NSCAA 8 - RP Thread

[Newmanistan]

Cutoff time for MD 4-6 in the Sky Blue and Royal

Results

[Valanora]

Cutoff for MDs 5-8 in the Eternal and Woodland Conferences.

Scores

[Drawkland]

ARROWSWORD & BIG SEVEN FIVE
Conference Cutoff: MD 5-8

I have graphics and thingies now, because I felt like it. Here, have a cutoff.

And here, have some scores, too.

[Chromatika]

Earlier cutoff for my conferences today!

Results 4-6

Next results Sunday.

[Elgenstad]

2nd cutoff for Fjell and Kyst Konferanse

[Newmanistan]

THE ROCKET REPORT

SORRY, KEISLER COLLEGE

by Taylor Larson

I would like to thank everyone for reading my prior article, it took a lot of time to write. I see there were 726 comments attached to it, which my friend told me was more then any other college basketball Rocket Report before, even when we had better teams. It even topped the 546 comments to Brianne Henry’s article that dissected Courtney Duvall’s perfect game in the World Baseball Classic. That could be for two reasons with the main explanation probably the disappointment of the Rockets qualifying campaign so far in baseball. I like to think that it is because of the second reason, and that everyone just liked my writing. So, thank you, I really appreciate that.

Unfortunately, in my last article, I neglected to report on Keisler College. This, of course, led to me getting a total of 73 e-mails from Keisler College students or alumni complaining that I was unqualified to be writing for The Rocket Report because I forgot them. I am sorry, but look, you are Keisler College, in Southport. I mean, it’s not like you are the University of Southport, our reigning national champion. You guys play second fiddle in your own city, so relax on the insults. Your school is named after a baseball player, so why aren’t you better in baseball? I will give you credit though, you were all pretty good in your first three games, winning two of them. It’s beginning to seem like this Drawkland is pretty good across the board here, so I suppose it’s ok that you lost to one of their schools in the opener. Check out 6-0 Cemmendy Tech in our own Royal Conference, after all. Though like most “Tech” schools, the players probably are not very exciting off the court. Matthew Vilardi was awesome though against Sextíliu José Marques University with a triple double, and 46 points for the game, the highest total recorded by a Newmanistanian during this tournament. Matthew can do it all! I also noticed on his Rocketbook page that he is dating one of their cheerleaders, so you know he is good off the court as well.

So there you go, Keisler. I have now spent more time talking about you then I have anyone else. There were some other games that went on since I last wrote, so here I go:

Loudon Central won three out of four in the Blue Eagle. That’s gotta be pretty cool for them especially with rival Loudon Empire struggling a little more. I still don’t like any school that comes from Loudon, but Larry Kallison has been amazing thus far, and since he is Newmanistanian I will root for him for now.

The University of Tundra Falls, and by the way, I hate autofill too, is playing decently with a 5-3 record. They will probably need to improve a little if they want to win the Eternal Conference, but you get the sense that they are playing good enough to come out of this conference and get to the big dance.

The losers from Pocono City Tech are playing good basketball of late and have won their last two games by 33 and 39 points, respectively. It’s hard for me to root for my school’s biggest inner-city rival, but they are 5-3, and I guess it would be good to see Pocono City represented in the big tournament.

I think I forgot about Centralia Automotive Institute in the last report, but I only got as couple e-mails from their student base, since like the rocket scientists they are, they realized that my omission would have been an honest mistake and did not seek to make me look like an idiot. Thanks, guys, what would we ever do without you? The basketball team is 4-2 right now, and in a spot in the Fjell Konferanse which seems to be par for the course for all of our schools at the moment.

Thank you all for reading!

- - - - - -

Conversation between the editor and Larson after the article:

Editor: I am deleting you’re opening about the comments.

Larson: Why?

Editor: First of all, no one cares. Second of all, all but 55 of them were about your bikini picture, and not the article.

Larson: Nice, so it went well!

Editor: Not exactly, many people thought it was very unprofessional of you and even for me to allow it.

Larson: I am an intern, not a professional. Secondly, I know there would be some who would whine, but I am sure there were a lot that liked it as well. I got a bunch of e-mail about it!

Editor: There were some positive remarks, and some perverted ones that needed deletion. Anyway, I don’t like your picture you are attaching here. It’s Matthew Vilardi’s girlfriend that you got off her Rocketbook page, I take it. Why not a picture of Vilardi in a game?

Larson: They know what Vilardi looks like playing basketball.

Editor: This one I am not allowing. It does not make sense, Taylor. I found an appropriate picture of him in the game, and attached it. And that’s final.

(Larson walks out without response).

[Empire of Cats]

Dropping The Ball: What the NSCAA Means For the Allied States

Georgais Hetzer, Special Attaché to the NSCAA

Catstantinople - The first six games of the NSCAA have been played, and the results, to say the least, aren't good, at least for the Empire of Catsian representatives. It was expected that when they came out the gate that they would have to play ball on a whole different level if they wanted a true shot at the playoffs. Six games for each team in, we already can tell that this year won't be good to the small schools, such as Lyrixistan A&M, and will be hard enough for the big ones, including the Emperor's Own Royal Tigers.

Sports in the Allied States aren't a big draw for most. At best,the handful of fans that faithfully cling to the pastimes of baseball and basketball are rarely rewarded with any sort of success. It was a huge honor to be asked to participate, and truthfully, a surprise. When the Allied States agreed to enter its eight best teams into the NSCAA, the pride of the Empire of Cats went with those teams and the hope of many sports fans that they could show the world what the Allied States were made of. It is now obvious that if they stand any chance, it will come down to two factors: the endurance of the teams and the endurance of hope.

Tangling with the best basketball teams in the world provides an example of how different states emphasize their definitions of success. The best of the best play the game until they can do it in their sleep, dreams of fame circling above. The smaller, less competitive nations, play for fun and for the game. They know that they won't win. So why are they there? For the game. And for each game, one at a time. Winning for them represents a small statement of what they are truly capable of. It is not for success they play. It is for pride. The pride of standing alongside the best and facing them in competition and for the pride of their nation. Little do they know what they have done for their nation: hundreds of people circling around TVs throughout the land to watch them play. They have become the ambassadors of their nation, an example of the lifestyle at home. Flags of the colleges are flown with pride, win or lose. Alumni are proud to wear their attire and are stopped by passer-by to ask their names and when they graduated. They have changed the nation. For once, the Allied States have proven on the international stage one thing: they are not quitters, win or lose. They are there for the nation and the game. And for themselves.

