International Basketball Championships 24- Everything Thread

[Saint Kanye]

IBC 24: SURGE SMASH SCORPIONS, SNATCH SECOND SEED
Kanyeans face US Devonta in first round

by Claude Harlan

MELBOURNE-HAVEN - At the last matchday of the 24th International Basketball Championships group stages, the West Phoenicia Scorpions come into their home game against the St. Kanye Surge needing to win by more than thirty-one points to nab first place in Group 5 on a tiebreaker, and a higher seed in the playoffs.

But Alex Martin, Rakim Roberts, Victor McLain and the rest of the boys in purple and lime prevented that from happening. The three scored 17, 16 and 15 points respectively to steer the Kanyeans to an 83-61 road win. They finish the group stages with a 9-1 slate and a +203 point differential, good for the #2 seed just behind the 10-0 Vangaziland Royals. West Phoenicia, despite a 25-point performance from Curtis Windfall, dropped to 7-3, but still made the playoffs as the #12 seed.

The Scorpions played well at the start of the game, looking ready to complete the Herculean task given to them of winning big over the Surge. They were ahead by as many as eight, 14-6, during the first quarter, eventually finishing it leading by only two, 26-24. They held the lead for most of the second quarter, until a three from McLain equalized the score at 35 at the 6:21 mark. West Phoenician point guard Abraham Sturt would try to answer back with his own three, but his shot rattled out and the ball was rebounded by Roberts. The Kanyeans now had the chance to take the lead, and so they did with another three-pointer, this time from Martin. This was followed by another Scorpion miss and a short stab from Michael Porter to make the score 40-35 St. Kanye. From there, the Surge would never look back. They outscored the home team 21-9 in the third quarter, forcing them to shoot only 4-for-23 (17%) and commit 13 turnovers to the Surge's two. The Kanyean starters saw limited minutes in the fourth quarter, but the team still held on, eventually winning by twenty-two.

"I'm pleased with how the boys played today", said Surge head mentor Anton Spoletto. "We didn't get over-confident. The Scorpions needed to win big today, and we worked together to prevent it. Now it's the playoffs again, and everyone's calling for our head again. All teams have goals. Ours will be to withstand everything the other teams throw at us, and get those wins." For their Round of 16 matchup, the Kanyeans will face the United States of Devonta at the Empress Jessica I Arena in Jessicaville, Newmanistan. The USD were second in Group 2 with six wins and four losses, and are ranked sixteenth in the world. "Not pushovers, definitely", said Kanyean assistant coach Bernard Foley. "Remember, anything can happen. What we need to happen are things that are in our favor."

Scores:

ST. KANYE 83 - Martin 17, Roberts 16, McLain 15, Porter 11, Dotson 8, Samson 6, Muhlenberg 4, Coyle 2, Norris 2, Schneider 2, Duff 0, Walker 0.

WEST PHOENICIA 61 - Windfall 25, Al Taqir 12, Lucknow 9, Li 5, Sturt 4, Irie 2, T. Navy 2, Wellington 2, Bell 0, Do 0, Gould 0, J. Navy 0.

Quarters: 24-26, 44-35, 65-44, 83-61.

---

Around the IBC

by the Kibitzer Research Department

Finally, the IBC 24 cast has been trimmed to sixteen teams. All games from the Round of 16 until the finals will now be held in the host nation Newmanistan, rather than the participant countries. The Surge will fly there after the break, spending a day back home first to rest, practice and mingle with fans.

GROUP 1: BANIJA 88, ETHANE 66
After spending most of the group stages looking like a playoff contender, the Ethanese (7-3) get ousted on the final day by the Banijans (also 7-3, but get the tiebreaker by sweeping their opponent).

GROUP 2: UNITED STATES OF DEVONTA 67, VELSTRANIA 66
One point is all it took for the USD to win the game, go up to 6-4, claim the tiebreaker over Quebec, and enter the playoffs as the #15 seed, against the Surge. Velstrania goes home with a 3-7 card.

GROUP 3: KITA-HINODE 77, INDUSSE 48
With a twenty-nine-point loss to the Jiangshi (8-2), Indusse (0-10) ends up being the team in IBC 24 to not win a single game.

GROUP 4: VALANORA 84, SPAAM 71
Similar to the situation in Group 5, the Dragons (9-1) ensure that there will be no tiebreakers between them and Spaam (7-3).

GROUP 5: NORTHWEST KALACTIN 72, COSUMAR 66
The Stallions (6-4) end up with back-to-back losses and back-to-back seasons of missing the IBC playoffs. The Bashers return to their native Northwest Kalactin with a 4-6 slate.

GROUP 6: HISPANIA Y FILIPINAS 69, FREE REPUBLICS 63
Despite Free Republics losing, Tropicorp winning, and their records being the same (5-5), the former gets the Round of 16 seat over the latter thanks to a better head-to-head record. Walter Laganson's wards wrap up their IBC debut earning a 4-6 record.

GROUP 7: DRAWKLAND 77, NATANIANS AND NOSTS 66
Both teams have already advanced, but the Drawks (8-1) still showed no mercy against N&N (7-3).

GROUP 8: NEWMANISTAN 68, PRIDNESTROVIA 66
A narrow win by the Rockets (8-2) coupled by a Qasden win on the same day meant that the Red Army (5-5) would miss the train to the playoffs.

---

Game Schedule - Group 5

Surge Record So Far: 9-1

Matchday 1: W 84-58 vs. Juvencus (UR*)
Matchday 2: W 90-66 vs. Eshan (UR)
Matchday 3: W 84-70 vs. Northwest Kalactin (UR)
Matchday 4: L 60-71 vs. Cosumar (14)
Matchday 5: W 110-79 vs. West Phoenicia (26)
BREAK
Matchday 6: W 72-65 vs. Juvencus (UR)
Matchday 7: W 92-56 vs. Eshan (UR)
Matchday 8: W 92-61 vs. Northwest Kalactin (UR)
Matchday 9: W 90-67 vs. Cosumar (14)
Matchday 10: W 83-61 vs. West Phoenicia (26)
BREAK
Playoffs

*Unranked.

All games televised live through SKYNET (Saint KanYe NETwork) Sports Channel 12 and streamed on ibc-tv.stk.

Next issue: The IBC 24 Sweet Sixteen!

[West Phoenicia]

Scorpions progress to Top 16.

The Scorpions and the nation of West Phoenicia were in a positive mood. While they lost their last match against Saint Kanye they were firmly planted in the second spot in their grouping with 7 wins and 3 losses.
After appearing in 4 International Basketball Championships the Scorpions have broken the early exit curse and have progressed to the top 16.

Team Manager Andrew Lesbos, hailed it as a new direction for the struggling basketball team who narrowly missed out progressing at the Kelssek and Vekaiyu Summer Olympic Games and whose last 3 appearances were plagued with bad team dynamics, a sit in protest over a controversial West Phoenician segregation law that passed allowing rich West Phoenicians the right to segregate certain business and suburbs for themselves and excluding poor citizens and a basketball cheerleader drug abuse scandal.

The Scorpions will now take on Ceni in the top 16 in the The Jungle in Loudon. The team has slent their time off with extra practise where Andrew Lesbos has promised more aggressive tactics from his team to get them to the Quarter-finals.

The Duc Parisian Sturt a popular member of the aristocracy of West Phoenicia who was appointed Duke of the city-state of Mythologica in the West of West Phoenicia will be making an appearance to cheer on his son Point Guard Abraham Sturt.

Win or lose West Phoenicia is pouring out the support for the Scorpions. They have made leaps and bounds. If they win against Ceni it will be another victory in their cap.

[Kita-Hinode]

BASKETBALL
HBL welcomes the Kawasuki Heat
The official first approved bid for a new HBL team has been announced, at last, celebrating the Hinodejin qualification to the Round of 16. Kawasuki, Hinodejin Empire's Beautiful City, had sent a total of three bids by three different teams out of the city and its' metropolitan region, these being one by the Grand Hotel Misaki BC out of Kawasuki itself, another one by Kawashimikado City AC, out of nearby Kawashimikado and a final one from the Kirikiri Beach Society Club, also from Kawasuki.

Their interests converged and after a proper agreement, the Kawasuki Heat was finally announced and accepted by the HBL. The team shall play with black, red and yellow uniforms, a totally new and unique colour combination for the league. Talent-wise, the team isn't very promising, the sport of Basketball isn't as popular at the state of Nashihana and the fact the team will have to start from the (also confirmed) second division isn't very attractive, although some expect that the possibility of another Nashihana based team to be accepted could create a rivalry to boost both sides.

The Hinodejin national basketball team, responsible for this boost of interest by the nation, prepares to face Filindostan towards continuing in the tournament. The game should be a nail-biter, with odds pretty much even.

[Filindostan]

Filindostan × Gerry × vs Jabok | San Marco pt 1 × Vicky × at Undarat | San Marco pt 2 × Domo/Star × vs Islana Lunigo | Domo/Star pt 2 × at Savojarna
Above links are part of the current RP arc for the World Cup 79 cycle. RP post in this thread is very much intentional.

Domo/Star pt 3 × IBC24@Newmanistan

---

Donna Morielle "Domo" Delos Santos-Strauss / Stella Arielle "Star" Delos Santos-Strauss
Right Midfielder, Fortunas/Filindostan Football Team / Small Forward, Fortunas/Filindostan Basketball Team

---

Santo Lucio Medical Center - San Marco Branch
San Marco, Filindostan

Upon hearing that Zalo was not his father, Domo left the hospital, with tears running down her face. She doesn't know much about Zalo, since she was prevented to meet with him as a child, and she didn't bother about it growing up. What she didn't expect, was that, Juaq was actually her real, biological father, and her hidden hatred for him and his daughter, her supposed to be half-sister, Star, was actually her sister. She just thought that the common features that she had with Star was from her mother - it was wrong all along.

Domo stopped visiting her mother all together. She focused on her youth football career in Fortunas, while Star has not returned yet to training in the basketball team for the San Marco club. She changed her sim card, destroyed the older one, and cut off all communications she had with her family. For months, she started to purchase the condo unit from her friend on an installment basis.

Six months since the incident happened, no new updates were received by Domo. No calls, no texts, no whatever. She pressumed that Star already knew that Domo is her older sister, full-blooded. She didn't care at last, at all. It was the final of the Under-17 tournament and Fortunas was facing their bitter rivals once again, and Domo was preparing herself for the big match. Her phone rang. She didn't picked it up. It kept ringing. One missed call. Two. Three. Ten fucking missed calls.

At the eleventh call, she finally picked up the phone. It was an unknown number. She answered it.

"Sissy. This is Star. Mommy... She's... gone..."

"..."

"Mommy's dead. She tried to talk to you for the final time. You didn't answer."

Domo felt heavy. Her world stopped at that moment. Gallons of tears flown down her face. She stuttered, leaned against the wall, and slowly slided down to the floor, haggling, crying. She never felt this before. She never lost someone of importance to her. She grabbed her phone, sent a text message to her coaches at Fortunas.

Sorry, coach. I cannot come to the match today. I just lost my mother. I'll be back on training maybe next week... Maybe... Not.

She threw her phone to the mirror in front of her, the mirror shattered to pieces, as well as her cellular phone. Just as her friend opened the door, returning from school.

"Domo? What happened?"

Domo was speechless. She still has tears running down her face. Her friend grabbed the phone and saw the message. She embraced her tightly. Domo needed it very badly.

"Sorry, I broke the mirror."

"It's fine."

Meanwhile, Star couldn't stop crying herself. She sacrificed her time in the basketball team for this. She's almost being removed from the rotation all together. She asked her father;

"Will it ever end?"

"Give it some time. She'll accept it eventually. Don't force it."

"Okay."

On the entire duration of Ara's interment, the sisters didn't see each other eye to eye. Star would stay in their mother's wake during the day, Domo during night and dusk. They were in the opposite sides of the eulogies, and during the burial itself. After everyone, including Star and Juaq, left, Domo stayed at her mother's resting place, offering flowers, a candle, and a prayer.

"Sorry, mother. I didn't mean to do it." She murmured.

After some minutes, a girl approached her, and tapped her on her back. It was Star, with a walkman.

"Here was mommy's last words, Domo."

The older sister listened to the recording. The words were muttered already, signs that Ara had difficulty speaking during that time. Domo heard the words. "Thank you", "Take care of your sister", and the final words...

"I love you very much."

Upon hearing this, Domo turned back to her younger sister and hugged her tight.

It took some years for their lives to return to normalcy. The sisters continued their sports careers. Star made her way back to the rotation of Fortunas. Eventually, she became the key player of the team, and her hardwork was rewarded with a spot in the Pula Agilas national team. Despite missing the youth cup final and losing to Venividicci, Domo eventually broke into the senior squad at Fortunas, created a dynamic friendship with Dina Satyawan, and was called up to the Pula Garuda national team. They eventually lived under one roof, in the condominium unit Domo purchased, along with Star's contributions which helped Domo complete the purchase.

