IBC 34: South Newlandia EVERYTHING THREAD

by **South Newlandia** » Thu Feb 24, 2022 8:42 pm

Four seconds are left on the clock here in the Straton Indoor Stadium, it is Matchday 10 of the International Basketball Championships, and the Red Wolves, playing here in their Tumbran home, are trailing the Elephants 67-68. At the free-throw line stands Forward Eli Kleber, who has had a great day today with 13 points, including 7 of his 8 free throws in this game so far. Lena Morse currently leads the Elephants in scoring, with 14 points on the day, though Kleber can eclipse her if he nails both free throws here. First free throw, put up, lays it in perfectly, 69-67 Elephants. Second free throw. Puts it up, and… it falls, it’s a three-point game, 70-67! Vernon Walker has just used the last timeout Tumbra has, as the Red Wolves will attempt to come up with a play to send this game into overtime.
(skip)
Four seconds remain for Tumbra to avoid getting swept by the Elephants, or at least delay it into overtime. Correll, to Beavis, kicks to Andersen, shoots, and it’s blocked, it’s blocked at the buzzer by Sandra Dawson! The Elephants win, 70-67! What a block by Dawson, denying Andersen, who led the Red Wolves in scoring with 19 points tonight, of a potentially game-tying bucket. The Elephants are celebrating, and what is that? All of them take of their jerseys in unison, revealing t-shirts stating for, I can’t quite read it; “Tumbra, stop the war on the Northlands! Give peace a chance!”. Oh boy, that will make a lot of people very angry.

by **Valentine Z** » Thu Feb 24, 2022 9:29 pm

The Valentians – Part 4 – Determinant.

With two last matches to play, Gwen's Angels prepared for the best and the worst to come, going up against the likes of Ranoria, as well as PD, to which the Valentians have a bit more familiarity playing against. "We got this, guys!" Joshua said with a tone of confidence in him. The last few matches, even if close, were still wins, wins that brought Valentians a bit of confidence back into them. "Remember as always, don't stick too much to theories. In the court, anything goes. Just be prepared, play it relatively safe, while also aiming for those 3-pointers."

Will the Valentians make it to the next stage just like with Cup of Harmony? Or will they falter and have to wait for the next season?

by **Tjorl** » Thu Feb 24, 2022 10:27 pm

NS-verse Tjorl Lore

Tjorl's Primary Online Sports Commmunity

Tjorl grabs crucial win against Lisander yet loses to the Gatchingerrak Union
By Evan Vinumsen

As the play-off spots in Group C remain up in the air, every game is crucial in sealing passage to the next round. Tjorl knew this when traveled to Lisander on Matchday 15, and they fought relentlessly to continue their contention in IBC 34. While the Swish Duo of Jakob Kaiser and Anders Martikainen did not start out all hot, Aron Andersson dragged Tjorl through the first half, countering Lisander's offense at every turn. Halftime saw an even score of 42-42. Kaiser and Martikainen finally showed up in the second half, as their deep range bombs proved crucial to Tjorl's offensive efforts. Ultimately, Team captain Kaiser provided the highlight of the match, as he scored the game-winning 3 point shot to seal the game for Tjorl, 81-84. He also provided 21 points in the Tjorlish effort, while Andersson put up 24 points and 7 rebounds. This marked Tjorl's tenth win the tournament, with three games to play.

However, it seems as if Tjorl's wins are destined to equalized by a loss immediately, as they were defeated by the Gatchingerrak Union, 82-91. While possessions and offense did go back and forth & toe-to-toe, a few missed shots and unlucky moments were enough for Tjorl to lose the match. Fortunately for the Orcas, they remained in third in the group. Kaiser led the Tjorlins in scoring with 25 points, while Nikita Chebukin and Zhan Miromanov both provided 26 points for the Gatchingerrak Union. Tjorl are looking to seal their qualification in the knock-out stages in the final two games against Græntfjall and Deblar.

Comments
- derrrmusic
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DON'T LOSE

- Stefan T.
ahhh, I can't remember the last time I was this optimistic for the Orcas

- afolnman22
I am dreading our next game against Græntfjall.

