International Basketball Championship 31 (IC Thread)

by **Hannasea** » Tue Feb 16, 2021 8:12 am

From the rolling news channel SuperBusiness.

damnatio memoriae

by **Graintfjall** » Tue Feb 16, 2021 8:37 am

Posted on the In Brief section of the GTV Sports website.

Very Small Forward: Despite Karstensson blunders, Super Wolves keep dreams alive

positives

by **TJUN-ia** » Tue Feb 16, 2021 9:22 am

After a dominant display in Srednjaci signalled out 4th win in a row, the biggest game of out IBC so far just so happened to be Riverside's final home game of this IBC. With the organisers not sure as to when the next time the Unity Centre hosts a TJUN-ia game, you'd better believe that this final game was going to be treated as a big deal - especially with what was at stake. From 1-3, Bao Zhou and his Hoops-Jags have risen to 5-3 and were now in a position to potentially reach the Next Stage in Delaclava despite our disaster of a start. But we were behind Srednjaci on point differential and so, today match with group leaders Nova Anglicana - a team that had only lost one prior game before today - was a big one indeed. Win and TJUN-ia could have the advantage heading into the final battle. Lose and we may come just short by the end of the groups.

The crowd at the Unity was undoubtedly bringing it as this contest began and the game they would watch would be a tight one to start off. Both teams were looking for something big in the race to reach the next stage and both Zhou and Lawrence Roberts would duel for the first half on the tactics sheet. This Kitty Derby between the Jaguars and the Lions would begin with tight play, spearheaded by the shooting guards and centres. The tag-teams of José Peñalez and Jean-Jacques Mpolando for the hosts and Jimmy Haynes and Jonathan Stephens for the visitors were the main point scorers and assisters in the first half, rising the scoreline with a slow but steady pace before the half arrived, scores tied at 33-all.

The second half was where the real drama occurred as the Jags found a rhythm and began to pull away from the Lions. The "Death Lineup" employed by the Lions couldn't last forever with limited stamina and as some of TJUN-ia's younger players, like Adamo Zamenhofo and Nikos Papaloukas, saw greater minutes from the bench, the tide began to turn in our favour. This simple idea of giving the younger players more time in the 3rd and 4th was somehow dynamite in this game and in the end, it would be Nova Anglicana's downfall - along with a crowd who wanted to see their team win by any means. TJUN-ia would eke out the advantage over time, ending up at 11 points at the end of it all. TJUN-ia had won their 5th game in a row, 65-54, and with Srednjaci only beating Squidroidia by 3 over in Katanija, the Jags were finally in 2nd by point differential. You could feel it was a big win just by looking at Bao himself, hugging his assistants post-game - something he reportedly rarely does to anyone at all.

At the beginning of the run, we faced an undefeated Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom and beat them by 5. Now, in a game that will decide our fate in the IBC, we travel to ZRH to face a team who have lost 3 more games since our first meeting - a team in crisis, but still within a slight shout of qualifying for the show. If we are to advance, we must beat this team by any means necessary - the Zhou Dynasty must rise like many wanted to at the start. Make no mistake, our fate rests on our boys in Blue and Orange. GO JAGS!

SCHEDULE (Group C)
MD1: @Smosh games (UR) L 73-75 (4th)
MD2: @Squidroidia (35) - Mako Arena, Inkopolis W 76-65 (5th)
MD3: vs Srednjaci (UR) - Unity Centre, Riverside L 77-87 (5th)
MD4: @Nova Anglicana (21) - National Arena, Londinium L 58-88 (5th)
MD5: vs Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom (41) - Unity Centre, Riverside W 79-74 (5th/2-3/-26PD)
----------------------------Break----------------------------
MD6: vs Smosh games (UR) - Unity Centre, Riverside W 95-84 (4th)
MD7: vs Squidroidia (35) - Unity Centre, Riverside W 76-75 (3rd)
MD8: @Srednjaci (UR) - Dom Košarke, Katanija W 92-61 (3rd)
MD9: vs Nova Anglicana (21) - Unity Centre, Riverside W 65-54 (2nd)
MD10: @Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom (41)

by **Mytanija** » Tue Feb 16, 2021 12:27 pm

ALPHABET HOOP - THOUGHTS ON MYTANAR BASKETBALL
by Almedina Radovanovic

MYTANIJA SAVE BEST PERFORMANCE OF THE GROUP STAGE UNTIL (SECOND) LAST

A young Mytanija line-up put in a tournament best performance in a dominant 101-76 victory in Maccian last night. Mirko Lazetic decided that the old hands had had their chance and turned to Zahir Dedic, Besir Sijercic, Mario Djokanovic and Tose Lekov with more regularity alongside the mainstays Zelimir Ateljevic and Evgeny Fomin. Lazetic changed between a wing-heavy approach and a tall line-up several times during the game, just when it appeared as if Maccian were getting to grips with one the coach would switch to the other and it would cause the Maccian players issues trying to adjust. When both Ateljevic and Sijercic were on the court Mytanija looked dynamic and could drive to the basket with more space on the floor, when all three of the young bigs (Fomin, Djokanovic and Lekov) were on the court Maccian struggled with Mytanija's physicality and with Fomin's passing ability. The presence of three players who all measure in at over 211cm left the Maccian players at times overpowered and it also created space away from the basket too, Dedic and Ateljevic cashing in on that specifically as both ended up perfect from three-point range for the night.

It was the best offensive showing Mytanija have managed in the whole tournament and the young line-up seemed to gel together a lot better than the more disparate older parts we have seen during this IBC. Dedic didn't commit a turnover, a refreshing change from Albin Jausovec's performances during this tournament, albeit against one of the weaker teams. Ateljevic was once again the team's leading scorer with 25 points (3/3 from 3pt range), but he also chipped in with a solid 8 rebounds and 7 assists. Evgeny Fomin seems to have found his feet after a difficult start and was once again the proud owner of a strong stat line, he scored a personal high of 16 points, with 7 assists of his own. Fomin was crucial on the defensive end with 6 rebounds and 2 blocks, he looks to have improved as the tournament has gone on and Mirko Lazetic will have confidence in him for next time. Stepan Bychkov will be slightly less pleased given his poor tournament, both Djokanovic and Lekov looked to be much more comfortable at this level and are likely to be preferred to him for the final group game against HUElavia.

Mytanija moved to 4-5 with this record and will finish no lower than 4th in the group, heading into this IBC that was probably around the objective that the MKA were looking to achieve. Qualification out of such a tough group was never realistic, with qualifying for the consolation group probably the goal the team were encouraged to shoot for but not expected to reach. That makes 4th place in the group a solid return from the tournament for Mytanija as the national team tries to establish itself in the multiversal game. Players like Ateljevic and Dedic have done their stock no harm whatsoever if scouts from stronger professional leagues have been casting their eye over some of the MKA Liga's young stars during this IBC. Mirko Lazetic has always maintained that those guys have the quality to play anywhere and Ateljevic's performances throughout this tournament have been the highlight on what has otherwise been an inconsistent team. Ateljevic's stats have been fantastic for a debut tournament at international level, the Košarka Esca wing has averaged 18.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game through this tournament. That looks to be something to build on for him individually and for Mytanija to build around as the national team looks to the future.

by **Nova Anglicana** » Tue Feb 16, 2021 1:15 pm

Lion's Roar

A SportsWorld Weblog

Can the Lions come back from this downward IBC trend?
by Omega Lion

Yeah, I know, big bummer right now.

The Nova Anglicana Lions national basketball team is back in the International Basketball Championships for the second straight cycle, and it's just about the end of the group stage. Despite a disappointing loss to Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom, a team that won its first four before losing its next four, the Lions started out 6-1 and hopes were high. But over the last two games, it's been pretty brutal. With a pivotal last game in the group stage against Srednjaci coming up, will the trend reverse itself or are the Lions just on a downward slide with no end in sight?

Through the first seven games, the Lions were 6-1, and had won five of their games by at least twenty-one points. They looked completely unstoppable. Up next was a home date with 2-5 Smosh games, who the Lions had already throttled, 83-52, in their first game against the squad. But game two would be anything but smooth. In the two quarters, the Lions made sloppy mistakes, turning the ball over 9 times, missing six free throws, and stumbling their way to a 34-33 lead. It was a miracle. Their decent defense was keeping them afloat, or else Smosh games would have taken advantage of their mistakes. They opened the third quarter with an 8-0 run, giving themselves some breathing room. In fact, the third quarter saw them outscore their opponents 27-19, their best quarter of the game. With a 61-52 lead going into the fourth, it looked like the Lions would be all right. But maybe they just weren't used to a close game in the fourth quarter (they'd only played two so far) or maybe they underestimated their opponents. Either way, it was a bad quarter. They turned the ball over four times, including on consecutive possessions, which let Smosh games cut the deficit to 69-66. Fortunately, their ability from the charity stripe came back just in time and they hit 6 of 8 free throws in the final two minutes to hold off Smosh games, 77-72. It was a win, but they had 15 turnovers and shot just 18-26 (69.2%) from the free throw line in the game. Do that against a better team, and it's a loss.

Up next was a road date with TJUN-ia. The 10th ranked Jaguars were the top seed in the group coming into the IBC, but looked nothing like it, stumbling to a 1-3 start, including a 30-point loss to the Lions. Jonathan Stephens scored 33 points in that game, so stopping him would be key for the Jaguars. They had won four in a row and were coming off a 92-61 demolition of Srednjaci on the road. They clearly had the momentum and it showed. They slowed the pace early, and only Stephens and Jimmy Haynes could get anything going in the first half, scoring 13 and 8 points, respectively. Overall, the Lions shot under 40% in the first half, under 30% from three-point land, and racked up six turnovers. Despite this, the game was tied, 33-all at the end of the first half. In the second half, the Lions attempted to speed up the tempo, subbing rapidly and trying to wear out the Jaguars with fast play. Unfortunately, for that to work, you still have to score. The Lions clanked shot after shot and the Jags turned to their bench, subbing in younger players who could run with the Lions and still defend. Despite putting up plenty of shots, the Lions scored just twenty-one points in the second half; their pace of play caught up with them and they succumbed to a superior Jags team. TJUN-ia won an ugly game, 65-54, the worst effort the Lions have turned in this IBC.

So at 7-2, the Lions are still in first place and still in control of their own destiny. Win their final game, and they advance to Delaclava. But standing in their way is Srednjaci. This scrappy Slavic squad nipped one-win Squidroidia, 81-79, to move to 6-3 and keep themselves alive for second group stage contention. They haven't been incredibly impressive, showing just a +21 point differential across their nine games, but they've won twice as many games as they have lost. They also nearly beat the Lions in Srednjaci last time out, with the Lions needing a three-point foul, trailing by two, to eke out a one-point win. If the Lions keep playing the way they have been playing, ie too many turnovers, missed free throws, poor shooting, they're going to get beaten. This is a hungry young team and they won't hesitate to go for the throat. The saving grace of the Lions has actually been their defense, which is allowing only 67.2 points/game, which is 5th-best in the whole tournament. They might be able to defend their way to a victory, but they've done best when scoring early and often. If they win, they'll be 8-2 and win the group. If they lose, and TJUN-ia wins, then TJUN-ia, Srednjaci, and the Lions are in a three-way tie at 7-3, and only two teams can advance. I don't want to leave it up to that; the Lions could miss out. So go to the game, watch it on TV, listen on the radio or just curl up in a fetal position on your bed and rock back and forth for about two hours, however you best root on the Lions!

EDIT: People are saying in the comments that if you look at the tiebreakers, we'd go through anyway. Let's check that. First tiebreaker is wins, so no resolution there. Head-to-head record is next. With a loss to Srednjaci, we'd be 2-2, looking at the other's schedules, TJUN-ia and Srednjaci split their head-to-head matchups, so everyone's 2-2. Okay, next is point differential overall. The Lions are on +125, while TJUN-ia is +28 and Srednjaci +21. In order for us not to go through, we'd need to lose to Srednjaci by more than 50 points and then TJUN-ia would also have to beat Zeta Reka by about 50 points. I'm assuming most people are referring to this when they say tiebreakers. Well, never say never. Unlikely, but it could happen.

Then we have head-to-head point differential. Prior to the game against Srednjaci, the Lions are +19 over TJUN-ia and +1 over Srednjaci, for +20. TJUN-ia is -19 to us and +20 over Srednjaci, so +1. Srednjaci is -1 to us and -20 to TJUN-ia, so -21. All that needs to happen here is for Srednjaci to win by 21 points or more, which if they're already beating us by more than 50 to get to this point, they will have. The final tiebreaker, drawing straws, becomes irrelevant because we'd have an awful H2H point differential. So my verdict is: never say never. If the dominoes fall right and the Lions have a really bad game, they could be eliminated. I don't think it will, but see note above about rooting for the Lions in the best way for you. Please just win and put this all out of our minds, guys!

More from Lion's Roar
IBS squad topples hosts, 11-5
Nova Anglicana's going to the World Junior Hockey Championships again
What to look for in NAFL season

(OOC: Logo at top shamelessly cribbed from Pride of Detroit, Detroit Lions blog. The opinions expressed above are the opinions of the writer and not necessarily indicative of the opinions of Nova Anglicans or the user behind Nova Anglicana.)

by **Drawkland** » Tue Feb 16, 2021 3:25 pm

The Revoda Sea Rivalry
Bitter Combat and Brotherly Love

Drawkland's hulking, lumbering mass of a continent has no neighbors. There is no line in the sand, real or imaginary, that separates the realm of the Drawkionels from another nation cowering in its shadow, or rising against it. To the Drawkians, there is no friendly or unfriendly neighbors to love or hate. There is simply the open water, and many miles of the brilliant blue expanse that forces you to understand mass transport concepts to go anywhere else.