Fast forward to the IBC...

A hotel in Olympia, Newmanistan

Just as Star was preparing her things in their hotel room, she opened the luggage looking for her kikay (beauty) kit. It was in the secret pocket with the envelope containing Domo's postcard. She saw the card and read it:

Sissy Star,

Seems you're doing well in your team. I was able to convince them to save our careere so you have to thank me. :P Just kidding.

By the time you read this, You'll face the Hinodejins. They seem to be one of your toughest competitions. Well, I have an advice for you. Watch how they and the other teams play. Seems that Filindostani sports are way behind than other nations' sporting programs. Maybe you can try their leagues? You are an upcoming free agent, so decide wisely, sissy.

My letter to you is short and sweet, you know what I want to tell you. And no. Not about that. I've already accepted it. We're family, right?

Let's go to Mommy's grave for her death anniversary once you go home from Newmanistan. See you in a moment!

BR,
Sissy Domo

Star smiled for a second, with tears of joy falling down her face.

---

Filindostan vs Kita-Hinode
Gladiator Arena, Olympia, Newmanistan

Despite losing two of their opening three games, the Pula Agilas managed to win their next seven games, including a sweep of all their Group 1 opponents in the second round of round robin games. The starters rested well against Mithea III, preventing any injury issues for the Filindostanis.

Their opening match in the playoffs is against the Jiangshi of Kita-Hinode at the Gladiator Arena. They had also a 8-2 record, but failed to top the group which went to the Rebolusyonaryos of Abanhfleft and their 9-1 win-loss record. Should the Pula Agilas win their opening game, the winner of the Vangaziland and Free Republics game awaits. The Royals has yet to lose a game this season, and will look to usurp the Saint Kanye Surge as the best basketball team of the multiverse. Well, the Surge is already a target for every IBC playoffs team and they will look to dethrone the defending champions.

Other teams expected to perform well in the playoffs are the Tir Snakes of Ceni, the Dragons of Valanora, the Net Corps of Drawkland, and the hosts themselves, the Rockets of Newmanistan.

International Basketball Championships Bracket
Ro16-1: #1 Vangaziland vs #16 Free Republics - Emperor Michael I Arena, Pocono City
Ro16-2: #8 Filindostan vs #9 Kita-Hinode - Gladiator Arena, Olympia
Ro16-3: #5 Ceni vs #12 West Phoenicia - The Jungle, Loudon
Ro16-4: #4 Abanhfleft vs #13 Spaam - McAllister Arena, Putnam Lake
Ro16-5: #6 Valanora vs #11 Natanians and Nosts - Keisler Arena, Southport
Ro16-6: #3 Drawkland vs #14 Banija - Centralia Arena, Centralia
Ro16-7: #2 Saint Kanye vs #15 United States of Devonta - Empress Jessica I Arena, Jessicaville
Ro16-8: #7 Newmanistan vs #10 Qasden - Tundra Falls Proving Grounds, Tundra Falls

[Banija]

How Banija can channel the Centralia spirit to pull off a massive upset against Drawland


The Renaissance Center- an iconic building in the Centralia Skyline

CENTRALIA- The Motor City. The city known for hard work. A large, industrial town, known for cars, known for muscle. This is the place that Banija descends upon to play Drawkland, which is the country of origin for their own national soccer team, as well as a co-host for World Cup 79. And, of course, the #3 overall seed in this tournament. This is an intense city, and the International Basketball Championships are coming here for the Round of 16. Banija need to channel the city's attitude of hard work always pays off, and find a way to try and win this game.

Now, what is the key to this squad? The bigs. Everybody knows that the Savaneh twins are the two best players on this team. They've both averaged 23 points per game throughout the tournament, while nobody else has averaged double digits. This team is not built from the outside in. It is built from the inside out, and Banija's bigs are going to be the reason they either win this game, or bow out early. And Faraba Savaneh knows it. "My job is to come here, work, and do whatever it takes to help this team win." He told reporters in a pre-game press conference. "I need to be able to focus on the job at hand. Centralia is a great city- the food, the women, the whole 9 yards. But we need to stay focused."

Katamaba Savaneh said the same thing. "This isn't just me and my brother, even though we get all the accolades. We win- and lose- as a team. You can never put all the blame, on one person. This team has too much talent. On defense, we all need to stay disciplined. In the filmroom, They have skilled and quick bigs, as well as some sizeable guards. We need to be able to guard the basket, and stay focused on the defensive glass. Points will be hard to come by because of their length and defensive discipline."

The Head Coach, in his press conference, continued. "This is the first time all tournament where, man for man, we are going to be smaller. At 4 of 5 spots on the floor, they have a distinct size advantage, while Faraba will be the same size as the man he is facing. We aren't going to be able to simply lob the ball into the paint and bully our way to the basket. We are going to need all of our players to step up. We have a veteran point guard, who has been here and seen it all. He'll have to step up. What we lack in size and quickness, we'll have to make up for in willpower and fundamentals. If we're fundamentally sound, play our game, don't get intimidated by a starting lineup of five 7 footers, we can win this game."

That said, this'll be an extremely tough game. Though, of course, there are rewards for their miracle 7-1 run after their backs were against the wall, since they started 0-2 with both losses on their home court. The Savaneh twins were both gifted This car from the infamous car commercial that featured the City of Centralia. We are actually going out on a limb and predicting an upset. While, of course, they won't be shooting a bunch of three pointers, we think that the Savaneh twins have enough tricks up their arsenal to play against somebody bigger than them, and Faraba Savaneh definitely has a favorable matchup. If he gets going early and gets hot fast, he can do quite a bit. We'll expect the offense to run through him, and a lot of off ball screens to try and get him open in front of the basket. We also expect a lot of traps and halfcourt pressure so that Drawkland's guards can't use their size advantages against our backcourt.

With that, Go Lions!

[Saint Kanye]

IBC 24: PLAYOFFS PREVIEW
Round of 16

by the Kibitzer Research Department

Welcome to another edition of the International Basketball Championships playoffs preview! This time, it's for the 24th IBC, which is hosted by Newmanistan. Eight pairs of teams now duke it out in the host country to see who goes on to the quarterfinals and who will no longer carry on. The playoffs will not be, as previously reported, a series (This has been fixed in the online edition of the newspaper - Ed.), but a single game per round, which is both a good and bad thing, according to Surge head coach Anton Spoletto. "Good since you advance faster upon playing well, but bad since if you do screw up and lose, by one or sixty, it's all over. That being said, our practice has been more intense to prevent screwing up." So, who's playing? If you're living under a rock, this is who.

(1) VANGAZILAND ROYALS vs (16) TEAM FREE REPUBLICS

The Round of 16 game will be the third meeting between Vangaziland and Free Republics this season. The red and cream (yep, the Royals changed their color scheme from blue and red this season) has won the two group stage matches over the blue and white, 75-71 and 77-60. Will it be a sweep for world #5 Vangaziland, or third time's the charm for joint #16 (with the United States of Devonta) Free Republics? To those who want the answers to these questions, see you in Emperor Michael I Arena in Pocono City.

(8) FILINDOSTAN PULA AGILAS vs (9) KITA-HINODE JIANGSHI

Experts predict the game between the 8th and 9th seeds, which will be held in the Gladiator Arena in Olympia, to go down the wire, as the unranked Pula Agilas and twentieth-ranked Jiangshi seem to be evenly-matched teams. The red and white should make the most out of their stars such as Sandro Frias and Stella Arielle "Star" Delos Santos-Strauss, while the black and purple must keep the squabbling between team members to a minimum.

(5) CENI SNAKES vs (12) WEST PHOENICIA SCORPIONS

Snakes or Scorpions - who will have the stronger venom? That's the question for this matchup, which features a longtime playoff cast member in Ceni, and a fast-improving team in West Phoenicia. It's a big divide in international basketball rankings as the Snakes are #6 and the Scorpions twenty places lower, but just as the latter demolished world #14 Cosumar 93-67 in Matchday 7, anything can happen. The Jungle in Loudon is where this match takes place.

(4) ABANHFLEFT REBOLUSYONARYOS vs (13) SPAAM DOLLIES

The world's other #1 squad aren't the world's other #1 squad for nothing. The Rebs had a mostly-spotless elimination round, save for a blowout against the Jiangshi which they quickly rebounded from. Spaam, nineteenth in the world, took a page from last season's book and advanced to the sweet sixteen again in this tournament, and now they're looking for that one big boost against their toughest opponents yet. Let's head to McAllister Arena in Putnam Lake to see what will become of this game.

(6) VALANORA DRAGONS vs (11) NATANIANS AND NOSTS

These are two teams who are coming out of what might their best group stage performance in an IBC season yet. The 9th-ranked Dragons, with their improving play, are quickly becoming known as more than the IBC's oldest squad several years running. #22 N&N, on the other hand, is a mysterious and rather unconventional team (what exactly is a winger in basketball, anyway?) but that just goes to see that they're likely to pull some tricks out of their bag, and the elves must rely on years, nay, centuries of experience to see and stop what their opponents could have coming. Keisler Arena in Southport is the place to be for this match.

(3) DRAWKLAND NET CORP vs (14) BANIJA LIONS

The Banija (not Abaja, not Nova Anglicana) Lions are one of IBC 24's success stories. In an 0-2 hole to start the group stages, the orange and green won seven of their next eight games and, despite being ranked at just #58 in the world standings, stunned the #4 Ethanese and sent them packing on the last day, They will probably be relying on their big men, twins Faraba and Katamaba Savaneh against a Drawkian side who's nothing but bigs. By the way, the world #8 Drawks have been playing big (pun intended) themselves, sweeping the first half of eliminations on the way to a 9-1 record. The black and red are a primarily offensive team, while Banija is primarily defensive. Battle commences at Centralia Arena in Centralia.

(2) ST. KANYE SURGE vs (15) UNITED STATES OF DEVONTA

Not much is known about Team USD except that they've showed up in several past IBC playoffs, and they're tied for the 16th rank in the world. Despite being co-#1, the purple and lime is and has always been aware that "anything can happen", and they're definitely not underestimating any opponent, including and especially their next one. Nothing to watch out for means that the Surge must bring all the big guns - Rakim Roberts' do-everything versatility, Victor McLain's sweet shooting and Michael Porter's fancy moves, to name a few - in this showdown which will take place at the Empress Jessica I Arena in Jessicaville.

(7) NEWMANISTAN ROCKETS vs (10) QASDEN VANS

Another group stage reunion here. The Vans, the seventh-best national basketball team, narrowly got the better of the hosts (ranked 21st) in the first half of eliminations, 72-70, but the Rockets won 90-77 in their second meeting. It takes only this upcoming game, which will be played at the Tundra Falls Proving Grounds in Tundra Falls, to break the tie between the two teams and determine if it's the Qasdonians who will watch their team's journey continue, or if the Newmanistani fans will be treated to more of their home team.

All of St. Kanye's games televised live through SKYNET (Saint KanYe NETwork) Sports Channel 12; others with delayed telecast. All games streamed live on ibc-tv.stk.

[Vangaziland]

The Dark Elf & The Redhead Princess: Part III
Part I - viewtopic.php?f=7&t=429023&p=32981292
Part II - viewtopic.php?f=7&t=429023&p=32987867

With a wry smile Ryiah nodded in agreement. "If they know what is good for them, they will recognize such benefits of peace. I only hope they haven't already decided to wage war, then there isn't much we can do besides prepare. Despite our nearly guaranteed success should such occur due to my fathers excellent might, it would be best to avoid unnecessary casualties." Such was spoken from a girls perspective who had grown up adoring her father, despite his flaws, perhaps even nearly blinded to them in many ways.

After a few moments of quiet riding as she listened to Pluvio's response, her glance caught by a butterfly which seemed to take pace with her gelding for a time, its vivid yellow hue beautiful in the sunny fall evening. Turning back she found her gaze caught by the fae, his eyes seeming to deepen in intensity, causing an odd sensation to run through her, making her look away to catch her breath.

She took the chance to consider his question, not really knowing how to answer, as she had not had much comparison. "It is... " she sighed. "Honestly it is fairly restrictive with all the lessons and tutoring I received, as well as decorum and etiquette which place restraints on how I can and cannot act. Yet... I wouldn't trade it. I am not one to miss the benefits of such training, despite my longing for more freedom." She left off mentioning how her father had begun considering the best matches for her future, now that she had reached marriable age. She hadn't come to terms with the idea yet and such was a constant friction in her relations with the ruler.

As Ryiah spoke her answer, she noticed Pluvio seemed to continue his observations of their path, though his head often turned in her direction. Having no knowledge of his keen sight she assumed he was merely keeping watch as he listened, just as she would no doubt do. Finished speaking for the time being Ry pulled her own gaze from the mage and focused ahead, breathing in the invigorating air as she sorted her myriad thoughts.

He let his mind drift into hers... At least hers from his perspective. He tried to imagine life growing up in a court. Of course, Pluvio couldn't visualize this without thinking about his own childhood.