Tjorl's Main Feature Journal

New national and regional cartographic offices established

After the suspension of Tjorlish and Oatlandian cartographical administrations due to complications caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, they are now reestablished under new administration. These councils have been churning out work too, with the creation of the 2022 official Tjorlish political map and the 2022 official Oatlandian political map. After a press conference held by the Oatland Regional Cartographical Administration (ORCA), they have revealed their plans for an Oatlandian cultural knowledge circulation program, in collaboartion with the Administrative Regional Board of Oatlandian Culture (ARBOC).

Other plans include more regional maps, including an overview on physical features and cultural make-up. Another major project is the regional gallery, displaying all nations in a short overview, along with their respective national maps.

by **Valanora** » Thu Feb 24, 2022 10:29 pm

While it is a marathon and not a spring, there is the natural inclination to try and change things up when there is a poor result. Let us be very honest with one another, the game away in Rushmore against Græntfjall was the epitome of a very poor result, exactly the sort of result that has come upon the Dragons time and time again during previous IBCs, particularly in the knockout stages of the tournament after what typically had been very good group stages in order to get to those rounds in the first place. There is that instinct to try and fix everything that apparently went wrong during the one game, when teams are better suited in taking a moment to step back and see how the actual structure of the team has gone. In that case, the game in Rushmore was a combination of a very poor shooting night from the Dragons, something that has been known for years to be something of a known weakness of the Dragons' way of playing the game, having heavily relied on mid range shots as well as three point shooting. While there has been some attempts in the last few years to be more balanced, these sort of issues do still creep up from time to time and the loss against Græntfjall was an example as well as them having a great game themselves.

Fortunately a single night of misfortune is not enough to completely undo all the hard work that the Dragons have put into this group stage and building of the team in order to best position themselves for a deep run in the tournament. Two away losses is all that blemishes the record for the Dragons, which on the whole of a difficult group to try and navigate is hardly something that the team nor its fans can truly complain about. The poor shooting night in Rushmore aside, the team has performed as grand as one could have hoped, this is especially true in the last game that the Dragons played, here in the Eternal Empire. While it was against the bottom of the group and in the friendly confines of the home arena in Valanari, that the team was able to put up a ninety-three outpouring is quite impressive and allows the team to pip their Rushmori rivals for the most points in the group, with the last two games in the group left to go. Combine that with what has been an exceptional defense, making good use of a half court press that falls into a comfortable zone that forces teams to beat them from range and highly contested shots, it is easy to see why the Dragons have had such success.

Lars Berg has been particularly impressive for the Dragons both in the victories as well as in the pair of defeats that the team has had. Averaging over twenty points a game as well as half a dozen assists through the tournament thus far, he has been the key contributor on the offensive end and despite being on one of the lower respected sides in the EBA who do not normally advance into the IUBC, has performed quite like a mega superstar during this group stage. He had began to show that potential during the last tournament, with a few games where had completely taken over and had shooting nights that allowed the Dragons to win games they might have otherwise failed to. It is a showing that one does not need to be playing for one of the mega teams in the EBA to be a real contributor to the national team and be able to develop into a good to great player. If the Dragons are going to be able to truly compete with the elite of the elite and try to win themselves a championship, it will no doubt be because Berg will have been able to lead the team to that goal.

The group stage will end at home against Lisander and the team will need to win at least one of their last two games in order to ensure that they will win the group instead of Græntfjall, the other team from the group who has clinched their spot in the knockout rounds thus far. The Rushmori team overcame Lisander and Kriegiersien through the second half of the group stage to put themselves still in a position to challenge the Empire for the group lead heading into the final pair of games. The team will want to win both games though in order to make sure that they maintain one of the top five spots in the overall table and not risk being overtaken by a few of the other teams that have clinched their spot in the Round of Sixteen at the moment. Finishing on a high note will not only ensure the teams progression as group winners and one of the top five seeds but also ensure that the team will be high on confidence and in good form heading into the very part of the tournament that has so often been the source of disappointment with the national team.

by **United Adaikes** » Thu Feb 24, 2022 10:57 pm

The Adaikesians may have lost their last two games, but they are still in contention to qualify for the playoffs.

This is what Coach Elroy Woodrow told his team after their loss in home by eight points against Græntfjall. But Woodrow reminded the team that if they continue to show less stellar performance, then they will never get the qualification that they dream of.