This is half the reason that the early insatiable curiosity and seemingly endless resources of the early Drawkians didn't consume more of the planet. Ultimately, the impassable barriers of the open ocean at the time limited their attention to within their own shores. It seems that nobody was remotely nearby, and thus sea travel was not heavily developed.

It wouldn't be for a few centuries after the founding of Drawkland that brave sailors pushed the limits of their vessels, in search of a possible land beyond. To the east was the Oreme Ocean, a vast and warm expanse that proved too wide and bare for early sailors to cross. On the other side was Dreaglelun, who would become the geopolitical enemy of Drawkland for years to come. To the west was the Navis Ocean, a colder ocean that led to a mostly uninhabited continent and resulted in many colonies for Drawkland and other advanced nations around the globe. To the north laid the Foven Ocean, a cold and sluggish body that was home to the ice caps that held Sonnel's north pole. To the south ... was something entirely different.

Where the Navis Ocean and Oreme Ocean met was directly south of Drawkland. Intrepid sailors found a body too small to be its own ocean, and too large to be considered a strait. The nearly circular current caused by the intersection of the Navis and Oreme was a breeding ground for strange weather, but eventually explorers crossed it, finding a new continent as well as several island chains. Most importantly, they found new civilization. The second of these civilizations were the chaotic and divided kingdoms of what would become Juvencus.

This body of water would be named the Revoda Sea, and it would be the cradle for Drawkland's new international relations, as well as the hub for a three-way trade between Drawkland, the Suntae continental nations, and the island chain of MadMania.

In the early days, the chaotic and complex geopolitical climate of Juvencus's warring kingdoms led to few relations between Drawkland and the proto-Juven inhabitants. It wasn't until technology was well beyond the medieval age that the nation of Juvencus rose from the ashes of its many wars and conflicts. Ever since then, their unified power made them a more impressive nation in Sonnel's grand geopolitical scale.

Thanks to early good relations between the Drawkionels and Juvencus's first monarchs, the two nations enjoyed a good level of trade and alliance in the area. Drawkland, Juvencus, and MadMania dominated the trade in the Revoda Sea and beyond.

As society stabilizes, its appetite for entertainment increases massively. The concept of sports had long existed throughout Sonnel, but once the concept of international competition took hold, it had an immediate impact on the worldwide culture. Spectacles such as the first Sonnelian Olympics and Sonnel Cups drew a surprising amount of interest, and they became mainstays in the international calendar.

The concept of sports brings with it the idea of rivalries that don't have to result in fights to the death, and the international level of competition ramped the excitement to another level entirely. Geographical and cultural rivalries became the highlight of any international competition, and some of the greatest moments of early sporting history were recorded in such matchups. And while nobody can deny the bad blooded and culturally significant matchups of Drawkland vs Dreaglelun, or even a solid Juvencus vs Oscioru, few are as unique and friendly as the rivalry between Drawkland and Juvencus.

The early days of the rivalry were played in both kinds of "football", which were the biggest sports in Sonnel for a long time. More often than not, Drawkland would take the gridiron football wins, and Juvencus would respond with association football wins. The friendly and competitive matchups were well-attended and many paid attention thanks to the fact that both nations were such close friends and allies. Eventually the game would be named for the sea the two nations share.

The Revoda Sea Rivalry became a cultural phenomenon for the two nations, and even some of the neighbors around Suntae and the Sea itself. As more sports became more common, the rivalry extended to all of them, even reaching individual events between single athletes of both nations (such as Olympic sports) when applicable.

More important than the rivalry itself is the sentiment behind it. The best part of the Revoda Sea Rivalry is that anybody watching, whether Drawkian, Juven, or otherwise, can enjoy a hell of a game no matter who's sitting next to them. There may be bitter conflict on the field of play, but the brotherly love in the stands is what makes it perhaps Sonnel's greatest international sports rivalry. The upgrade to multiversal competition has only strengthened this bond. Because now, not only do both Drawkland and Juvencus fight for themselves, but they fight for the glory of Sonnel as a whole.

This is why we say both when we can ... On Corps, and Forza Juve. Glory to Sonnel.

by **Banija** » Tue Feb 16, 2021 3:44 pm

Part I

The Busukuma Post
Covering All of Banija, All of our News, All of the Time

Banija's Election- By the Numbers

Katikkiro Kobe Azizi leaving the official residence to go to the PPM Election Night Party

BUSUKUMA, NATIONAL CAPITOL REGION- Banijans have gone back to the polls! And with voting day two nights ago, and Count Day yesterday, the Banijan people have spoken, loud and clear. Kobe Azizi will be returned for a second term of government. The People's Protection Movement remained the largest party in the Lukiiko, as 229 members of their party have been elected to the 500 person unicameral legislature. Even though they had a slight increase in the popular vote, their share of the legislature actually fell.

They lost 9 seats, from 237 to 228 seats. A large portion of it was because with voter turnout increasing, the share of the independent and minor party vote shrank, inflating everybody's percentages besides the CRU. This was good news for Banija's third parties. While the PPM lost 9 seats and the CRU lost 14, the Christian Patriots League gained 16 seats while the Free Justice Party gained seven. Of course, these results meant that a lot stayed the same- the PPM is still the largest party, with the CRU behind them, the CPL behind the CRU, and the FJP behind all three. Voter turnout, of course, was at 72.41%.

Here are the short-form results.

Party	Popular Vote	Popular Vote Percentage	Vote Swing	Last Election Seats	Total Seats	Seat Percentage	Raw Seat Swing
Collective Resistance Union	17,451,000	32.17%	-1.15%	172	158	31.60%	-14
People's Protection Movement	21,164,000	39.02%	0.73%	237	228	45.60%	-9
Free Justice Party	4,046,300	7.46%	1.33%	22	29	5.80%	7
Christian Patriots League	10,437,000	19.24%	2.66%	67	83	16.60%	16

Of course, these numbers add up to 498. The Independent representative from Mukegara is member 499, and the Speaker is member 500.

Full Detailed Results. (OOC Note: Use "Election Four" for current Election Results. Election 1 is three elections ago, Election 2 is 2 elections ago, Election 3 is the previous Election, and Election is the current election).

Picture Form

What did we learn? What will we see for the next five years?

Observation #1- The Collective Resistance Union took a hit in the opposition

Maybe losing 14 seats doesn't seem all that bad. It's the law of the land. But let's take a look here- only three were lost via the proportional representation half of the election. The CRU lost, on net, 11 constituency seats. Of course, we had a bunch of re-drawn constituencies thanks to the census, but still. 158 total seats is far below where they expect to be at this point. They remain a long way away from Government, sitting over 70 seats behind the center-right PPM.

Their leader, of course, resigned. It is expected by most that they will turn to Xolile Lubabalo. While she has not made an official candidacy announcement, the former Ambassador to Chromatika and Banijan Minister of Justice is widely expected to officially announce for party leadership in the coming days. When you're already in the opposition, it should be easier to gain seats- it's not good for them to lose double digit seats while not in Government. She will have a lot of work to do to rebuild that party if she wants to sit on the Government benches.

Observation #2- CPL had a historic night for themselves

It's weird, of course- two different parties in a coalition government getting re-elected, but the junior partners gaining while the senior partners lose ground? Not what you'd expect. But CPL leadership worked hard to increase their seat share. Sixteen seats is a great haul. 7 more via proportional list, and capturing 9 more constituencies, which is incredibly difficult for a party of their size.

Where were their biggest gains? Look no further than the north. Hangaza, Aksum, Moravica- the sites of their biggest gains. They gained a pair of hotly contested seats in the Northern suburbs of Herzegovina City, taking one from the PPM and another from the CRU. In Aksum was their biggest gain, however. Aksum region lost a seat in re-apportionment, going from 20 to 19. But the CPL was able to break through, taking two seats from the CRU and two more from the PPM to go from 1 to 5 in the region. They flipped three seats their way in Hangaza as well, which was a region that lost two seats thanks to re-apportionment.

They did not fear the changing map. They were aggressive, and were rewarded. Which leads us to lesson #3.

Observation #3- PPM announces they will run a minority government

Now, this is shocking. But is it as shocking as it seems? A minority government has never been run on the national level before in Banija's history, with parties usually favoring stabilizing coalition governments. But it's not impossible. It's been run in all sorts of parliamentary democracies around Atlantian Oceania and beyond, as well as in various regions in the country. The situation is weird- losing seats, yet going from stable coalition to minority government?

Kobe Azizi said that the Parliamentary math "works as such that we can effectively govern the country as a minority government. It'll refresh the chamber and the political system- the PPM will lead the way in cross-party cooperation, consistently asking for bipartisanship." But here is what the Katikkiro did not say. The CPL is coming in hard on the PPM's right flank. If the PPM view the CPL as a bigger rival to take care of right now at this moment than the CRU, then this move makes complete sense.

And the math does work. 229 Mkiikos in the minority government, 269 in opposition. Of course, in a tie, the Speaker will vote with the Government. So you need 250 to pass anything. But they can work with various parties. Any party can give them a majority on bills, so they can work with, say, the CPL on legislation in some areas, and the FJP in others. It's unlikely they'll work with the CRU, but obviously that math also works.

Keep a close eye on the PPM's rhetoric towards the CPL. If they really do feel their right flank is under attack, then expect a lot of sniping and back and forth between Kobe Azizi and the Christian Patriots League.

Observation #4- Curiosities in Busukuma

The nation's capitol, of course, went from 5 to 8 seats, a large increase of 3 seats. Giving it the region with the smallest constituencies in the country, a few interesting things happened. First, a historic election, with a Farf-majority district drawn in Southeastern Busukuma. They have elected a member of their own community, of course, as a CRU legislator, who was Farf born and Banijan raised, was elected to the Lukiiko.

Second, the CRU arguably underperformed here. Now, we know- nearly 50% of the popular vote and 75% of the seats. But many commentators thought the CRU would sweep the 8 seats here. The FJP and PPM both won a seat, as they both won seats in the northern section of Busukuma. We'll have to see how hotly competitive those seats are in 5 years time, when we do this whole thing all over again.

by **Sarzonia** » Tue Feb 16, 2021 4:21 pm

Woodstock Daily Mail

Manningham files wrongful termination lawsuit

By Kody Clark
Daily Mail Staff Writer

Former Sarzonian national basketball team manager Thomas Manningham filed a wrongful termination lawsuit in Woodstock District Court related to his dismissal with two matches remaining in the group stage of the International Basketball Championships.

The lawsuit seeks $2.75 million in damages related to "character assassination" and an additional $7.5 million in punitive damages. The lawsuit names the Incorporated Basketball Federation Board of Governors and IBF Chairman Joseph Rawlings as co-defendants.

A spokeswoman for Rawlings declined to comment, citing IBF policies against commenting on pending litigation. A spokesman for the Board of Governors also declined comment.

The Stars, meanwhile, won a vital match against Filindostan 64-57 in interim manager Joy Knight's first match behind 18 points from Mike West. West refused to answer questions about the lawsuit, referring questions to the IBF. Privately, however, a source familiar with West's thinking said the shooting guard was "furious" with Rawlings.

"He realises that people are going to blame him for [Manningham's firing], but that's not the only reason," the source said on condition of anonymity in order to speak candidly about the decision. "He respects Coach Manningham and has a strong working relationship with him."

Knight said she and assistant Kyle Trenton were keeping Manningham's offence and defence.

"It's rather late in the competition to change who we are as a basketball team," she said.

Knight may have limited opportunity to change things with the Stars. A source familiar with the Board of Governors' deliberations said Vice Chairman Sydney Spaulding is proposing a vote to oust Rawlings as chairman, citing "failure to consult with the Board in a unilateral decision." Board member Lynn Trask reportedly seconded the motion. Board bylaws require a two-thirds vote for removal.

"[Spaulding] has the votes for removal," the source said. "The fact that Trask is the one to second the motion is damaging for Joe. She was his biggest proponent when he ran for board chair." Spaulding is not expected to seek the chairmanship if Rawlings is removed.

"This whole thing is a boondoggle," the source said.

by **HUElavia** » Tue Feb 16, 2021 4:29 pm

HUElavia Humbled by Banija in Close Game.

HUElavia 63–77 Banija
(Palacio de los Reyes, Curumba)

Coming into Matchday 9, HUElavia was sitting in 2nd place in Group H and was needing a victory to secure their spot in the Final Tournament. The only problem? Needing to play against No. 1 and already qualified Banija. Despite having the daunting task of taking on the best team in Basketball, Los Amarillos/Os Amarelos were determined to give it their best in this important match. In a sold-out Palacio de los Reyes in Curumba, the team had their full squad ready for the match. The ball tipped and the game was underway.

Despite efforts from HUElavia, Banija was just dominant throughout the match and maintained the lead at a small but healthy distance. Banija was led by Bullo, who had 22 points and 14 assists in a dominant game by the small forward. He was followed by Ceesay, who had 18 points and 15 assists to his name. For HUElavia, it was Dubuc who led the team, with 19 points to his name, and 16 assists. He was followed by Hui, who had 16 points and 13 assists. Regardless, Banija held out and won the game, 63-77, causing HUElavia to get swept by the Lions.