As the horses trotted, pulling carts and carrying riders, Pluvio mentally drifted back to his youth. Although he was comparable to a human in his late 20s or early 30s, the dark elf age actual age would translate into a much older human. The average human would struggle to live a life as long Pluvio has. Especially without any arcane, alchemical or medical intervention.

He thought about his early life on the farms, running with packs of younglings that grew up together in the forest. There were fights, friends... Even love, as they got older. But that was a lifetime ago, at least in human terms.

"Well I'm glad to be employed by the Emperor's Court. No worries, M'lady." He turned back to her and tipped an imaginary cap, bowing his head slightly to her. "The Rangers and I have your back, on this here assignment."

The corners of his mouth turned upwards in a quarter of a smile. There was a bit of a sheepish look in his eye. He was excited for what was ahead.

Ryiah smiled as well, her own full lips curving upward. She'd watched as Pluvio had seemed to focus inward as she'd answered his question, and she wondered what he was remembering. Surely the fae's experiences differed greatly from her own. Finally, she nodded, an expression of gratitude settling on her face.

"Thank you. I am glad to hear it, though I know my father would only send the best." She turned her mount a bit, preparing to ride on ahead of the wagon and leave Pluvio in peace again, figuring the group would stop soon for the night.

Up ahead she suddenly heard the scream of one of a guardsmen's horse.

The evening had drawn on, as the two conversed, using up most of the daylight, and now in the dimness, Ryiah saw a crossbow bolt sticking from the frantic horse's shoulder. The guard atop the horse had been thrown by the rearing animal, and lay stunned on the ground in surprise a moment, before beginning to scramble quickly up again, on high alert.

Instantly the first wave of support, the guardsmen, would begin circling Ryiah to form a protective shield from whatever bandits had begun an attack. Thinking the bandits incredibly stupid for attacking such a well equipped group, Ryiah peered into the dimness, trying to pick out their attackers as several more arrows flew to find marks among her companions.

Anger flickered in Ryiah's breast as she took in their surroundings the road had turned into a more dense portion of forest, which further blocked the waning evening light, and the trees looked as silhouettes, ominous and shadowy. But some of those shadows were moving, multiplying, becoming people. Their attackers advanced, at least 15 strong, most armed with range weapons and many with swords as well.

Ryiah's men hadn't expected an outright attack, yet neither were they unprepared, trained for brigands such as these. Pulling out bows of their own they aimed at the incoming enemies, and succeeded in taking two down before they closed in. Ryiah herself pulled her beautiful green hilted blade from where it was sheathed on her gelding, readying herself should any attackers break through the ring of men.

As the formation came to a halt, so too did the horse drawn cart of mages and rangers. The flutist had stopped playing some time ago. She was the first to drop the hitch, lowering the rear gate. It made a loud crash as it hit against the back of the cart. The mages and rangers quickly dropped out of the transport and ran to surround Ryiah.

"Watch the lines!" Pluvio shouted during the initial barrage of arrows. The mages were the first to fire. One mage sent forth a purple blast, moving his hands and breathing in a specific way.

The next mage launched a golden blast. The colors represented different fields of magick, purple for arcane, gold for alchemy. When Pluvio finally fired, catching the silhouette of an enemy ranger crouched alongside a tree, his bolt was blue. Behind all of his energy was one force or another related to water... Specifically storms.

The blasts were simple attacks, almost searching blue balls of energy that cast an eerie glow as they flew into the tree line. If they hit a human, the blasts would crackle and flash. Pluvio missed his first blast. He fired another and the enemy archer BOLTED, ironically. Pluvio's blast sailed far out of sight until it finally faded into a gentle mist. The arcane blasts would fizzle into purple sparks. The gold blasts would sail until turning into a puff of gold dust.

The dark elf looked over to the flutist to watch her quickly launching crossbow bolts into the tree line.

A random swordsman shouted from just beyond where the forest met the road. "Incoming infantry!"

The shadows were near. There was a clash in the fading light.

Now the mages switched their throwing posture and instead of pushing energy blasts, they seemed to flick bolts of energy, which sped through the night like elvish glowbeetles. Some cut between the line of friendly swordsmen. This was a more accurate attack for close quarters, used to support swordsmen.

Pluvio left his sword locked away safely back at the armory. He wanted to look more diplomatic, helping with the negotiations, and swordsmanship was his secondary role in combat.

His mission was to lead and fight with this particular squad of mages and rangers... To use his magick first. Bright watchful eyes, made of shards of blues and greens, scanned the darkening autumn sky.

The dark elf threw a blue blast that struck an approaching swordsman in the ribs and dropped the man... He howled in pain and clutched his side. The other mages fired flashes when they had enough focus on an individual. The mage closest to Pluvio also fired purple blasts, but was the newest mage. He shivered under anxiety and launched shots that sailed off target.

"Focus, Hurran... Focus! Don't rush." Pluvio shouted to the new recruit.

The dark elf looked up to see how Lady Ryiah was fairing with the situation. The mages and rangers formed a circle, around the Lady, with swordsmen on the edges of the convoy, especially set to protect the Emperor's daughter.

[Newmanistan]

INTERNATIONAL BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS 24

Round of 16 Results

Vangaziland 84–72 Free Republics

Filindostan 78–77 Kita-Hinode

Ceni 68–83 West Phoenicia

Abanhfleft 89–75 Spaam

Valanora 90–62 Natanians And Nosts

Drawkland 63–79 Banija

Saint Kanye 83–57 United States of Devonta

Newmanistan 84–71 Qasden (3rd Party Scorination provided by Cassadaigua)


Quarterfinals:
(1) Vangaziland vs (8) Filindostan @ Empress Jessica I Arena, Jessicaville
(4) Abanhfleft vs (12) West Phoenicia @ Emperor Michael I Arena, Pocono City

(6) Valanora vs (14) Banija @ The Jungle, Loudon
(2) Saint Kanye vs (7) Newmanistan @ Tundra Falls Proving Grounds, Tundra Falls (match will be scorinated by Cassadaigua)

[Saint Kanye]

IBC 24: SURGE ADVANCE TO QF ROUND AGAINST HOSTS
Starters all in double digits as Kanyeans rip Team USD

by Dante Dinkley

JESSICAVILLE - The St. Kanye Surge national basketball team got one step closer to their quest for a three-peat as they manhandled the team from the Untied States of Devonta, 83-57, in the first round of the playoffs of the 24th International Basketball Championships. The Surge were seeded second and the USD fifteenth, among a starting playoff cast of sixteen teams. All five starting players for the Glorious Free Republic scored ten or more points in this game, with Victor McLain having 16, Brock Dotson 15, Michael Porter 13, and Alex Martin and Rakim Roberts ten each.

The Kanyeans came into the game, which was held at the Empress Jessica I Arena in Jessicaville, Newmanistan, wearing their black alternate uniforms. Hellbent on avoiding an upset, early or otherwise, the Surge intensified both their offense and defense, firing at will and forcing turnovers to make the score 15-0 in just four minutes of play, on the way to a 28-6 first quarter result. Team USD could not bring the lead down to below seventeen during the second quarter, even allowing the Kanyeans eight unanswered points in thirty seconds to end the first twenty minutes of play in a twenty-five point hole, 45-20 in favor of the Surge.

The Surge continued to capitalize on their opponents looking lost. They continued to make their shots and either steal, block or intercept from the Team USD players, who couldn't even make more than two baskets in a row. Team USD then decided to draw fouls from the Kanyean players as much as possible to hopefully foul someone out and send themselves to the free throw line. This plan backfired, though. They themselves could only sink four of sixteen free throws (25%) in the second half, and even if they got Surge captain Dotson fouled out with 7:37 left in the fourth period, replacement Klaus Muhlenberg still gave the USD players a hard time, banging in six fourth quarter points and forcing five turnovers which the Yeezies turned into eleven points.

Head coach Anton Spoletto was obviously happy with his team's sixteen-point victory. "Good work, boys, for giving your all in this game, just as you do in all games you play. And good work, fans, for giving us that boost of energy and motivation that we need", said Coach S. He then added as a joke, "And good work to me and [assistant coach] Bernard [Foley], we were the ones making the plans to win, only for the players to give these plans life."

St. Kanye's next opponents will be the home team themselves, the seventh-seeded Newmanistan Rockets, who got the job done against the #10 seed Qasden Vans, 84-71. "We won't let that be a problem, as there's also so many of us, ready to cheer the team on", said longtime Surge supporter Raven Smithers, 31. "Expect to see a large spot of purple and lime amongst all the light blue at the stadium [Tundra Falls Proving Grounds in Tundra Falls, the Surge-Rockets match venue] and if you do, that's us right there." The Kanyeans will wear purple jerseys tomorrow.

Scores:

ST. KANYE 83 - McLain 16, Dotson 15, Porter 13, Martin 10, Roberts 10, Muhlenberg 7, Schneider 5, Samson 3, Duff 2, Norris 2, Coyle 0, Walker 0.

UNITED STATES OF DEVONTA 57 - Individual scores not available.

Quarters: 28-6, 45-20, 64-35, 83-57.

---

Around the IBC: Playoffs Edition

by the Kibitzer Research Department

Here are the rest of the Round of 16 results, showing which teams played well enough to get themselves into the next round, the quarterfinals, featuring only eight teams. This round, as well as the semis and finals, is only one game, not a series. Don't get confused now.

(1) VANGAZILAND 84, (16) FREE REPUBLICS 72
The top seed repulses the bottom seed, winning by a dozen and giving us the first holder of a QF seat.

(8) FILINDOSTAN 78, (9) KITA-HINODE 77
The Pula Agilas win by the slimmest of margins, and move on to face Vangaziland in the next round.

(12) WEST PHOENICIA 83, (5) CENI 68
The Scorpions ignored the Snakes' higher seed and world rank, outplaying them and escaping as fifteen-point winners and quarterfinalists.

(4) ABANHFLEFT 89, (13) SPAAM 75
West Phoenicia's opponent in the round of eight will be the Rebs, who trashed Spaam by twenty-four.

(6) VALANORA 90, (11) NATANIANS AND NOSTS 62
The Dragons won over N&N by twenty-eight, the biggest winning margin in the Round of 16, but not by much. Next up for them are ....

(14) BANIJA 79, (3) DRAWKLAND 63
.... Banija, who had a bigger game than the big Net Corp and took them down in a twenty-six point upset.

(7) NEWMANISTAN 84, (10) QASDEN 71
Last but not the least are the hosts, who were able to shake off the Vans on the way to a quarters slot opposite the Surge.

---

Game Schedule - Playoffs

Round of 16: W 83-57 vs. United States of Devonta (16)
Quarterfinals: Purple Jerseys vs. Newmanistan (21)

All of St. Kanye's games televised live through SKYNET (Saint KanYe NETwork) Sports Channel 12; others with delayed telecast. All games streamed live on ibc-tv.stk.

[West Phoenicia]

West Phoenician Scorpions sting send Ceni Snakes out of the competition.

In another first for West Phoenicia the Scorpions have advanced to the Quarter-finals in the International Basketball Championships after beating Ceni 83-68.

The squad was on top form as they played an aggressive game stinging their opponents at every chance.
Mohammad Al Taqir lead the squad to victory in the Jungle stadium in Loudon as fans cheered from the stands waving the Scorpions insignia.

PF Ezekiel Lucknow was the top performer scoring 36 points followed by Abraham Sturt with 20 points who was proud of the victory in the front of his father the Duc Parisian Sturt.

The Scorpions will next come up against the Abanhfleft Rebolusynoaryos which promises to be a tough battle for the Scorpions. Abanhfleft will be a tough challenge they are higher ranked and have been in numerous basketball competitions and have stormed the courts against a host of other teams to win.


West Phoenician fans will be packing the stadium to cheer there team on to victory. Win or lose they are already winners for reaching this far. But the Scorpions know anything is possible and this could be the opportunity for them to advance to the Semi-Finals than the finals.

"Our Lacrosse team beat Abanhfleft in the Quarter-finals. Let us show the same result" Team Manager Andrew Lesbos cited to a West Phoenician newspaper.

[Saint Kanye]

IBC 24: PLAYOFFS PREVIEW
Round of 8

by the Kibitzer Research Department

The Round of 16 is over. It's all about the Round of 8 now. The field has been chopped in half, with some higher seeds dominating the lower seeds, and other matches' results being upsets. Let us once more take a look at the competitors, shall we?

(1) VANGAZILAND ROYALS vs (8) FILINDOSTAN PULA AGILAS

The Royals extended their winning streak to eleven upon disposing of Free Republics. Next up for them is the Pula Agilas, whose match with Kita-Hinode ended up being a nail-biter (78-77 for the victors) just as predicted. Once again, the questions: will the Filindostanis be the latest victim for the streaking Vannish? Or will Sandro and company be the ones to end the Royals' reign? Play shifts to the Empress Jessica I Arena in Jessicaville.