We will not win the championship. But we will win the attention of the world. And we will grow in our losses and learn from our mistakes. To the last game, they will play their hearts out.

St. Kitt's University (Catamounts) - 3-5
Emperor's Own University (Royal Tigers) - 3-5
Lyrixistan A&M University at Cat's Paw (Lynxes) - 1-5
Empire of Catsian Isles University (Privateers) - 1-2
West Pipersville Colligate Prepatory (Sabrefangs) - 1-2
Southern Rochelle University (Timberwolves) - 0-3
College of the Allied States (Barons) - 1-2
Northern Felinistan University (Black Panthers) - 0-3

Overall Record: 10-27

[The Redvale]

OOC: Having computer problems, so here's a shortened chapter for now. I don't know how long this trend will continue.

Inside The Lines: The Story Of Redvali College Basketball

Chapter Three: Run, Run, Run

It's the middle of the night, in the suburbs of Lazaga, one of the more notable cities in the Redvali territory of East Endelos. There aren't many people out in this part of town, the part that's sort of run down and not the kind of area that you want to be walking around at night in, and there's few cars on the street. The area is lit by dim street lamps, but every so often, there's one that isn't working, that creates a weird atmosphere where some areas are completely dark and others are still lit up, albeit very dimly. At the car park next to the old auto factory, about half of the lights are off. Because of that, the area is covered in darkness, it’s impossible to see too far into the distance, and it’s not a great place to wait for someone.

Still, there was one person there who didn't look like the type that would be hanging around the bad part of town in a dark car park at night. This person was a college aged girl, wearing a purple Lazaga State hoodie and holding a phone in hand and scrolling through her messages to make sure she really was in the right place. It was ten minutes past the time she was supposed to get here, and she had arrived five minutes early. With a sigh, she made a phone call to the person that had sent her here, Tigers assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Jasper Holst. “Look, it’s ten minutes after I got here, and your guy still isn't here,” she said, exasperated. “This is a shitty part of town and it’s dark out right now, half the street lights don't even work. I'm not hanging out here for long, if he doesn't show up in the next ten minutes, I'm heading back to the bus station and taking the next bus back to the school.”

“What are you worried about? Everyone's headed back from work by now, the streets there are empty. The real dangerous part of town is Northeast Lazaga, and you're only on the east side. Trust me, I've lived in both, and you have nothing to worry about over there. The east side looks bad, but they generally don't start trouble over there because people have jobs and lives to worry about. On the northeast side, it's a different story,” the young assistant replied, pausing and continuing. “Lupo is reliable, he'll get there. He always makes the drops on time, and always keeps it out of sight from the RCAA and anyone else that's a problem for us.”

“I'm not worried about him being a no show, I'm worried about something happening to me before he shows up,” the girl said, looking around nervously and then taking a deep and slow breath. “It's worse than you think out here. Next time, let's have the pick up happen somewhere else, alright? You might have grown up here, but I didn't-”

“It's easier to cover the tracks this way. In the social media age, everyone's a reporter. It's not going to be a good look for us if someone pulls their phone out and records some shady guy dropping off a car and a bunch of other stuff with a girl that's been sighted with the team staff. You've been around too many games with us and too many high school and Amateur Championship games to get seen taking something like this from someone. We do handoffs and the like around here because the streets are clear at night, and nobody will recognize you in the dark. Now… I need you to just hold on for a little bit longer and wait for Lupo to show up. This could be our season on the line, Zara. Remember that.”

The girl nodded, glancing up again and seeing headlights approaching. “You're right. And I think I see the car coming now. I'll talk to you later, and I should be back at the school in… Twenty minutes or so, I'm guessing,” she said, and then she ended the call and waved towards the car, causing the driver to stop and climb out, approaching her and lighting up her face with a small flashlight. He was middle aged, he looked like he was from Maris or Red Valley or maybe some northern coastal city, and he had shoulder length brown hair that shook as he exited the car.

“Are you Zara Magyar? The one that Jasper sent for the pickup?” the man, Lupo, asked as he approached her, and he pulled out his phone to check the details of the deal again. This was like a drug deal, and even though there were a few drugs involved, that didn't tell the whole story at all. Lupo wasn't just dropping off drugs, but the car and some cash and assorted gifts too. It wasn't for Zara, but rather for the recruit that she was helping head coach Ryan Dastrup, as well as Jasper, bring to Lazaga State. “I have everything here. The car, the cash, a box that has some weed, another box with coke, and a few bags of team branded clothes that would've been costly in the stores. There's also the phone and the headphones that Jasper asked for last minute.”

“Yeah, and it sounds like that's everything. I don't know if you know all the details yet, but it's for Alexandro del Carlo, the top prospect in Greater Maris and the one that we've been spending the last couple of weeks focusing on. We really need every edge we can get when it comes to bringing him here, to a weaker conference than the Super Twelve, and we're going to deliver this to him a few days before his decision to see if we can sway him. As you know, he's considering coming here, as well as Mount Maris, Metro Maris, and Janford College,” Zara replied, moving towards the car and checking it out before moving around it to look in the trunk. “I'm not supposed to reveal anything, but since you're with the staff, I guess I can say something… I'm pretty close with him, as his primary recruiter, and I can say that the chances of him choosing Lazaga are good. He wants to stay home, but we're offering him a chance at his own legacy. The others are just giving him a chance to join a long list of good and great players.”

“And we’re giving him a shot at being the best player to ever represent the school. I get it, and I've gotta say, I'm happy to help with bringing him to the Big L. You don't know me, I think, but I've been around this program for awhile. I usually do this kind of work for agents and for teams in the Amateur Championship, but when it comes to the Tigers, I'm always up to break my own rules and enter the college game. I never really made it as a player past high school, so this is the one thing I do to help out the team. I never got to play for them, but I suppose I've made more of an impact than some of the players. I'm at peace with it, it's nice to help out. But… Why are you the one making the pickup?”

