publication.

Scores:

ST. KANYE 82 - Blackwell 15, Overton 15, Forrest 10, Trichet 8, Page 7, Smith 6, Stevens 6, Larsson 4, Philips 4, Gatson 3, Morrigan 2, Warner 2.

SILVACOMETOPIA 58 - Individual scores not available.

Quarters: 21-14, 39-30, 61-47, 82-58.

[Yesopalitha]

Two straight wins had propelled the Yesopalitha Flames to a 2-2 record in the Group Stage, and potentially given them the opportunity to finish third. After the two losses to Valladares and Frenline Delpha, it became apparent to the team that unlike IBC IX, when they'd entered as a new nation and advanced into the Quarterfinals, the Flames would most likely bow out after the group stage, mostly due to the single-round-robin nature of the tournament.

"We are definitely playing better basketball now," stated Coach Dickinson, "But then we are playing teams who are not as strong as the others. That being said, asserting our position, and showing the world that we have returned at least in name has been great. We're deciding to use this tournament as a stepping stone, as a tournament where we learned about what it was like to play internationally again."

On their next opponents, Vangaziland, Dickinson said, "They're a great team that's not lost a single game this far, and averaging more than fifteen points more than us per game. It'll be a tough challenge, but if we are to defeat them, it would be the statement win of the tournament."

Victoria Andersen will need to continue her stellar play if the Flames are to take down the Royals.

[Abaja]

International Basketball Championships XX

Abaja stays hot, remains undefeated

- By Willis Segoso and Amina Ogwu

Cosumar 68 - 83 Abaja

Since yesterday, many people have thought that Cosumar would have no problem against Abaja, and that THEY would cause Abaja to lose their first game of the tournament. Well, the opposite happened. The Lions shocked the world with a 83-68 victory over Cosumar. The Abajans have held Cosumar to only 68 points, which is so far Cosumar's lowest scoring game in the tournament. Now that the Lions have won their 4th victory, they have a very high chance of making the playoffs this tournament. Many Abajans were cheering about this victory, and it shows what Abaja is capable of doing. "We have won a hard fought game. It's really good to see that the players were all clicking and taking advantage of what was given to them. We did really well so far in this tournament, and we are starting to prove to others that we are better to what they think we are. We have one more game until the Round of 16. It should be an easy game, hopefully. Let's finish off strong boys!" Says head coach Yuhan Anekwe. In the first quarter, there were many Cosumar and Abaja fans watching...Many of them. Both wanted to support their teams and hope their team would remain undefeated. 3 minutes in, Cosumar was starting to score a lot on the inside. Their Center was getting a lot of rebounds over Joseph Olu (C) and their PG was finding a lot of his guys open, getting quite a few assists. Halfway through the first quarter, Cosumar was already up 13-7. Armani Welch (PG), who scored 22 points in the game, hit a deep three point shot from a Jacob Nessal (SG) assist. Cosumar kept responding, that is, until the second quarter started. In the second quarter, it was all about Abaja. In the second quarter alone, Abaja went from trailing 18-10 to leading 32-28 with 5 minutes to go in the first half. Náná Mdamnbe (PF) had a BIG performance in the second quarter and third quarter. He got 2 blocks in the second, another in the third. He also got 13 total rebounds. Cosumar had trouble stopping him, as he was too strong. 3 minutes left in the second quarter, Abaja was in he lead 37-32. Jacob Nessal (SG) then stole the ball and went the other way for a slam dunk. 1 minute left, A Cosumar Center slammed it for 2 points. 20 seconds left, Abaja holds the ball. Pápá Mouyre (SF) passes it to Náná Mdamnbe (PF) for a hook shot for 2 points. The half then ended, and Abaja lead the game 41-34

At halftime, here's what he scores were looking like: Abaja 41 - 34 Cosumar. Cosumar was still in this, only trailing by a few possessions, but in order for teams to comeback, they must also play defense. Cosumar had problems with that, as they were unable to stop Abaja from scoring. Abaja had scored 23 points in the third quarter. 8 of those points came from Jola Nicholson (PF), who had a total of 13 in the game. Armani Welch (PG) also started scoring some points in the second half. Halfway through the third quarter, Abaja lead the way by a score of 52-40. This was when Cosumar started falling apart. They were unable to make anything happen inside like they did in the first half. Jacob Nessal (SG) also did a good job on defense, constantly disrupting the Cosumar offense. He had 2 steals in the third quarter alone and forced them to have 2 extra turnovers (Out of bounds and over and back). In the start of the fourth quarter, the Lions have surprisingly built a 18 point lead over Cosumar. The score was 64-46 in Abaja's favor. In the fourth quarter, however, Cosumar started clamping it up. They forced a total of 3 turnovers in the fourth and went on a 14-5 run. The deficit was soon dropped to single digits. Abaja still lead 69-60. Calvin Anelé (SG) got big and got a rebound over Cosumar's Power Forward for an offensive rebound and score. Guess what? He also drew the foul and made the extra point. Cosumar fans were shaking their heads and their head coach quickly called a timeout when they got the ball back. He benched that Power Forward for the rest of the game. During the timeout, we got a chance to listen to what head coach Yuhan Anekwe was saying to the team. "Good effort, good effort! Let's finish this off! No silly plays or careless turnovers! We're on the right track, guys. We just have to keep fighting so that we can get this victory. Keep playing hard!" 3 minutes left in the game, Abaja lead the game 76-66, and the Abajan defense was getting tougher and tougher. They only gave up 2 points in the remaining 3 minutes! Calvin Anelé (SG) found Damian Marakwo (SG) for an easy layup. Then Armani Welch (PG) did a behind-the-back crossover against his opponent, which dropped him. They OOO's and AHHH's quickly came out the mouths of the Lions' fans. 43 seconds left, Abaja has closed this game out. Cosumar fans had their hands on their heads and their jaws wide open. They can't believe what they saw this half. Meanwhile, the Abajans danced in celebration. Abaja held the ball until the final buzzer to seal the victory. This is, by far, the best IBC performance that Abaja has ever had.

ABAJA TOP PERFORMERS

Armani Welch - 22 pts, 3 rebs, 7 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk, 7/14 FG
Jola Nicholson - 13 pts, 8 rebs, 2 ast, 1 blk, 5/9 FG
Jacob Nessal - 12 pts, 4 rebs, 5 ast, 3 stl, 4/8 FG
Náná Mdamnbe - 12 pts, 13 rebs, 1 ast, 2 blk, 6/7 FG
Pápá Mouyre - 10 pts, 5 rebs, 3 ast, 1 stl, 4/7 FG
Calvin Anelé - 7 pts, 2 rebs, 6 ast, 3/10 FG
Joseph Olu - 5 pts, 3 rebs, 2 ast, 1 blk, 2/6 FG
Damian Marakwo - 2 pts, 2 rebs, 1 ast, 1/1 FG

COMMENTS

5,479 Comments

YoungMoney03 -Joined Oct 14, 2010
9 mins ago- Where all them doubters now? #Abaja4Life #AbajatoPlayoffs

ArmaniWelchGOAT -Joined Mar 22, 2014
31 mins ago- 4-0! yes!

Squuuaaadd -Joined Oct 27, 2014
22 mins ago- Armani dropped him!

BaddyBoy -Joined Apr 11, 2010
50 mins ago- Cosumar loses...??

Chris Grant -Joined Dec 29, 2012
14 mins ago- Underrated?

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[Cosumar]

Cosumar National Basketball Team -- IBC 20

Information

Nation - The Fiefdom of Cosumar is a constitutional monarchy renowned for its civil rights, diverse landscapes, space program, scientific advancement, and sporting culture.

Region - Atlantian Oceania (far northeast)

Demonym - Cosumarite

Team Nickname - Stallions

Domestic League - The Cosumar Basketball Association (CBA). Following the NBA model, the CBA consists of 32 teams with 16 in conference (Eastern and Western). After a season of 62 games, the top eight teams in each conference advance to a playoff for the CBA Title. Best-of-5 series are used in the playoffs until the conference finals, after which point Best-of-7 is used. Six editions have been completed under the modern structure, with Gundar Basket winning the most recent edition for their first ever title. The IBC takes place every two domestic seasons. The Cosumarite delegation typically resembles the CBA All-Star Team from the latest season.