(4) ABANHFLEFT REBOLUSYONARYOS vs (12) WEST PHOENICIA SCORPIONS

Twelfth seed West Phoenicia bumped off fifth seed Ceni in their first-round faceoff, and they are looking to pull off another upset against fourth seed Abanhfleft. As for the Rebs, what they are aiming for now is to assert their dominance as joint top dog in the world hoops rankings, and play as good as they did in the group stages and Round of 16 game, even despite losing man-mountain Jazz Higgs to injury. Emperor Michael I Arena in Pocono City will be this game's venue.

(6) VALANORA DRAGONS vs (14) BANIJA LIONS

Banija's Cinderella run continues, as they toppled the Drawkian giants (who are fifty spots ahead of them in the rankings) to earn the chance to face the winner of the 6-11 match, which turned out to be the elves of Valanora after they won rather decisively over Natanians and Nosts. The beastly battle between the Dragons and the Lions will very fittingly be held at The Jungle in Loudon.

(2) ST. KANYE SURGE vs (7) NEWMANISTAN ROCKETS

On one side, the defending champions. On the other, the hosts. This clash will look to be very interesting and newsworthy, not to mention noisy, since the home fans will be there to cheer for their nation, and St. Kanye's fans are famously known for following their team in swarms wherever they play. The matchup came to be after the Surge jolted the United States of Devonta and the Rockets blasted Qasden. So, what are you waiting for? Come in your best purple and lime (or light blue) attire to Tundra Falls Proving Grounds in Tundra Falls.

All of St. Kanye's games televised live through SKYNET (Saint KanYe NETwork) Sports Channel 12; others with delayed telecast. All games streamed live on ibc-tv.stk.

[Filindostan]

"Atin 'to, papasok 'to." ("This is ours. This shot will go in.")

Gladiator Arena
Olympia, Newmanistan

With the scores at 75-77 in favor of the Jiangshi, Coach Ciot was handing out instructions in their final play of regulation, in an attempt to send the game into overtime, or even win the game. He intended to tell the team that he wanted a sure shot, meaning that they had to make a pick and roll play to drive to the basket. Sandro was the one who supposed to hold the ball at the baseline, wait for a pick from Hari or Farida, and drive strong to the basket hoping to score the tying basket, or grab a shooting foul which would mean free throws - the Hinodejin and the Filindostanis are well into the penalty situation after a close sequence of shots forced each team to use up their fouls trying to slow the pace of the game.

Sandro had other ideas.

Despite scoring 31 points prior to the play, the star player of the Pula Agilas was not satisifed that they will be going home with a loss. He didn't want to put the game to overtime either, after learning that they could face the unbeated Vannish team, who beat the Free Republics team in an earlier game. He and his teammates needed even an ounce of energy to be prepared on their upcoming encounters.

"Hey coach. I'll take this shot. Atin 'to, papasok 'to."

Ciot was not sure of what his player is saying. "Make sure to get it done, Sandro."

The buzzer for the end of the timeout sounded, as the players of both teams went back into the court, with 3.6 seconds remaining in the game.

Star was the one to inbound the ball. She passed the ball to Sandro, who was open due to his defender turning his attention to the point guard, Ricki. Once Sandro had the ball. His defender, Tomiichi Nakamoto rushed back to defend. Hari was there to screen Nakamoto.

Two seconds. One point seven. Sandro dribbled to the left of Hari, clearing the way for the drive. He did not run.

Point six. He spot up a jumper from three. Wait. This is not usual.

Sandro does not take threes. He is not known to take one in games, let alone in clutch situations. The shock can be obviously seen in Ciot's face. This was not in the script. This is not what he told Sandro to do. He was prepared to throw his small whiteboard to the floor in frustration. He was certainly sure that Sandro will miss it.

The ball was already off his hands when the final buzzer sounded. It was spinning when it approached the basket. It hit the backboard, went to the inside tip of the ring, bounced softly, then went in.

Sandro was not stepping in the three point line. The referee had signalled three fingers raised, the thumb, index, and middle fingers, signalling that the shot is indeed a three. Before he put down the fingers, he watched the slow motion replay to ensure that Sandro had shot the ball before the buzzer had sounded. It was, and he signalled that the shot was scored three points.

The Filindostani crowd, around two thousand raucous fans, celebrated the buzzer beater. As the players celebrate, Coach Ciot went immediately to Sandro. He looked sternly at his eyes. Then, he stiffly patted the forward's head, and smiled.

"Nice job."

"Yes. I told you guys, it's ours."

[Banija]

David Beats Goliath- Faraba Savaneh's team record 45 points amid first career triple-double put the Lions in the Quarterfinals


Power Forward Faraba Savaneh with a big 4th quarter drunk

CENTRALIA- This was always going to be a tough game for the Lions. The #3 overall seed and the #8 overall team in all of international basketball, the giants of Drawkland, were this team's first knockout stage opponents. The Lions were facing an extraordinarily talented team, one known for their size and tenacity. The smallest player on their roster, of course, was 6'11, and their point guard had over a foot and a half on the Banijan point guards, in terms of height. That's what made this matchup David vs. Goliath- what else do you call a team whose smallest player was 6'11, has an 8 footer, and whose point guard was 7'11?

But, of course, for the giants of Drawkland, here came the Banijans. Even though the Lions lost their first two games, both at home, to Frenline Delpha by 40 and Filindostan by a much smaller margin, the Lions have been playing with their backs against the wall all tournament long. They pulled off an improbable 7-1 run for the rest of the group stages, sweeping the #4 team in international basketball Ethane, as well not dropping another home game while winning 4 of 5 on the road. Their only loss, a one point loss to eventual group winners Filindostan, still allowed Banija to break down the door from the group stages to the knockout stages. Brimming with confidence, the Lions were not intimidated by the Drawkian Giants.

We said before the game that the key was Faraba Savaneh. He was the only person in the starting lineup who didn't have a massive height disadvantage, and therefore, probably the only person who could play with their man one on one. The plan for Banija was simple. This team was too slow for the 'obvious' answer of trying to go small and try to outrun their opponents. Their new strategy, of course, involved continuously feeding the rock to the young power forward. And boy, did he deliver.

He was 9 of 12 from the free throw line, and 18 of 25 from the field. That gave him a team record 45 points in a single game- a record for the Banijan national basketball team. Katamaba Savaneh added 19 points, giving the twins 80% of Banija's total points- 64 of 79. It is an overreliance that will need a correction against the elves, of course, but for now, it worked. Faraba had his way against Darren Rosser. Quality bounce passes from Henoke, Taal, and Kolley, gave the rock to the Savaneh twins. A constant rotation of Banija's guards, those three and Ya Kuyateh, kept the Banijan guards fresh on defense, where they went for steals to disrupt the Drawkian offense.

It was a stellar upset for Alonzo Busk, but he reminded his team to stay focused. "We're here, and we got a wonderful victory against a stellar opponent." Said Coach Busk. "We went our and executed our gameplan, to negate the size advantage that our opponents had. It wasn't something that we were used to, of course, but our players responded to the challenge brilliantly. But it's just the Round of 16! There are still more than a few games to go. We need to immediately shift our focus to Valanora, who is #6. They are our neighbors right across the sea- making this game that much more important."

And he is right. Valanora will be an extremely tough matchup. The dragons will fly in, experienced, and ready for this matchup. What will the Lions do when the dragon arrives? By far the oldest team in the IBC, they have seen it all, lived it all, and whatever else. The Banijans, compartively, have never been to this stage, and have never seen this kind of pressure. "The Jungle" will provide a crazy atmosphere- it is reputed to be the loudest stadium in all o fNewmanistan, and also known for being the most sports crazed city in the country.

Banija has never been here before, however, so we expect Banijan fans to flock to the arena. Banijans generally do a decent job in supporting their national teams, and this game will likely prove to be no exception. Plenty of Valanora's fans will be here too, of course, but Banija has a chance to knock off a true sporting superpower, one that is in their own region, and qualify for their first ever IBC semifinal. Valanora is one of those opponents that get the blood pumping in any sport, because of their historic sporting success. In that respect, we expect plenty of people dressed in orange.

Ultimately, we'll predict an extremely close victory for Valanora, 78-75. While Banijan fans will provide this team a lot of energy, the experience and cool of Valanora, under pressure and in the moment, will likely take them over the top, for a semifinal match with either host nation Newmanistan or one loss St.Kanye. We encourage Banijan fans to make the trip, even if they don't get tickets. Who wouldn't want to see 20,000 Banijans descending upon Loudon, with 10,000 at the arena and 10,000 more in Loudon's sports bars? It'd be quite an amazing sight to see.

Regardless, we wish the best of luck to the Lions!

[Newmanistan]

INTERNATIONAL BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS 24

Quarterfinal Results

Vangaziland 73–71 Filindostan
Abanhfleft 95–80 West Phoenicia
Valanora 66–75 Banija
Saint Kanye 77–73 Newmanistan (3rd Party Scorination Provided by Cassadaigua)


Semifinals:
(1) Vangaziland vs (4) Abanhfleft @ Tundra Falls Proving Grounds, Tundra Falls
(2) Saint Kanye vs (14) Banija @ Emperor Michael I Arena, Pocono City

[Saint Kanye]

IBC 24: SURGE BARGE INTO SEMIS AGAINST "WONDER" LIONS
Defending champs come back from 17-point hole to boot out hosts

by Kelsey Ratzenberger

TUNDRA FALLS - Down 44-61 to start the fourth quarter, the St. Kanye Surge faced their toughest test yet: catch up to the home team Newmanistan Rockets, and snatch the win and a place at the semifinal round of the 24th International Basketball Championships. Having new acquisition Alex Martin on the bench with five fouls didn't help. However, the purple-clad Kanyeans pushed through, defending their side of the court and making crucial shots, all the way to a 73-all tie with 8.5 seconds remaining in the game.

The Surge, coming off of a timeout, had possession. Johnathan Schneider was the inbounder. He passed to Michael Porter, who bounced it to Victor McLain on the outside. McLain, who has shot all five of his threes so far in this game, tried to fire another from long range with 5.4 seconds remaining on the game clock. Unfortunately, his shot hit the front of the rim and bounced out. Newmanistani center Travis Brown and Kanyean counterpart Rakim Roberts both jumped up for the rebound. Roberts swiped at the ball in midair, and it landed into the hands of Schneider. Exactly four seconds remaining.

Schneider ran to the inside. and Brown and Rocket power forward Jaylon Wright both blocked Schneider's path to the hoop. Schneider quickly looked to his sides for open men, and saw Porter behind and to the left of him. 3.2 remaining. Schneider threw the ball to Porter, who caught the ball but had Quinton Fayne run in front of him. 2.5 remaining. Everyone else was well-defended, so Porter decided to put up the shot himself, despite not being that reliable from rainbow country; Fayne jumped up himself to try to block or deflect the ball. Roberts and fellow Surge center DeAngelo Norris, who was being utilized as a power forward in this sequence, positioned themselves close to the hoop to try to get the rebound. 1.7 remaining. The Cenian-born referee blew his whistle, and then everyone watched as the ball rolled into the hoop.

The crowd, mostly made up of Newmanistani home fans and Kanyean supporters, fell silent. The referee spoke up. "Shooting foul, white, number three. Three-point basket counts, plus one shot for purple, number fifty-six."

Porter stepped up to the line. He turned the ball over thrice, as he always does before trying for a free throw. Then he launched the ball into the air, after which it hit nothing but net. The Rockets then had the ball on the outside. Porter, McLain and Schneider harassed Fayne to prevent him from inbounding, and it worked as Fayne had to pitch the ball high only for McLain to grab it with two hands. The buzzer then sounded, marking the end of the game. The final score was: St. Kanye 77, Newmanistan 73. The former's IBC 24 journey continues, while the latter saw its team get eliminated in the quarterfinals.

Despite missing his last three-point attempt, McLain was the highest pointer for the second consecutive game for the Surge, with an even twenty. Fayne led the Rockets with a double-double of 18 points and 10 assists.

St. Kanye opened the game with an Alex Martin three, but the Rockets recovered with two consecutive triples of their own, from Fayne and shooting guard Kenny Atwood. The Rockets really killed the visitors from outside, as most of their players were skilled from that part of the floor. (Newmanistani basketball encourages long shots, as they even have a four-point line for shots farther than the three, and players even earn six points for baskets from mid-court or beyond.) Because of this, the hosts were able to establish an early lead, ending the first quarter 23-15 in their favor.

With the home team continuing to drop bombs on the competition, the Kanyeans soon found themselves trailing by double digits, 22-32 after Daquan Wilson's long two at the 8:19 mark of the second quarter. The Surge started missing their shots; it didn't help matters when Martin had his buckets go in twice, only for both to get nullified as he was called for offensive fouls. Because of foul trouble, Martin saw extended minutes at the bench, as did Brock Dotson, who allowed Atwood a potential four-point play. Fortunately for St. Kanye, he missed the shot. Unfortunately for them, the three gave the Rockets a fifteen-point lead, 39-24.