With the loss, HUElavia have a 5-4 record, but stay in 2nd Place with their point differential. For the Final Group H game, HUElavia travels to Mytanija, who are in contention to qualify to the Final Tournament, despite being with a 4-5 record. HUElavia makes the Final Tournament if they win their final game. Mytanija makes the tournament if they win and Græntfjall loses to Maccian. Græntfjall makes the tournament with victory and HUElavia's loss. For HUElavia, they need to go out there and go for the victory, especially since the message is "Win and you're in." Regardless, the fans will be tuning in, where the sport has had an uptick in popularity in the country, while the team continues to practice and study film for the game. Here's to what can be a historic game in HUElavian Basketball History!

FORCA HUELAVIA! VAMOS HUELAVIA! GO HUELAVIA!

by **Delaclava** » Tue Feb 16, 2021 7:16 pm

We've reached the last game of the qualifying round! Thanks to all sixty teams for participating thus far. But now, either this is the end... or congratulations! You're a survivor! Come on down to Delaclava and let's keep the party going!

Day 10 cutoff!

To all the eliminated teams, thank you for participating and we hope to see you back for IBC32! For the thirty teams still playing, I am working on your group draws now and you should expect them later tonight.

Teams in green have qualified for the Final Group Stage.
Teams in orange have qualified for the Consolation Round.

Group A
Hebitaka 68–61 Equestrian States of Poland
Saint-Domingues 90–78 Pemecutan
Delaclava 65–75 Valanora

Group A                              Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Delaclava                             10    9   1   848  660 +188
2 Valanora                              10    9   1   783  621 +162
3 Saint-Domingues                       10    6   4   780  772   +8
4 Hebitaka                              10    3   7   721  788  −67
5 Pemecutan                             10    3   7   687  783  −96
6 Equestrian States of Poland           10    0  10   613  808 −195

Group B
Equestria 84–78 Cassadaigua
Kriegiersien 80–66 Crystal Empire
Silvedania 94–79 United Vietussia

Group B                              Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Kriegiersien                          10    8   2   798  716  +82
2 Equestria                             10    8   2   756  682  +74
3 Crystal Empire                        10    5   5   811  797  +14
4 Cassadaigua                           10    4   6   773  805  −32
5 Silvedania                            10    3   7   744  783  −39
6 United Vietussia                      10    2   8   688  787  −99

Group C
Squidroidia 83–74 Smosh games
Zeta Reka and Hügeltaldom 65–90 TJUN-ia
Nova Anglicana 94–65 Srednjaci

Group C                              Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Nova Anglicana                        10    8   2   824  670 +154
2 TJUN-ia                               10    7   3   781  728  +53
3 Srednjaci                             10    6   4   761  769   −8
4 Zeta Reka and Hügeltaldom             10    5   5   762  769   −7
5 Smosh games                           10    2   8   694  785  −91
6 Squidroidia                           10    2   8   716  817 −101

Group D
Kohnhead 91–82 Vangaziland
Chromatika 84–63 Crilland
Royal Kingdom of Quebec 96–63 East Lemyone

Group D                              Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Royal Kingdom of Quebec               10    9   1   838  673 +165
2 Chromatika                            10    8   2   837  706 +131
3 Kohnhead                              10    5   5   748  762  −14
4 Vangaziland                           10    5   5   718  718    0
5 East Lemyone                          10    2   8   670  823 −153
6 Crilland                              10    1   9   647  776 −129

Kohnhead advances to the Consolation Round with a 2-0 record against Vangaziland.

Group E
Southwest Eastnorth 49–89 Drawkland
Juvencus 84–79 United Volcano Isles
Omerica 83–69 Oscioru

Group E                              Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Drawkland                             10    8   2   772  664 +108
2 Omerica                               10    6   4   772  745  +27
3 Juvencus                              10    6   4   762  752  +10
4 Southwest Eastnorth                   10    4   6   697  736  −39
5 Oscioru                               10    3   7   735  773  −38
6 United Volcano Isles                  10    3   7   747  815  −68

Omerica and Juvencus split their games 1-1.
Omerica advances to the FInal Group Stage on overall point differential.

Group F
Ethane 69–68 Sarzonia
Filindostan 74–79 Nateros Sill
Valladares 97–75 Hannasea

Group F                              Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Filindostan                           10    6   4   768  754  +14
2 Sarzonia                              10    6   4   736  662  +74
3 Valladares                            10    6   4   795  773  +22
4 Hannasea                              10    6   4   794  775  +19
5 Ethane                                10    4   6   734  763  −29
6 Nateros Sill                          10    2   8   705  805 −100

Among the four 6-4 teams, the overall head-to-head records stand: Filindostan 4-2, Sarzonia 3-3, Valladares 3-3, Hannasea 2-4. This eliminates Hannasea from all contention (Finals or Consolation) and advances Filindostan to the Final Group Stage.
Sarzonia and Valladares split their games 1-1. Sarzonia advances to the Final Group Stage on overall point differential. Valladares advances to the Consolation Round.

Group G
Rwekazaland 61–94 Trolleborg
Mapletish 96–61 Khytonya
Xanneria 77–81 Newmanistan

Group G                              Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Newmanistan                           10   10   0   848  665 +183
2 Mapletish                             10    5   5   756  731  +25
3 Xanneria                              10    5   5   741  729  +12
4 Trolleborg                            10    4   6   759  811  −52
5 Rwekazaland                           10    4   6   726  788  −62
6 Khytonya                              10    2   8   698  804 −106

Mapletish and Xanneria split their games 1-1.
Mapletish advances to the Final Group Stage on overall point differential.

Group H
Banija 77–73 Baker Park
Græntfjall 96–76 Maccian
Mytanija 86–65 HUElavia

Group H                              Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Banija                                10   10   0   858  653 +205
2 Græntfjall                            10    6   4   750  723  +27
3 Mytanija                              10    5   5   718  759  −41
4 HUElavia                              10    5   5   747  721  +26
5 Baker Park                            10    2   8   700  775  −75
6 Maccian                               10    2   8   703  845 −142

Mytanija advances to the Consolation Round with a 2-0 record against HUElavia.

Group I
United States of the Adirondacks 58–71 Marigred
Qasden 77–70 Acastanha
Hispinas 69–97 Lisander

Group I                              Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Lisander                              10    8   2   878  679 +199
2 Qasden                                10    7   3   800  751  +49
3 Acastanha                             10    6   4   781  778   +3
4 Hispinas                              10    4   6   803  833  −30
5 Marigred                              10    3   7   782  860  −78
6 United States of the Adirondacks      10    2   8   686  829 −143

Group J
Abanhfleft 71–71 Wizcity (86–75 OT)
Savigliane 90–74 Sannyamathland
Northwest Kalactin 71–71 Indusse (84–77 OT)

Group J                              Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Abanhfleft                            10    9   1   840  675 +165
2 Indusse                               10    7   3   808  739  +69
3 Northwest Kalactin                    10    6   4   764  690  +74
4 Savigliane                            10    4   6   735  790  −55
5 Sannyamathland                        10    3   7   685  812 −127
6 Wizcity                               10    1   9   678  804 −126

by **Delaclava** » Tue Feb 16, 2021 11:27 pm

Here we are! Welcome, at last, to the United Republic of Delaclava! Twenty teams, favorites and underdogs alike, have emerged from the Qualifying Round with the chance to take the title, seven games away from glory. Ten teams will also make the trip to get a little bit more international experience, take in the sights and sounds of high-stakes basketball, and find the motivation to do even better at IBC32!

I will replicate much of the scheduling, location, and venue information in this thread, but if something is not fully addressed here, please refer back to the OP and to this IC information post, both of which I will update as needed.

Final Group Stage

The twenty teams - top two from each qualifying group - are sorted into four groups of five to play a single round-robin. Standings will be determined by Wins, head-to-head record, overall point differential, then RP bonus. The top two teams from each group, for a total of eight teams, will advance to the quarterfinals.

For the draw, the teams are organized into pots based on their ranking. Qualifying performance does not affect these pots (although, as usual, the RP bonus you have accumulated will increase your chances of success). The Pots are as follows:

Pot 1: Banija (1), Newmanistan (2), Royal Kingdom of Quebec (3), Drawkland (4)
Pot 2: Valanora (5), Sarzonia (6), Equestria (7), Lisander (8)
Pot 3: Abanhfleft (9), Kriegiersien (10), TJUN-ia (10), Qasden (15)
Pot 4: Omerica (16), Græntfjall (17), Delaclava (20), Nova Anglicana (21)
Pot 5: Chromatika (25), Filindostan (32), Indusse (35), Mapletish (UR)

To start the draw, Delaclava was placed from Pot 4 into Group A. The other teams were then randomly drawn into Groups A-D. The order of the groups, for the purposes of fixture schedules, was then randomized at the end (with Delaclava moved to team #1 in Group A). The groups are:

Group A (Athens and Arana)
Delaclava (20)
Kriegiersien (10)
Lisander (8)
Newmanistan (2)
Mapletish (UR)

Group B (Valeina and Quinniville)
Qasden (15)
Indusse (35)
Drawkland (4)
Græntfjall (17)
Equestria (7)

Group C (Corcorran and Carnstone)
Sarzonia (6)
Chromatika (25)
Banija (1)
Omerica (16)
TJUN-ia (10)

Group D (Crystal Lake and Orton City)
Royal Kingdom of Quebec (3)
Abanhfleft (9)
Filindostan (32)
Nova Anglicana (21)
Valanora (5)

The schedules with venue information are as follows:
Group A
Day 1 - Kriegiersien vs. Mapletish @ Charybdis Hall, Athens; Lisander vs. Newmanistan @ Charybdis Hall; Delaclava OFF
Day 2 - Mapletish vs. Lisander @ Triamvos, Athens; Delaclava vs. Kriegiersien @ Charybdis Hall; Newmanistan OFF
Day 3 - Lisander vs. Delaclava @ Charybdis Hall; Newmanistan vs. Mapletish @ Aces Astro Arena, Arana; Kriegiersien OFF
Day 4 - Delaclava vs. Newmanistan @ Biotheque Center, Arana; Kriegiersien vs. Lisander @ Aces Astro Arena; Mapletish OFF
Day 5 - Newmanistan vs. Kriegiersien @ Biotheque Center; Mapletish vs. Delaclava @ Biotheque Center; Lisander OFF

Group B
Day 1 - Indusse vs. Equestria @ OmegaComm Center, Valeina; Drawkland vs. Græntfjall @ OmegaComm Center; Qasden OFF
Day 2 - Equestria vs. Drawkland @ OmegaComm Center; Qasden vs. Indusse @ Frostbyte Court, Valeina; Græntfjall OFF
Day 3 - Drawkland vs. Qasden @ Frostbyte Court; Græntfjall vs. Equestria @ Morrison Court, Quinniville; Indusse OFF
Day 4 - Qasden vs. Græntfjall @ TeQIT Arena, Quinniville; Indusse vs. Drawkland @ Morrison Court; Equestria OFF
Day 5 - Græntfjall vs. Indusse @ TeQIT Arena; Equestria vs. Qasden @ TeQIT Arena; Drawkland OFF

Group C
Day 1 - Chromatika vs. TJUN-ia @ Flash Forum, Corcorran; Banija vs. Omerica @ Flash Forum; Sarzonia OFF
Day 2 - TJUN-ia vs. Banija @ Flash Forum; Sarzonia vs. Chromatika @ Press Court, Corcorran; Omerica OFF
Day 3 - Banija vs. Sarzonia @ Flash Forum; Omerica vs. TJUN-ia @ St. Ives Hall, Carnstone; Chromatika OFF
Day 4 - Sarzonia vs. Omerica @ St. Ives Hall; Chromatika vs. Banija @ Crème de la Crema Hall, Carnstone; TJUN-ia OFF
Day 5 - Omerica vs. Chromatika @ Crème de la Crema Hall; TJUN-ia vs. Sarzonia @ Crème de la Crema Hall; Banija OFF

Group D
Day 1 - Abanhfleft vs. Valanora @ Spydr Court, Crystal Lake; Filindostan vs. Nova Anglicana @ Spydr Court; Royal Kingdom of Quebec OFF
Day 2 - Valanora vs. Filindostan @ Onyx Productions Arena, Crystal Lake; Royal Kingdom of Quebec vs. Abanhfleft @ Spydr Court; Nova Anglicana OFF
Day 3 - Filindostan vs. Royal Kingdom of Quebec @ Brass Motors Arena, Orton City; Nova Anglicana vs. Valanora @ Onyx Productions Arena; Abanhfleft OFF
Day 4 - Royal Kingdom of Quebec vs. Nova Anglicana @ Forest Hills Garden, Orton City; Abanhfleft vs. Filindostan @ Brass Motors Arena; Valanora OFF
Day 5 - Nova Anglicana vs. Abanhfleft @ Brass Motors Arena; Valanora vs. Royal Kingdom of Quebec @ Brass Motors Arena; Filindostan OFF

The general schedule with dates:

Thursday 2/18 — Final Group Stage Day 1
Friday 2/19 — Final Group Stage Day 2
Saturday 2/20 — Final Group Stage Day 3
Sunday 2/21 — Final Group Stage Day 4
Monday 2/22 — Final Group Stage Day 5

Wednesday 2/24 — Quarterfinals - A1 vs. B2, C1 vs. D2, B1 vs. A2, D1 vs. C2; Classification Playoffs 9th-20th
Friday 2/26 — Semifinals; Placement Games 9th-20th; Classification Playoffs 5th-8th
Saturday 2/27 — Third Place Playoff; 5th and 7th Place Games
Sunday 2/28 — IBC 31 Championship Game

Consolation Round

Welcome to the ten teams taking part in this trial Consolation Round! We hope you enjoy the trip to Delaclava and continue to develop your team over these few additional games. The ten teams will be drawn into two groups of five.