History - This is Cosumar's tenth International Basketball Championships, having participated in all but two editions since IBC 9 in Mytannion. The Stallions have always been moderately successful in the tournament, but their first major achievement came in IBC 15, at which they made a run to the Quarterfinals before being knocked out by #1 Saintland by the slimmest of margins. After further success in IBC 16 and 17, Cosumar finally reached the pinnacle of the sport by winning IBC 18 over Ko-oren in a historic comeback. The Stallions lost the first two games to go down 2-0 in the Finals series before winning the next three in a row to take the crown. Now the defending champions and 3rd-ranked side in the world, expectations are higher than ever. Does Cosumar have what it takes to repeat?

Team Style - +4


Roster

Starting 5

PG - RUGIAN NA'REL - (6'2", 190 lbs, 23 yrs) - Dusk Wolfpack
Coach Dupree likes to rotate the energetic young Na'Rel and slightly more experienced stars Jeon and Na'Gono at point guard throughout the game. Na'Rel's game is all about his pace and relentless driving to the basket. He's not a great outside shooter, but he is an extremely gifted finisher in the paint and also has a knack for collapsing the defense and finding open teammates on the wings.

SG - GONZALO NA'ZUPITO - (6'3", 200 lbs, 30 yrs) - Altimirano Artillery
Our designated "star player" if there must be one is two-time CBA MVP Gonzalo Na'Zupito at SG. The talented Vloo has always been a sharpshooter and freak athlete, but he has developed his passing and ball-handling in recent years to become an explosive jack-of-all-trades. He will rarely come off the floor, unlike the rotation approach at point guard. His offense is too valuable to relinquish, even if Kieran Jordan on the bench might be a much longer and more intimidating defender.

SF - BENJAMIN SEYMOUR - (6'7", 238 lbs, 32 yrs) - Samotath Slayers
Volume scorer for the Slayers with his true inside-and-out game. Seymour doesn't have the speed getting up and down the floor that he used to, but in halfcourt sets he still has the strength to post-up inside, the savvy to impose his will in the midrange, and the accuracy to punish from the three-point line when need be. He's accustomed to being the go-to-guy domestically, but with the National Team he tends to slide into more of a complementary role.

PF - SEVERIN SOHOLT - (6'11", 245 lbs, 27 yrs) - OAS Ocelots
Soholt has a staggering sweet touch for someone of his size. His shot is lethal from anywhere on the floor, from any angle. A prototypical stretch-four a la Nowitzki, his presence will be critical for the Stallions' spacing. When he's not burying acrobatic shots, he is a great screen-setter who will do a lot of the dirty work in unclogging the lane for Na'Rel's drives. He is an average-at-best defender for his position, however.

C - SAMU RUDNEVS - (6'11", 265 lbs, 26 yrs) - Pirankoper Kings
A slightly undersized but tenacious battler in the paint. As a former CBA Defensive Player of the Year, Rudnevs is good for a few blocks per game and goes up strong for rebounds without fail. His offensive repertoire is limited (dunks, tip-ins and more dunks), but there are rumblings out of the Cosumar camp that Coach Dupree is working with him on developing a midrange jumper. Excels running the floor and finishing. He will bear a heavy defensive responsibility, frequently having to cover for and mask Soholt's vulnerability. The only starter who is not a great free-throw shooter.

Bench

PG - Dale Jeon - (5'8", 170 lbs, 28 yrs) - Altamirano Artillery
SG - Kieran Jordan - (6'8", 225 lbs, 26 yrs) - Gundar Basket
PG/SG - Mosim Na'Gono - (6'3", 190 lbs, 26 yrs) - Zakhoro Porcupines
SF - Simper Sarkodie - (6'6", 227 lbs, 25 yrs) - Cassandra Flames
PF - Ari Ortega - (6'10", 245 lbs, 27 yrs) - Culmarland Warmasters
SF/PF - Harald Sogn - (6'9", 235 lbs, 31 yrs) - Ramusok Emperors
C - Antoine Arthur - (7'0", 240, 32 yrs) - South Klyde Sparks
C - Tozin Summata - (7'2", 235 lbs, 19 yrs) - Mallox Mavericks


Staff

Head Coach - Karl Dupree

Assistant Coach - Michael Kramer
Assistant Coach - Douglas Breckenridge
Assistant Coach - Seth Halfin
Fitness Trainer - Oleg Lucic
Doctor - Rinne Solen
Team Captain - Jakk Klyde


Uniforms


Blue - Away
Grey - Alternate
White - Home

[Saint Kanye]

THE KARDASHIA KIBITZER

IBC 20 FAN STORY: HYSTERICAL FATHER'S ADVENTURES IN CENILAND

by Elias Beck, Guest Contributor



My name is Elias Beck. I am 35 years young. I work as a sales representative for an alternative medicine company in Jalton city. I am the wife of Sheryl and dad of Ezio Darren. These two are the pregnant mother and newborn baby seen in a viral video of the 19th International Basketball Championships in Valladares. I was the hysterical father in that video. Ezio was born in Coliseo de Oriente stadium, during the game pitting the St. Kanye Surge against the team from Pinoyistan. The Surge won that game, 87-53, and advanced to the playoffs. They eventually finished third.

But enough of the past. Let's go to the present. Here I am, back with Sheryl and Ezio, supporting our country. This time, it's the twentieth edition of the IBC. St. Kanye is going strong right now, with four wins in four games. One game remains tomorrow. I want it to be a win. All Kanyeans want it to be a win. Those who don't, those who bet against our beloved team in purple and lime, shame on you. I am happy. Sheryl is happy. Ezio is happy, and can't stop giggling throughout the Ceni game. Ceni is a nice country. The Cenians make for nice people, and a noisy crowd. They react strongly to everything happening on and off the court. They almost erupted in cheers and celebrations for a win when we played them. Lester Smith prevented that, tipping in a missed free throw by James Blackwell in the dying moments of the game, taking it 62-61. I met Lester in a restaurant after the Mountainasia game. He was a nice fellow. He made Ezio laugh. Heck, he even made Sheryl laugh. He gave me an autographed cap. He agreed to take a photo with us. It's going on all of my social media accounts.

Then, the Silvacometopia game. We woke up late. I hurriedly called a cab to take me and my wife and son to Cenial Pavilion. The game has already started when we arrived. I was blaming myself for wanting to watch that Drawkman flick in the hotel late at night. But the Surge was leading once we found our seats, which is always a good thing, as long as they hold on to that lead. So far, so good. No meltdowns for Chill Phil, Jimmy B and company. Sheryl and I focused on the game at hand; Ezio was too busy staring at the purple and lime balloons our fellow countrymen brought. He didn't mind all the noise at all.

Then, halftime. I rose from my seat to buy myself a hotdog and go to the restroom. I saw some players from Volcanoc (judging by what's written on their jackets) on my way to the hotdog stand. I swear, some of them looked worried because of the way the Surge (their next opponents) were playing. That's right, pals. Fear us! To steal a quote from one of the shirts worn by Kanyean fans, hate the name, fear the game!

Back in my spot, the missus, the junior, and I watched the Surge put on a splendid performance on the way to an 82-58 win. Just what we needed to show those players from Volcanoc tomorrow. That, and the enthusiasm of the Kanyean crowd. The team needs to give their best in playing all the time, and we fans have to give our best in supporting them. If we do this, we can make like our team nickname and surge to the top.

SKYNET (Saint KanYe NETwork) Sports Channel 12 will be once again bringing all the Group 1 action live, on television and online at http://www.skynet.stk/12-sports/ibc-20. Selected games in other groups will be made available on a delayed telecast. IBC fan stories can be submitted at http://www.the-kardashia-kibitzer.stk/ibc/fan-stories. We will notify you via email if your story has been selected for publication.

[Yymea]

Iljik Bei felt rather stressed. After the loss in the previous match, the media had begun to shift attention away from his team, but now that they had won, their eye was once again upon them, but this time with more reservations. The match against Kirisaki had been a blow to the morale of the yymean team, but the manager had worked to make his team play as well as they could, and it had worked.