The Yeezies' problems went on for the rest of the second and third periods. Before the final quarter started, head coach Anton Spoletto spoke to his players. Whatever he told them, it must have been really powerful words as they chipped away at a 61-44 Rocket advantage, slowly but surely, until the Surge were only down two, 71-73, entering the last sixty seconds of the game. Dwayne Murray had the ball on the run and was about to shift it to fellow Newmanistani reserve Rick Dunne, when McLain kumped in front of the ball's path and started to dribble the ball in the opposite direction. Originally opting for a three, McLain instead threw an overhead pass to Roberts on the inside, who caught the ball with his left hand and slammed it in for the tie. Newmanistan called their last timeout, then brought their starters back on the floor. They would milk the clock yet fail to score; same goes for the Surge. After a Roberts miss, Wright rebounded and threw to where Fayne was being hounded by three players in purple. Schneider's body deflected the pass and Porter dived for the ball and called timeout upon catching it, setting up the endgame, Porter's four-point play, and the Surge victory, which left the crowd at the Tundra Falls Proving Grounds, home and visiting fan alike, astonished.

In the semifinal round, the Kanyeans will meet the Banija Lions, who added the Valanora Dragons in their list of slain giants as they roared off to a 75-66 win. "Scared? No. But we're expecting a very exciting, intense game against them [Banija], seeing what they can do", said Kanyean captain Dotson. "They [Banija] have gotten really good this season. They have those twins, Faraba and Katamaba Savaneh, who according to my data have been averaging more than twenty points per game, compared to their comrades who have been scoring less than ten. Very impressive, but that's not Surge basketball. Surge basketball has no one putting up 40 or 50 or 81, but it's about sharing the ball, that's why everyone usually gets on the board, if not for points, for other categories like rebounds or assists. That makes us harder to take down. For other teams, it's make the stars play badly, make the team play badly. Applying it to Banija's case, we shall be making the twins one of our main focuses to be able to win", added head coach Spoletto.

The other semifinals matchup will have the Vangaziland Royals taking on the Abanhfleft Rebolusyonaryos, The red and cream made it twelve wins in a row, beating the Filindostan Pula Agilas by just two, 73-71. The blue, orange and green made it to their fourth consecutive semifinals appearance by clobbering the West Phoenicia Scorpions, 95-80.

Scores:

ST. KANYE 77 - McLain 20, Roberts 14, Porter 12, Dotson 9, Martin 9, Schneider 5, Duff 2, Muhlenberg 2, Norris 2, Samson 2, Coyle 0, Walker 0,

NEWMANISTAN 73 - Fayne 18, Wilson 13, Wright 10, Atwood 9, Brown 7, Mohammed 4, Storm 4, Larribee 3, Dunne 2, Murray 2, Kenwood 1, Connelly 0.

Quarters: 15-23, 29-43, 44-61, 77-73.

---

Around the IBC: Playoffs Edition

by the Kibitzer Research Department

The Surge make it to the final four. as did three other, very good teams. Whoever ends up locking horns in the final, it's sure to be a great game. (Although as citizens of the Glorious Free Republic, seeing the Yeezies in there would be the favored outcome!)

(1) VANGAZILAND ROYALS 73, (8) FILINDOSTAN PULA AGILAS 71

The Royals had their perfect IBC 24 slate at stake, and they came out with it intact as they outlasted the Pula Agilas, triumphing by just a pair of points.

(4) ABANHFLEFT REBOLUSYONARYOS 95, (12) WEST PHOENICIA SCORPIONS 80

The Fleftics are the latest ones to take a shot at dirtying the record of the Vannish, as they withstand the Scorpions' sting with a fifteen-point win.

(14) BANIJA LIONS 75, (6) VALANORA DRAGONS 66

An article in the All-Banija Sports Magazine predicted that the Lions' surprises will end at the hands of the Dragons in a close 78-75 loss. The magazine got one part of it right, as the Banijans did score seventy-five, but everything else was off as Valanora only tallied sixty-six, and the Lions advanced to the final four.

---

Game Schedule - Playoffs

Round of 16: W 83-57 vs. United States of Devonta (16)
Quarterfinals: W 77-73 vs. Newmanistan (21)
Semifinals: White Jerseys vs. Banija (58)

All of St. Kanye's games televised live through SKYNET (Saint KanYe NETwork) Sports Channel 12; others with delayed telecast. All games streamed live on ibc-tv.stk.

[Banija]

The Lions are crowned Kings of the Jungle as they take down regional foe Valanora by a score of 75-66


A sea of orange in the Jungle as Banijan fans took over the facility for team's big win against Valanora

POCONO CITY- The trip to Loudon, for Banijan fans, for whatever else, would always turn out to be a fun one. That prediction came true, as an estimated 25,000 Banijans, though only 10,000 had tickets, were able to take over the City of Loudon for one night for Banija's quarterfinal in the International Basketball Championships. The Jungle is known as a rackous arena, and the soldout basketball venue did not disappoint for fans of the Lions. Banijans were allowed to bring in traditional instruments, like drums, and John Nampoza, Banija's only Olympic gold medalist(in speed skating), gave a rousing rendition of the national anthem. The nation was behind this team, and they would ride this team for the duration of the tournament.

The Lions were able to pull off yet another upset, by being able to defeat the Dragons of Valanora, by a score of 75-66. This game was back and forth until the end of the 3rd quarter, when the Banijans were able to take the lead for good as they ended the quarter on a 12-0 run. That took the game from a 50-49 game, to give the Lions a 62-49 lead at the end of the quarter. The deficit was too much for the Dragons to overcome. While the Banijans only managed 4 field goals in the 4th quarter, they were 7-10 from the charity stripe, and the Lions played excellent defense for the entirety of the quarter. No second chance points, using up the entirety of the shot clock on offense, and in big spots, making sure the deficit was large. The smallest lead the Lions had in the 4th quarter was 5, and they did just enough to advance to the semifinals.

They were led, of course, by Katamaba Savaneh, who had 23 points, and his brother, Faraba, who had 21. Katamaba Savaneh spoke to reporters after the game. "See, you know what they say. What's a mob to a King, what's a King to a God, what's a God to a non-believer? Who don't believe in anything? That statement shows that we need to have a purpose, and our purpose here, is to keep winning games and get as far as we possibly can in this tournament. We have a sense of purpose, and we believe that we can accomplish our goals, even going up against a team with the might of St.Kanye."

Head Coach Alonzo Busk added some words as well. "I know this saying from where I grew up- 'It's so hard not to act reckless- to whom much is given, much is tested.' And another one fits this situation as well- 'I feel the pressure, under more scrutiny, and what I do?' At this point in the tournament, in our lives, the pressure is on. The tests given to us from our God are that much harder now. What do we have to do? Remain focused. St.Kanye has only lost once; they even scored 33 points in the 4th quarter to beat the tournament hosts, with the entire crowd against them. To do that, on this kind of stage, is downright stunning. They have plenty of mental fortitude on that roster, and will not be intimidated."

The Lions, ever reliant on their pair of twin towers, will be calling upon them once again to play against St.Kanye. They both need to have a 'I go for mine, I got to shine' mentality. The pressure will be on them both, as they play in the start of the art Emperor Michael I Arena in Newmanistan's capitol, Pocono City. Can the Lions pull off the upset here? Obviously, this team's lack of shooters means that if a deficit gets too large, they won't be able to come back. They need to be able to keep this game close from the opening tip. Can they do so?

That, of course, is the question. While Banija has beaten 3 top 10 opponents so far, St.Kanye is the #1 overall team in basketball for a reason. Can the Lions deal with the pressure? Even Faraba Savaneh asked people "Next time I'm in church; please no photos". But they are now Banijan celebrities. The pressures that come with being semifinalists are massive, and the fame, even temporarily. But the pressure has to be on St.Kanye. They are the #1 overall team, 57 spots ahead of Banija. They won IBC 22 and IBC 23, and are going for the three-peat, and four out of 5. They are undoubtedly the favorites, due to play in this tournament and tournaments past. They've handled that pressure before- but will their nerve hold against the Lions?

Banija's only advantages, of course, are in the post. The 7'2 Twin towers both have a 4 inch height advantage over their St.Kanye counterparts. While St.Kanye has a decisive front court advantage, Banija is strong in the backcourt. Brock Dotson will look to put the Twin Towers in foul trouble early, similar to the strategy deployed by Frenline Delpha on matchday 1, but not deployed since against Banija. Can the Lions continue their cinderella run? St.Kanye is on a mission, and their talent and depth should be just enough to end Banija's cinderella run, one game short of glory. We predict a 79-72 win, with St.Kanye pulling away late with a late Victor McLain three pointer.

Other than that, we will cheer on the Lions just as hard as everyone else! We will cheer for them to win this semifinal, and make the trip to their first ever IBC final! To face, of course, either Vangaziland, who won the WLCs on Banijan soil, or Abanhfleft, who have made a killing in beating Banijans late in tournaments.

[Saint Kanye]

IBC 24: SQUAD GOALS
We take a look at what the semis teams are playing for

by Ray Wright and Maria Muller

Four teams, great in their own way, but there can only be one winner of the 24th International Basketball Championships title. Aside from the silverware, fame and fortune, and family and country pride, the Abanhfleft Rebolusyonaryos, Banija Lions, St. Kanye Surge and Vangaziland Royals have something else on their mind, but what is it?

VANGAZILAND ROYALS: Perfection
IBC 24 uses a single-game format for each playoffs round, which means that a team in the semifinals needs to win twice to get the title. Speaking of wins, the red and cream currently has a dozen, and no losses. Going 14-0 on the way to a first-ever championship would be quite the accomplishment.

ABANHFLEFT REBOLUSYONARYOS: Redemption
If you've been around as long as the Rebs have been in the IBC, you're sure to see all kinds of sh-stuff. Adversity was thrown at the blue, orange and green like coins by angry fans, but the Fleftic decided that what doesn't kill them makes them stronger. Leo Baxter and friends want a season less like all the times they almost got to the top, and more like that time (IBC 21) in which they did make it.

BANIJA LIONS: Recognition
4th seed. 58th in the world. Semifinalist? Yes, and the orange and green want to make it known to the world. The underdogs (more like undercats) of the Final Four braved teams as far up as fourth, eighth and ninth in the world rankings to get here, and they won't let all that be for nothing. The Lions are sure to rise up in rankings after this tournament and establish themselves as proper powerhouses.

ST. KANYE SURGE: Validation
Let us explain. A third straight IBC title would give the purple and lime four, which is more than other teams have right now. That would validate the Surge's place among the greats, not just in hoops but in international sports in general. Now that is something that the Glorious Free Republic would surely be proud of.

Four teams, four causes to fight for. Bring on the IBC 24 semifinals!

---

THE GAME PLAN: SURGE VS. LIONS

by Jason Morrigan

What up, Kibitzer readers? It's your boy J-Mo, giving you all the things our national basketball team, the St. Kanye Surge, needs to remember as they spend the next game with a pack of Banija Lions!

Let's go!

Share the ball. It's how this glorious team has always worked. You're all good and can contribute, otherwise you wouldn't have been on the team. Besides, it makes it harder for the opponent who to stop.
Turnovers - keep to a minimum! Lost possessions lead to lost points, which lead to lost games. Make sure it's your opponents coughing up the ball, not you.

Kill them with threes! The Surge is a good three-point shooting team, and Victor McLain and Alex Martin can see to that. So keep those long bombs coming! And be sure to have the bigs on cleanup near the basket in case of bricked shots.
Attack the rim. Another nice way to score, and my favorite. Mix it up with the previous tip and make the competition pay. I like how Michael Porter takes it to the hoop, guy's got moves.
Never get over-confident. No one is to be underestimated, especially not Banija. They went on a string of upsets, and it's the Kanyeans' job now to stop them, surely not an easy task.
Yeezie fans, unite! Give the team your energy and support! They'll make it up to you by playing well and making you proud.
Escape from foul trouble by playing smart. Wouldn't want to have the opponents get chances at the line, or our own players unable to contribute due to having five fouls, do we?

Stop the Savaneh twins. They're the Lions' claws. Limit their production and the team is severely weakened. Show them that D! Defense, that is.
Understand the strategy, yours and theirs. Basketball is like chess. You have to think of the best attacks and defenses to win, and plan several steps ahead.
Rebounds! Missed shots don't have to stay missed. Give them second, third or more chances. Luckily we have Brock Dotson and Rakim Roberts for this, among others.
Game pace must be dictated by the Surge. Speed things up to leave the Lions behind, or slow down and stall them.
Enjoy the game! It's hard to play when troubled or pressured. Really takes a hit on the performance.

So, that's it! Make me proud, my successors!

Jason Morrigan, 35, played center for the St. Kanye Surge from IBC 19 to 21. He is now one of the top players in the Kanyean pro league.

[Vangaziland]

Narrow Victory, Eaglesen Returns From Hospitalization

Point Guard Steven Eaglesen returned to the bench for the game against Filindostan. He missed the previous game against the Free Republics after suffering what appeared to be a mental breakdown. He reported a case of 'missing time' after claiming no recollection of getting to his hotel room. The team has been tight-lipped about the status of their sixth man.