The Pots are as follows:
Pot 1: Valladares (12), Northwest Kalactin (13)
Pot 2: Juvencus (22), Xanneria (34), Kohnhead (41), Crystal Empire (51)
Pot 3: Saint-Domingues (UR), Srednjaci (UR), Mytanija (UR), Acastanha (UR)

Valladares is placed in Group E, and Northwest Kalactin in Group F. Two teams from each pot are drawn into each group, and the fixture order is then randomized.

Group E
Xanneria (34)
Valladares (12)
Saint-Domingues (UR)
Juvencus (22)
Srednjaci (UR)

Group F
Crystal Empire (51)
Acastanha (UR)
Northwest Kalactin (13)
Mytanija (UR)
Kohnhead (41)

All games are played at the Delaclava National Athletic Complex in the capital of Catherina. Group schedules are as follows:

Group E
Day 1 - Valladares vs. Srednjaci @ Peterson Arena; Saint-Domingues vs. Juvencus @ Peterson Arena; Xanneria OFF
Day 2 - Srednjaci vs. Saint-Domingues; Xanneria vs. Valladares @ Peterson Arena; Juvencus OFF
Day 3 - Saint-Domingues vs. Xanneria @ Green Court; Juvencus vs. Srednjaci @ Rydan Woodsmith Memorial Court; Valladares OFF
Day 4 - Xanneria vs. Juvencus @ Gerhart DeNancy Court; Valladares vs. Saint-Domingues @ The Amphitheatre; Srednjaci OFF
Day 5 - Juvencus vs. Valladares @ The Amphitheatre; Srednjaci vs. Xanneria @ The Amphitheatre; Saint-Domingues OFF

Group F
Day 1 - Acastanha vs. Kohnhead @ Peterson Arena; Northwest Kalactin vs. Mytanija @ Peterson Arena; Crystal Empire OFF
Day 2 - Kohnhead vs. Northwest Kalactin; Crystal Empire vs. Acastanha @ Peterson Arena; Mytanija OFF
Day 3 - Northwest Kalactin vs. Crystal Empire @ Jason Pierce Court; Mytanija vs. Kohnhead @ Gerhart DeNancy Court; Acastanha OFF
Day 4 - Crystal Empire vs. Mytanija @ Rydan Woodsmith Memorial Court; Acastanha vs. Northwest Kalactin @ The Amphitheatre; Kohnhead OFF
Day 5 - Mytanija vs. Acastanha @ The Amphitheatre; Kohnhead vs. Crystal Empire @ The Amphitheatre; Northwest Kalactin OFF

The general schedule with dates:

Thursday 2/18 — Consolation Stage Day 1
Friday 2/19 — Consolation Stage Day 2
Saturday 2/20 — Consolation Stage Day 3
Sunday 2/21 — Consolation Stage Day 4
Monday 2/22 — Consolation Stage Day 5

Wednesday 2/24 — Placement Games 21st-30th

As always, please let me know if you have any questions. I will see you all on Thursday! Good luck!

World Cup 81/82/83/84

Hoopsters push Banj to the limit
by Randi Miller
for The Ezra Tribune

On the final night of the International Basketball Championship for the Baker Park National Team, Banija played host looking to wrap up a perfect qualifying round ahead of the second stage; although 9-0 against 2-7 doesn't have marquee appeal, the defending World and AO Champions weren't going to give the starters a night off, although talisman and team leader Labanzi Nabongo had previously been ruled out for rest for his 33 year old body.

This was Baker Park, and whether the motivation was a perfect record in the group, a desire to inflict another defeat on their nation's regional friend & rival, or whether there was a measure of respect intended in not treating the contest as playing out the string, the home team (and crowd) put in a full effort for 40 minutes, and good thing they did.

The Blues & Reds came out firing early and often, racing to a 10-5 lead in their first six trips up the court, which they pushed to a 7 point lead at the first media timeout; the 1-3-1 zone didn't appear to faze the BP backcourt in the same way it did in Ezriquay, with drives into the gaps and faster ball movement.

The hosts kept the gap at a manageable level until the end of the quarter, Baker Park getting through 10 minutes ahead 22-17. The Lions second unit provided a spark, an 8-4 run closing the gap to 1 and forcing Snider into a 30 second timeout. Park maintained the lead through the rest of the half, going to the locker room up 40-38 at the break, and a buzz of worry could be sensed in the crowd.

The second half was a repeat of the first, as the Commonwealth jumped out to a 6 point advantage before Banija found a rhythm to get ahead for the first time in the game; leading 60-55 with :47 left in the 3rd quarter, the home side showed an uncharacteristic chink in their armor as they & BP embarked on a frantic 15 second sequence.
Working quickly to try for a 2 for 1 possession by looking for a shot early in the shot clock, the Lions found center Sadio Bartaba, who saw Ezekiel Bullo out of the corner of his eye breaking towards the basket; David Ennis deflected the pass, causing the ball to hit the front of the rim, striking Bullo in the face, followed by a dive to the floor by the immediate actors.
The ball rolls straight to Neveah Jackson, who looks to find Colin Walsh streaking down the far sideline, but Faye intercepts; dribbling forward he spots Bullo back on his feet and laser points a pass in that direction, only to be cut off by Jackson, who finds Walsh alone under the Baker Park basket, his dunk cutting the lead to three.

With the shot clock off, Banija look to have the last word after 30 minutes, as all five players in blue have a foot touching the paint under the basket; Ennis taunts Bullo, and their exchange brings on the catcalls from the stands.
With :09 left, the Lions jump to life & Ennis moves beyond the top of the key to force the play. Faye looks to lob a pass over his 6'9" frame, which is swatted back; as the Banijan retrieves the ball, his heel touches the midcourt line.

The Hannasean official was in the perfect position, and confident the violation occurred.
Banijan Head Coach Isaiah Lavaga pleaded his case--the deflection wiped out the over and back--but the rules were against him; the ball hadn't been deflected into the backcourt, so the half-court line violation applied.

Snider used the free timeout to draw up a play to get a final shot within :04--Quincy Wallace subbed in for Ennis, Keith Rosario in for Walsh.

The whistle to signal the ball in play set off a right handed cyclone movement, all four BP players moving in sequence, ending up with Jackson catching the inbounds pass just slightly left of the free throw circle, behind the three point line.

The buzzer to end the quarter was easily heard, as only a few hundred fans behind the visitors bench were celebrating. 60-60 with ten minutes left; Snider screamed to the players on the floor "GET OVER HERE!" and celebrated the unexpected bonus of standing toe to toe with the Champions with one quarter left in the campaign.

Although there was no miracle fourth quarter--the final margin is flattering thanks to a last second layup, in reality it was foul trouble down the stretch that doomed the upset challenge--the team refused to hang their heads in defeat; a number of the folks in the crowd shouted out support as the team exited the floor.

For Snider, the post game comments were a chance to reflect on the entire experience:

"I'm extremely proud of my team tonight; we came here having been beaten by 35 points per game in our last two meetings with Banija. What did I say after the AOBC? If we could cut the net difference in every quarter, we'd have a chance down the line. We gave up 77 there, and 77 tonight, so I think I proved my point.

It has been an enormous privilege to have been the coach of the national team. My mother has held this job, my godmother has held this job. I've got one little thing neither of them do--a place as the first coach of a mixed gender national team. I have enjoyed spending this time with all of the squad, the coaches & support staff. We've had a lot of fun together; it's a lot more fun when you're winning, but that doesn't mean that the everyday interaction and routine has no positive influence on us when things are going your way.

This will be the last time I lead the Baker Park national team, because it's clear that if we're going to be competing at this level, this should be a role held by a coach from the professional ranks. I'm thankful that I had the counsel of two excellent coaches from the CBA ranks, who helped a college coach through this tournament with the advice and support that she needed. I want to thank Mr Lavaga for his encouraging words earlier, it was an honor to match wits with him. He told me back in Ezriquay that he had read my mom's book, which makes one of us! (laughter)

Thank you all, I've been blessed to be able to do this thing I love and to be able to do so on behalf of the Commonwealth."

by **Srednjaci** » Wed Feb 17, 2021 5:17 am

The new debacle of our basketball players has pushed us from a position to go to the IBC to a position in the consolation competition.

The Srenjaci were destroyed away from the hosts Nova Anglicana with a high 94:65, 29 points difference.
Worried about the defeat is the fact that we have fallen out of shape and form.
A day of rest will come in handy for everyone.
Against the Nova Anglicana we had no chance from the start. The Nova Anglicana players immediately imposed authority and play.
Our defense was static and slow to react. The attack was without an idea and came down to what Paradinović, Matković and Kotromanović would do. Everyone else failed.

Matković was in the best mood, scoring 28 points in 36 minutes of the game, adding 10 assists and 4 rebounds, Paradinovic scored a modest 16 points for him.
The Nova Anglicana players obviously studied our game well and stopped our strikers. One gets the impression that they let Matković shoot in order to close the others knowing that one player cannot win alone.
Tomljanović is pale in the game, unstable in defense and scored only 7 points in attack.
These qualifiers are behind us, big oscillations after the first part in which we were great to a complete abyss in the second part of the qualifiers.

Based on that first part of the competition by qualifying groups, we got the impression that we could have done more.
But on the other hand the way we lost to Nova Anglicana and TJUN-ia tells us that we are in deficit with equally quality players from the bench. We don't have such a large width on the bench that could replace the top five with dignity.
Not bad for the first performance at all, we have the opportunity to play further and try to play as well as possible in our group.

The competition goes on for us in a slightly different format.
The competition is divided into IBC and Consolation.

IBC

20 teams went to the main competition, all holders.
They are divided into 4 groups of 5 teams.

Group A (Athens and Arana)
Delaclava (20)
Kriegiersien (10)
Lisander (8)
Newmanistan (2)
Mapletish (UR)

Group B (Valeina and Quinniville)
Qasden (15)
Indusse (35)
Drawkland (4)
Græntfjall (17)
Equestria (7)

Group C (Corcorran and Carnstone)
Sarzonia (6)
Chromatika (25)
Banija (1)
Omerica (16)
TJUN-ia (10)

Group D (Crystal Lake and Orton City)
Royal Kingdom of Quebec (3)
Abanhfleft (9)
Filindostan (32)
Nova Anglicana (21)
Valanora (5)

CONSOLATION

There are 10 teams in this competition and they are divided into two groups of 5 teams each!

Srednjaci are in POT 3 with other non-holder national teams and were third in their qualifying groups.
Pot 3: Saint-Domingues (UR), Srednjaci (UR), Mytanija (UR), Acastanha (UR)
We were drawn into group E.

Group E
Xanneria (34)
Valladares (12)
Saint-Domingues (UR)
Juvencus (22)
Srednjaci (UR)

Group F
Crystal Empire (51)
Acastanha (UR)
Northwest Kalactin (13)
Mytanija (UR)
Kohnhead (41)

We will see if manager Vitasović will make some changes or changes.
We hope that the days of bad games are behind us and that we can follow the rhythm and success of our young baseball players Neptune Tara who are doing a great job in Banija.
Here is an overview of our matches on the way to IBC Delaclava.

ROAD TO IBC DELACLAVA

Zeta Reka and Hügeltaldom 88–66 Srednjaci

Srednjaci 75–56 Smosh games

TJUN-ia 77–87 Srednjaci

Squidroidia 67–92 Srednjaci

Srednjaci 73–74 Nova Anglicana

Srednjaci 84–79 Zeta Reka and Hügeltaldom

Smosh games 63–77 Srednjaci

Srednjaci 61–92 TJUN-ia

Srednjaci 81–79 Squidroidia

Nova Anglicana 94-65 Srednjaci

Group C                              Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Nova Anglicana                        10    8   2   824  670 +154
2 TJUN-ia                               10    7   3   781  728  +53
3 Srednjaci                             10    6   4   761  769   −8
4 Zeta Reka and Hügeltaldom             10    5   5   762  769   −7
5 Smosh games                           10    2   8   694  785  −91
6 Squidroidia                           10    2   8   716  817 −101

by **Indusse** » Wed Feb 17, 2021 6:27 am

The Continuation of Gaspillage Adventures, a story written by Baskar H Ki. Read from the start till the end. The whole edition will be published soon..