Kirisaki had dominated since the start of the match. They were far better than the yymean team, and it showed, as they scored repeatedly in the first quarter. The yymeans managed to hold them off slightly however, and played well throughout the match. In the third quarter, the team rebounded slightly, and started scoring with more frequency, getting progressively closer to Kirisaki, but in the fourth quarter, Kirisaki managed to stomp all chances of Yymea winning, playing excellently.

The Yymean fans watching the match, which had, once again, grown in numbers, were rather dissapointed with the loss, but they still cheered the team even at their lowest moments, and after the match ended. The atmosphere in the stadium was one of cordiality between the two teams, which was also replicated outside the stadium, between the fans of Kirisaki and those of Yymea.

The yymeans watching from home, however, began to lose interest, assuming that the yymeans would be out of the championship soon enough, and Iljik felt that this had been one of the main factors in the following victory, making the team feel less pressure, and play with more
relaxation, which had definitely showed in their performance.

Li Qing stumbled in the first quarter, with the yymean team managing to score on many occasions, and putting pressure on the opposing team. This continued in the second and third quarter, although Yymea began to slowly lose steam, which showed in the last quarter, in which, Li Qing began threatening the yymeans, and scoring with more frequency, although the result was still heavily in favour of Yymea, which celebrated their victory more moderately than in previous occasions.

The fans were esctatic once again, and greeted the yymean players with cheers. In the bus, Iljik Bei congratulated them for their excellent performance, but told them that they had to mantain their current pace in the following matches. Once back in the hotel, he tried to relax, and forget about everything that had happened in the last week, but it seemed impossible to him. Him and his team had climbed to fame in Yymea, and, if they weren´t careful, they would take a heavy fall.

[Mapletish]

TEAM MAPLETISH FOR THE INTERNATIONAL BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS 20
Nation Name: The Mapletia Unida of Mapletish
Demonym: Maplish/Mapletian
Team Nickname: The Lions/ The Dragons
The Supporters: The Fierykop

OFFICIAL KIT
HOME - AWAY

HOME STADIUM
Rosten Arena - 55,500

The Buio'Dzz
Before every match, the team members (including the designated substitutes for the match) will perform a traditional ritual, called the Buio'Dzz on the pitch just before play begins. This is one of the many tribe war dance from the aboriginals of Mapletish, meant to awe their opponents, this is similar to the [RL] New Zealanders' haka before their matches. This would be performed unless the hosts of the match in question object to the ritual.

STAFF
Head Coach: Corwin George, 50
The head coach of the Illudna Warriors led the team to their first ever multiverse sporting competition with a 8-22 record in the 36th World Baseball Classic as they represented the Maplish national team, finishing last in the group stage. It might be a disappointing result that will put any coach down but George is not the one who will back down, this time round, he leads the team into another multiverse competition under the Maplish flag as they embark into the basketball arena. Piecing together a team of highly versatile professionals is no easy task but George is up to task as his patience and knowledge help athletes develop to their fullest potential.

PLAYERS: - Starting Five

#1 - PG - Pío Paquito
#2 - SG - Eustaquio Iván
#3 - SF - Pío Paquito
#4 - PF - Victor Martinez
#5 - C - Hernando Roque

Bench
#6 - PG/C - Arturo Timoteo
#7 - PG/PF - Adalberto Abel
#8 - SG/PG - Francisco María
#9 - SG/PG - Dennis Trev
#10 - PF/SF - Goyo Odalis
#11 - PF/SF - Jackson Orgi
#12 - C - Rosendo Eleuterio

[The Royal Barangay]

THE BARANGAYAN HERALD
25 Sangs

SPORTS NEWS - BASKETBALL
Basketbol Barangay launches TRBLiga Baloncesto; 12 pioneer teams compete
by the Barangayan Herald Staff

SANGTI - The inagural season of the TRBLiga Baloncesto was a success. 12 teams which resumed TRBLiga (football) cooperated to form the 12 pioneer teams for the basketball season. Racing Xinghua Baoyam and Carrubonieta Il Gueti, are the favorites for the domestic crown.

The competition was divided into two: a regular season in which each team met six times in venues across TRB (a la Basketball tour - no home and away). The top six teams then go into playoffs, in which the top two teams earn their ticket to the semifinals and the other four teams will go into a play-in in which the higher seeds have twice to beat advantage.

Here is what happened in the inagural season:
Regular Season

   TRBLiga Baloncesto        Pld    W   L    PF   PA    PD 
 1 Racing Xinghua Baoyam      66   58   8  5533 4411 +1122
 2 Carrubonieta Il Gueti      66   51  15  5379 4621  +758
 3 Sporting Sangti            66   50  16  5490 4650  +840
 4 Deportivo Nespa            66   41  25  5109 4911  +198
 5 CF Sangti Baloncesto       66   37  29  5088 4931  +157
 6 Olympique Leonde           66   34  32  5053 4952  +101
 7 Gabelona                   66   34  32  4941 4905   +36
 8 CD Viocla                  66   28  38  4789 5112  −323
 9 Rambo Pesgem               66   18  48  4632 5260  −628
10 Real Cintore               66   18  48  4679 5332  −653
11 Real Tiagosan              66   18  48  4775 5528  −753
12 CF Vanie Baloncesto        66    9  57  4484 5339  −855

Play-ins (#3 and #4 seeds Twice to Beat)
Sporting Sangti 71–51 Olympique Leonde

Deportivo Nespa 78–79 CF Sangti Baloncesto
CF Sangti Baloncesto 86–78 Deportivo Nespa

Semis (Best of 3)

Racing Xinghua Baoyam 77–80 CF Sangti Baloncesto
CF Sangti Baloncesto 71–89 Racing Xinghua Baoyam
Racing Xinghua Baoyam 83–57 CF Sangti Baloncesto

Carrubonieta Il Gueti 96–60 Sporting Sangti
Sporting Sangti 76–76 Carrubonieta Il Gueti (85–83 OT)
Carrubonieta Il Gueti 77–64 Sporting Sangti

Finals (Best of 5)
Racing Xinghua Baoyam 80–66 Carrubonieta Il Gueti
Carrubonieta Il Gueti 60–89 Racing Xinghua Baoyam
Racing Xinghua Baoyam 71–58 Carrubonieta Il Gueti

The playoffs in itself brought many exciting games, but the finals were one sided, with the Golden Bears taking top spot. The teams joining them to the IUBC competition are Carrubonieta Il Gueti, Sporting Sangti and CF Sangti Baloncesto.

[Ethane]

Flardania 79–90 Ethane

What do you think of the result in today's match?

It is a really strong result for the team, that have been working hard for this. The team, a group of lively lads, really went out there to show Flardania what they are made of, and they went out there, all guns blazing, and got a strong result out of it. This bodes well for the team.

You had that massive loss to The Royal Kingdom of Quebec, and yet you still stayed second. What do you make of this, and how does it play out from here for the future?

That massive loss to Quebec was painful yes. We were out there to play our best, but we could not beat the Quebec team, who just outplayed us and dominated the game, so all credit to them. However, the fact that we managed to retain our second place after that massive loss is testament to how strong our team is. We went out there, got destroyed, but the attack that we managed in the other games kept our other stats up, which left us in the second position in the group. This is great for the future, not only in this tournament, but for future tournaments as well. We can look to this tournament, and these performances show we are capable of winning, but also, to the future, we can try to better ourselves here, and we can look for the continuance of our high scoring games, but also against better ranked teams, when we are better ranked, which will put us in a possible tournament winning position later on in time.

Is your team ready for something special?

They are, yes. They have the capability to pull something off that is very special here. As long as they do not squander their position in the group, then there is no way that this won't be a special time for Ethane.

[Valanora]

Valanora Times
Dragons Have High Hopes

The Dragons have pulled off two straight victories after their disappointing failure to be competitive against Abanhfleft, though the top seed is looking quite good for their money. However the Dragons have not yet secured their advancement out of the group despite the three matches won out of the four played, with both Kaboomlandia and Drawkland with the ability to finish level on points with our side after the end of the group stage. This is true because it is Drawkland that the Dragons will be taking on in the final game of the group stage, which a win by them would leave the Dragons potentially missing out with head to head being the first tiebreaker, though a potential three team mixer at the end of the group stage could complicate things.