“The girl that I think you know from past times, Jen, she transferred to Maris Tech because the RCAA was looking too closely into her and both she and the staff thought it would be better that she moves on and heads somewhere else where the men in black suits aren't going to come and bother her,” Zara explained. “Since I'm a freshman that's going to be around the program for a while, and because I was already volunteering to work with the staff, Jasper brought me onto the recruiting team. I was good at that, I guess, and they let me into more and more of the secret stuff in the background until I'm the one handling some of this stuff now. Anyway, there's supposedly a lot of heat around the program in the last months, that's why Jen left and that's why we're meeting here in the darkness. I hope the heat doesn't turn into anything more, though, because this is the one offseason where things are actually shaping up into something good…”

“You and me both. But hey, if the heat causes some sanctions to show up, it's not on me, I run my operation more carefully than anyone else in the business. I have heard, however, that the RCAA is working on coming up with some big decision to prove to the Super Twelve that they still have the power to come down at any time. Mount Maris has a slush fund and Metro Maris gets their scholarships cut because of it, right? Hope that they don't turn on you, Zara, because… Well, I've known people involved with this game that have been wrapped up with the RCAA. Not something I'd wish on my worst enemies, let's keep it at that. If they come to investigate you, you've gotta run. Run, run, run, as fast as you can, in the opposite direction. That's the only advice I have for you about that.”

[Ceni]

Cutoff for day 2 of my conferences.

Scores

[LukakuLaw]

University of Empress Jessica I (NEW) 86–78 University of Central Knepp (LAW)
University of Central Knepp (LAW) 76–78 South Tushlark Institute of Technology (TGN)
University of Lsianski (LSI) 75–82 University of Central Knepp (LAW)

University of Landon (NAG) 91–79 Belden State University (LAW)
Foxilia University (EPR) 85–82 Belden State University (LAW)
Belden State University (LAW) 57–103 Queens University (LSI)

Crystal Chambers City College (LAW) 72–77 Osaven Tech (KCZ)
Sir Nicolas Rochev University (EPR) 73–83 Crystal Chambers City College (LAW)
Crystal Chambers City College (LAW) 80–62 Tryba University (NAG)
Andomeda Naval Academy (TAA) 73–98 Crystal Chambers City College (LAW)
Crystal Chambers City College (LAW) 64–90 Chromatik City College University (CMT)
Corinth City University (DRK) 90–65 Crystal Chambers City College (LAW)

University of Wickliffe (LAW) 66-63 Barteaux University (FFR)
Universidade dos Açores (LUS) 44-62 University of Wickliffe (LAW)
University of Wickliffe (LAW) 52-66 University of Myana (CMT)

The Romelu University (LAW) 94–76 Harston Harbor College (QAD)
The Romelu University (LAW) 79–80 Asheim University-Havnen (ELG)
National Goose Academy (OGG) 66–91 The Romelu University (LAW)
The Romelu University (LAW) 77–77 Plymouth Republic University (FFR) (81–87 OT)
Universidade do Porto (LUS) 76–123 The Romelu University (LAW)
The Romelu University (LAW) 76–60 Natanian University (NTN)


K.S.R.A. (LAW) 73–61 Natanians and Nosts Scientific University (NTN)
Markham Academy of the Army (VLE) 83–78 K.S.R.A. (LAW)
K.S.R.A. (LAW) 83–90 Old Mountain University (DRK)
K.S.R.A. (LAW) 79–68 College of the Hills (NAG)
Zlumore College (FUI) 77–66 K.S.R.A. (LAW)
K.S.R.A. (LAW) 84–75 Raynor University (VAL)



Thanks for joining us on the weekly wrap up, after the first couple rounds our nations teams are a combined 13-14. Not a dream start but things are looking up. We focus in on the game 1 box score of the team we all want to know more about. The 4-2 Anteaters from Romelu University.

Rainbow Conference Pld W L PF PA PD
1 Taurendil Institute 6 6 0 539 419 +120
2 University of Klyde 6 6 0 519 412 +107
3 Sestat College 6 5 1 465 403 +62
4 Plymouth Republic University 6 4 2 450 449 +1
5 The Romelu University 6 4 2 544 445 +99
6 Asheim University-Havnen 6 3 3 465 477 −12
7 Harston Harbor College 6 2 4 479 478 +1
8 Universidade do Porto 6 2 4 476 550 −74
9 University of Portsmouth 6 1 5 438 472 −34
10 National Goose Academy 6 1 5 438 521 −83
11 Universidad Bolivarianos de Caracas 6 1 5 435 512 −77
12 Natanian University 6 1 5 384 494 −110

https://photos.google.com/search/_tra_/photo/AF1QipO17ZR4gQDK-9ya-v3Nd-UD-R7U5tJKsx6GnYCQ

[Drawkland]

National News Service
of Drawkland

WEEKLY DISCOVERY REPORT:
STUDY OF "GREEN" & "RED" ENERGY, PART 2
Article: Dave Garfield
Study: James Webb and Kari Hibbs

---

Greetings, faithful WDR readers! We're back this week with another scientific/exploratory/academic finding from somewhere on Sonnel. Last week we covered the meat of the report, "Study of Supposed "Green" and "Red" Energy Within Neiksie Crowds" by a pair of Corinth City University research students. This week we'll be looking at another portion of the article, this section focused on complications within the application and behavior of the hormones in more complicated scenarios. Not even this is the full report, but this is the only remainder we will feature here on WDR.

[...]

However, it's obvious that these ideal conditions are not always upheld. In most cases, especially in the case of games held in neutral venues, the effects of the green and red hormones grow more complicated. For instance, it is virtually impossible to have a fully dedicated crowd at any match for a single side, unless in the case of a national team match in which no opposing nation fans are allowed to attend (which is highly unlikely). Therefore, it's a much more complex paradigm than at full glance. Following this will be the best estimations on the behavior of the green and red hormones in specific situations.

  ▼     ▲
A: 2.45 / H: 3.10

An example of a Split Crowd dynamic.

SPLIT CROWD: Very common in sports matches in neutral venues, or ones between two teams who play in the same city and therefore have a split local fanbase, this one is perhaps the most strange. The dynamic of both crowds on the teams' psyche is actually rather interesting. For most trials, it was found that the dynamic was most split during neck-and-neck games, or ones where a team is slightly ahead of the other, enough to keep a constant lead but not enough to be totally out of striking distance. Because of the higher stakes of a close game, the crowd is more into the game and therefore more likely to affect the present hormone levels. In a hypothetical close game with a split crowd, the team with the lead gets a boost from their loyal crowd whenever they score. They receive green energy, but in turn, the opposing crowd exudes red energy in response. This seems to have a strange effect on the team at hand. While they do feel a boost from the green hormones in relative playing level and concentration, their activated red hormones still decrease their communication and momentum. Which side ends up experiencing this effect actually begins to slowly decrease in playing level as the conditions are sustained. The data shows that the team which trails for the majority of the match actually has greater chances of making a comeback and truly winning the match, depending on when the conflicting hormones start to truly do their work. However, if the effect started on the other team too early or too late, the originally unaffected team will either have too much time left and start to experience the same effect themselves, or not have enough time to overcome the other team's changes and make the comeback. Remember, the green and red energy only really affects the team which currently holds the lead, in most cases.