"The health of our players is a top priority", said Coach Kate Foyelson. "He was an important part of our game plan in round one of the playoffs. But there were just a few things he, apparently, wanted to check out."

"Stress", Eaglesen said before the match against Filindostan. "Sometimes life can get the best of you and I guess... Stress can cause hallucinations. This seems to be just another example of that."

A maintenance worker at a hotel, claims Eaglesen ran out of his room 'ranting and raving' and asking which day it was.

"I wanted to make sure everything was okay with me", he added. "Mentally and physically. I wanted to make sure I wasn't sick or poisoned."

Eaglesen was released with a clean bill of health and no outside substances found in his system. He played limited minutes against Filindostan, yielding to Sarah Overson. Overson finished the previous game against the Free Republics with 16 points and 8 assists, playing more minutes than Yulssen after a hot streak leading from the third quarter. She'd regress to the mean against Filindostan with 9 points and 4 assists as Eaglesen resumed the lion's share of reserve time.

"To be honest, I haven't enjoyed playing with less minutes", Overson said at halftime. "I'd rather be the first option to sub in at point guard. I think I play with an aggressive style. I'm a taller defender, the team's tallest point guard. But it's a team game and we're having a solid season. I support Coach Foyelson's choices and am glad Steve is back."

Eaglesen still looked a bit shaken, quiet and sullen on the bench throughout the whole game.

"I was just distracted", he said after the game. "It's a crazy universe out there. Uh, I mean world."

The Royals would sneak past a Filindostan which was poised for a serious playoff run. It came down to one of Foyelson's last second plays. Vangaziland was down by 1 with 4 seconds to go. There was time for one inbound pass. Ironwrought was down low. Knucks played up top, with Gravu to his left (closer to the basket) and Yulssen up top.

Knucks set a screen. Gravu and Yulssen cut toward the center, the defenders bunched together, mixed into the seven footer. Yulssen was faster and found enough space for the catch. The three went up with a hand in his face.

As the ball hit the air, the backboard surround illuminated in a fiery red amalgamation of LED lights. The buzzer cut through the air like a flaming plasma sword, signaling the end of regulation. The flash of a single camera could be seen as the shot struck the net without touching the rim. The net popped straight up the center of the hoops with an audible swish, giving Vangaziland a buzzer beating, two point victory.

"That's basketball right there", Yulssen would say after the match.

"It was a bit close for us, but we did what we had to", said Coach Foyelson. "Now we move on to face a team arguably stronger than our own. It'll be our strongest test of the season, and one we hope to pass."

The Dark Elf & The Redhead Princess
Part III - viewtopic.php?p=33000417#p33000417

Ryiah's breath came now in quick inhalations, not truly out of fear - yet - but more out of an adrenaline rush, causing her chest to rise and fall more rapidly as her clear amber gaze tried to cut through the murkiness of the gloom. Bolts of magic could be seen zipping toward the enemy, their glow reflecting in her own hues as she watched, grip around her sword hilt tightening only slightly. As she heard the cry of warning alerting all of the incoming mounted shadows Ryiah turned to look quickly in that direction, her gelding prancing in fear beneath her, eyes rolling a bit. She expertly remained in control for the moment, gripping the equine's sides tightly with her knees while swiveling her torso to see the newcomers. There were nearly six horsemen galloping toward her own group, glints of steel and the telltale glow of magic signaling their coming. They had mages as well?

The first trickle of fear began to run through Ryiah. This was no ordinary group of brigands, nor even did it seem to be mercenaries. The plan was too well executed, planned out, and they must have had inside information to know to expect her convoy.

As Pluvio looked her way, Ryiah met his gaze with her own, which despite the nerves now running through her, had taken on a determined steel. Was there a spy among them? Twisting and trying to gather her mount underneath her as he became more frenzied, she didn't noticed the magic bolt which found its way through the mayhem, and even through the first ring of swordsmen, heading straight for her chest.

The bolt though she knew it not, wasn't meant to kill, only knock her unconscious. Yet at the same moment Naktis reared, the bolt striking his own shoulder instead. A shrill neigh sounded from him, even as he twisted to fall, sending Ryiah flying from his back to crash to the dusty mossy forest floor, the breath momentarily knocked from her.

As this happened, the ring of swordsmen began to break, though they had succeeded in downing more footmen and even one of the new riders. The barrage was too great to hold their line, the enemy began to close in, no discernable marks on gear, clothing, or tack to give away the secret of who had sent them.

Ryiah struggled to stand, cursing under her breath the fact she had a silly dress on, and hearing a bit of the fabric tear as it caught on a stick. Still, she turned to face the nearest of the enemy, a wild gleam in her eyes as she lifted her sword. She wouldn't be taken without a fight.

Now the incoming fire was too heavy. The enemy archers outnumbered Pluvio's rangers, one of which was the flutist with her crossbow. The swordsmen were all engaged, some fighting two brigands. These were no highwaymen, this was a concerted force and the group had been taken off guard.

An arrow dropping from a high angle struck the mage next to Pluvio. He was one of the arcane mages. He was halfway in the middle of launching a spiked bolt when he was hit and the purple energy fizzled across his hand.

Pluvio could only glance peripherally, as he was trying to ward someone off of a warrior up ahead. The dark elf needed his concentration and aim. The target was moving around, often with the friendly soldier in Pluvio's way. Finally, the elf launched. The bright bolt struck through the sky, which had turned even darker.

The enemy knew the ideal time to attack. There was something Pluvio needed to do, it was time for a higher level of magic. First some weather modification.

"Obie Carsona!" Pluvio said. The mage firing gold blasts hovered near Pluvio, launching bolts more rapidly than before, to keep distant archers moving. In the night sky, the clouds darkened, mixed together and started to rise. Over the next few minutes, the air would start to become more and more humid. The wind would pick up soon after that.

But now, the fight continued. Friendly ranks were looking thin and the remaining friendlies condensed into a guarded formation. Now enemy mages on horseback had arrived.

"It's getting warm!" Pluvio looked over to see Ryiah stand and go after an enemy, Pluvio threw a snipe bolt of bright turquoise energy. The strike ripped through armor on the enemy's arm. It seemed to only cause a howl, with the enemy soldier used to pain after probably years of combat. They kept after Ryiah.

An arrow struck the flutist in the thigh. She fell to the ground yelling, but grabbing a dagger form a hilt to ward off any scavengers. The second mage, the alchemist, had to leave the fight to tend to her wounds. Healing can be studied as a part of alchemy, although he wasn't as well trained as an outright healer, or even some shamans. First he'd have to take out the arrow, apply a potion, and dress the injury tightly.

Pluvio moved into position behind them, but not too close.

The weather effect was still building. You could see the clouds forming domes as they hit their limit and shaped to the force of the planet's dome.

"Looks like rain!" A random yell was heard in the distance. It could have been friend or foe. Now the wind began to pick up.

Now Pluvio had to work overtime, with all three other mages out of the fight. This may have turned the tides. The enemy mages had taken up a formation and were sending strikes of their own.

[Newmanistan]

INTERNATIONAL BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS 24

Semifinal Results

Vangaziland 72–72 Abanhfleft (82–81 OT)
Saint Kanye 109–92 Banija

3rd Place: (Scorinated Sunday, 12/3)
Abanhfleft vs Banija @ Emperor Michael I Arena, Pocono City

CHAMPIONSHIP (Scorinated Monday, 12/4)
Vangaziland vs Saint Kanye @ Tundra Falls Proving Grounds, Tundra Falls

[Saint Kanye]

IBC 24: TWO TEAMS, ONE CUP
14-0 or 3-Peat? It's a finals matchup for the ages as the Royals take on the Surge

by Claude Harlan

The 24th International Basketball Championships was a good one, and all good things must come to an end. The tournament is expected to go out with a bang as the two finalists, the St. Kanye Surge and the Vangaziland Royals, aim to set records. The purple and lime want to replicate Saintland (now West Saintland)'s feat of winning three straight IBC rings, while the red and cream wish to stay perfect for the whole competition and have their fourteenth W come at the title match.

The Vannish and Kanyean first fives are all evenly matched. Their benches are also similarly deep, and they have cunning strategists for coaches in Kate Foyelson and Frank Hurcle (VNG) and Anton Spoletto and Bernard Foley (STK). "So similar are our opposing squads, it might as well take forever to proclaim a winner if basketball wasn't played with a time or foul limit", said Kibitzer sportswriter Ray Wright. Here's what you should know about the participants of the main event.

VANGAZILAND ROYALS vs. ST. KANYE SURGE

World ranking: 5th (VNG), 1st (STK)

The Yeezies have the advantage, but it's not much of an advantage. Upsets are very real and very possible, and Kanyean head coach Anton Spoletto never fails to let his boys know, adding to that the fact that it is those very upsets that they're working hard to prevent. Vangaziland has hovered in the top ten in recent years, and they could even see themselves at #2 or even #1 just for getting this far.

IBC debut: IBC 17 (VNG), IBC 19 (STK)

The Surge were considered the "surprise debutant" of the IBC's nineteenth edition, as they finished in third place in their very first appearance. Since then, they have gone on to post three more podium finishes in the next four IBCs. The Royals' maiden tournament was in IBC 17, where they went an even 4-4 and missed the playoffs. Their next outing, IBC 18, saw them getting a poorer record (2-4), but after that was a finals appearance and a string of more playoffs appearances. From nobodies, both St. Kanye and Vangaziland seemed to have transformed into teams to watch out for rather quickly.

Titles won: None (VNG), IBCs 20, 22 and 23 (STK)

St. Kanye has never faced Vangaziland during those three title runs; never has the then blue and red faced the purple and lime on the former's way to the IBC 19 finals, where they lost in four games to The Andromeda Islands. People have comparing the two teams for the past few seasons, with some even pushing for them to meet in the finals, and now their wish has been fulfilled.

Head to head record: 1-0 (STK favor)

The only time that these two have played each other was back in IBC 20, in an exhibition game, wherein the Surge defeated the Royals 98-73. Since then, both teams have undergone extensive roster overhauls, so that game is not really an indicator of what's to come in the finals.

IBC 24 record so far: 13-0 (VNG), 12-1 (STK)

It was ten games, ten days, ten wins in the elimination round for the Royals, whereas the Surge had one hiccup against the Cosumar Stallions, but have greatly recovered since then. The Surge are gunning a lucky thirteenth win, but the Royals are hoping for a perfect fourteenth.

IBC 24 average points scored: 82.923 (VNG), 86.615 (STK)

IBC 24 average points given up: 68.231 (VNG), 72.769 (STK)

It comes as a surprise that the very offense-oriented Royals team is only averaging under eighty-three points per game. It's possible that they're letting their defense do the talking this time, as they're allowing their opponents less than seventy. Meanwhile, the Surge allows an average of about eighty-seven for themselves and about seventy-three for their opponents. A good performance offense and defense-wise, but there's always room for more improvement.

IBC 24 average winning margin: 14.692 (VNG), 15.917 (STK)

The Vannish can win big, as can the Kanyeans, and it shows as they have mean winning margins in the mid-teens. Neither team is a stranger to close decisions and blowout victories, though.

IBC 24 starters' average height: 6 ft 7.6 in (VNG), 6 ft 7 in (STK)

Here's an interesting fact: With the exception of the center position, the starters of the two teams are equally tall. Not much room for height mismatches.



POINT GUARD: Hectare Yulssen (VNG) vs. Michael Porter (STK)

These two serve as floor generals for their respective squads. They'll be putting into action the plays that will turn the tide of the finals battle. Expect them to find the right people at the right place at the right time to score, or maybe put up quick buckets themselves. Both point guards are 6'1".



SHOOTING GUARD: Tom Gravu (VNG) vs. Victor McLain (STK)

Tom and Vic, both standing at six foot six, are the primary offensive weapons. The Surge and Royals defenses will have their hands full trying to contain them; whoever manages to outgun the other could very well see his team pull away.



SMALL FORWARD: Christopher Ironwrought (VNG) vs. Alex Martin (STK)

Ironwrought and Martin, like the shooting guards, are efficient scorers and serve as extra scoring threats. Expect them to use their speed and agility to propel their 6'8" frames through defenders and get those points, and expect the D to give them extra attention like they would to the SGs.



POWER FORWARD: Juell Sampsen (VNG) vs. Brock Dotson (STK)

Sampsen and Dotson, the 6'10" players, both own the inside. They'll do most of their damage from close range, either from penetrating passes from the outside or from hauling in rebounds for second-chance points. They'll be important for defensive purposes too, helping out their big men patrol the shaded area.



CENTER: Lonnie Knucks (VNG) vs. Rakim Roberts (STK)

Both Knucks and Roberts are monsters on both ends of the court. Lonnie has the height advantage on Rakim (7'1" vs. 6'10"), but the Kanyean big man can play more positions due to his experience as a guard and forward before his growth spurts. Look for these two to put up points as well as rebounds, maybe even a double-double for either or both of them.