Gaspillage Adventures

... "Will we get Chavo here?" Donald was puzzled. What could by Chavo? He hasn't heard about the so called substance. He asked the extra Terrestrials "Hello, This is Earth. What is Chavo?". The Aliens continued "First, let us introduce ourselves. I'm Kim, he's Tim and that's Sim. We need Chavo, it's our food. Don't you guys have it?" Still, Donald couldn't understand a thing about the Chavo. Tim came forward and said "Chavo! Chavo? You people call or something else wait the word was a title to our commander. Let me check my extraterrestrial encyclopedia. Yes! It's clef Karbage. Karbage! Where can we get that!" Donald was smiling now, "is it Garbage?" he asked. The Aliens shook their head in a act of acceptance. Donald took them with him n
to the outskirts of the city. The Outskirts of the city is not a place where many live. The place is full of factories and godowns. The Outskirts were known as The Leggerand. It was the place where the city waste management center was situated. Donald took them there and with the very sight of garbage in the city waste dump, the three extra Terrestrials leaped into the hill of garbage. Donald was shocked first, he ran to them and asked "You okay?". They were busy munching and said "Yum, Perfectly Ok! This is Chavo, err... Karbage." Donald was struck dumb, he thought they eat Garbage. How weird! Then ever look like walking garbages... The Aliens asked "are there more Chavo?" "Yes! That building is filled with it!" replied Donald.

To be continued...

by **TJUN-ia** » Wed Feb 17, 2021 7:02 am

After a vital win in Riverside's final home game saw us extend our winning run to 5 in a row, Bao Zhou and his Hoops-Jags have certainly been a comeback story for the ages and one unseen before in the history of TJUN-ia as a whole. At 1-3, many were questioning if our run in IBC30 was a fluke but now, at 6-3, Zhou and his team have produced a turnaround that has made the 3-2 to 8-2 run 2 years ago seem like nothing in comparison. But the job wasn't fully complete just yet and heading into the final game of this stage, on the road at a 5-4 Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom, the scenario for us was simple: win and hopefully, we'll be in depending on how Srednjaci do against Nova Anglicana.

When we first played the Rekans, we were 1-3 and they were 4-0. Now here in their homeland, we were 6-3 and they were 5-4 - a sudden turnaround in fortunes for both nations. That would be shown for definite, as the fired-up Jags tore the Rekan apart on their home court with play befitting of the tied 10th ranked nation in the IBC. All 5 of our guys played like clockwork out on the court and our hosts could produce little in return, except for a good performance by Marko Zec at Power-forward. Travarius Okuramangawa was producing 3s like magic, José Peñalez as well, while DeMarcus Winston and Mindaugas Karnišovas were nightmares on the run - especially on the form this team was on. If Zeta tried to attack, they would be marked by the big man in Jean-Jacques Mpolando and he would stifle most scoring opportunities in contest. I know I've not mentioned the points much but in truth, it wasn't close. TJUN-ia advanced to Delaclava through a 25-point demolition of Zeta Raka, a display that showed our future opponents that (despite the bad start) this team is ready to take anyone on.

Nova won this group at 8-2, we finished 2nd at 7-3 and debutants Srednjaci qualified for the consolation tournament at 6-4. In the end, we advanced like many expected - just via peculiar means. Our reward for this achievement was Pot 3 for the draw, based on pre-tournament rankings, and one of the toughest groups out of the 4 the mark this Finals Group Stage. We begin against Chromatika, ranked 25th and 2nd in their group, before we must face the kings themselves - defending champions Banija, ranked 1st in the world and 1 of 2 teams to finish their group unbeaten at 10-0. Then we face 16th ranked Omerica (who finished 2nd in their group) in a repeat of our IBC30 Round of 16 contest that should be very interesting indeed. We then have a bye on MD4 before the final-day showdown with 6th ranked and 2nd place on tiebreaker Sarzonia, a team that fired their coach that we play against 4 years ago. This group will be as tough as nails but if we want to prove out Top 10 ranking wasn't a fluke, then it's these teams we must play and win against. The Zhou Dynasty will enter this gauntlet looking for a 2nd quarterfinals appearance in a row. GO JAGS!

SCHEDULE (Group C)
MD1: @Smosh games (UR) L 73-75 (4th)
MD2: @Squidroidia (35) - Mako Arena, Inkopolis W 76-65 (5th)
MD3: vs Srednjaci (UR) - Unity Centre, Riverside L 77-87 (5th)
MD4: @Nova Anglicana (21) - National Arena, Londinium L 58-88 (5th)
MD5: vs Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom (41) - Unity Centre, Riverside W 79-74 (5th/2-3/-26PD)
----------------------------Break----------------------------
MD6: vs Smosh games (UR) - Unity Centre, Riverside W 95-84 (4th)
MD7: vs Squidroidia (35) - Unity Centre, Riverside W 76-75 (3rd)
MD8: @Srednjaci (UR) - Dom Košarke, Katanija W 92-61 (3rd)
MD9: vs Nova Anglicana (21) - Unity Centre, Riverside W 65-54 (2nd)
MD10: @Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom (41) W 90-65 (2nd/7-3/+53PD)

SCHEDULE (Finals Group C, all games in Delaclava)
MD1: vs Chromatika (25) - Flash Forum, Corcorran
MD2: vs Banija (1) - Flash Forum, Corcorran
MD3: vs Omerica (16) - St. Ives Hall, Carnstone
MD4: BYE
MD5: vs Sarzonia (6) - Crème de la Crema Hall, Carnstone

by **Sarzonia** » Wed Feb 17, 2021 7:18 am

The media's wait for interim Sarzonian national basketball team manager Joy Knight to enter the press room for her post-match interview was later than normal. Roughly 25 minutes later than normal.

It wasn't that she was smashing tables and launching a massive tirade in the dressing room after Sarzonia's 69-68 defeat to Ethane in the group stage finale of the International Basketball Championships, a defeat that put Sarzonia in a precarious position for qualifying for the second group stage. Hell, the way the other Group F results were looking, they might keep Sarzonia from making the short trip to Delaclava at all.

No, she was in the visiting manager's office keeping one eye on her laptop whilst she was on her mobile phone talking with someone from the Incorporated Basketball Federation. District Court Judge Harlan Jenifer was expected to issue their ruling in former manager Thomas Manningham's wrongful termination lawsuit any moment, and Knight was also trying to keep tabs on the match between Filindostan and Nateros Sill. The away underdogs were on the verge of pulling off a massive upset that would have had the effect of bunching the Group F standings. The Valladares-Hannasea match was also wrapping up, though that was a blowout in favour of the 12th ranked Valladars.

Finally, she saw the white-coloured graphic depiction of Nateros Sill change to gold on her laptop. The unranked team with only one victory to its credit heading into their final match doubled its victory total at a most opportune time for the Stars. Sarzonia were through. In fact, they were through as group runners up behind Filindostan. Valladares were heading to Delaclava as part of the consolation bracket.

"Judge Jenifer is getting ready to render their verdict," the voice on the other end of the line said. Knight looked as the breaking news item appeared on the crawl. Jenifer ruled in favour of Manningham. Then another item came in as IBF chairman Joseph Rawlings was removed from the chairmanship of the Board of Governors by unanimous vote. The board then named Lynn Trask as board chairwoman. Trask then announced that the IBF would appeal the financial aspects of the ruling, but would not contest the verdict itself. Then she announced she would offer Manningham his old job back.

"In consultation with the Board of Governors, and after reviewing the information provided, we are offering Mr. Manningham the opportunity to return to his rightful position as the manager of the national team," Trask said in a statement that was showing on the screen. "We believe the original decision to terminate Mr. Manningham's employ was an error in judgment, and it was not a decision arrived at through deliberation with the Board of Governors, as it should have been pursuant to our bylaws."

Manningham was unavailable for comment, but Knight shouted, "YES!" when she saw the door to a possible return by Manningham was opened. Former associate head coach Mario Bengsten declined to comment for the record, but sources say if Manningham returns, Bengsten will, too.

The Stars (6-4) have been placed in Group C with world No. 1 and multi-sport archrivals Banija, 10th ranked TJUN-ia, 16th ranked Omerica and 25th ranked Chromatika. The Stars will have a bye on Matchday 1, which will be Thursday night. Sarzonia opens the second group stage with a match against Chromatika at Flash Forum in Corcorran. A large contingent of Stars supporters are expected from Nicksia across Sarzonia's southern border with Delaclava. The Stars will face Banija on Saturday, followed by Omerica on Sunday and TJUN-ia on Monday night.

"Every match is going to be super important," Knight said. "We have to be ready."

by **Graintfjall** » Wed Feb 17, 2021 10:32 am

Posted on StatsPunk, a statistic-themed sports blog that sharply divides opinion when it comes to questions of usage percentage, the value of the long 2, and capitalization.

Four Factors: How The Super Wolves Can Succeed At IBC31

four factors

1. Free throw rate

loves

2. Offensive rebounding

them

3. Turnovers

4. Shooting

by **Mapletish** » Thu Feb 18, 2021 4:53 am

For all the ball and the crown we see

The basketball flew through the court
Showed to his royal trick,
Told him to bring a royal coat.
Then his crown aided his rebound
Struck with joy at every sound.

It were a sound, but could not lose
That no angel sang me from the goal.
For I must hit the ball
And to my cone the bolt at wheel.

Behind my north winds it would ride,
Or by a sight might meet their tread
Form to the spot at dawn or scorn.
But in each pause a noble bind

Turns to a lay upon the shrine.
Black by white bastions do the mould
Scent with imagest from walls,
Built the open secret of sun,
Scent of form and house of stone,
Tree and lichen, and sea, and sea.
Autumn's tumultuous roses go,—
GO MAPLETISH - ALL THE WAY

by **Filindostan** » Thu Feb 18, 2021 8:33 am

FILINDOSTAN
National Basketball Team
International Basketball Championships 31

The Samahang Basketbol ng Filindostan (SBF) is pleased to present the Filindostan National basketball team, to compete in the 29th International Basketball Championships, hosted in Delaclava. This season will be the final time the team will compete in the IBC as they will focus on strengthening their national affairs and image prior to reentering multiversal competition

About the Samahang Basketbol ng Filindostan

The Samahang Basketbol ng Filindostan (SBF) was founded after they split from the Filindostani National Sports Commission (FNSC), citing the FNSC's tainted image during the Multiverse Boxing Organization boxing tournament and the budget cut the agency suffered. They were the first agency to split from the FNSC and will oversee the development of Filindostani basketball as well as the Filindostani Basketball Association.

The SBF's headquarters are located in San Marco, Filindostan, adjacent to the International Union of Basketball Clubs (IUBC) headquarters, and is headed by Charito "Charie" Pamungkas.

Nickname: Pula Agilas (Red Eagles)
First Match: vs Ethane (64-81, IBC 24 group stage, Filindostan)
First Win: at Banija (95-87, IBC 24 group stage, Banija)
Overall Record (as of IBC 26): 27-9 (75.00% WPCT)
Current Year: 90013

Head Coach: Protacio "CIOT" Santos, Male, 56
Assistant Coach: ANITA Tanjing, Female, 47
Shooting Coach: Ronilo "MCBUCKETS" Mac Arthur, Male, 49
Defensive Coach: Michelle "CHEL" Abunda, Female, 51
Coach: Pocholo "CHOL" Lekatompessy, Male, 56
Coach: ANNAMARIAFE Weici, Female, 61
Coach: Ricard "Ricki" RICAFORT, Male, 41
Captain: Harry Rigobert SMITH, Male, 36
Vice-Captain: Princess CORD, Female, 31

Playing Squad

Centers

51 | C     | Harry Rigobert SMITH                         | M | 36 | 7'2"  | Venividicci
88 | C/PF  | Paul PARDOSI                                 | M | 34 | 6'7"  | Fortunas
75 | C     | Imam WIDARGO                                 | M | 29 | 6'9"  | Perotapam Massakar

Forwards

 9 | PF/SF | Immanuel SIDEBANG                            | M | 35 | 6'6"  | Perokojak Kota Jakulta
82 | PF/SF | Nanda SUNGKAR                                | F | 32 | 6'7"  | Fortunas
79 | C/PF  | Firman DJWA                                  | M | 33 | 6'9"  | Perotapam Massakar
40 | PF/SF | Ali MONGINSIDI                               | M | 28 | 6'8"  | Perokotyog Yogyakulta
10 | SF    | Seth Alan GRAFIL                             | M | 29 | 6'7"  | Venividicci
52 | SF/SG | Grecco BARANDON                              | M | 21 | 6'5"  | Fortunas

Guards                                           

11 | SG    | Princess CORD                                | F | 31 | 5'11' | Perokojak Kota Jakulta
 7 | PG    | Jose Maria ESTRADA                           | M | 31 | 5'10' | Perokojak Kota Jakulta
42 | SG/PG | Elsa PRADIPTA                                | F | 28 | 5'9'  | Perotapam Massakar
34 | PG    | Jazzer MALQUISTO                             | M | 27 | 6'1"  | Fortunas
71 | PG    | Bella PRAPTYANINGTYAS                        | F | 29 | 5'7"  | Perokotyog Yogyakulta
28 | SG    | Melisa URBANINGRUM                           | F | 22 | 5'10" | Venividicci

Home Venue/s

ISMART ANETTA COLISEUM
San Marco, Filindostan
Capacity 21,000

The Anetta Coliseum is one of the oldest sporting venues in Filindostan. Built in 89965, the arena has hosted multiple Filindostani referendums, basketball league games, concerts, boxing matches, and Hastags concerts. This is also a designated venue for the IUBC in the event of no host bids from other countries. Located in the city center and a train station dedicated to it, the arena is one of the most accessible sport venues in Filindostan. The arena is sponsored by Ismart, one of the biggest telecommunications company in the nation.