ABNORMAL ENERGY ACTIVATION: Earlier in this study it was assumed, for simplicity's sake, that when a favored team is winning the match, their performance is encouraged by green energy, whereas if the unfavored team is winning the match, their performance is diminished by red energy. This is not always the case. This was found to be the most common scenario over all the trials taken, however, it was not the only scenario. In certain fanbases, the crowd actually prefers to discourage and boo the opposing team while their favored team is already performing better. Conversely, there's teams' fans who prefer to simply always encourage their team to perform better, even when they're behind. Thus, we have arranged crowds into 4 "styles," based on whether to encourage (the favored team) or discourage (the unfavored team) in certain situations. The distribution shown was calculated based on results across specific trials taken (collegiate basketball trials among Drawkian crowds, for reasons outlined further later).

Leading Focus (64%): Winning: Encourage, Losing: Discourage
Negative Focus (20%): Winning: Discourage, Losing: Discourage
Positive Focus (12%): Winning: Encourage, Losing: Encourage
Losing Focus (4%): Winning: Discourage, Losing: Encourage

Of course, when these different styles of support for favored teams are inserted into a split crowd context, that can have different effects. In fact, a true "split crowd" is only achieved when two fanbases of similar styles meet against each other. For example, if two Positive Focus crowds split a venue, then both teams will feel positive effects, and at that point it will become a question of which crowd is higher in quantity and/or more effective at hormone discharge (cheering effectiveness, etc).

OTHER SPORTS, VENUES, AND LEVELS: Several peers sent inquiries on why collegiate basketball was specifically chosen to be studied for the effects of Red and Green Energy. The answer is simple: this is when the energy is most effective. Other sports were attempted to be studied, but basketball was truly the one most representative of the immediate and strongest effects. For example, in a gridiron game, the action is not constant. Also, the back-and-forth component is existent, but muted. Specifically, while there is technically one team immediately getting possession after the other team scores, the action is long and drawn out. Green and red energies can play a part on the dynamics of each play, but it must be well-orchestrated to be very effective. It works in short bursts, really, but cannot be constantly sustained through a game without the crowd growing too fatigued to further affect the level. The effect becomes worsened in games like baseball or soccer, where there can be long stretches with no scoring whatsoever. While it is true that a crowd can cheer for any reason, the hormones are only at their height when it's brought on by excitement due to scoring. Data so far is conclusive whether this is due to a biological component of the trait (not wanting to waste energy on cheering for something that doesn't actually score a tangible hit), or on unintentional societal programming on the psychological level (scoring is more exciting than not scoring). Basketball has been proving to behold the most amplified effects of the green and red energy, with the closest second being handball. The clear conclusion to be drawn is that games with immediate possession turnaround, action with little breaks if any, and typically high scoring are the most likely to be the most affected.

As far as venue, it's clear that basketball doesn't have a true comparison, since all professional basketball arenas are indoor. For these trials, we recorded levels at various gridiron games, as gridiron was the only sport with significant hormone levels that can be played both indoors and outdoors. In these trials, it was found that indoor arenas were more effective in transmitting hormone levels and changing player performance on the field. The likely cause of this is that sound is better retained indoors, since the sound has no large space to decay into. And, as previously found, sound is the main determining factor in affecting hormone levels. As the old adage suggests, "getting loud" is one of the most profitable actions a crowd could attempt as far as changing a game's outcome.

The final question on this would be why these researchers determined that the collegiate level would be best to record from. There's essentially 5 levels of all sports: youth/recreational, high school, collegiate, professional, and international. Youth and High School are immediately counted out because crowds just don't get big enough to cause a large enough reaction. The main disparity comes between the bigger 3 levels. International level, that is, play between two national teams, is not as effective, at least not in the tournament level, where it's arguably the most needed. In the case of international competition, most knockout matches are played in the neutral venues of the host nation, which means that the crowds, which are not only sparse, but evenly split or even outnumbered by neutral fans, are not as effective of a show for these changes. Further than that, in many cases, loyalties within a single crowd may be split; one of the star players of the national team may play for a domestic team that some fans dislike, which decreases the total output of the crowd. Then it's down to either professional or collegiate level. It was concluded that collegiate is the more effective choice, due to the fact that college students, as a whole, are much more likely to attend games of their favored team, either due to rabid support, or incentives brought on by the university's administration to encourage attending games. Like it or not, fans of a professional team are less likely to attend all their matches as opposed to fans of a certain college.

EFFECTS ON NON-NEIKSIE SPECIES: The vast majority of this study was conducted on Neiksie (known to foreigners simply as Drawkian) subjects. Therefore, evidence on whether or not these traits are exhibited in other species, especially humans, is not conclusive and these researchers cannot comment on it. These researchers strongly suggest that experts from other nations conduct tests of their own to determine if Green and Red Energy/Hormones are truly present in humans and others (such as Vloo, or sapient ponies and rabbits). These researchers are still taking continuous data from the ongoing NSCAA tournament, where crowd dynamics seem to be at their most amplified. It's not expected that any massive breakthroughs will be reached in this further sampling, besides perhaps the effects on humans and others, however, it will still be studied. Perhaps in the future, further understanding of these effects could be used by crowds to massively impact the outcome of a match or even an entire tournament. For now though, it's simply an easier way to study the dynamics between sports teams and their crowd.

Thank you for reading this week's edition of WDR. We're still looking through all the science that's happened recently, so our next episode does not have a confirmed theme. Either way, we'll be glad to see you there. Until next time.

[Qasden]

Back from the dead, it's time for a mass CUTOFF for the Full House and Cat Valley Conferences! Don't just do it for yourself, your school, or your country, do it FOR NARNIA!!!

[Free Republics]

MD 5-9 Cutoff for the Blue Eagle Conference

[Newmanistan]

THE ROCKET REPORT

LOUDON CENTRAL SUSTAINS CONTROVERSIAL LOSS TO METRO MARIS

by Taylor Larson

I would like to thank everyone for their support of my writing so far. It was very exciting when someone told me that the great Nova Hellstrom endorsed my work. She is such an incredible writer, and while I do not have wrestling in my future, it is praise that I am honored to have. I wasn’t able to watch the Loudon Central game against Metro Maris, but I saw the highlights and it reminded me of the thrills that I would when cheering for Pocono City University in a close game, especially when we nearly upset the Pocono City Tech nerds. If only we hit our free throws down the stretch like they did. Of course they did, they are so great at the free throw line and think that makes cool. Their cheerleaders were not that impressive though. I think of all the schools representing Newmanistan, that the cheerleading squad from the University of Tundra Falls has the most talent.