In addition to these five pairs, there are also talented bench players such as post scoring threat Darius Styles, smart shooter Allan Clark and unselfish swingman D.J. Orion for Vangaziland and defensive specialist Zack Coyle, speedy shot-blocker Klaus Muhlenberg and diminutive dunk man Norman Walker for St. Kanye.

We at the Kibitzer wish both the St. Kanye Surge and Vangaziland Royals good luck in the IBC 24 finals, which shall be held at the Tundra Falls Proving Grounds in Tundra Falls, Newmanistan. The same well wishes are extended to the Abanhfleft Rebolusyonaryos and Banija Lions, who are battling for the bronze medal at the Emperor Michael I Arena in Pocono City.

---

Game Schedule - Playoffs

Round of 16: W 83-57 vs. United States of Devonta (16)
Quarterfinals: W 77-73 vs. Newmanistan (21)
Semifinals: W 109-92 vs. Banija (58)
Finals: Purple Jerseys vs. Vangaziland (5)

The IBC 24 finals and bronze medal game will both be televised live through SKYNET (Saint KanYe NETwork) Sports Channel 12 and streamed live on ibc-tv.stk.

[West Phoenicia]

The West Phoenician Scorpions had a great run at the International Basketball Championships 24th edition. First time in their international basketball history the Scorpions reached the quarter finals which will certainly push their ranking up and aspire them to even greater heights for the IBC 25th edition.

Before the flight back to West Phoenicia where the West Phoenician Minister of Sports has promised them a parade in the capital city of Melbourne-Haven to continue to promote basketball on an international level.

Before their departure the Scorpions let loose across a number of Newmanistan bars where international media outlets announced fist fights erupted between West Phoenician players and fans and fans of an opposing team after several rounds of drinks.

A bar in downtown Loudon in Newmanistan was trashed with thousands of dollars worth of damage that West Phoenician players joked they could put on the Abanhfleft tab before departing to their hotel room and the airport refusing to talk with the media or police officials.

[Vangaziland]

Purple. Black. Red.

The colors of Vangaziland never run. Celebrating back-to-back Olympic gold medals, the Vangazi Royals played their home games in a shimmery light-gold, cream color. The away uniform was a dark cardinal red. In Vannish tradition, uniform colors often pull their own unique shades of reds, but especially focuses on the shade of purple used. Some of this is for marketing purposes. Companies don't want people to buy one shirt or sweatshirt in colors applicable to every team. Instead, you must buy different things in various shades to match each uniform.

"For IBC 24, not only did we want to celebrate the Olympiad", said clothing designer Sheila Haustead. "We also wanted to go back to our roots, with the purple as an homage to New Gazi's dark purple. It celebrates both nations entering the World Cup 79 qualifiers for the first time together. "The shades of purple chosen should reflect events in the time surrounding the team."

While the Vannish national football team, nicknamed Vang FC, still has a long way to go, their entry into qualifiers brings in a new era of Vannish football. Vangaziland has focused international efforts on basketball and lacrosse. Vangaziland finally won a ranked international tournament, winning World Lacrosse Championships 28.

The lacrosse team wore a special gold uniform for the final match. The IBC's Royals also have a special alternate jersey prepared for IBC 24's final matchup.



The jersey harkens to the flag's standard colors. Many expect it to be a hot seller. Perfect for the imminent championship series, the uniforms were designed and manufactured in Saint Kanye.

"We saved our alternate for the playoffs." After both series leading into the finals, the management had to make a call. "We had to make predictions on our chances of advancing. They were not easy guesses and we played some close games. We made the right decision to wait. Now this uniform of the Yeezies will not only bring attention to the Vannish flag. It will also bring a worldwide audience to the fine craftsmanship of the clothing company which designed it."

The Royals may have a lengthy win streak this season, but it was a long road filled with hot streaks and cold streaks. A few wins came down to the final wire. Vannish fans will have plenty of reasons to cheer as Vangaziland and Saint Kanye match up.

The Royals find themselves in the final 4 for the third time. This time they hope to finally reach success. STK will be the toughest opponent the team has faced in any of their seasons. The Vangazi and the Yeezies first faced off in a friendly match between group and playoff stages. The Royals lost in a rout, but had a good experience.

"The Yeezies were great, even back then", said shooter Tom Gravu, one of the few remaining players who faced STK. "They don't shy away from their game. I have to give them props", he said during an interview in the days leading up to the finals. "No team is more clutch than Saint Kanye. They're a serious three point team. But besides the way they score and their strategy, it's the intangibles that make them perennial all-stars. They move the ball well. It's a fluid, unselfish style. They simply try harder than their opponents."

The Yeezie offense has been referred to during a Vannish morning sports talk show as 'Tomasson's Dream." The former Royals coach constantly lectured his team for not scoring enough. Vangaziland has adapted a more fluid style after Tomasson's release. Some feel his offensive set slowed the team down. There was too much isolation and dribbling.

Foyelson has the ball move around the perimeter more often, with cuts coming from odd angles. Her late game play-calling is a big part of Vangaziland's IBC 24 run.

"Best of luck to the team from Saint Kanye", Foyelson said. "The Fleftic's were a tough opponent. We wish them, as well as the Banijans good luck as well."

The Royals snuck past Abanhfleft who is currently tied for 1st in the rankings. They will hope for a similar, hard fought result against St. Kanye, but the Yeezies are at peak performance.

Oddsmakers give STK a massive advantage in the odds of victory. They expect the Yeezies to close out the Vangazi by 5-8 points. Some analysts also think there is a chance the Vannish offense might collapse against a dogged STK defense.

[Abanhfleft]

The Fleftic Arena
Riuwiee, Abanhfleft
Abanhfleft versus Kita-Hinode
Matchday six of the group stage of the 24th International Basketball Championships

"Coach Ivan, what can you say about the result and performance that your team turned in against Kita-Hinode tonight?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, did we play the game against Kita-Hinode today? I thought it was for tomorrow! I told the boys such!" Ivan Opanasenko, head coach of the Fleftic national basketball team, replied to the reporters in a funny impression of a shocked dandy. This was following Abanhfleft's surprise trouncing at the hands of Kita-Hinode 91-61 in front of Abanhfleft's home fans, right in the Fleftic Arena, the "Cathedral of Basketball" as some lofty-minded Fleftic fans have called it.

"No, no, in all honesty though, this was the poorest game that I have ever seen from the players in quite a long time, and that is saying something," Opanasenko replied in a more serious tone. "Where do I start? We were a disjointed team out there. Absolutely no sense of cooperation and teamwork out there. Everyone was playing as themselves and not as a team. And Kita-Hinode took full advantage of that. Yes, that's right, they did. Whoever said that the Sunrisians are dead? They're still alive, and they're now called Kita-Hinode. You can see it in the way they played that they learned to play ball the Sunrisian way. And we weren't prepared for that. Yes, we beat them before, and everyone remembers that game because that was the game that Jazz Higgs got that terrible, terrible injury. Either they presented us with a completely different team then or they haven't learned everything they could about the Sunrisian way of basketball back then just yet. But to sum things up, Kita-Hinode were good and we were shit. It is that simple. Next question?"

As Ivan Opanasenko had said, Abanhfleft's shock defeat at the hands of Kita-Hinode was a result of both the Hinodejin playing together as a team and the Fleftics, the Rebolusyonaryos, playing like they had never played with each other before. That Fleftic team that faced Kita-Hinode was such a far cry from the Fleftic teams that ran rampant all over the other teams in their group, Kita-Hinode included that it was almost impossible for die-hard Rebolusyonaryos fans to accept that the result could have possibly come from the same team that had managed to beat the likes of Cosumar, Valanora, Vangaziland, and even Saint Kanye.

"Coach, the player of the game award has been given to Kita-Hinode's Seung Min-soo," another reporter said. "Based on what you have seen on the court, would you agree with that decision?"

"Wholeheartedly and undoubtedly," Opanasenko replied. "In fact, if the FBA would finally open up to the possibility of coed teams then I would probably invite her to take a shot at the draft. Since when have you seen a center, a defensive player, get 26 points and over 12 assists in a single game? You could say that everything just clicked for this particular squad on this particular day, and at the same time nothing fell right for us. You all know our players. They're good players. But today they seemed like only a shadow of their former selves. And that is not good. Basketball may not be the most tiring sport of all but it is still very demanding to the body of the athlete. And sometimes there also must be a factor of luck. Every team has a set amount of luck. Some teams have lots of luck; some teams don't have so much luck. My point is, luck is used up during games. Luck can run out. We used up a lot of luck in our first game against Azadeshia but we still had enough to get past them thanks to Vern Goldman, who I have to say wouldn't be here if it weren't for Jazz Higgs and his injury. But nevetheless, we used up our luck in the rest of our games, and for this game against Kita-Hinode, our luck simply ran out."

"Coach, as we all know, there is a saying that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Will you use this defeat to toughen up the team once again and prevent this kind of result from happening again?"

"What else can I do?" Opanasenko asked in reply. "Tell them that this defeat is the end of the world, and that we are no longer going to qualify because of it? That's not really a smart thing for me to say, would it? Thank you, that is all. No more questions."

Yes, Ivan Opanasenko was right. What else could he say to his players following that humiliating and humbling defeat against Kita-Hinode? Of course he was going to have to encourage them once again because that was what coaches were meant to do, pick up the team after a loss, any kind of loss, and sometimes give them a good asskicking if needed. Some could and would argue that the team's momentum had been messed up by the midway break of this particular IBC, and that the team could have been mentally affected by the injury Jazz Higgs was suffering from. So the team trained harder than they had ever trained before, and the results began to show almost immediately. The first team to face Abanhfleft after the loss to Kita-Hinode was Chromatika, and they bore the full brunt of the revenge of the Rebolusyonaryos. Chromatika was a renowned footballing nation but in terms of basketball, they hadn't yet done enough to distinguish them and so the Fleftics had nothing to fear against the but themselves. 83-58 the score would end, with Abanhfleft coming out as the expected winners.

Abanhfleft secured their ticket to the round of 16 of the 24th International Basketball Championships with a win against Indusse by a similar score. Abanhfleft beat the Indusseans 82-58, just one point less than they scored against Chromatika. And despite the best efforts of Indusse's ally Azadeshia to force a result similar to the one that they almost got at their home (a very close game that Abanhfleft only barely won in overtime courtesy of Jazz Higgs' replacement Vern Goldman), Abanhfleft just couldn't be stopped. Perhaps the Azadeshis had it coming to them. A few hours before the match between Abanhfleft and Azadeshia, an Azadeshi train derailed, killing at least eleven people. Abanhfleft had elected to hold a minute of silence for the victims of the train accident but the Azadeshi players just kept on dribbling and practicing their shots during the minute of silence. The Fleftics could be forgiven for not being very lenient on the Azadeshis after that particular display.

Abanhfleft closed out the group stage with a 72-53 victory over plucky Platerdam to set up a round of 16 matchup with Spaam. With the competition now headed for Newmanistan, Fleftic fans flocked to the McAllister Arena in Putnam Lake to test out their luck against the Dollies, whom some of the Rebolusyonaryos knew from the last IBC in Qasden and Abaja. And they weren't disappointed. Abanhfleft blew the Dollies out of the water 89-75 with the Mythical Five having the game of their lives. Everything was going in for them; they were getting boards left and right, and all the Spaamians could do was to stick as close as possible to the Rebs. The closest they got was eight points, and that was when the Rebs had already gone on a 10-2 run at the very beginning of the first quarter.

Onto the next opponent then, which in this case was West Phoenicia. West Phoenicia was big in Abanhfleft at the moment as they were responsible for knocking out the Fleftic national lacrosse team at the recently concluded 28th World Lacrosse Championships held in Banija, a moment which Gaelic Gamers blogger Aisling Keane described as "the twilight of Abanhfleft's golden generation in lacrosse". The theme of this matchup then took on the tone of a telenovela: will the Rebs be able to avenge their lacrosse compatriots or will the Scorpions become the new public enemy number one of those terrorists calling themselves "The Real Fans of Abanhfleft"?

In the end, the result was never in doubt, although a poor first quarter on the part of the Flefts saw West Phoenicia take a 20-13 lead into the second quarter, but a 12-point run courtesy of Newton Isaacs halted the Scorpions in their tracks and allowed Abanhfleft to gain the lead and never look back after that.

"Coach, can I talk to you for a sec?" Leo Baxter asked Ivan Opanasenko as the teams went back to their respective locker rooms following the end of their quarterfinals game.

"Yes, of course, my dear boy," Opanasenko replied. "What is it you wished tom talk about?"

"Well, Coach, I was wondering if you and I could talk about luck for a sec."

"Luck? Well, it's not really what I was expecting but okay, go ahead."

"Coach, have you ever felt like we have been getting lucky throughout this whole tournament?" Leo asked.

Opanasenko had to blink a few times before he could finally begin to frame his reply. "No, Leo, I don't feel like we've had to rely too much on luck just yet. Why do you ask that?"