All of Filindostan's home games will take place at this arena. The arena security is very strict and tight, but with the right price, contrabands (illegal items) can be smuggled into the arena, save for explosive devices and deadly weapons. Games are usually jampacked, as this sport is the most popular in the Filindostani capital.

Depth Chart and Tendencies

Depth Chart
The below depth chart will be the most likely used by coach Ciot bar injuries, suspensions and sent-homes. Specialized lineups may be used in case of foul trouble or a stroke of strategy genius.
Position Starters Bench Reserve
C H. R. SMITH P. PARDOSI I. WIDARGO
PF I. SIDEBANG F. DJWA A. MONGINSIDI
SF N. SUNGKAR S.A. GRAFIL G. BARANDON
SG P. CORD E. PRADIPTA M. URBANINGRUM
PG J. M. ESTRADA J. MALQUISTO B. PRAPTYANINGTYAS

The second unit usually enter the game three minutes before the first quarter ends, but can enter as late as the last few seconds of the first quarter. The third unit enter the game when Filindostan is already leading by a very large margin (35+) by the end of third or if they have a large deficit (25+) going into the last five minutes of the game. Usually the starters finish the game.

Specialized lineups
Small ball: P.PARDOSI - I. SIDEBANG - G. BARANDON - P. CORD - B. PRAPTYANINGTYAS
Three ball: P.PARDOSI - A. MONGINSIDI - S.A. GRAFIL - E. PRADIPTA - J.M. ESTRADA
Tall: H. R. SMITH - P. PARDOSI - I. SIDEBANG - P. CORD - J. MALQUISTO

Tendencies
Due to the lack of height of the Filindostani team, they compensate what they lack by three point shooting and pesky defense. However, if needed, they may take the foot on the gas pedal and quicken the pace of the game, shooting the ball within ten to twelve seconds of possession. The team bar Sandro prefers perimeter shooting over layups and dunks - their favorite play is the pick and pop where the center or power forward screens for the shooter to eliminate the defender and create good looks at the basket. Defensively they play a 2-3 zone, sometimes switching to a man-to-man when the ball is outside the three point line. This switch takes the toll on the players, so it is rarely done on a regular basis.

The team does not react well on bad calls. Coach Ciot has a reputation to hoard technical fouls and ejections, costing the SBF money for fines. Players, particularly Abdel, can also go out of control due to bad calls.

Uniforms

Filindostani apparel maker NNS supplies Pula Agilas' jerseys, as with most of the national teams of Filindostan. An all red with black and white semi-horizontal stripes is their primary, while in case of color clashes, they use their white alternate with red and black semi-horizontal stripes.

Team RP and Permissions

The below information will help teams RP against my team in case they RP first.

Most likely to... (in order)

Score big: P. CORD, H. R. SMITH, J. M. ESTRADA
Score a buzzer beater: P. CORD, J. M. ESTRADA, N. SUNGKAR
Posterize opposing defenders: H. R. SMITH, S.A. GRAFIL
Get a technical: J.M. ESTRADA, B. PRAPTYANINGTYAS, P. SANTOS (coach)
Be ejected: P. SANTOS (coach), P. PARDOSI, B. PRAPTYANINGTYAS
Be fouled out: P. PARDOSI, H. R. SMITH, J. M. ESTRADA
Take the last shot/Score the winning basket: P. CORD, H. R. SMITH, N. SUNGKAR
Be posterized: N. SUNGKAR, S.A. GRAFIL, A. MONGINSIDI
Get hot and shoot three after three: J.M. ESTRADA, E. PRADIPTA, P. CORD

Fans
Filindostani fans are double-edged swords - sometimes they are most passionate fans in Filindostan, sometimes, they can be compared to the worst of internet trolls. Around five thousand diehard fans will travel to the host nation to watch their team play - but they usually bring their megaphones and flares with them - they somehow make it past the guards. Some fans are crazy enough to invade the arena and cause match delays. The special thing about Filindostani basketball fans is that when the basketball team host their hated rival or a team well below the standings, they bring kangkong (water spinach) with them and chant it all throughout the team introductions.
My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose Scoring Events: Yes
Godmod Scoring Events: No
RP Injuries to my Players: Yes - I'll determine the severity
Godmod Injuries to my Players: No - No deaths or career-ending injuries
Foul my players out: Yes
Eject my pleyers: Yes - Make sure to eject at least one of yours too if done
Eject my head coach: Yes
Godmod Other Events: No

by **Newmanistan** » Thu Feb 18, 2021 10:01 am

THE ROCKET REPORT

SECOND GROUP STAGE TO BEGIN

By Taylor Larson,

If you remember years ago when I recapped some of the early tournaments in the International Basketball Championships, you know that the format of this year’s tournament is actually pretty similar to how they were run in the early days. Not exactly the same, but very close to it. In fact, the Delaclavans also brought back the classic “Best of the Rest” bracket that Dancougar had made famous. The biggest difference between this format and the old days format is that once you get to the semifinals, the games are winner take all, not a best of three. I wrote, I believe, at the time, and if I didn’t write it in print, I was certainly thinking it: that I feel the old days format is the best for the International Basketball Championships. I loved it when I saw the bid put forth by Delaclava. This is perfect, and I hope that if Newmanistan were to ever bid on this competition again, and perhaps they will at some point, that we also look to use this format. I hope that all bids going forward use this format. Some things just work for certain competitions. This works for the IBC.

Newmanistan got through the first group stage perfectly. A 10-0 record could be a sign that everything has been easy, and that is not the case. But I like the fact that the Rockets had some true battles along the way mixed in with some blowouts. You have to be able to win close games, because at this point, those games are going to become more and more common. Now, the sky blue will be tipping off with the likes of the hosts as well as Kriegiersien and Lisander while continuing to see Mapletish, a squad that gave them their biggest nailbiter in the stage. They will be playing in Group A, in two cities starting with A, Athens and Arana. Going by the Group C cities, Corcorran and Carnstone, this was likely intentional while having the organizers regret that they don’t have cities beginning with B and D that should host games of this magnitude.

The tricky part of this format is you have to wonder how much the other teams have improved since the competition began. When it all started, Newmanistan was seen as a favorite, but is that still the case? Did this team work hard enough in the first group stage or have others earned it more at this point? We will have to see, but what I do know is that this is a very tough group. Delaclava nearly went undefeated themselves, but have certainly shown that the “20” next to their nation is just a number. Lisander and Kriegiersien are actually better teams, rankwise, and of course, Mapletish knows us well. Things will start off with Lisander, before the Rockets enjoy their off day. Warren Peyser is pretty confident about things, “We’re ready to go in this tournament. They will be battles but we have had some already so we are ready for them. It will be exciting and I hope all of our fans enjoy it. I don’t think we’ll disappoint. We are ready for this challenge.”

by **Filindostan** » Thu Feb 18, 2021 10:15 am

OOC Note: Apologies to those who I have faced in the group stages for the late posting as I have been on a sort of hiatus for the past weeks. I'll make sure that I'll read the RPs regarding the games against Filindostan to make sure that my RPs will be in line to those posted beforehand.

NATIONAL | BUSINESS | PROVINCIAL | INTERNATIONAL | SPORTS | ENTERTAINMENT | SPORTS PORTAL

BASKETBALL
Not an ideal send-off for Coach Ciot as Pula Aguilas falter against Nateros Sill

SAN MARCO - Filindostan's 74-79 loss to Nateros Sill almost costed them a spot in the final group stages of the 31st International Basketball Championships in Delaclava as the home-and-away group stages came to a close, with Valladares, Sarzonia, and Hannasea still in contention for two spots in the next phase of the tournament as well as a spot in the consolation group stage of the tournament for the third placers of Group F.

In spite of Princess Cord exploding for 28 points from 4/4 shooting from beyond the arc, fans would be disappointed and fearful as the Filindos would have a poor showing thanks to a multitude of turnovers that their opponents took advantage of. Anxious fans were on their mobile phones getting the latest updates on the other games played elsewhere as the results of the games would have big implications to the fate of the Pula Aguilas.

Despite the loss, Sarzonia and Hannasea lost their last games as well to Ethane and Valladares respectively which meant that the four teams mentioned were tied at identical 6-4 records by the end of the group stage. Fortunately for the Filindos, their 2-0 head to head record against Hannasea meant that they would continue their streak of group stage progressions in the editions they participated after topping Group F. Hannasea's loss had a more devastating effect to them, beating Valladares would have sent their opponents out of contention as well as eliminating the Stars from an opportunity to win the tournament, instead, they themselves went out of the running, and had those teams won their games instead, then it would have been the Filindos who would end their participation in the IBC prematurely.

In the end, the fans in the Anetta Coliseum rejoiced with relief and gave a standing ovation to Coach Ciot for leading the team through six editions of the IBC, with a winning percentage of around 70 percent (51 wins and 20 losses). Ciot also had 36 games won at home while enduring eleven losses, including two losses against Ethane and Nateros Sill.

The Pula Aguilas will fly to Delaclava to participate in another group stage, this time, they will face four other teams in Group D as they will try to get the top 2 spots for the quarterfinals. Filindostan is grouped with the Grim Reapers of Quebec, which is currently the #3 team in the Multiverse, #5 Valanora, #9 Abanhfleft, and #21 Nova Anglicana, in which the current #32 team in the multiverse would have a tough group to navigate through. With the schedule being released, it is also imperative to Filindostan to win their games as they do not have the fate in their hands as they will be the first team in the group to finish their assignments.

They will rekindle their rivalry with the Grim Reapers on Day 3 as they plan to take revenge for the losses they took in the Group Stage of the 29th IBC, but this time, Filindostan would be the lower ranked team. Another match to look out for is against the Rebolusyonaryos, as Abanhfleft eliminated the Filindos from the silver edition of the IBC in front of their own fans in the quarterfinals. the Dragons and the Lions are no slouch either, the former being ever present in contending for IBC glory, while the latter is looking to recapture their form they had when the IBC was in the later teens. After the final group stage, those who are eliminated from contention would play classification games, which would be perfect setting to draw the curtains to Coach Ciot and the Pula Aguilas in international basketball competition.

Written by FSNA Staff.

by **Nova Anglicana** » Thu Feb 18, 2021 12:38 pm

Lion's Roar

A SportsWorld Weblog

In IBC's second round, which group is the dreaded "Group of Death"?
by Omega Lion

Who's he waiting for?

In almost every competition that has a final group stage (or even some that have initial group stages), there's typically a "Group of Death." This is a stacked group, filled with more teams that have the potential to advance than actually can. You expect every game to be a dogfight, and some really good team is going to go home. So now that the Lions have advanced to the IBC's second group stage, hosted in Delaclava, which of the four groups is the "Group of Death"?

Group A (Athens and Arana)

Delaclava (20)
Kriegiersien (10)
Lisander (8)
Newmanistan (2)
Mapletish (UR)

Average rank (unranked Mapletish counted as 85, as that's the lowest rank on the current spreadsheet): 25, 4th of 4

Group stage combined record: 40-10, 2nd of 4

Group stage average record: 8-2, 2nd of 4

Average GS Point Differential: +135.4, 1st of 4

Group A features #2 overall team Newmanistan, who finished the group stage with a perfect 10-0 record, while also being home to the hosts, 20th-ranked Delaclava, who nearly finished the group stage undefeated. Also included are #8 Lisander, who cruised to an 8-2 record in the group stage, despite running very basic schemes and seemingly being on autopilot, and #10 Kriegiersien, who also finished 8-2 in the group stage. Rounding out the group is 5-5 Mapletish, making their return to the IBC. Overall, this is a pretty strong group. 3 top ten teams, the hosts, and only one team worse than 6-4, with Delaclava, Newmanistan, and Lisander racking up point differentials above +180. But it's hard to call it the Group of Death with an unranked team that finished 5-5 and a seemingly indifferent Lisander. They do have a strong case, but we'll see.

Group B (Valeina and Quinniville)
Qasden (15)
Indusse (35)
Drawkland (4)
Græntfjall (17)
Equestria (7)

Average rank: 15.6, 3rd of 4

Group stage combined record: 36-14, 4th of 4

Group stage average record: 7.2-2.8

Average GS Point Differential: +65.4

Group B is led by 4th ranked Drawkland and 7th ranked Equestria, both of whom finished 8-2 and suffered a surprise loss to a poorly-ranked team, with Drawkland losing to United Volcano Isles, and Esquestria falling to United Vietussia. Following that are Qasden, who defeated Acastanha on the last day to finish 7-3 and second place in the group, and Graentfjall, who came out of a group that included world #1 Banija as well as up-and-comers Mytanija, HUELavia, and Baker Park (though you wouldn't know it from BP's record). Rounding out the group is 35th ranked Indusse, who took second behind a 9-1 Abanhfleft team in Group J. Is this the Group of Death? Well, two non-human teams that are amazing at basketball headline the group, but they've fallen short of expectations. Qasden looked like they were on cruise control for most of the group stage, and as good as the Snow Wolves are, they have a turnover problem that goes beyond what fresh ingredients and proper equipment can fix. As far as Indusse, the squad from the India region are solid, but it's not like Group J was a nightmare. Color me skeptical until I see more evidence.