This game against Metro Maris for our own Loudon Central meant a lot. The school from Metro Maris came into the matchup with a perfect 8-0 record. Loudon Central had taken a 78-77 lead with twelve seconds to go, and had to hang on for the final possession by the Friars. Just prior to the buzzer, Bryan Rush put up a shot that would clang off the rim. Loudon Central had won! But, no, the stupid bleeping ref called a foul on Martin Medicci while Rush was in the act of shooting, therefore giving him two free throws. And he hit them both, making us lose, and we got totally screwed!

This is frustrating. However, I still need to report on everyone else that has played since my last article, so here I go!

The University of Empress Jessica I is overcoming their fear of snakes in the Tir Snake Conference and won their last three games by 18, another 18, and 28 points. They are 4-2 and in a three way tie for third. Looks like they just needed to get comfortable and are now asserting themselves in the conference.

Loudon Empire has won two of their last three, losing like most of our schools to a rival from Drawkland, but then bouncing back with a pair of wins. At 3-3, they are part of a gaggle of teams with the same record.

Keisler College is looking pretty good. They are up to 4-2 now, though a loss to a school with a long name that’s in next to last place but come back to hurt. That record puts them in a three way tie for second, behind an undefeated school from you know where, Drawkland.

Southport University, our defending national champions, finally were able to show the world that they actually were champions and won three straight to even their record at 3-3. They’re still going to need to show some consistency before we can get excited about them. It looks like they’re minds are in it now, so that’s a plus.

That’s all for now. This is Taylor and I’m out!

- - - - - - - -

Conversation with Editor:

Editor: There was nothing controversial about the foul on Medicci. Anyone with an objective mind realizes it was the right call.

Larson: Who cares?

Editor: You don’t make a story that isn’t true. There is no controversy.

Larson: Like I said, who cares. The word controversy in a title gets clicks. Don’t you know anything?

Editor: It is not applicable.

Larson: Yes it is. Why don’t you write them inside of being such a nit-picker, and you better attach my picture of depressed Loudon Central cheerleaders and not a basketball picture.

Editor: I will permit the picture. But there was no controversy.

Larson: You better leave that title alone! Has Nova Hellstrom ever complimented you? Ok then.

[Ceni]

CENI VS. DRAWKLAND, BASKETBALL EDITION: DRAWKLAND 1, CENI 0

The rivalry is on: Ceni versus Drawkland, basketball edition. We started the rivalry in NSCAA 7, when Drawkland dominated most of the conference play, and much of the overall championship tournament, until the University of Cenial set the rivalry where it should be by defeating the pompous and arrogant Sadeg State University, who had set aside space for their big trophy at the beginning of the year, in the Grand Finale to win the whole shabang. Drawkland got mad, threatened to nuke Ceni, and here we are today: rivaling each other for college basketball dominance. If this was youth football, of course we'd be winning it, having won a Youth Cup and a Di Bradini Cup, but we have to fight them on an even playing field here in basketball. Or maybe not so even; Drawks have a two-foot advantage on Cenians. So it came as a surprise to everyone - most especially Drawkland - when we whooped their butts in NSCAA 7. So they're back for revenge.

And it seems like they're winning, big time, in this edition of NSCAA. As of the last week or so of matches, Drawkland's schools are either 6-0, 5-1, 7-1, or 8-0; so far, Drawkland's schools have faced all of 2 losses over many, many matches. Old Mountain University, in Mezzanine Conference, must be pretty beat up about themselves; they're the worst-performing of Drawkland's schools, with a measly 5-1 record and +14 point differential. Poor Old Mountain, can't keep up with the rest of the competition!

Fans of the University of Cenial and the University of Montague-Hawkesbury, however, are not sniffling at Old Mountain's "poor record;" not only do they not have winning records in general, they are at the bottom of their conferences! UCenial is 9th, and UMH is 10th, out of 12 for both conferences! I know we'll get thousands of reader comments wondering about our reporting - is the University of Cenial, the DEFENDING CHAMPIONS, for God's sakes, really at 3-5 in its conference? And is UMH, #14 according to the Valanora Times, really sitting at a record of 2-4? The answer, unfortunately, is yes.

Drawkish fans, of course, are laughing at Ceni in this very moment for our seeming badness. They sneer that UCenial's championship last year was merely due to luck, and crow about how well Drawkland is doing in the conference. The end conclusion they reach: Ceni sucks, UCenial didn't deserve to win the championship last year, and Drawkland STRONK <7. Of course they ignore the schools actually doing quite OK in their conferences: the University of New Oxford sitting at 7-1 and second in their conference (shakes fist at Depri Sanar), the Cenian Academy of Science and Technology first with eight wins out of eight, the Taurendil Institute with 6 wins out of 6, the University of Ceni third at 5-1, the Endemian College at Whitehaven at first and 6-0, and City Centre College at second and 4-2.

Of course, the losses by UCenial and UMH are inexcusable. For the defending champions to lose out to major powers such as Binford Tech, Universidade Federal da Calvária, and Undergoose Reformatory School are simply unacceptable! Heck, nobody even bothered to tell us which players play for these schools; apparently their rosters got lost in the mail, for they haven't been received here, or, apparently anywhere else. And while UCenial did lose to rivals Metropolon City College and Depri Lanar, that only fuels calls that UCenial really isn't that good after all if they can't beat their rivals, of which, UCenial beat Depri Lanar in the first round of the tournament last year! And guess which team is ahead of CCC? It's a team from Natanians and Nosts, who lost to some of the worst teams in the conference when they lost!

Maybe it's just karma coming back to us - "oh, you defeated Sadeg last time around, LOSE BABY LOSE THIS TIME!" Maybe it's just that our teams really do suck and that everything else is just good luck for Ceni and that everything will come crashing down at some point in the future - we miss shots, can't defend, have horrible teamwork, and can't play as a unit at all. Maybe it's that weird Green/Red Energy that Drawkish scientists have recently uncovered. Whatever the cause, it's enough to make a lot of Cenian basketball fans pretty mad about things - even though most of Ceni's schools are actually doing pretty well!