The next matchdays for United Adaikes will be against Deblar and Atheara, both unranked teams and are already eliminated to qualify for the playoffs.

Woodrow also stressed that these two teams have also beaten other teams despite being unranked and should not underestimate the strength of these two teams.

by **Chromatika** » Thu Feb 24, 2022 11:01 pm

This is your final cutoff for the group stage. Round of 24 draw will follow. May the odds be ever in your favour.

Group A

Blue indicates a playoff berth. Red indicates that a team is eliminated from playoff contention.

Matchday 17

Tumbra 62–61 Hindradia
Delaclava 80–49 Qasden
Abanhfleft 91–70 South Newlandia
Mytanija 75–80 Southwest Eastnorth
Dexterra 81–80 Ko-oren

Table after Matchday seventeen

*  Group A                  Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
 1 Delaclava                 17   16   1  1376 1192 +184
 2 Qasden                    17   13   4  1352 1221 +131
 3 Abanhfleft                17   12   5  1399 1160 +239
 4 Ko-oren                   17   10   7  1299 1234  +65
 5 Mytanija                  17   10   7  1318 1190 +128
 6 Southwest Eastnorth       17    8   9  1315 1410  −95
 7 Dexterra                  17    6  11  1231 1355 −124
 8 South Newlandia           17    5  12  1208 1374 −166
 9 Tumbra                    17    3  14  1146 1417 −271
10 Hindradia                 17    2  15  1219 1310  −91

Matchday 18

Hindradia 67–73 Dexterra
Ko-oren 72–80 Mytanija
Southwest Eastnorth 77–67 Abanhfleft
South Newlandia 76–92 Delaclava
Qasden 90–66 Tumbra

*  Group A                  Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
 1 Delaclava                 18   17   1  1468 1268 +200
 2 Qasden                    18   14   4  1442 1287 +155
 3 Abanhfleft                18   12   6  1466 1237 +229
 4 Mytanija                  18   11   7  1398 1262 +136
 5 Ko-oren                   18   10   8  1371 1314  +57
 6 Southwest Eastnorth       18    9   9  1392 1477  −85
 7 Dexterra                  18    7  11  1304 1422 −118
 8 South Newlandia           18    5  13  1284 1466 −182
 9 Tumbra                    18    3  15  1212 1507 −295
10 Hindradia                 18    2  16  1286 1383  −97

Group B

Matchday 17

Plus Desurongcrandis 83–79 Second Peenandian
Ranoria 81–64 Valentine Z
Magnecia 45–88 Hannasea
Srednjaci 78–72 Raspotochje
Nova Anglicana 78–64 Kyzhurkistan

Table after Matchday seventeen

*  Group B                  Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
 1 Hannasea                  17   15   2  1434 1082 +352
 2 Nova Anglicana            17   13   4  1403 1145 +258
 3 Ranoria                   17   10   7  1270 1259  +11
 4 Valentine Z               17   10   7  1229 1242  −13
 5 Srednjaci                 17    9   8  1259 1300  −41
 6 Magnecia                  17    9   8  1246 1245   +1
 7 Plus Desurongcrandis      17    7  10  1202 1311 −109
 8 Raspotochje               17    6  11  1244 1381 −137
 9 Kyzhurkistan              17    4  13  1208 1296  −88
10 Second Peenandian         17    2  15  1162 1396 −234

Matchday 18

Second Peenandian 60–78 Nova Anglicana
Kyzhurkistan 77–71 Srednjaci
Raspotochje 71–87 Magnecia
Hannasea 88–67 Ranoria
Valentine Z 71–59 Plus Desurongcrandis

*  Group B                  Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
 1 Hannasea                  18   16   2  1522 1149 +373
 2 Nova Anglicana            18   14   4  1481 1205 +276
 3 Valentine Z               18   11   7  1300 1301   −1
 4 Magnecia                  18   10   8  1333 1316  +17
 5 Ranoria                   18   10   8  1337 1347  −10
 6 Srednjaci                 18    9   9  1330 1377  −47
 7 Plus Desurongcrandis      18    7  11  1261 1382 −121
 8 Raspotochje               18    6  12  1315 1468 −153
 9 Kyzhurkistan              18    5  13  1285 1367  −82
10 Second Peenandian         18    2  16  1222 1474 −252