Group C (Corcorran and Carnstone)

Sarzonia (6)
Chromatika (25)
Banija (1)
Omerica (16)
TJUN-ia (10)

Average rank: 11.6, 1st of 4

Group stage combined record: 37-13, 3rd of 4

Group stage average record: 7.4-2.6, 3rd of 4

Average GS Point Differential: +98, 3rd of 4

One prerequisite for a Group of Death is a monster headliner. You could have tough teams that are all around the same skill level, but if you don't have a headliner, it's just an evenly matched group. Banija is that headliner. They've reached two consecutive IBC championship games, winning one and losing one. They blew out the Nova Anglicana Lions (Banija is also the Lions) in the IBC 30 Round of 16 and they've gone 10-0 in this group stage with a +205 point differential against a tough group. But one team alone does not make a Group of Death. Fortunately for Group C, they've got 6th ranked Sarzonia, and 10th ranked TJUN-ia as well, making them the second group with three top ten teams. They also have 16th-ranked Omerica, who battled past Juvencus to make it to Delaclava, and 25th ranked Chromatika, who surprised by going a strong 8-2 in a group where most thought traditional powerhouses Vangaziland would advance instead of them. Could this be the Group of Death? Well, Banija is a big step forward, but Sarzonia only went 6-4, TJUN-ia, 7-3, and Omerica, 6-4. Maybe they'll find a second wind, but underperforming in the group stage isn't a good sign. Chromatika might have a shot at upsetting these teams, if they can continue their momentum. Additionally, if you take out Banija's +205 point differential, their average drops to only +71.2. If their top 10 teams play like it, and Chromatika continues to be a tough lower seed, this could be a Group of Death. But right now, I don't think so.

Group D (Crystal Lake and Orton City)

Royal Kingdom of Quebec (3)
Abanhfleft (9)
Filindostan (32)
Nova Anglicana (21)
Valanora (5)

Average rank: 14, 2nd of 4

Group stage combined record: 41-9, 1st of 4

Group stage average record: 8.2-1.8, 1st of 4

Average GS Point Differential: +132, 2nd of 4

Finally, we get to the Lions' group. This group also has three top 10 teams, #3 Quebec, #5 Valanora, and #9 Abanhfleft. Quebec went 9-1, with their only loss coming to group runners-up Chromatika in a very close game. Valanora went toe-to-toe with hosts Delaclava, and came away 1-1, their only loss in the tournament so far. Meanwhile, Abanhfleft dropped only one game, a close five-point loss to newcomers Savigliane. That's a worse loss than the other two, but the Swans finished a respectable 4-6 and should be better in future years. There's also Nova Anglicana, who went 8-2, winning seven of their final eight games and concluding with a 29-point blowout of challenging newcomers Srednjaci. They won their group over 10th ranked TJUN-ia. Finally, there's Filindostan. The Pula Aguilas only went 6-4, but they finished in first place in their group, over 6th ranked Sarzonia and 12th ranked Valladares. I think this is the Group of Death.

But Omega, aren't you saying that to either make it more amazing if the Lions advance or easier to deal with if they lose? No. Yes. Maybe. Sure, I'm biased, but Group D has three teams that went 9-1 and one that went 8-2, which means that 80% of their teams won at least 80% of their games, a percentage no other group matches. Moreover, every team except Filindostan finished with a point differential of at least +154, better than every other group. Group D won games and won big. Now Filindostan is the exception to both of those statistics, but they were the third seed and they got out of their group. That says something about them. Finally, all of these teams are engaged. None of these teams were disengaged in the group stage (well, except Filindostan, but their nation seems to be rooting heartily for them now that they've moved on), or lost to a bad opponent. But let's look at the numbers just to be sure.

Combining the rankings (group stage overall record and average record lumped together) produces these numbers, with the lower number being better:

Group A: 7 out of 12
Group B: 11 out of 12
Group C: 7 out of 12
Group D: 5 out of 12

Therefore, our verdict is: Group D is the Group of Death, Group B is the Weenie Hut, Jr Group (especially since they only have two top 10 teams), and Groups A and C are roughly equal, but we'll give the edge to Group A, because they beat Group C on record and on point differential. So the Lions are in the Group of Death. Let's just hope they don't end up going 0-5, a distinct possibility.

More from Lion's Roar
IBS squad advances to regional stage
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(OOC: Logo at top shamelessly cribbed from Pride of Detroit, Detroit Lions blog. The opinions expressed above are the opinions of the writer and not necessarily indicative of the opinions of Nova Anglicans or the user behind Nova Anglicana.)

by **Banija** » Thu Feb 18, 2021 3:18 pm

Banija prepares for a tough second group stage as the IBCs move to Delaclava

A Banijan player dunks against Baker Park

CORCORRAN, DELACLAVA- The Lions have finished the group stage undefeated, and have made it to the second group stage. It is the 3rd time in IBC history that the Lions have finished the group stage(or, in this case, the initial group stage) with a 10-0 record. IBC 25, of course, we promptly got knocked out in the Round of 16 on home soil by the eventual champions, Drawkland. And in IBC 30, of course, we all know what happened there.

With Labanzi Nabongo getting a rest day in the final day of the group stage, the rest of the Banijan squad went out to face Baker Park. The Banijans were big favorites. A blowout victory for the squad in Belle Haven, while Baker Park was sitting at 2-7. But Snider got her squad together, and they played one hell of a game at Caribou Arena in Istria. It was a tight, back and forth matchup throughout. While the Banijans ended up eventually pulling away at the end, the shock entertaining matchup gave the AOBC V champions a lot of respect in the eyes of the Banijans. Isaiah Lavaga said it was proof that Baker Park was "a well coached team, with a lot of talented players. It didn't all come together, but it's a glimpse of their potential. They've closed the gap a lot. If they can make a couple of more plays, we easily could've gone down tonight."

So lies the margin of error for teams who face this high-flying Lions team. We've won in different ways in the Group stage. A lot of blowouts, yes. We've had our offense get hot. We've had individuals go off- Nabongo and Bullo each have a couple of big games to their name. And we've had close offensive battles, we've had a buzzer-beater, and some defensive slugfests. But we won enough, and are on to the second stage. There are no easy groups in a second group stage. Every single team is hungry and battle-tested. People are going to play at their highest level.

Nothing is going to be handed out here in Delaclava. Each group has 5 teams- and only 2 from each group will make it to the final 8. It is going to be an absolute battle out there on the court. And Banija did not get a great draw. First, we'll play 16th ranked Omerica here at the Flash Forum, the venue for our first 3 games of this group stage. Les Griffons are steadily improving in the IBCs. They made the knockout stages for the first time in a long time at IBC 30, and now have gotten out of the first group stage here as well. We'll do well to start with a win over them.

Each team has four games. Banija's bye is disadvantageous- their bye is on the final day of the group stage. So on the last play of group play, we'll be on the couch. We'll want to have clinched our spot when we get to that point. If we're rooting for this or that specific result on the last day to send us to the last 8, it will certainly be a nerve-wracking matchday. So it's more important than ever, in this short group stage, that we get off to a strong start. Our forwards will be key against them. That's where the matchup advantage is- Bullo and Nabongo will both be difficult for our opponents to guard. Get them both the basketball, especially in the post, and let them go to work.

It's too early to talk about the tactics for our next matches, but we have three intriguing opponents. Matchday 2, we'll play a tenth ranked TJUN-ia squad. They are winners of six in a row- they are red hot right now, and at this level of basketball, are capable of beating anybody. Matchday 3, we have, of course, Sarzonia. Our multi-sport rivals, we're meeting on the hardwood in a high stakes matchup now, again. We played each other in the AOBC VI Final. Even though they have an interim head coach and look in shambles, this team has the talent to get it together in a hurry. And if they play up to their capabilities under their new coach, then their fans will want to book hotel reservations in Delaclava for much longer than the next four group stage matches.

And lastly, we'll play Chromatika in our final group stage matchup. They've got a fairly young lineup, but they are rising quickly in the IBC ranks. Many think IBC 32 will be when they really break through into that upper echelon of nations, but maybe they can arrive early?

Now, Isaiah Lavaga thinks this group will be tough. "Everything is earned in this sport and in this competition." He told reporters. "We knew our goals here. Minimum, of course, reach the quarterfinal. And we have just the same opportunity as everyone else. We have a tough, challenging group. The days of blowout victories, like we had a few of in the first group stage, those are over. All of these teams- they are scrappy, they are energetic, everybody's hungry. We're at the top of that hill- everyone's going to give us their best shot. It's a true test- are we capable of taking their punches, getting up, and hitting them back? You'll find out exactly how tough our boys are here in this second group stage."

We won't make any predictions, of course, for our own group. You want us to be locker room material for any of Banija's opponents? Hell no. But we can, however, predict the other groups without fear of jinxing. We've got some interesting squads. Delaclava rising out of nowhere. Valanora playing at an elite level. Quebec and Newmanistan doing their usual thing. Who will get out of groups A, B, and D, and make the quarterfinals?

Group A
1- Newmanistan. An elite basketball team. They've made the last two IBC Finals. Can we really pick against them?
2- Delaclava. Did you see the level they were playing at in the first group stage? And now the tournament is on home soil. Their momentum and their home fan energy will push them into the last 8.
Best Chance of breaking into the top 2- Kriegiersien. Any Banijan would say this. We can never forget what was truly one of the most epic basketball games this national team has ever played, the 4OT Quarterfinal against them at IBC 30 that came down to the final play. I promise you- nobody in Banija wants to play them.

Group B
1- Drawkland. Drawkland should be able to win this group rather easily. It seems, from an outsider's perspective anyways, that they are the only truly elite team in this group. Maybe we're wrong! But on paper, it would really be surprising if anybody else won this group.
2- Græntfjall. Behind Drawkland, this is a very well balanced group. But we're giving it to the Super Wolves. I know, I know- they have never played well against Banija. Particularly, they do not match up well with us. But don't judge them on their games against Banija. They've got talent across the court, and do not fear anybody else.
Best Chance of breaking into the top 2- Indusse. 35th ranked Indusse. Basically had a win and get in game on Matchday 10, where they outlasted Northwest Kalactin in overtime. At their rank, they're simply happy to be here. Or are they? They're young and dont' fear anybody. Why not them?

Group D
1- Valanora. There's a clear top 2 in this group, and it's the two top 5 nations- Valanora and Quebec. Valanora was always going to be the Pot 2 team everybody wanted to avoid, and fortunately for Banija, we avoided them. It's a squad filled with veterans that seems to be peaking at the right time, and we expect them to do damage beyond the quarterfinals.
2- Quebec. Banija's eternal basketball rivals. They are the defending bronze medalists of this tournament. They are ranked 3rd, and are coming off of a 9-1 group stage campaign.
Best Chance of breaking into the top 2- Nova Anglicana. The other Lions. They're a tough matchup for anybody. Their small ball style can be tough for anybody to play with. And it can make a traditional center useless. If the other Lions center is hanging out at the three point line, and can handle the ball and pass, what will your traditional center do against them? They are not favorites, but if anybody was going to break to the top 2 of this group, it'd be Nova Anglicana.

And there you go! Get ready for group stage 2 to begin. The eyes of the basketball world are on Delaclava. Who will take the spotlight?

by **Drawkland** » Thu Feb 18, 2021 3:44 pm

IBC 31: SHITTY SECOND SHIFT
Written By: Emily Jackson and Chuck Paul

Okay, I'll admit it. Maybe I was a little too optimistic at the halfway point for the Net Corps. This is probably a huge payment for hubris, or something like that. I am merely a fool for expecting Drawkland's national team to actually achieve something in this modern era. Perhaps it's better to not hope at all, than to hold hopes that are then dashed.

It's ironic, really, we sung the praises of the Flawless First Quarter tactics the Corps managed to employ for the first half of the first group stage. Then suddenly, the second quarter of the competition, and the second quarter of the game we played, started to cause nagging issues that would nearly spell doom for Drawkland.

@ UNITED VOLCANO ISLES
While the Net Corps enjoyed a five-game stretch in which they never had to leave the reaches of Sonnel, it was finally time for them to hit the portal and travel abroad. The first nation to benefit from this would be the small, unknown nation of the United Volcano Isles. I will note that in our last article we accidentally listed them as the "United Volcano Islands" rather than "Isles". Let me state for the record that I do not care, especially after this game. In perhaps the most shocking result of the tournament so far, the islanders from Esportiva turned up the heat on their defense. There would be no wild offensive explosion for the Corps this time.

Perhaps it was fatigue, perhaps it was the first time having to travel a considerable distance, but the Net Corps played like shit. Sure, the Flawless First Quarter tactics came into play, and the Corps wrapped up the opening quarter with a commanding 20-10 lead. Then, it all came crashing down right after. UVI went on to have a 15-0 run to start the second quarter, and suddenly Drawkland was reeling. They would fight for the remainder of the game, but UVI refused to let go of the lead once they gained it late in the second. The offense, even with the starters playing a majority of the minutes, was bricking shots and committing turnovers like nobody's business. The pathetic display did come down to the final few possessions, but ultimately a missed three by Autumn Trallen and a subsequent dagger shot by UVI's Lalepa Kana led to Drawkland losing, 65-61.

vs OSCIORU
At least in the loss to UVI, one that spoiled the otherwise impressive run so far, the defense stayed pretty consistent. The Net Corps hadn't given up more than 70 points per game in their entire run to this point. Coming back to home soil to play a friendly Sonnelian foe in Oscioru, it was expected that the Corps would once again flex their might and prove their dominance over the opposing offense. But for the first time in this tournament, a strong defensive performance would not be on the cards. Once again, Drawkland used the FFQ tactics to take a solid 22-14 lead over i Tauri. Once again, the second quarter would prove to immediately reverse the results, and Oscioru would take a 19-6 run that put them ahead. The halftime score was 28-33, pretty low and defensive, and for the second time this tournament, Drawkland was trailing at the half.