I have an idea for what phenomenon Drawkland's scientists should investigate next: the phenomenon of the Negative Nelly, as we call it. When something goes poorly, we always get super mad and negative about our outlooks on life - even when a lot of other things go well for us. We have stronger negative feelings than positive feelings, it seems - can they look this up and tell us a way to feel better about our schools? Because, after all, most of our teams are actually doing pretty well. But, because of the disappointments of UCenial and UMH, we have to hand Round 1 of this rivalry for NSCAA to Drawkland.

That sucks. But we don't, despite what those Drawks will say. We will turn it around. Mark my words, Sadeg State will go down in history as the perpetual runner-up! Ceni truly is the best nation at college basketball - now we have to prove it. And we will, don't worry about that. DRAWKLAND SUCKS, CENI STRONK.

[Newmanistan]

It's cutoff time for MD7-9 in the Sky Blue and Royal!

Results

[Drawkland]

ARROWSWORD & BIG SEVEN FIVE
Conference Cutoff: MD 9-12

In the spirit of basketball games, here's the actual version of my favorite pep band song we play at my school.

And here are some scores. Anticipate a later cutoff on Tuesday.

[The Redvale]

Inside The Lines

Chapter Four: Don't Stop

"Don't stop in Northeast Lazaga… Ever,” muttered the girl who worked with the Lazaga State Tigers staff along with Zara Magyar, specifically in recruiting. While Zara had been brought onto the staff as a freshman and had immediately excelled in her role at helping the staff bring recruits in, the other girl was the one who had been doing this for slightly longer. Morgan Leth was a junior who had been doing the work of being one of the school’s recruiters since she was in her own freshman year, and she was well known by assistant coach Jasper Holst and the rest of his recruiting staff as the one that was one of the best in the business. If Morgan was telling her not to stop somewhere, it was probably wise to listen. After all, she had worked around these streets for years, and spent plenty of time with recruits from the area at their arenas and around their houses for visits.

“What's going to happen? It's not like I'm in a rush to stop here, but we're going to run out of gas if we keep going. And getting stranded is worse than stopping for gas-” Zara replied, before being cut off when Morgan put a hand in the air to tell her to shut up.

“What's going to happen is that we're going to get carjacked and lose a thousand dollars worth of ‘gifts’... The recruiting budget ain't getting any bigger, and the last thing we need is to have to head back to the school and tell Jasper that we just lost everything we're supposed to deliver to the one player that can turn our program around. Do you know how big it would be if we lose this car? You're looking at the difference between another season near the bottom, and one where we can play with the best,” Morgan said, sighing and glancing out of the window with her peripheral vision, trying not to look as they neared the gas station and neared a decision. “At this point, I don't even care about getting shot. I'm only worried about them taking the car and the stuff in the back.”

“Who would ‘them’ be in this case? The guys hanging around that corner, or the guys at the gas station?”

“The guys at the corner are fine, but those guys at the gas station… They're just waiting for someone from out of town to show up, to shake them down or take their money. Trust me, Zara. I've gotten plenty of players from here to consider coming to State, and there's a reason why I won't drive when I make visits to them. Even a lot of the players themselves won't drive around the northeast side, and some of them actually live here… If I were you, I'd risk hitting empty and-”

“That's so stupid. I'm not going to risk getting stranded, if it's so dangerous around here,” stated Zara, and then she turned and headed into the gas station, pulling up to the first pump that was open, despite the hard men by the station’s store eyeing up the car and trying to calculate what part of town Zara was from. “I'm just going to act like they aren't staring and fill the tank up as fast as I can. They won't jack the car while you're still in it.”

Before Morgan could reply, Zara jumped out of the car and went to the pump, swiping a card that Jasper had given her to pay with before waiting for the tank to start filling up and looking to the side, where the men were still watching and sizing her up. It was obvious that she wasn't from this part of town, and over here, that wasn't a good thing. Especially when she was clearly a university student who had a somewhat sheltered life, or at least one that wasn't particularly challenging. If anything, it told them that she wasn't going to be fighting back if they did anything. Nervously, she glanced back to the pump. The tank wasn't filling up as fast as she thought it would, and she flinched as the men started approaching. She was able to get a closer look at them now… The three of them were wearing green athletic jackets that Zara was pretty sure were gang affiliated, and she had no idea what she was actually going to do if they hassled her.

“Hey, you, where’re you from?” asked the first man, as the three took up position around her and made it clear that they were going to give her a hard time. “Downtown? The south side? The university?”

“I'm just a student that's passing through on some business,” Zara said, putting her hands in the air innocently. “I don't have any money… I mean, I don't have any cash. Or anything of value to you-”

The man that was behind her reached into the pockets of her sweatshirt and looked around for anything, before reaching into her back jeans pocket and pulling out her wallet. He looked through it, removed all of the cash, and then handed it back to her to let her keep the credit cards that wouldn't be of much use to gang members. “You're lying to us, eh? Let's get this over with. That's a nice car that you have there, a little old but still in nice condition, and we’ll offer you a deal. Hand the keys over, nobody gets hurt, and we all leave happy,” the first man said, and Zara froze.

As a college student from the good part of town who had never had to deal with this kind of thing, she didn't know what to think or say about that. “You can't take the car, it doesn't even belong to me, I'm going to get in trouble if I don't bring it back-”

“Yeah? You're going to be dead if you don't hand the keys over,” said the second man, reaching into his waistband and pulling out a small pistol that was easily concealable but still obviously able to pack a punch. “There's no need for trouble-”

Zara tried to climb back into the car and pull off, but the man behind her caught her before she could even take a full step, and he held her from behind and kept her from moving. The second man trained his pistol on her, and the first one pulled out a knife and looked around to see how many witnesses to a potential crime there were. “Your car or your life, the choice is yours,” he stated, glaring at her as his friend kept his pistol pointed at her chest. She was ready to give up now, and she started opening her mouth to speak and tell them that the keys were still in the ignition, when…

Bang! The second man dropped dead. Morgan stood on the other side of the car, a pistol of her own trained on the first man. “Back the fuck off!” she said, sharply, holding her pistol with both hands and slowly moving around the hood of the car to get closer. “We don't want trouble, we just want to get through town without getting our car jacked… Just take the money that you already took, and go. There's no need to put more bodies on the ground today.”