Group C

Matchday 17

Atheara 59–83 Valanora
Deblar 73–64 United Adaikes
Græntfjall 92–64 Tjorl
Gatchingerrak Union 67–74 Kriegiersien
Lisander 84–94 Draystein

Table after Matchday seventeen

*  Group C                  Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
 1 Valanora                  17   15   2  1359 1101 +258
 2 Græntfjall                17   13   4  1351 1162 +189
 3 Kriegiersien              17   10   7  1312 1240  +72
 4 Tjorl                     17   10   7  1243 1250   −7
 5 Lisander                  17    9   8  1333 1210 +123
 6 Gatchingerrak Union       17    8   9  1239 1246   −7
 7 United Adaikes            17    7  10  1209 1300  −91
 8 Atheara                   17    5  12  1172 1263  −91
 9 Deblar                    17    5  12  1168 1342 −174
10 Draystein                 17    3  14  1156 1428 −272

Matchday 18

Valanora 88–69 Lisander
Draystein 65–84 Gatchingerrak Union
Kriegiersien 78–95 Græntfjall
Tjorl 67–69 Deblar
United Adaikes 91–58 Atheara

*  Group C                  Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
 1 Valanora                  18   16   2  1447 1170 +277
 2 Græntfjall                18   14   4  1446 1240 +206
 3 Kriegiersien              18   10   8  1390 1335  +55
 4 Tjorl                     18   10   8  1310 1319   −9
 5 Lisander                  18    9   9  1402 1298 +104
 6 Gatchingerrak Union       18    9   9  1323 1311  +12
 7 United Adaikes            18    8  10  1300 1358  −58
 8 Deblar                    18    6  12  1237 1409 −172
 9 Atheara                   18    5  13  1230 1354 −124
10 Draystein                 18    3  15  1221 1512 −291

Overall Tables

Rk Gr Nation                   Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
01 E1 TJUN-ia                   18   18   0  1563 1144 +419 Qualified to Round of 16
02 C1 Delaclava                 18   17   1  1468 1268 +200 Qualified to Round of 16
03 B1 Hannasea                  18   16   2  1522 1149 +373 Qualified to Round of 16
04 A1 Valanora                  18   16   2  1447 1170 +277 Qualified to Round of 16
05 D1 Quebec and Shingoryeo     18   16   2  1536 1275 +261 Qualified to Round of 16 
06 B2 Nova Anglicana            18   14   4  1481 1205 +276 Qualified to Round of 16
07 A2 Græntfjall                18   14   4  1446 1240 +206 Qualified to Round of 16
08 C2 Qasden                    18   14   4  1442 1287 +155 Qualified to Round of 16
09 D2 Chromatika                18   13   5  1494 1167 +327 Qualified to Round of 24
10 E2 Indusse                   18   12   6  1381 1366  +15 Qualified to Round of 24 
11 C3 Abanhfleft                18   12   6  1466 1237 +229 Qualified to Round of 24
12 D3 Pemecutan                 18   12   6  1441 1298 +143 Qualified to Round of 24
13 E3 Equestria                 18   12   6  1428 1336  +92 Qualified to Round of 24
14 B3 Valentine Z               18   11   7  1300 1301   −1 Qualified to Round of 24
15 A3 Kriegiersien              18   10   8  1390 1335  +55 Qualified to Round of 24 
16 D4 Nyowani Kitara            18   12   6  1318 1320   −2 Qualified to Round of 24
17 C4 Mytanija                  18   11   7  1398 1262 +136 Qualified to Round of 24
18 E4 Drawkland                 18   11   7  1457 1313 +144 Qualified to Round of 24
19 B4 Magnecia                  18   10   8  1333 1316  +17 Qualified to Round of 24
20 A4 Tjorl                     18   10   8  1310 1319   −9 Qualified to Round of 24 
21 C5 Ko-oren                   18   10   8  1371 1314  +57 Qualified to Round of 24
22 D5 Zeta Reka and Hügeltaldom 18   10   8  1393 1371  +22 Qualified to Round of 24
23 E5 Juvencus                  18   10   8  1342 1323  +19 Qualified to Round of 24
24 B5 Ranoria                   18   10   8  1337 1347  −10 Qualified to Round of 24
25 A5 Lisander                  18    9   9  1402 1298 +104 Eliminated