Kaboomlandia was the unfortunate victim of the Dragons going off for a record by the team of twenty-four three pointers, going twenty-four out of thirty on the night en route to an absolute blowout. It is perhaps a harsh scoreline, with the side winning 92 to 52, though the point differential does not matter much given the tiebreakers used for this tournament. The defense was able to get back and set up their half court press that flustered Kaboomlandia all night long, with a multitude of turnovers and rushed shots before they could get into the half court game that would have seen them with the advantage. It was a truly remarkable display of shooting effiency, with the Dragons shooting sixty percent from the field and eighty percent from the free throw line.

Drawkland has been decent though they to were made to suffer under the unrelenting force of Abanhfleft's attack in the last match, which has left them and the Dragons in this apparent winner take all scenario. Drawkland is new to the tournament and the international sporting community as a whole yet their performances has shown that they have promise and in a multitude of fields. They lack a competent offense though and it does not appear to stack up well against the half court press of the Dragons as the squad used it to overcome their size disadvantage. Turnovers and fast break points could be key and in fact I think it will be and the Dragons will really need to be focused as they try to raise their profile by making it out of the group with a much needed win.

[Ceni]

Ceni Secures Round of 16 Berth with Dominant Win

---

Box Score

	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Total
Ceni	26	20	25	21	92
Volcanoc	12	12	15	14	53

Ceni Stats Leaders
Pts: Neil Halcyon (24)
Rebs: Ace Stargazer (18)
Asts: Neil Halcyon, Wes Jarik, Ace Stargazer (8)
PRat: Neil Halcyon (8.5)

Volcanoc, despite being ranked at number 93 in the rankings, and thus coming into the game with some measure of self-confidence against the, on paper, unranked, and thus easy to beat, side, totally collapsed in the face of a stern Cenian offense and defense which took advantage of every single opportunity that the higher ranked side prevented them in a commanding victory which saw Ceni see off the side 92-53, a margin of almost 40 points.

With the loss of Silvacometopia to Saint Kanye in one of the group's other games, Ceni is all but assured to make it through to the Round of 16 - Fluvique cannot overtake Ceni in points, even with a win on the last day of games, and Ceni is ahead of both Silvacometopia and Volcanoc on head to head performances, both by fairly large margins, especially considering the nascence of the Cenian national basketball team.

The first quarter started out strong for the Cenians as the man-to-man defense of Volcanoc was confused by the highly successful and refined wheel offense of the Cenian team, adapted from some of the successful NSCAA schools. The offense kept the ball moving around at a quick pace and started to mess with the various man-to-man markings, confusing the defense and starting to win points. The great amount of movement from all around on the Cenian team did well to stymie the Volcanoc defense and secure an effective change of pace on the Cenian team.

The strategy proved extremely effective in the first quarter as the Cenian team kept moving and had very quick turnovers to outscore Volcanoc 26-12, a whole blowout, as Ace Stargazer used his height successfully to block the Volcanoc defense. The second quarter featured more turnovers on both sides and thus less scoring from the Cenian offense, although Ace Stargazer still led in rebounds and was able to quickly get the ball back to the other basket after a previous unsuccessful offense.

In the third quarter, Volcanoc attempted to change their strategy to a zonal defense to try and keep up with the wheel offense, but it just kept rolling throughout the game. As the Volcanoc team switched to the zonal defense, the wheel offense changed its pattern a bit, with the cutters now making use of Neil Halcyon's three-point making skills to secure more points. Lauren Vox switched out Benjamin Espinoza for Orion Darkstar, and the defense grew a little bit more erratic but only conceded three more points than the first two quarters, courtesy of a lucky half-court shot just as the shot clock was going off.

Ceni got a little more tired in the fourth quarter, and Vox rested Stargazer in favor of Obran Camasau and Neil Halcyon in favor of Kiana Ke'Sahndrhan, although the loss of the top starters didn't hamper the ability of the Cenians to score or defend, as they still managed to outclass Volcanoc in scoring, leading the scoring in the fourth quarter by 21-14 to extend their lead further to 39 points, allowing them to come nearly level to Saint Kanye on points difference, although they were still fairly behind on wins.

Neil Halcyon was voted the best Cenian player as he led in points and tied for first in assists, while the tall Ace Stargazer led in rebounds, with an excellent figure against this clearly overmatched team. Ceni now goes on to face Fluvique as the only country remaining in its group that was not affected by the Great Jersey Disaster of the remainder of the group, which saw most teams, including Volcanoc, fail to print the names of their players on their jerseys. However, they are fellow unranked, so it should be a nice comfortable win to build confidence before the Round of 16.

In other IBC groups, Abaja upset world #3 Cosumar 83-68, while world #4 Royal Kingdom of Quebec continued their dominance of the group stage with a 103-62 thrashing of Mapletish. And in Group 8, former IBC hosts and finalists Electrum are fighting for their survival in the tournament, despite a dominating 117-64 win over Holy Philippine Empire; they must both win and hope that either Banguela or Sword Bloke loses in order to secure their spot in the top two of the group.

[Ceni]

This MD will determine who advances to the Round of 16! Cutoff!

Group 1
Silvacometopia 91–93 Mountainasia
Volcanoc 75–84 Saint Kanye
Fluvique 57–85 Ceni

Group 1                               Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Saint Kanye                             5   5  0  402 329 +73   15
2 Ceni                                    5   4  1  403 316 +87   12
3 Silvacometopia                          5   2  3  384 380  +4    6
4 Volcanoc                                5   2  3  374 393 −19    6
5 Fluvique                                5   1  4  323 414 −91    3
6 Mountainasia                            5   1  4  377 431 −54    3

Group 2
Banija 88–66 New Gelderland
Abaja 51–69 The Royal Barangay
New Edom 49–78 Cosumar

Group 2                               Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Abaja                                   5   4  1  374 334 +40   12
2 Cosumar                                 5   4  1  397 341 +56   12
3 The Royal Barangay                      5   3  2  374 342 +32    9
4 Banija                                  5   2  3  376 363 +13    6
5 New Edom                                5   1  4  332 401 −69    3
6 New Gelderland                          5   1  4  339 411 −72    3

Group 3
Kaboomlandia 74–78 Bendicion
Drawkland 88–54 Valanora
Rennidan 65–71 Abanhfleft

Group 3                               Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Abanhfleft                              5   5  0  404 327 +77   15
2 Drawkland                               5   3  2  362 349 +13    9
3 Valanora                                5   3  2  390 350 +40    9
4 Bendicion                               5   2  3  371 420 −49    6
5 Kaboomlandia                            5   2  3  361 405 −44    6
6 Rennidan                                5   0  5  343 380 −37    0

Group 4
United States of Devonta 66–77 Yymea
Purple Rabbits 71–100 Kirisaki
Li Qing 72–82 Ko-oren

Group 4                               Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Ko-oren                                 5   4  1  415 369 +46   12
2 Kirisaki                                5   4  1  458 371 +87   12
3 Yymea                                   5   4  1  432 391 +41   12
4 United States of Devonta                5   2  3  381 384  −3    6
5 Purple Rabbits                          5   1  4  369 413 −44    3
6 Li Qing                                 5   0  5  322 449 −127    0

Group 5
Ethane 74–72 Aji No Moto
Mapletish 67–93 Flardania
Bonapartium 62–95 Royal Kingdom of Quebec

Group 5                               Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Royal Kingdom of Quebec                 5   5  0  453 297 +156   15
2 Ethane                                  5   4  1  380 378  +2   12
3 Flardania                               5   3  2  419 352 +67    9
4 Mapletish                               5   2  3  343 409 −66    6
5 Aji No Moto                             5   1  4  346 385 −39    3
6 Bonapartium                             5   0  5  322 442 −120    0

Group 6
Chromatika 71–75 Leperconia
Old Corcra 65–79 San Llera
Beaverriver 62–75 Saintland

Group 6                               Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Saintland                               5   5  0  437 338 +99   15
2 San Llera                               5   4  1  415 369 +46   12
3 Leperconia                              5   2  3  368 404 −36    6
4 Chromatika                              5   2  3  340 362 −22    6
5 Old Corcra                              5   1  4  343 395 −52    3
6 Beaverriver                             5   1  4  366 401 −35    3

Group 7
Frenline Delpha 82–77 The United States of Saints
Katawohan 87–91 Valladares
Yesopalitha 64–82 Vangaziland