There was a standoff as the men and Morgan stared at each other and considered their next options. And then, the men dispersed and the third one let go of Zara, with the first one starting to head away like the incident hadn't happened. As soon as that happened, Morgan shoved Zara into the car and then climbed back into the passenger side, slamming the door behind her. “We’ll talk later… For now, just go. We need to get the hell out of here before the sirens come, or before anyone comes to check this chaos out.”

~

It's months later, and Zara Magyar is recounting the story of that day in Northeast Lazaga to two men who are sitting across the table from her, men who work for the RCAA. Even though it isn't even a full year later, a lot of things have changed. She's not with Lazaga State’s basketball program any longer, and it's not because of her own actions, but because she carried out the orders that she was given by the coaching staff. The delivery that she and Morgan Leth made to Alexandro del Carlo, the one that had taken them from the northeast side to the Port of East Endelos to the main island of Redvale and then the city of Maris, and that had eventually convinced him to choose the Tigers over his hometown teams, had become known by some people that had done their own digging into the recruitment of del Carlo, mainly angry Marisian fans that wanted him for their own teams.

The Mount Maris and Maris Tech message boards went crazy with speculation when del Carlo showed up with a new car, and that led to digging into the Tigers team that found connections with a man that was only known as Lupo, who showed up with the staff a few times and apparently was some kind of bag man who helped to bring recruits to the team by buying things for them on behalf of the school and going through sources that were harder for the RCAA to keep tabs on. But while that worked for smaller name recruits, it was hard to keep it under the radar when you gave a car to the top recruit from the biggest city in the country.

Because of her role in the recruitment of del Carlo, she was taking the most heat from the press and the fans. She was known as his primary recruiter, the one that visited him and talked with him all the time via text, building a friendship with him that would make him want to move to Lazaga and play for the Tigers. She was also linked to being the one to deliver the car to him, because of some internet detective work that had revealed pictures of the car outside of the student apartments where she lived. Social media posts had been her undoing, as Marisian fans tied together the one picture she'd posted where the car could be seen in the background with the public knowledge that she was a part of the recruiting staff, and the publicly available pictures of her hanging out with del Carlo in both Lazaga and in his home city.

The heat had led to the school making a business decision and cutting ties with her, and with Jasper Holst saying that she was no longer working with the school in any capacity. Morgan Leth, who had been more involved with Lupo and his RCAA violations than she had, wasn't named at all in the media reports or in the amateur investigations that were going on. It wasn't that Zara hated her school now, and it wasn't that she was trying to ruin the success they were building up with Alexandro… But she felt wronged, and that was why she had willingly come forward to the RCAA, offering to tell everything that had happened, from the beginning.

Lupo had told her to run from them, but she had run towards them instead. If she was going to go down for giving recruits things that the rules said they couldn't have, she was going to make sure that Morgan and Jasper and everyone else associated with this program went down in flames too. After all, she was just the scapegoat in this. “So,” started the first RCAA investigator. “You're telling us that Morgan Leth is not just behind multiple violations, but a murderer too.”

“Yes. Now, let's continue with this story… More specifically, let's continue to after we've dropped the car off in Maris, and Alexandro has committed to us. You'll find that the list of violations doesn't end with the car.”

[Elgenstad]

3rd cutoff for Fjell and Kyst Konferanse

[Chromatika]

Cutoff for Matchdays 7-9.

Results

[Valanora]

Cutoff for 9-12 of the Eternal and Woodland Conferences.

Scores

[Ceni]

Cutoff for 7-9 for Longtail, Tir Snake, and Terranean.

[Newmanistan]

THE ROCKET REPORT

PASSING GRADES FOR OUR SCHOOLS SO FAR

by Taylor Larson

I want to thank everyone for reading my article talking about the controversy that ensued after Loudon Central’s loss to Mount Maris. There were a lot of comments to my article, and it was nice to generate so many thought provoking discussions. Some people wanted to criticize Medicci for putting himself in the situation to be called for the horrendous and disgraceful foul that he was whistled for, but what is he supposed to do, just watch the guy shoot? He did the right thing, and the ref needs to put his whistle away in that situation.

Then, we had another strange call, this time affecting Keisler College. With the score tied at 69 late in the game, the great Matthew Vilardi was called for traveling just prior to connecting on a lay up. The refs waved off the basket, and gave possession to Belden State, who was just 1-7 coming in to the game. Traveling? What kind of foul is that? Something that was called about 30 years ago, or so, maybe. I am not going to debate whether or not he traveled, but instead question why such an obscure rule these days would be called in such a late game situation. Clearly, these refs just felt sorry for Belden State and wanted them to win, and Keisler College has to suffer. The loss dropped them to 5-4. How about our other schools, recently? I’m glad you asked!

Pocono City Tech has figured out the right combinations of sevens and fives after seven and five games, and is in fourth place with an 8-4 record. This conference is being dominated right now by another Tech School, from Ceni, referred to as CAST. You wonder if these nerds from both schools are exchanging contact information after games so they can talk about whatever it is that tech people actually enjoy talking about.

Centralia Automotive Institute is looking really good right now in the Fjell Konferanse, and they could be our best shot to win a conference tournament, moreso because there is no one from Drawkland in the conference. They are third, so they do have to find out a way to get by the top two, but these rocket scientists surely can figure out a way.

In the Eternal Conference, the University of Tundra Falls is playing great and has now improved their record to 9-3! It is starting to look like this will become a three team shootout until the end, but the unfortunate thing for us is that we have to deal with Drawk Corps University. Andy Whitaker has had at least 25 points in each of his last four games for UTF.

The University of Empress Jessica I is playing well despite a heartbreaking 77-76 loss to Yochester College. UEJ shot themselves in the foot in that game while at the free throwing line, going 5-12 at the stripe in the first half. They were better in the second half, but those missed free throws did them in. They recovered well, and are part of a tie for second with a 6-3 record in the Tir Snake Conference.

Also at 6-3 sits Loudon Empire University, who have five of their last six games. The key to the turnaround has been smarter overall basketball as they have dramatically cut down on turnovers. Free throw shooting, long a problem for LEU, has actually been surprisingly good of late. It’s nice to see how they are playing at the moment.

I talked about Keisler College in the opening. I don’t need more angry e-mail from you University of Southport wannabes.

That’s where we stand now!

- - - - - - - -

Conversation with Editor:

Larson: What are you going to yell at me about this time?

Editor: That was pretty decent, Taylor. But stop talking article comments, please.

Larson: Talking about article comments encourages people to make comments. Don’t you get it?