IBC Playoffs - Round of 24
All Games in South Newlandia

Scored by South Newlandia:
(9) Chromatika vs. (23) Juvencus*
@ Elephant Multiplex, Elephant Valley, South Newlandia (Cap. 12,000)
(16) Nyowani Kitara vs. (17) Mytanija
@ Elephant Valley Superhall, Elephant Valley, South Newlandia (Cap. 6,000)
(13) Equestria vs. (19) Magnecia^
@ Kinetik Arena, New Colk, South Newlandia (Cap. 5,500)
(12) Pemecutan vs. (21) Ko-oren
@ Kinetik Arena, New Colk, South Newlandia (Cap. 5,500)

Scored by Chromatika:
(10) Indusse vs. (24) Ranoria*
@ Stadium against the Tumbran Invasion of the Northlands, Newport, South Newlandia (Cap. 4,000)
(15) Kriegiersien vs. (18) Drawkland
@ Jungle Stadium, Ratzupalfu, South Newlandia (Cap. 4,500)
(14) Valentine Z vs. (20) Tjorl^
@ Walstreim Arena, Walstreim, South Newlandia (Cap. 6,969)
(11) Abanhfleft vs. (22) Zeta Reka and Hügeltaldom
@ Walstreim Arena, Walstreim, South Newlandia (Cap. 6,969)

* - Juvencus and Ranoria were switched to avoid a group-stage rematch between Indusse and Juvencus.
^ - Tjorl and Magnecia were switched to avoid a group-stage rematch between Valentine Z and Magnecia.

Reminder - teams will be re-seeded for the Round of Sixteen (the Victors of the Round of 24 will be given seeds 9-16 based on how they placed in the group stage). Teams from the same group cannot play each other in the Round of Sixteen.

There is an extra day off before the playoffs, which resume on Sunday at South Newlandia's usual time. See you then!

by **Nova Anglicana** » Fri Feb 25, 2022 1:05 pm

As slow fall session wraps up, foreign affairs takes precedence over domestic progress

Marian Bailey, Rutupiae Free Beacon

The fall session of Parliament in an election year is usually a pretty quiet affair, with all the parties knowing that they're only in session for six weeks or so before the election campaign kicks off in October. Parties don't typically push big bills during the session unless they're trying to make a point; most party energy is directed towards preparing for the election and not towards legislative excellence. Therefore, the fall session is typically for making minor changes, updating Parliament about various programs and projects, hearing from constituents, or working on bigger bills that one intends to present in next year's session, assuming one keeps one's seat. This leads to the classic question: has Josephine Clark's government actually gotten anything done this fall?

If your measure of progress or getting things done is putting forward big bills or big ideas, then not really. There have been some rumblings from the Social Services committee about expanding retirement security, the Finance Committee is working on banking democratisation, and the Commerce & Labor Committee is reportedly considering reforms in the workplace, but no big bill has emerged or been put on the agenda to be discussed. The PJP intends to hold its party conference in the next week and will produce a platform, which presumably will contain the big ideas they're not putting forward here.

As far as Gaudia and Janseebuck refugees, the government has seen more success. The first group of refugees arrived in July and through September, some 21,000 refugees, or about 10% of the overall expected number, have been resettled. The Ministry of Infrastructure has constructed temporary housing, while the planned city of Gaudia has been able to issue bonds to finance new construction, and private developers have already begun to put up more market-rate housing. Water, power, and sewage are on line and several industrial and construction groups are in the beginning stages of developing a port for Gaudia.

About 15,000 refugees have landed in the NAAZE, with one-third heading straight to Gaudia, one-third being settled in transitional housing elsewhere with a plan to move them to Gaudia, and one-third being permanently resettled in other areas of the NAAZE. 2,000 refugees have landed in Sept-Iles, 1,600 in Eboracum, 1,200 in Londinium, 900 in various parts of New Brunswick, and 300 in Isca Dumnoniorum. In most places, people could be seen at airports or seaports cheering and waving signs welcoming the refugees, though counterprotests against refugees were spotted. The opposition People's Party, under Michael Ramsey, has continued to fight against the resettlement of Janseebuck refugees and has put forward several bills proposing, variously, that refugees be contained in offshore hulks, be housed in prisons, be sent exclusively to the hometowns of Josephine Clark, Paulette Joseph, and Emily Waterford, or be resettled just across the border from the NAAZE in the former Xadowian territories that are now a no-mans land.