Group 7                               Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Vangaziland                             5   5  0  441 338 +103   15
2 Frenline Delpha                         5   4  1  394 392  +2   12
3 Valladares                              5   3  2  396 382 +14    9
4 Yesopalitha                             5   2  3  354 373 −19    6
5 The United States of Saints             5   1  4  358 408 −50    3
6 Katawohan                               5   0  5  361 411 −50    0

Group 8
Banguela 98–74 United Vietussia
Holy Philippine Empire 58–94 The Sword Bloke
The Brand New Salvatagard Republic 74–101 Electrum

Group 8                               Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Banguela                                5   4  1  417 341 +76   12
2 The Sword Bloke                         5   4  1  427 368 +59   12
3 Electrum                                5   3  2  428 326 +102    9
4 Holy Philippine Empire                  5   2  3  337 430 −93    6
5 United Vietussia                        5   1  4  335 406 −71    3
6 The Brand New Salvatagard Republic      5   1  4  357 430 −73    3

[Abaja]

International Basketball Championships XX

Abaja's streak ceases, remains #1 in their group

- By Joqui Enisé & Willis Segoso

Abaja 51 - 69 The Royal Barangay

The Abaja Lions suffered a pretty embarrassing loss today, after they got beaten by a 3-2 team 51-69. Today was their lowest score of the tournament, however the Lions secured a playoff birth and are on their way to the round of 16. Many people mocked and made fun of the Lions for losing to a non-threatening team. Head coach Yuhan Anekwé tried to explain that Abaja had already secured a playoff birth, so there was really no point on trying in this game. And plus, The Royal Barangay players played very rough. He didn't want his key players injured with a playoff game Tuesday. "What I was really trying to do was rest my players... And protect them. Especially my starting five players, for the round of sixteen. This was not a necessary or crucial game in which we had to win. So the joke is really on them." He said. All the things he said showed up on the court as the Lions played really lazy and were not serious with what was going on. Jacob Nessal lead the way, but with only 10 points. In the first quarter, Alenau Eryenu (PG) did an ally-oop to Kendi Ogechekwe (SF). Then TRB started to turn it up on defense. The Abajans continued to play effortlessly, for the sake of their health, which led to many turnovers. Near the end of the first quarter, Abaja had already had a total of 4 turnovers. Yuhan Anekwé was not worried though, as he was more concerned about resting his star players. As he called a timeout, he made ALL 5 starters for Abaja (Armani Welch, Jacob Nessal, Pápá Mouyre, Náná Mdamnbe, and Joseph Olu) sit out for the rest of the half, and put in the bench players. Unfortunately, the bench players couldn't make much happen on offense. Jola Nicholson (PF) was missing a lot of his open hook shots and Calvin Anelé (SG) missed a lot of his shots too. TRB took advantage to score many points in the second quarter. With just 3 minutes left until halftime, TRB led the Lions by a score of 32-20. Alenau Eryenu (PG) then scored a layup after a steal. He had 2 in the game. Then a TRB Center scored a monstrous dunk over Vincent Osu (PF). At halftime, Abaja was down by double digits.

At halftime, we got a chance to listen in to what head coach Yuhan Anekwe was saying to his team.

Yuhan Anekwé: Don't worry, don't worry! This is a pointless game and you guys need rest for Tuesday.
Jacob Nessal: Coach, let me play for some time during the second half. I haven't been on the court since the first!
Yuhan Anekwé: You will get you time, Jacob. Just be careful. I don't want an injured star player when there is a playoff game comng up
Armani Welch: Damn. So you are saying that you don't care if we get blown out? I mean, we are already down 38-23...
Yuhan Anekwé: 'Mani, I would much rather lose one pointless game than to have you be injured. Did you see how huge and aggressive those players looked? Even the cheerleaders were ripped!
Armani Welch: Yeah but wouldn't that be considered cowardly? I'm sure none of us will get hurt, coach. Me and Jacob can take hits. Along with Pápá. That man is strong as hell. Ain't that right, Páp?
Pápá Mouyre: Hell yeah!
Yuhan Anekwé: I know you guys can take hits, but what these guys deliver are not hits. They are explosions. I saw a clip of them playing against New Edom and their power forward sent a point guard flying twenty feet. I'm just trying to keep you guys safe from a 5 year injury.
Jacob Nessal: Ha! Alright coach. We gotcha.
Yuhan Anekwé; It looks like the third quarter is about to start. We better get going.
Pápá Mouyre: Lions on three.... One, two three.
TEAM: LIONS

In the third quarter, TRB was feeling comfortable with their lead. They kept building onto it. Just 5 minutes into the third quarter, they were leading Abaja by 20 points. This is the highest deficit that Abaja had this tournament. The TRB PG fed his SF the ball, who went in for an easy layup. Yuhan Anwekwe had finally subbed in Jacob Nessal (SG) and Armani Welch (PG) for Alenau Eryenu (PG) and Calvin Anele (SG). Pápá Mouyre and Joseph Olu (C) would be subbed in later on. Same thing for Náná Mdamnbe (PF). When Jacob Nessal got subbed in, he immediately tried to hit a layup off the bat, then got fouled hard by a TRB power forward. He slammed his back on the court, then he layed down their for a few minutes. His teammates surrounded him. Luckily, he was able to get back up and play again. You could hear Yuhan Anekwe shouting from the sideline. "Jacob! You alright?" Jacob Nessal raised his thumb and continued playing. In the third quarter Jacob Nessal scored 4 points. The Lions also cut the deficit from 20 to 10 in the third quarter, however in the fourth quarter TRB was still unable to be stopped. They went on a run, and with 5 minutes left in the game their lead rose back up to 18. The Lions players weren't concerned, and obviously Yuhan Anekwe wasn't concerned either. Then with 2 minutes left, Náná Mdamnbe (PF) caught an alley -oop pass from Pápá Mouyre (SF) for a nasty jam. The game soon ended. Abaja lost by 18 points, however they were still #1 in their group and made it to the round of 16. That is pretty much all that matter at this point.

ABAJA TOP PERFORMERS

Jacob Nessal - 10 pts, 3 rebs, 4 ast, 1 stl, 4/6 FG
Alenau Eryenu - 8 pts, 2 rebs, 4 ast, 2 stl, 3/9 FG
Armani Welch - 8 pts, 1 rebs, 3 ast, 1 blk, 4/8 FG
Pápá Mouyre - 7 pts, 4 rebs, 1 ast, 1 stl, 3/5 FG
Kendi Ogechekwe - 6 pts, 2 rebs, 2 blk, 3/3 FG
Calvin Anelé - 6 pts, 3 rebs, 1 ast, 2/7 FG
Jola Nicholson - 4 pts, 6 rebs, 1 blk, 2/4 FG
Náná Mdamnbe - 2 pts, 5 rebs, 1 stl, 1/1 FG

GROUP 2 STANDINGS

Code: Select all

Group 2                               Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts
1 Abaja                                   5   4  1  374 334 +40   12
2 Cosumar                                 5   4  1  397 341 +56   12
3 The Royal Barangay                      5   3  2  374 342 +32    9
4 Banija                                  5   2  3  376 363 +13    6
5 New Edom                                5   1  4  332 401 −69    3
6 New Gelderland                          5   1  4  339 411 −72    3

COMMENTS

4,338 Comments

Kenso Odra -Joined Dec 15, 2014
16 mins ago- "What I was really trying to do was rest my players... And protect them." BRUH ARE YOU SERIOUS? LMFAO

BallisLife009 -Joined May 9, 2012
57 mins ago- Damnnn Jacob Nessal got REKT

Kimparo -Joined Aug 20, 2009
28 mins ago- Yuhan Anekwe was lying lol. Always trying to say SOMETHING to make people believe him to save his coaching career.

Laurent James -Joined May 9, 2006
33 mins ago- Abaja losing to a team thats not even top 2 in their group to begin with. Totally "underrated"

CommonSense -Joined Apr 29, 2008
19 mins ago- You idiots... Yuhan Anekwe WAS trying to rest his players and save them from risking injury. ESPECIALLY since the players from Royal Barangay looked like body builders. It's common sense. The man is smart.