This time though, the Corps would worm their way back in. The third quarter featured the shooters getting their stride back. Unfortunately, focusing so hard on getting points back on offense, the focus on defense suffered, and Oscioru would find a way to keep themselves in the game. By the end of the third quarter, the score was deadlocked at 60. The fourth quarter featured a flat-out moratorium on defense, as both teams were simply trying to outscore the other and hope they were the ones on top at the buzzer. Thanks to a dagger three-pointer by Darren Roser, the Corps took a four-point lead with just seconds to go, and it was too late for Oscioru to come back. Drawkland had just scraped by, 83-79.

@ OMERICA
Traveling once again off of Sonnel, the hopes were once again high that Drawkland would come away with a win to strengthen their lead on the group. They definitely needed this win, not only for Drawkland's benefit, but for Juvencus, as our little brothers across the sea were locked in a tight race with Omerica for the second placement in the group. A win here would be a win for Sonnel as a whole. It was vital to come away with it. The hustle and desperation were evident in the Corps' use of the FFQ, and they shot out to a familiar 23-11 lead going into the second quarter. By now though, you may know what's coming next. What I'm officially dubbing the "Shitty Second Shift" tactics of the Corps led to a complete breakdown on defense, while long possessions ending in missed baskets resulted in almost no points being scored. The Gryphons, now energized by revenge and momentum on defense, shot back out to an even more impressive run, leading 44-30 at the half.

Unlike the match against Oscioru though, the Net Corps were facing much tougher opponents, who were perfectly fine with holding serve on offense. Every time the Corps scored, the Gryphons scored. Every time they got an amazing defensive play to earn back a possession, they'd cough the ball right back or brick an easy shot. It was child's play, and the once-stout defense was becoming more and more porous. Omerica would cruise to an 86-70 win after the second quarter implosion of the Corps, and suddenly Group E was looking less and less like an open-and-shut case for Sonnel.

vs JUVENCUS
The Revoda Sea Rivalry would get its second leg here, but now the stakes were so much higher. Drawkland, with a win, would cement their spot as the #1 team in the group and punch their ticket to the second group stage in Delaclava. Juvencus, with a loss, would likely fall to being even with Omerica, and likely no longer control their own destiny. Both teams needed to win for Sonnel to have its best shot at having two members in the second group stage, and unfortunately one team had to lose. Despite this, the atmosphere in Metropolon was electric and excited for both teams. It was a surprisingly even crowd, with many Juven having made the short journey to one of Sonnel's most iconic basketball arenas, The Ring.

Whether it was by both teams taking the game easy, or the Corps finding their form again, the defense actually showed up again. The FFQ worked to perfection again, with the Corps having a decent, but not super impressive, 16-9 lead at the end of the first. The SSS "tactics" would also rear their ugly heads, but this time the Corps came up with the wherewithal to stay in the game. The halftime score was tied at 30 apiece. The third and fourth would feature more of the stout defense both teams were leaning on, but the energy never let up. The fastbreak and the quick-hitting screens became paramount as the Corps and i Cavalli traded the lead back and forth.

The game would come down to the final minute, with Drawkland holding a tight 64-63 lead. Juvencus had the ball with less than 30 seconds to go, but were content to try and bleed the shot clock dry before going for the leading shot. With a tick under 10 seconds of game time left, Tércio Pagani let loose a fadeaway jumper in the face of Hailey Rider, and nailed it. Juvencus took a 64-65 lead, and Cody Morgan called for Drawkland's final timeout. Time was limited, and Juvencus's defense was holding fast around the arc, forcing an outside shot. Holland brought the ball up the court quickly, looking for a shot, but instead he released a sudden bounce pass to Jazmin Madison, who was subbed in after the timeout. The 8-foot center and little sister of recently retired Gerald Madison simply powered through the Juven defense and jammed a dunk to put Drawkland back in the lead with less than a second to go. The final full-court prayer by Juvencus would fall unanswered, and the Corps punched their ticket to the next stage. Juvencus, unfortunately, would become even with Omerica, but at least the one-point loss was the best case scenario for their point differential.

@ SOUTHWEST EASTNORTH
With the seedings in the second group stage to be based on initial rankings, the Corps had nothing to play for but pride going into their match against Southwest Eastnorth. At this point in the stage, Drawkland was undefeated playing in Sonnel, having gone 5-0 at home and 2-0 against Oscioru and Juvencus on the road. On the other side of the coin, they were also 0-2 outside Sonnel, with the upset loss to UVI and the more realistic loss to Omerica dampening their record. This trip to Rushmore to take on the Frontiersmen would be necessary for the Corps to show they still had some skill when not playing with a bit of home court advantage.

Thankfully, this would come to pass as expected. The FFQ featured a phenomenal 30-7 start to the game, but even in this lopsided match against the Frontiersmen, the Corps could not escape their Shitty Second Shift bringing the game to a more expected 40-25 halftime score. The second half would be kinder to the Corps, as they continued their offensive prowess and put up their best defensive performance of the first stage, holding SWEN to less than 50 when the final buzzer sounded. The 49-89 win might not have made up for the losses they took earlier, but at least it left Drawkland leaving for Delaclava on a high note.

SECOND GROUP STAGE
Now this is where things get interesting. The top 20 nations in the first group stage got to go on to Delaclava, where these teams would be redrawn into four groups of five. The top two in each group progress to the single-elimination playoffs for the championship. The third stage is soon to begin, so where does Drawkland stand?

Fortunately, the Corps got a lucky break and were drawn into, arguably, the easiest group of the four. Obviously dodging Banija, Newmanistan, and Quebec by virtue of being Pot 1, the Pot 2 nations featured longtime mid-tier playoff squads in Valanora, "old" up-and-comers in Sarzonia, and nations with middling success on a recent hot streak, Equestria and Lisander. We were fortunately drawn with Equestria, who we managed to beat in the third place game two IBCs again, when they hosted. We also beat them in the Round of 16 last IBC. This is good news for us, as our biggest threat is a team we've beaten twice in the last two tournaments in big games.

From Pot 3, we were drawn Qasden, a team which always seems to have a decent group stage, then flame out in the early playoffs. They were the lowest-ranked team in Pot 3, at #15, so this was once again a lucky grab. We'd then get Græntfjall, #17, from Pot 4, which is a bit less of a lucky pull, but they're about on the same level of Qasden. If we can beat one, we can beat the other, no problem. Finally, we'd get Indusse from Pot 5. They were far and away the lowest ranked team in Pot 5, making it in at #35. Of course, this is ignoring the lucky unranked nation of Mapletish, but Indusse is still the lowest team that were actually ranked. Can we beat them? Most likely. However, they still have a solid team, such as small forward Chiranjeevi S.G. who almost won the three-point contest title in IBC 30, if it weren't for the heroics of Autumn Trallen.

All in all, we should win all these games and go on to the quarterfinals as a top seed. With the power of the Flawless First Quarter tactics on our side, we should be able to shut teams down early and preserve a big lead to come away with a win. But, with the Shitty Second Shift performances starting to glare in the Corps' performance lately, we may be faced on even ground with many teams come halftime, rather than preserving a bigger lead. Only time will tell how our performance in the "third quarter" of this tournament will go. And with our form clearly starting to slip lately, it's paramount that the Net Corps prove that Drawkland is still a powerhouse in the IBC that can win titles. Win or lose, I have to say it. On Corps.

by **Valanora** » Thu Feb 18, 2021 3:49 pm

After the first half of the first group stage, the Dragons had done reasonably well, yet their trademark three point shooting had been quite poor, notching just under twenty percent of their three point attempts compared to the usual clip of almost thirty-five percent on average. It was an all too familar feeling for a lot of the squad, having had these sort of issues during the group stage of last tournament and on numerous occasions in the latter stages of the knockout rounds. When the side had really needed their expert marksmen to come through, they would seem to hit bricks and have the worst shooting nights of their tournaments and sometimes even their careers. However because of those numerous instances of situations where the shots simply were not falling for the team, there was an increased effort from the coaches to get the side hustling more for a pressing game and a 1-3-1 zone that kept the opponents on the outskirts of their range with constant defensive pressure. This emphasis might have lead to some weary legs in the first half of the first group stage but it had its intended effect, causing opposition to struggle mightily in knocking down their own shots, bar the home defeat to the hosts of the tournament.

That all started to change after the halfway break as the shots started to fall more often and more aligned with what the Dragons were used to seeing from their shooting guards. Combine the extra defensive effort with the side now actually having a good field goal percentage and the point differential began to swell as the Dragons rolled their way through the group. However there was a small matter of Delaclava to have to deal, the only team that had managed to take advantage of the Dragons' offensive woes during the first half, having gone into the Empire and escaped with a result. The team was packed for their entire stay within Delaclava as they prepped for their trip their to finish off the group stage, having clinched their spot in the second group stage that was going to be entirely held in their fellow Atlantian Oceania nation. The Dragons were hoping to be playing past that second group stage and had brought a full months worth of clothes and accessories with them, for they intended to make it into the playoffs and preferably into the Semifinals and with any amount of luck, into the Championship as well, breaking the oligarchy that was looking to hold serve in the IBC.

The Dragons soared to a quick twelve to two lead over their hosts in the first two and half minutes, with Lars Berg and Alfons Nordström each hitting a pair of threes while the defense was keeping the home side to the perimeter and contested shots that were not falling, the rebounds easily being scooped up by Ian Aadland. The home side took an early timeout and though they started to work the zone to get better shots, they were having trouble from keeping the Dragons sinking their own. The first half began to turn into a track meet and the Dragons were more than comfortable with that, as the first half came to a close thirty-six for the Empire and twenty-five to the hosts. Berg was leading all scorers with a dozen in the first half and Aadland already had seven rebounds and a pair of blocks, owning the middle of the zone as the sweeper of any penetrating runs and loose shots. Deleclava would try to bit into the Dragons' lead, going on an seven to two run to start the second half with Berg and Aadland sitting the first four minutes, but when the two starters were brought back on, it became a free flowing Dragons' attack that Delaclava could not stop nor keep pace with. In the end, the Dragons would best their hosts by ten, a score of seventy-five to twenty-five, with Berg finishing with twenty-one points to lead the Dragons in their quest for revenge for the first half loss.

However the draw for the second group stage was far from kind for the Dragons, getting not one but two fellow top ten teams in the group as well as two good but not great teams to round of the group. It starts off on a rough go of it for the Dragons, as they take on the ninth ranked team in the world of Abanhfleft in Crystal at the Spydr court. Like the Dragons, Abanhfleft finished nine wins and one loss in their first group stage, but unlike the Dragons, they were able to win their group with a massive point differential, over ninety better than anyone else in their group. They are side that is keen on being defensively solid and if the Dragons are not on their game like they have been in the second half, they could smother the sides offensive output. Following that, the side will play against Filindostan, the lowest ranked team in the group at thirty-second in the world, who qualified by virtue of winning a tight Group F, being the side to be given the group title of the four teams in the group who finished with a six win and four loss record, having bested the rest in the head to head records. This is a must win game for the Dragons as it will be by far the "easiest" for the team and these are the games they have to win if they want to qualify for the playoffs and reach their goals.

Following the game with Filindostan, the team will then play against Nova Anglicana, a team who is better than their rank at twenty-first in the world would suggest. Going eight and two in Group C to emerge as group winners, the Nova side is a side who is as talented on the offensive side as they are on the defensive side. The group boasts teams who know how to score, with only Filindostan and our own Dragons being the only teams in the group not to post over eight hundred points in the first group stage, a major sign as to how poor the Dragons' shooting was in that first half and how fortunate Filindostan are to have qualified, with Nova being another one of those teams who can score at will. Wins from the first three games are going to be of high priority as the Dragons have their most difficult game for last, taking on third in the World, Quebec, after having their scheduled off day on matchday four of the group stage. Quebec easily qualified out of group D, with nine wins and a sole loss, scoring at will it felt like. It will be a game that will test the Dragons' ability to hit shots in high pressure games and if their full court press and zone can keep the Grim Reapers quiet on the offensive end, though with the offensive talent in this group, it will have been highly tested before that huge match at the end of the group. No game is easy and the Dragons will have to take flight early and often if that goal of breaking the hierarchy is to be achieved.

International Basketball Championship 31 (IC Thread)

DROP IT DOWN!: One Game To Make This Run Count!

The Revoda Sea Rivalry

NEW DEBACLE

DROP IT DOWN!: Six In A Row Means A Group Of Death!

IBC 31: Shitty Second Shift

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Position	Starters	Bench	Reserve
C	H. R. SMITH	P. PARDOSI	I. WIDARGO
PF	I. SIDEBANG	F. DJWA	A. MONGINSIDI
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SG	P. CORD	E. PRADIPTA	M. URBANINGRUM
PG	J. M. ESTRADA	J. MALQUISTO	B. PRAPTYANINGTYAS