"It may be nothing, Coach, but I guess it never hurts to tell somebody about it," Leo admitted. "What I mean to say, Coach, is that I think we just used up all our luck against West Phoenicia."

"Why would you say that, my boy?"

"Look at it this way, Coach. West Phoenicia beat us in lacrosse just a few months ago. This was the perfect opportunity for them to get two over us. It was also a perfect opportunity for us to get our revenge on those guys for eliminating our girls in lacrosse. And we just happened to have more luck than these guys, who used up all their luck in the first quarter. Now I can't help feeling that our luck is finally going to run out against Vangaziland. They're looking strong today, sir, and I don't think there is anyone in this multiverse that could stop them. Not even Saint Kanye and the Surge, probably, if they don't get the chance to get properly pumped up."

"Oh, come off it, Leo," Opanasenko said. "Luck in sports isn't a real thing. Either you are good or you are bad at sports. That luck thing was just something to throw to the dogs of media, and they lapped it up hungrily. Now forget all about this luck thing and let's go over the game plan against Vangaziland."

But indeed Abanhfleft's luck had run out. They lost the semifinals to Vangaziland in such close margins that it took until overtime to finally separate the two, and in the end it was Vangaziland to go on to the final while Abanhfleft will have to be content with at most third place once.

Abanhfleft's wait for a second IBC title would have to wait a little longer.

[Banija]

The Clock Strikes Midnight- Banijan cinderella run through the IBCs ends in semifinal defeat


Banijan players in the locker room following the semifinal loss to St.Kanye

POCONO CITY- The Lions have had a brilliant and amazing run through the International Basketball Championships. They upset the #4 team in all of international basketball, Ethane, both in Banija and in Ethane, even beating them by 22 points in the do-or-die winner takes all game these two placed against each other in Matchday 10 in Lakiska. They upset the giants of Drawkland, using a convincing win to beat the towering men from Drawkland to move onto the quarterfinals. And then, of course, they were crowned Kings of the Jungle as they upset Valanora to finally find their way to the semifinals of this tournament, against the two-time defending champions St.Kanye.

The Yeezies, as they call them, were too much for the Lions to handle. The Yeezies had won IBC 20, IBC 22, and IBC 23. This team was seriously talented- they had won three of the last four editions of this tournament, and were trying for a three-peat to put them into international basketball sporting lore. A three-peat would also mean four out of the last five, and this was a team on a mission. They clinched a much anticipated final with Vangaziland, as we have the tournament's only undefeated team going against the two time defending champs for the championship. Those two teams were ranked #1 and #5 respectively going into the tournament, and they were ranked #1 and #2 after the group stages. It will be a huge matchup, and a great game to watch.

But first? Of course, first must be the match. The two teams actually stayed with each other for the duration of the first quarter. At the end of the first quarter, St.Kanye led only 29-27. It was a good place for the Lions to be in. It seemed clear at the time that Banija was built to stick with them. While the game was moving a lot faster than Banija would like it to, the Lions were keeping pace. They were matching St.Kanye's buckets with baskets of their own, and both the Savaneh twins were getting going early. It was clear that Banija would need to slow it down, but overall, it was a good first period of play.

Unfortunately, it did not stay like that. St.Kanye came off firing in the second quarter, After Henoke hit a 3 pointer on the first possesion of the second quarter to give his team a one point lead, a rare three point attempt for this team, St.Kanye took control. St.Kanye went on a 23-3 run for the next 7 minutes. There was nothing that the Lions could do to effect the offense of St.Kanye during that time period. Victor McLain hit three 3 pointers, Porter found Alex Martin on a couple of alley-oops, and that was that. Zack Coyle came off the bench to dominate Banija's ball handlers, and during the entire run, neither Savaneh twin touched the basketball once on the offensive end. Even 5'10 Norman Walker threw down a two handed jam, and everyone knew the game was over at that point.

With the lack of three point shooting on the Lions, it was clear that they weren't going to come back. 4:30 left in the second quarter, and they were already down 52-33. They were actually pretty evenly matched the rest of the game, but Banija could not manage a comeback. The Lions simply did not have the shooting ability to be able to match the Yeezies, and it was clear that St.Kanye was going to be able to cruise their way to the championship game, to play Vangaziland. Basketball fans wanted this match, who didn't?

Even though they ended their run to the championship game by getting dominated by the two-time defending champions, this was still a great tournament for the Lions. Two top 5 wins for this team really resonated with the fans at home. Being able to start the tournament with two home losses, and then to pull up your bootstraps to win seven of your next 8, including four of five away from home, to make the knockout stages was something special to watch. The slow start had left the margin for error almost zero, and the team responded by playing its best basketball with their backs against the wall.

And then, not resting on their laurels when they got to the knockout stags. A win against the #3 seed Drawkland, and then a win against the #6 seed Valanora? Those are extremely tough opponents, and we tip the cap to the head coach for being able to pull that off. Those two games showed that this Banijan team didn't simply get hot at the right time; this team was for real, and they were legitimate contenders. Even though they did not pull off the victory that they wanted, the Lions showed themselves to be serious contenders, and they are now real players on the world stage of international basketball.

Now, what's next for Banijan basketball? They will get their first two players playing abroad- the Savaneh twins are going to be playing in Filindostan, for Venividicci, the top team in Filindostan. However, Banija needs to be able to better develop basketball players. And that starts, of course, with the three pointer. Will Banijan basketball adopt the three point shot? It is clear that the lack of a three point shot hurt this team, as they originally struggled to defend it, and cannot shoot it. They shot an abysmal 19% from three this whole tournament(though, granted, they took less than 5 three point shots per game).

The Association will have a lot to discuss, and a lot to debate. If they develop their own professional league, then maybe this team can do a lot. But they need to develop that league first. The Banijan league leaves a lot to be desired- with financial problems plaguing the league, there's no guarantee it will even last beyond next season. There are only 8 teams guaranteed for next season. The other 4 are 50/50 on whether they will be able to field a team. They need owners, they need arenas, they need fan interest. Can they find them? Can they get the league's optimal arena situation- team owned and team owned basketball arenas? Rather than using convention centers and college arenas, as they currently do?

The business of basketball is complicated. The Lions, now however, have given the Banijan Basketball League a huge platform upon which to try and grow. Excitement and interest will be high in Banija to watch Banijan basketball, as the national team has convinced Banijans that their home league is quality. Can they take advantage of this opportunity? Or will they squander it? We'll simply have to wait and see, because as is always true in the Banijan sports scene, nothing is ever cut and dry.

[Saint Kanye]

IBC 24: SURGE PRESSURE SAVANEH TWINS, PREVENT BANIJA UPSET
Yeezies to appear in third straight IBC finals

by Ray Wright

POCONO CITY - A day after scoring 21 and 23 points, respectively, in a 75-66 upset quarterfinals win over the Valanora Dragons, twin brothers Faraba and Katamaba Savaneh of the Banija Lions were limited to twelve and ten points against the St. Kanye Surge. The rest of the Banijans, with their stars shackled, thus had to work harder to try and defeat the defending champions, but ultimately fell short as the Kanyeans got the better of their 24th International Basketball Championships semifinals matchup, 109-92, here in the Emperor Michael I Arena in the Newmanistani city of Pocono.

The world's joint #1 team thus advances to the IBC 24 finals opposite the fifth-ranked but top-seeded Vangaziland Royals, who figured in a second straight nail-biter. The Royals needed five extra minutes to outlast the other #1 national basketball team, the Abanhfleft Rebolusyonaryos, 82-81.

With the Savaneh twins' point production limited, it was St. Kanye's bigs who made the biggest contributions. Power forward and captain Brock Dotson had 19 points, nine rebounds and five blocks, while center Rakim Roberts scored 17 and grabbed 13 boards, a double-double. Veteran point guard Fasika Henoke topscored for the losing side, scoring 16 with seven assists and a steal.

The orange-clad Lions had the first possession as Katamaba Savaneh won the jump ball. He found twin brother Faraba on a one-handed slam for Banija's first points, 2-0 in their favor. Roberts responded with a similar dunk off an assist by Michael Porter. Saihou Jallow banked in a midrange shot to get the lead back, 4-2 Banija, but not for long as Victor McLain sank one of his trademark three-pointers, 5-4 St. Kanye.

For the rest of the first quarter, the two teams exchanged buckets, lots of them. The Surge ended up protecting a slim two-point lead, 29-27, entering the second period. By this time the twins already have seven (Katamaba) and eight (Faraba) points. The Kanyeans could not figure out how to stop them. After a Henoke trey to give the Lions the lead back, 30-29 Banija, the Surge called a timeout. The moment the buzzer sounded to call the players back onto the floor is also the moment the Surge would start, well, surging.

St. Kanye would go on a rampage for the rest of the second quarter. McLain shot three consecutive threes on the way to 16 points; Dotson, Alex Martin and Norman Walker made the pro-Surge crowd go wild with dunks; a defensive unit led by Zack Coyle prevented the Lions from getting the ball from their twin superstars. The Kanyeans scored 31 during that stretch and the Banijans just eight - a pair of baskets from Henoke and a make each from Jallow and Abbas Taal.

The Lions managed to play St. Kanye even in the second half, but as they came out of the locker room in a 38-60 hole, that was not enough. The twins, overloaded by a trio of DeAngelo Norris on center, Dotson at power forward and Roberts moving to the three position, could only manage to add four (Faraba) and three (Katamaba) points to their total. Banija rotated the rest of its players, trying to look for an effective lineup, but to no avail as the St. Kanye Surge would move on to the title match as seventeen-point winners.

"[Former St. Kanye head] Coach [Paulie] Brewster once said that the Surge is not a team that makes empty threats. If they say it, they deliver. We proved this when we said we'll give the [Savaneh] twins our attention in this game. We limited them, didn't we? And it paid off. We'll be playing for the crown next", said Surge head coach Anton Spoletto, adding afterwards "Despite their showing against us, we give the Lions props for all those prior upsets. They've come a long way, and I see good things coming to them in the future."

Hours after both semifinals matches have concluded, the Royals announced that they would play in the finals in purplish-blue, Kanyean-made alternate jerseys. This wouldn't provide much contrast to the Surge's standard purple road uniforms, so the Yeezies decided on a change to their home whites. Meanwhile, thousands of fans, many of them supporters of the purple and lime, have already started camping out outside the Tundra Falls Proving Grounds, where the IBC 24 finals will be held. The Proving Grounds is a huge complex known as the preferred venue for championships in Newmanistani sports, with tracks for stock car racing and track and field, a baseball stadium, a field for lacrosse and football (both association and gridiron), an indoor pool for swimming competitions, and an arena for hockey and of course, basketball. This is also where the Surge erased a 44-61 third quarter deficit to beat the host Newmanistan Rockets 77-73 in this season's the quarterfinals. As for the battle for third place, between Banija and Abanhfleft, it will be held here in Pocono City.

Scores:

ST. KANYE 109 - Dotson 19, Roberts 17, McLain 16, Martin 15, Porter 12, Norris 9, Walker 6, Coyle 5, Muhlenberg 3, Samson 3, Duff 2, Schneider 2.

BANIJA 92 - Henoke 16, Jallow 15, Taal 13, F. Savaneh 12, K. Savaneh 10, Colley 7, Secka 7, Kuyateh 6, Sanyang 4, Kolley 2, Ceesay 0, Kambi 0.

Quarters: 29-27, 60-38, 88-67, 109-92.

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Around the IBC: Playoffs Edition

by the Kibitzer Research Department

Former Kanyean ambassador to the Empire of Cats, Nina Dirnt, has been spotted watching the Surge-Lions semis clash. Ambassador Dirnt left the embassy on good terms months after her run-in with the notorious "Real Fans of Abanhfleft" terrorist group and subsequent rescue by Kanyean, Fleftic and Catsian special forces groups at the tail end of IBC 23 in Abaja and Qasden. She is now living back in Kardashia, where she runs a private law firm. "I miss the good people back at the Empire, but I feel safer now. I've also taken self-defense lessons to enable myself to hold my own." Asked who she's rooting for, Atty. Dirnt, who has her nails painted in alternate purple and lime, quickly said "The Surge, of course, but I also have a place in my heart for the Fleftics. I don't see them as all bad. Some of them helped save me from their fellow countrymen after all."

(1) VANGAZILAND ROYALS 82, (4) ABANHFLEFT REBOLUSYONARYOS 81, OT

The Royals grab the narrowest of their thirteen wins so far, and at a most crucial time at that as they knock off last season's finalists, the Rebs, by a single point in extra time.

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Game Schedule - Playoffs

Round of 16: W 83-57 vs. United States of Devonta (16)
Quarterfinals: W 77-73 vs. Newmanistan (21)
Semifinals: W 109-92 vs. Banija (58)
Finals: White Jerseys vs. Vangaziland (5)

The IBC 24 finals and bronze medal game will both be televised live through SKYNET (Saint KanYe NETwork) Sports Channel 12 and streamed live on ibc-tv.stk.