Read More

[Vangaziland]

The Vangaziland Royals came out against a determined opponent in Yesopalitha. The other team came out shooting hot. The Royals fought to keep up.

"They wanted to make tonight a statement win", said coach Tomasson. "We admire their fighting spirit."

It became obvious that this was going to be a game of field goal percentages. Yesopalitha's shooters were on a roll and had built a small lead early in the game. Yulssen kept pushing the ball out to the perimeter. Knucks kept passing out from the post to the corner. The result was a lot of long twos and threes.

Handsen went on the first streak for Vangaziland, scoring 9 points in the first quarter. He would finish with 18 points and 4 rebounds. Jon Jennsen pulled down 12 rebounds and scored 10 for the double-double. Vangaziland snatched the win 82-64.

Yulssen led the Vangazi once more taking on the role of floor general. He kept cool, steady and never let the offense get out of control. He added 8 assists to his season total, along with 11 points.

"We aren't as much of a fast break team", Hectare Yulssen told reporters after the game. "We march down the court and execute plays."

Tom Gravu made a few key shots in his role off the bench. He dropped 14 points and added 2 assists plus a steal. "We're just running simple plays. I scored today mostly cutting off of screens. It's real reactionary. I got a bit more space. Sometimes we bolt out, 2 or 3 from the same screen play. Whoever is the most open, gets the pass."

The Royals increased their point differential to second best of the five undefeated teams with 103 points.

[Saint Kanye]

THE KARDASHIA KIBITZER

IBC 20: SURGE DEFEAT VOLCANOC 84-75, COMPLETE SWEEP OF GROUP STAGES

by Dante Dinkley



CENIAL - St. Kanye Surge head coach Paulie Brewster hasn't taken a shower since the 19th International Basketball Championships last season. A Brawndo shower, that is.

His players poured the energy drink on him and assistant coach Bernard Foley after the Surge made Volcanoc their fifth victims, 84-75, and entered the IBC 20 Round of 16 the only team in Group 1 unscathed, and only one of five teams overall, along with Abanhfleft, Royal Kingdom of Quebec, Saintland and Vangaziland. Abaja failed to join the list of perfect teams with a surprise loss to The Royal Barangay, 51-69. The top two performers of all groups now await the seeding for the playoff matches.

Volcanoc won the jump ball, but their first possession was cut short with an errant pass that sent the ball out of bounds. On their own possession, St. Kanye (wearing their home whites) made a three, courtesy of Frederic Trichet, the game's points leader with sixteen. Volcanoc tried to respond with a long bomb of their own, but airballed it. The ball went back to the Surge. Another three, another make, this time by James "Jimmy B" Blackwell. The first quarter ended with the Kanyeans ahead by seven, 22-15.

Both offense and defense intensified for the Surge in the second quarter. Cedric Philips had two of his seven steals, Darren Overton added a steal and a block, and the team finished the half with an 8-to-nothing run. The score after the first 20 minutes was St. Kanye 45, Volcanoc 34.

Coaches Brewster and Foley gave the Surge starters some rest in the third, and the subs did not disappoint. Adrian Page opened quarter three with a dunk and and-one. Marc Stevens closed it by robbing the Volcanoc small forward of the ball and making a Hail Mary shot. 66-54 Surge.

As the Kanyean starters regained their strength in the fourth quarter, so did the Volcanoc players. With 5:37 remaining, Volcanoc went on a 9-2 run to pull to within four, 71-67. But the Surge denied an upset by outscoring their opponents the rest of the way, eventually finishing with 84 and Volcanoc nine points behind.

"We're in the Round of 16 again, and I think now we're seeded higher than last time [#7 in Valladares]. That doesn't change anything though. The theme for us this whole tournament is "anything can happen". Nothing will make us truly satisfied except winning the whole thing", Coach Brewster told the team in the locker room at the end of the game. He then added, "Abanhfleft and [Royal Kingdom of] Quebec have improved vastly, especially the latter, who have been absolutely lording it over their opponents. Those two teams are surely out to get us this time. We better show them that eliminating them last season wasn't a fluke job." Kanyean attendance at Cenial Pavilion is at 1,957, but the two-thousand mark is expected to be reached once playoffs begin.

SKYNET (Saint KanYe NETwork) Sports Channel 12 will be once again bringing all the Group 1 action live, on television and online at http://www.skynet.stk/12-sports/ibc-20. Selected games in other groups will be made available on a delayed telecast. IBC fan stories can be submitted at http://www.the-kardashia-kibitzer.stk/ibc/fan-stories. We will notify you via email if your story has been selected for publication.

Scores:

ST. KANYE 84 - Trichet 16, Blackwell 12, Overton 10, Forrest 9, Stevens 7, Page 6, Philips 6, Morrigan 5, Smith 4, Gatson 3, Larsson 3, Warner 3.

VOLCANOC 75 - Individual scores not available.

Quarters: 22-15, 45-34, 66-54, 84-75.

[Ceni]

Round of 16 Draw

1 Royal Kingdom of Quebec                 5   5  0  453 297 +156   15
1 Vangaziland                             5   5  0  441 338 +103   15
1 Saintland                               5   5  0  437 338 +99   15
1 Abanhfleft                              5   5  0  404 327 +77   15
1 Saint Kanye                             5   5  0  402 329 +73   15
1 Banguela                                5   4  1  417 341 +76   12
1 Ko-oren                                 5   4  1  415 369 +46   12
1 Abaja                                   5   4  1  374 334 +40   12
2 Ceni                                    5   4  1  403 316 +87   12
2 Kirisaki                                5   4  1  458 371 +87   12
2 The Sword Bloke                         5   4  1  427 368 +59   12
2 Cosumar                                 5   4  1  397 341 +56   12
2 San Llera                               5   4  1  415 369 +46   12
2 Ethane                                  5   4  1  380 378  +2   12
2 Frenline Delpha                         5   4  1  394 392  +2   12
2 Drawkland                               5   3  2  362 349 +13    9

The draw, then:
Royal Kingdom of Quebec vs Drawkland
Abaja vs Ceni
Abanhfleft vs San Llera
Saint Kanye vs Cosumar
Vangaziland vs Frenline Delpha
Ko-oren vs Kirisaki
Saintland vs Ethane
Banguela vs The Sword Bloke

[Yymea]

Yymea had gone out winning. Iljik Bei and his team celebrated the victory, along with the large yymean crowd, filled with emotion, but still quite a bit of sadness. Iljik Bei had been following the matches of Kirisaki and Ko-Oren, but, unsurprisingly, they had both won. Iljik Bei felt a pit in his stomach as he celebrated with the players, but he had done something that, a few weeks before, he wouldn´t have even thought about. He had raised yymean basketball to a status of relevancy, and made people in Yymea interested in the sport. But they were eliminated, and that hurt.

Both teams had played well since the start, with both Yymea and Devonta scoring at a good pace, and being fairly equal. This continued up to the third quarter, in which Devonta began to lose steam, putting less pressure on the yymean team and being much weaker on the offensive. The yymeans took advantage of this, and began putting the scores of the two teams further away from eachother. Although the devonta team tried to fix their mistakes in the fourth quarter, the yymeans managed to win, in their last match of the International Basketball Championship.

Iljik Bei and the rest of the team celebrated with the fans outside, which were chanting their names. The yymeans hadn´t been expected to win a single match, and they had far surpassed expectations, but there was still a certain ammount of dissapointment. The Yymean basketball league wasn´t currently being celebrated, so Iljik, and most of the team, decided that they would stay for a few weeks and watch the rest of the championship, along with some fans. The celebrations carried on for two hours or so, but towards the end they became rather awkard and quiet, as everyone was tired, and needed some rest.

In the bus back to the hotel, Iljik reflected upon the future. He hoped he actually had managed to change the sports stage in Yymea. For the past few days, the media had exploded, with countless news articles about the team, players, and every knob and corner of the stadiums. Ceni had become synonymous of basketball, and the sport was now a common topic throughout the nation. But this could be temporary, the quality of the yymean basketball league was rock bottom in comparison to the matches Yymea had been playing lately, and this could bore some people. Iljik Bei decided to forget about this, and sleep.