Editor: You encourage unneeded comments, before it was you in a bikini, which I am still hearing about, and then the controversy you made up with Loudon Central.

Larson: Glad they are still talking about me!

Editor: Traveling never stopped being a foul, by the way.

Larson: Oh yes it has, don’t give me that crap. I bet there will be a lot of comments about it.

Editor: Stop calling Pocono City Tech a bunch of nerds, by the way.

Larson: You are really getting on my nerves.

[Purple Rabbits]

Best Performances This Round by Rabbitisians (Up to Matchday 3/4-6/8)

Hello! Mark Nim here! When the tournament began, Purple Rabbit Sports guessed who the best players would be in this tournament. They guessed Alexander Steele, David Cole, Clay Henderson, Dillon Barnes and Matt McHuber. Here are my picks for the best players on each team. Before we get started, here are the records for each of the teams.

Sir Nicholas Rochev University: 4-2
SG: Eloy Espino - #1 - 6'4"

Purple Rabbit Institute: 3-5
PG: Girome Illick - #19 - 6'3"

College of Ringold and Balthasar: 5-3
SG:Craig Conner - #49 - 6'3.5"

Petre Price Academy: 3-3
C: Noah Poole - #92 - 7'0"

Chesky University: 1-7
PG: Clarence Blair - #28 - 6'3" (Not Alexander Steele, mind you!)

Foxialia University: 4-2
PG: Clay Henderson - #4 - 5'9" (One of the few to hold up to expectations)

Salazar University: 1-5 (Last In Conference)
This team doesn't have a best player. Everyone has been equally bad.

Foxilia Tech: 5-3
PG: Leroy Simmons - #9 - 6'0"

[Ceni]

CAST CONTINUES TO DOMINATE, ECW AND TAURENDIL FALL

The unlikeliest of schools - the Cenian Academy of Science and Technology - is in the unlikeliest of places: the only Cenian college in first place in its conference, and the only undefeated Cenian teams, as the team extended its record in Big Seven Five Conference to 12-0. The two other teams that would have shared this mantle, the Taurendil Institute and the Endemian College at Whitehaven, have unfortunately recorded their first losses of the competition, and have fallen down to second place in their conferences, while the University of New Oxford has also fallen down a rung. Meanwhile, the University of Cenial, defending champions, went on a four-game winning streak to move up to fourth place in the conference.

CAST spent the last 4 matchdays on a tear through the conference, winning both home and both away games. They crushed the University of Andromeda by a 24-point margin, away, while defeating Menzestat University of Kecrazia by the same margin. They rounded out the first half of the round robin by absolutely crushing Instituto Superior Técnico of New Lusitania and the Algarves or wherever by almost 50 whole points, before repeating their win over Pocono City Tech of Newmanistan by a respectable, but by no means spectacular, 16-point margin at home. Coach Lauren Foster says their success has been due to their highly analytical skill set and approach towards taking out other teams. "This strategy we're using really plays to our team's strengths," she told Cenisport. "They're trained to think scientifically and rationally, so we've made good use of that to apply analytics to each of our opposing teams to help our players figure out how they need to play. I'm glad it's been successful." Foster also credits star Shalumite center Otto Mauser for his work. "Otto has really added some strong stats to our performance, and I'm really happy to be working with him."

Unfortunately, however, not all schools have had the same excellent success as CAST, and while the teams have been doing good, they haven't been able to solidify their spots on the top, and those that have occupied the top position, besides CAST, have lost it recently due to some heartbreaking losses. The Taurendil Institute, which picked up some of the best players from University of Ceni-Santiago and Nova Ascea College, had a good 7-game winning streak and seemed to be getting past issues of teamwork that had clouded their chances nearer the beginning of the season. However, two heartbreaking losses - one by an eight point margin to the University of Klyde, which is currently undefeated in nine games, and another by Universidad Bolivarianos de Caracas by nine points. "I think that Klyde is on a hot streak right now, but I don't think that we should have lost to them," opined Taurendil Institute head coach Vexa Valorous. "UBC, they only had one win before defeating our team! That was definitely a game we should have won." She diagnosed the team's recent 2-game loss streak as part of pressure on the team, as well as some unlucky shots that didn't go their way, and some bad refereeing in the UBC game. "I think some of those calls were so fishy," Valorous complained. "Our team is not as foul-prone as that referee thought."

Endemian College at Whitehaven, home of some of Ceni's better young players such as the Mar-Shayal siblings, Kel and Aralus, as well as poached player Solari Sevlaya, had been on a seven-game winning streak before they faced the Chromatik team Chromatik State University. It was a close game, but in the end, the Chromatik team won at home, perhaps due to the green energy observed by Drawkian scientists. "It was clearly the home game energy for the Chromatik side," said coach Caleb Valentine. "Our team is not bad - in fact, I'd argue that it's one of the better sides in this tournament, and I think Chromatik state is not as good as we are. But that home energy - man, was it driving the rival players on after they were down, and forcing our players to make mistakes. We'll definitely be looking to get revenge on them when they visit Whitehaven - and we'll have our fans ready. Count on that."

Also disappointing has been the University of New Oxford's performance, in particular their recent loss in the Arrowsword conference (named after Ceni's star footballer, of course). They reached the final 4 last year, and they were tapped by the Valanora Times as their #3 pick of the year. But so far, they're third in their conference, after being second for most of the last few days of the conference. They immediately fell behind on matchday 1 with their loss to Depri Sanar, and fell behind again to Rinaldi Naval with a close, 7-point loss. UNO was away, so that could have had something to do with it, but whatever the cause, they are now clearly third in their conference. Sophomore player Ashur El-Amin was disappointed by the loss. "I know we could have done better... There will indubitably be two options for us after this. One is to be depressed about it and not doing anything about it, the other is being sanguine and learning from our mistakes. I think we can take the better road here and recover."

The University of Cenial, after a poor start to the conference (losing the 5 out of the first 8 games), the team started to get hot again, winning four games in a row to improve their position to 4th in the conference, within striking distance of Universidad Indigena de Tachira but still pretty far behind Metropolon and Depri Lanar, the obvious rivals in the conference. "I have to admit it. We choked," stated UCenial coach Chase Charrel. "We were the defending champions, and we were overconfident about our chances in this tough conference. We didn't prepare enough for this conference, so we were stuck in a rut for the first few games. Now I'm relieved that we've gained some of our momentum back, and I hope we can keep it going through the next 10 games in the conference and the conference championships. Since we've began to recoalesce, we've done better, and I know we will continue to do better."