[Drawkland]

PLAYOFF BERTH SECURED FOR NET CORPS
Written By: Harrison Flats and Harrison Pitts

---

RECENT RESULTS
FROM GROUP 3:
Valanora 96–78 Bendicion
Kaboomlandia 77–83 Abanhfleft
Drawkland 62–60 Rennidan

---

Bendicion 76–76 Rennidan (88–87 OT)
Abanhfleft 84–62 Drawkland
Valanora 92–52 Kaboomlandia

---

Kaboomlandia 74–78 Bendicion
Drawkland 88–54 Valanora
Rennidan 65–71 Abanhfleft

Group 3                                 Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Abanhfleft                              5   5  0  404 327 +77   15
2 Drawkland                               5   3  2  362 349 +13    9
3 Valanora                                5   3  2  390 350 +40    9
4 Bendicion                               5   2  3  371 420 −49    6
5 Kaboomlandia                            5   2  3  361 405 −44    6
6 Rennidan                                5   0  5  343 380 −37    0

OVERVIEW
Another 3 games have gone by in the fast-paced IBC 20 Group stage for the Net Corps. Drumroll please ...

THE NET CORPS HAS QUALIFIED FOR THE PLAYOFFS!

I know right? In a game result that pissed off a great deal of Vanorians, Drawkland managed to beat out the Eternal Empire Elves on Head-to-Head points scored - even though they had a +27 Point Differential overall. In other words, Drawkland barely scraped by into the finals due to the decisions of the Cenian organization that set up the tournament. Lucky shot though, considering this is the Net Corps' second outing, and that last edition they barely avoided dropping to the bottom 7th spot of the group.
Of course, Cody Morgan, the coach of the Net Corps, is ecstatic. Probably because this is job security for him, amirite? Even though he never once credits himself on it:
"This incredible turn of events is all because of the amazing effort put forth by our players, especially the vets from last edition. They know what it's like to be the cellar-dwellers, and so they tried their hardest to circumvent that situation from recurring, and that inspired the college players as well. It's incredible the success they've had, and I'm glad to reflect some of the collegiate international success with the national team too. We have tough odds going into the playoffs, but we'll put on a great show either way."

So without further ado, some game recaps. Because we know those are your absolute FAVORITE.

vs RENNIDAN
If you follow the World Bowl beyond the poor sods the Grid Corps plays, you know that the Bastards of Rennidan are true badasses on the gridiron. Fortunately for Drawkland's Net Corps, this sentiment isn't reflected much on the hardwood court. After a close game with lots of good defense, the Drawkians and the Rennidani were neck-and-neck the whole time, which nearly disastrous results. The Cenian authorities were contacted a whole 7 times, and that was only count during the game time, due to brawls in the stadium. Adrenaline-pumped Net Corps fans and the savage brutes of the Rennidan fans came to blows several times as fouls were called or huge blocks and scores came down on both teams. In one instance, a pep band member attempted sodomizing an opposing fan using his clarinet, for which he was ejected from the pep band, permanently. Luckily, he was playing like third part, so he won't be missed in future matches.
The game was down on the wire in the 4th, with back-and-forth scorings putting everyone on edge. However, a foul on Campbell gave the Drawkians a 2-point advantage, which they managed to keep for the remainder of the game. The final result, 62-60, brought Drawkland back from the brink of being shunted down in the group placements, and also brought a lot of momentum to the slightly discouraged team. And bruises to the rowdier and oft-drunken Drawkian fans.

vs ABANHFLEFT
Abanhfleft was undoubtedly the group favorite, having come in off a near third-place loss in IBC 19 to Drawkland's then-groupmates Saint Kanye (speaking of them, be sure to check the Fan Feature below). Being currently undefeated in the group, beating even Valanora and Kaboomlandia, it was expected to be a blowout. And a blowout it was. A whole 22 point gap separated the Fleftics from the Drawkians, which was a pretty huge downer on the earlier-hyped crowd and team. Leo Baxter, who'd apparently when mysteriously missing last edition in Valladares, was the real MVP, scoring 30 points on his own even after suffering an accidental kick to the shin and a hard fall on the wood on his knee. He played on, and still was a scoring contender, and it was expected he'd have no trouble in the future games. However, some professionals said they weren't totally positive.
Anyway, the game ended at 84-62, which while deflating to the Net Corps, really actually brought a resurgence on social media in support of the team. When it was realized that the game versus Valanora would make or break their playoff chances, the pressure of the final game really bore down on the players.

vs VALANORA
Luckily though, both Coach Morgan and the Net Corps were used to massive pressure by the time this game rolled around, and in the decisive matchup, the Corps managed to pull it out. With the pressure of skilled players like Aemaeron Malithlhûn, Útírminail Wernarta, and Tûrancon Kevatathian, and a coach older than Iarocav himself, the competition was going to be tough against the Elves.
The game really started off tough, with the aforementioned players (whose names I am too lazy to retype) really putting a thorn in the Corps' side. But by the second quarter, it was clear that the Drawkian's height and hype was too much for them old elves. The point gap just kept yawning, bigger and bigger, with huge steals, blocks, and defensive rebounds bringing a whole 34-point difference over the Vanorians. In the dying seconds where Drawkland jogged onsides to suck out the rest of the game with some passes and a half-hearted shot, commentator Rick Short made a beautiful statement:

Drawkland's got the ball, and they've truly manhandled the Vanorians tonight ... I'd say that they've made one of the hugest returns in Drawkian sports history. Who knows what they can pull off later this week.

With that, even Valanora's huge point difference brought no meaning to the table, and the Net Corps' win finally finished off the Vanorians for good, and got the Drawkian side a ticket to Whitehaven International Arena.

PREDICTIONS
After a seeding error that put Drawkland to face Saintland originally, it's been corrected that Drawkland will be facing the dreaded #1 seed Royal Kingdom of Quebec ("The Grim Reapers") at Whitehaven International Arena in Ceni, which played host to Group 5, and Quebec, in the group stages.
Drawkland being the only team making the playoffs with 2 losses, and consequently the lowest seeding, puts them at a huge disadvantage going into this match. And this isn't even mentioning that the Grim Reapers have been playing in this court since Day 1 and are already used to the atmosphere and area.
Some stats: The Reapers are currently undefeated, with a +156 point differential. They've absolutely been destroying the teams in their group, and the Net Corps is not expected to be an exception. However, the Grim Reapers' fanbase, the "Bubonic Plague," is one of the most if not the sole most violent and scathing fanbase known to the game of basketball. Even if the Net Corps can't stack up game-wise, we know the Net Corps' fans will be ready to stack up hype-wise. With the pep band unveiling new songs and cadences by the day, and the crowd scribbling new chants on hotel room notepads hours before the games, the crowd is overall sure to be raucous and likely to drive the Cenian officials to some sort of self-harm. And the post-game drunken brawls? Probably better in quality than whatever Olympic Wrestling you'll be grudgingly watching a few months from now between the cool events.

In other words, good luck to the Net Corps! Those plucky guys and gals will need it, dammit.

---

FAN WRITING FEATURE
Written by Cara Holland

Some backstory:

SO here I was at IBC 19. I was having a lot of fun, but the problem was that I'd come all alone. A few extended pals I had, but I had a one-bed hotel room and all my close friends and fam had totally flaked on me the week before, but I already had my ticket, room, and fan gear, so I went anyway.

Anyhow, I went to our last game of the tournament, the game versus Saint Kanye. It turns out someone stole my ticket to the game, and so I had to buy one on the way in. Unfortunately, the only ticket I could find with my money on hand was a lone seat in the middle of Kanyean territory, which I found to be FANTASTIC. Not.

So I'm stuck next to some Saint Kanyean dude. I wouldn't admit it, because in this game they were basically our mortal enemies in this game, but he was kinda cute. But again, I had to act smooth. He said hi and I said "i'm Cara" back to him, and he said his name was Quincy. Alright. I felt awkward because I could tell he was wondering what I was doing sitting in a sea of purple and lime, but I quick made up an excuse that I thought of. Didn't want him to judge me from being too poor or desperate to get a better seat.

We ended up hitting it off and I made a bet. If the Net Corps won, he'd have to go up to all the Drawkian players after the game and ask his "biggest fans" for autographs. He raised the stakes by saying I'd have to go to dinner with him if the Surge won. Well, we all know how that game went. 6 points under, and I was owing this dude a date. But he manned up and went to get the autographs anyway, which I thought was also cute. So he took me to some seafood joint in Valladares and I gave him my number.

Right, so flash forward another bit of time and it's IBC 20. I, being pretty mobile as all I'm doing now is waitressing, decided to take the risk and move to Bloomfield City, Saint Kanye, to live with Quincy in his apartment. Luckily, this dude owns a restaurant, so he got me a job!

We catch wind of IBC 20 happening in Ceni and we know we have to go. Unforunately Saint Kanye and Drawkland weren't in the same group, but it's fine, because Ceni's a small country, we hit almost all the games. Especially that Valanora-Drawkland one, which was major fun, lemme tell ya.

So we get there, in the gym or whatever in New Oxford. I'd forced Quincy to wear a Net Corps shirt, just like he made me get a Purple and Lime blazer. This is sorta how the conversation went down in the 4th quarter.

"We're totally gonna make it! Can you believe it?" (me)
"You're crazy. You're definitely gonna drop 25 points to them right here." (Quince)
"No way!"
"Yes way!"
"Nope. It's playoff time, baby!"
"Yeah, you're probably gonna face RK Quebec or something," he said, pulling out his tablet to show how the seedings were going down.
"Hey, if we beat them and whoever comes next we might face you. We're out for blood you know." The crowd cheers as Jazmin Madison dunks one over the head of one of those unpronounceable Elves.
"Yeah, right, I'll believe a 16 over 1 win when I see it."
"Either way, we're totally gonna do it!"
"Fine. Old bet's on. If Net Corps even MAKES IT to face the Purple and Lime, you get a dinner on me."
"And if we beat them?"
"Shoot, I'll buy you dinner until the next edition rolls around. Get real."
"Deal ON."
"Oh, and if you don't make it on to us, you have to fangirl on the Surge guys, ESPECIALLY J-Mo." He knows that Jason Morrigan, the bald Center with a lightning tattoo, kinda freaks me out.
"Ugh... deal still on."
"Alright. Shake on it."

So we shook hands there as Valanora scored for the first time in 2 minutes. We'll see how it shakes up, huh?

(OOC: This is continuation of an RP storyline Saint Kanye started last edition, linked up at the Written By line.)

[Saint Kanye]

THE KARDASHIA KIBITZER

IBC 20 PLAYOFF PREVIEW

by Dante Dinkley and Ray Wright

The group stages of the 20th International Basketball Championships are now over, and thirty-two of the initial forty-eight teams are sent packing. The remaining sixteen are divided into eight pairs, based on their group stage records, and will battle it out in a three-game series. Here are the pairs of teams who will try to advance to the quarterfinals, along with TV broadcast times for each game. Online (http://www.skynet.stk/12-sports/ibc-20), all games are broadcast live unless specified.

(1) Royal Kingdom of Quebec Grim Reapers vs (16) Drawkland Net Corps

The Reapers and the Corps took very different paths to enter the playoff stages of IBC 20. Quebec (5-0) went perfect, boasting a jaw-dropping +156 point differential, meaning they beat all their opponents silly, and by an average of 31.2 points. Drawkland (3-2, the only such playoff team), on the other hand, got off to a shaky 1-1 start, won a close fight, lost big, and then walloped Valanora 88-54, stealing the second Group 3 spot from the elves on head-to-head. The Drawkians boast size and what appears to be a major improvement over their IBC 19 squad, while the Quebecois will rely on the offensive and defensive prowess that brought them to number four in the world rankings.

Broadcast: Next day @ SKYNET Sports 12

(8) Abaja Lions vs (9) Ceni Snakes

The Federal Republic of Abaja (4-1) missed the last two IBCs, but played as if they didn't, winning their first four games before a 51-69 setback to already-eliminated The Royal Barangay, which some Abajans were clearly dismayed about, while others say it was a player-saving strategy by Lions coach Yuhan Anekwe. They battle the host Snakes (4-1), who could have taken first instead of second in Group 1, if not for a single-point defeat to the St. Kanye Surge. Both Abaja and Ceni have large fanbases; all the energy released by the two crowds will make this matchup, while the lowest, one of the most exciting.

Broadcast: Next day @ SKYNET Sports 12

(4) Abanhfleft Rebolusyonaryos vs (13) San Llera Swagfish

Fleftic captain Leonidas "Leo" Baxter promised his country, perpetual basketball bridesmaids, that IBC 20 will be the end of an era of chokers and jokers, and so the Rebs went off on a 5-0 rampage. The San Llerans vowed to get back on track themselves, after going winless in IBC 19, despite predicting that the Swagfish will get a playoff spot. They got that spot this season, going 4-1 and just below Saintland in their group. It will be interesting to note that this is a rematch of the Round of 16 two seasons ago, in which the San Llerans ended the Fleftics' undefeated run in Game 2, but got eliminated by the revenge-minded Rebs in the next game. Abanhfleft will be hoping for history to repeat; San Llera, to rewrite itself.

Broadcast: Live @ SKYNET Sports 12

(5) St. Kanye Surge vs (12) Cosumar Stallions

Surge versus Stallions. Purple and lime versus blue and gray. Rising star versus seasoned veteran. The Surge (5-0) had shown that they can play with the top dogs in IBC 19, beating big names such as The Andromeda Islands, Nueva Andalusia, Abanhfleft and Royal Kingdom of Quebec, to be the tournament's biggest shocker (electricity-themed pun intended). The Stallions (4-1) were a surprise themselves back in IBC 18: in danger of being swept in the championship series by the Ko-oren Dragonflies, nipped them 88-84 in Game 3 and went back to win the next two and the crown. This is youth versus experience. A good team versus a good team. St. Kanye versus Cosumar. Anything can happen.

Broadcast: Live @ SKYNET Sports 12

(2) Vangaziland Royals vs (15) Frenline Delpha Anacondas

The top two teams from Group 7 meet once more in the Round of 16. True to their name, the Royals (5-0) reigned supreme in their group, posting a tournament-second-best point differential, +103 points. They gave Frenline Delpha (4-1) its only loss in the group stages, a 67-104 royal beatdown. But to those who might be thinking that the Anacondas don't got none, keep in mind that they were able to bounce back, winning two straight, sending a message to the Royals that the only thing that big defeat did was give them fuel to outlast their opponents.

Broadcast: Live @ SKYNET Extreme 13

(7) Ko-oren Dragonflies vs (10) Team Kirisaki

Another matchup between two groupmates here. The world numero uno Dragonflies and the all-female Kirisakian squad were actually tied with Yymea at 4-1 in Group 4, their only losses coming from each other (Ko-oren from Yymea, Kirisaki from Ko-oren, Yymea from Kirisaki). But the lowest point differential among the three, at +41, belonged to Yymea, so they were booted out, the only such 4-1 team. Now, if you want girl power, by all means watch this series. Ko-oren has stars Juliet Shillington, Katharine Grove and Selena Vaughn, while Kirisaki has .... everyone.

Broadcast: Live @ SKYNET Extreme 13

(3) Saintland Sanctii vs (14) Team Ethane

Yet another team back from a season-long hiatus, Saintland (5-0) dominated Group 6 with old-timey, offense-oriented basketball, even with the absence of fan favorite Prince Ioannes. With defending champs The Andromeda Islands sitting out of this edition of the IBC, the Sanctii can overtake the Eagles for most IBC titles; both currently have three. The Ethanian team (4-1), which favors defense, had a strong presence as well, but also the misfortune of being grouped with Quebec. The contrast of ideologies between the two teams should make this matchup interesting.

Broadcast: Next day @ SKYNET Extreme 13

(6) Banguela Os Bestas vs (11) The Sword Bloke

After going 3-3 and out of contention in IBC 19, Os Bestas or The Beasts (4-1) honed their skills by playing in the Olympics. They dropped their first IBC 20 game, 68-71, to the Holy Philippine Empire, but they didn't let that close loss break them. The Beasts clawed their way up to the top of the group, overtaking the Swordeans in Group 8 in the penultimate game of the group stages, 88-77. But the enigmatic, and if last season's roster is anything to go by, tall Swordean side (4-1) gets three chances to retaliate against the team that ended their three-game winning streak, since they play each other again in the Round of 16.

Broadcast: Next day @ SKYNET Extreme 13

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