The other issue on the mind of many this fall session has been the state of women's rights in Ethane. Under the current regime, led by the MoralEthane! party, segregation of women has become more common, limits on public breastfeeding have become much sharper, and female representation in and access to sports is being curtailed. As such, potential sanctions on Ethane have been a topic of discussion. Parliament has not accomplished much on this issue, but various actions have been debated, such as sending a delegation on a fact-finding mission, putting travel restrictions on heading to Ethane, sanctioning individual party members of MoralEthane!, hitting certain sectors with targeted sanctions, applying sanctions more broadly to the Ethanian economy, or even offering Ethanian women political asylum in Nova Anglicana.

The Foreign Affairs Committee has been bogged down, with many supportive of some kind of action, but unable to decide on a firm course of action, while others, like the Libertarian Party, have argued that official government restrictions are not necessary and should yield to action by private citizens and companies, while others, like Christopher Mathewson, have suggested that it is none of Nova Anglicana's business and that issues like immigration and the economy should take precedence. Josephine Clark, for her part, has said that although she wants to see action against Ethane, "meaningful consequences will have to be imposed by the international community." This is why, as she heads to South Newlandia to take in a playoff basketball game against Abanhfleft or Zeta Reka & Huegaltaldom, she has also announced that she will address the Assembly of Esportiva. The Assembly, the official legislative body of the Esportivan Union, has been mired in inactivity since elections took place nearly a year ago. Absenteeism is apparently an issue, protests in the western part of Tumbra have restricted the ability of MAEs to go to the planned site of the Assembly, and the body has struggled to elect presiding officers.

Clark says she will address the Assembly on "the topic of human rights and international action to protect those rights." It is unclear if she will limit her speech to women's rights in Ethane, or if she will broaden it to ask other Esportivan nations to accept Janseebuck refugees, or even take on the developing situation in the Northlands of Tumbra. Regardless, she obviously hopes to kick the Assembly out of its torpor and into action. Some may wonder why she intends to take a foreign trip and make a major speech so close to an election, but multilateralism is part of Clark's DNA and the "promise of Esportiva" has been a big part of her foreign policy pitch to the nation. If the EU falters, then Esposceptics will be strengthened and the PJP and its allies will be threatened. As much political as it is diplomatic, as important to the domestic audience as it is to the foreign, her trip will likely be a key turning point in her prime ministerial tenure. Will she rally the troops and gain domestic and international prestige, or will she fall flat amid a rising tide of complacency among democratic nations?

Twii.tur posts published by Josephine Clark after this article

@NovaAnglicanaPM Congratulations to our men's national basketball team for their 14-4 finish in the qualifying round of #IBC34! Looking forward to seeing the playoff game against Abanhfleft or Zeta Reka!

@NovaAnglicanaPM And a special shout-out to @CaptainColbert for his strong return in our win over Second Peenandian! Keep up the good work, we need you if we're going to advance!

Nova Anglicana 78-64 Kyzhurkistan

Team stats - 32-69 (46.4%), 7-26 3-pt (26.9%), 7-10 FT (70.0%)

Key Players: Clement Villenueve - 8-13/5-9/2-3 (23 pts), Greg Lindsey - 4-7/0-1/2-2 (10 points), 8 rbds, 3 asts, 2 stls, 1 blk

Second Peenandian 60-78 Nova Anglicana

Team stats - 28-59 (47.5%), 9-22 3-pt (40.9%), 13-16 FT (81.3%),

Key Players: Alain Colbert - 3-6/1-2/3-4 (10 pts), 4 rbds, 19 minutes, Reggie LaPointe - 6-11/3-7/2-2 (17 pts)

Captain Update: Alain Colbert - 111-209/10-28/37-49 (53.1/35.7/75.5, 19.2 ppg)

by **Drawkland** » Fri Feb 25, 2022 1:30 pm

The Elite Eleven had done their job, and qualified for the playoffs. It was a pretty easy road (though they'd tell you otherwise), and even with their rough start, playoff contention was never in question. With the exception of Venmere on the final matchday, the Elite Eleven Net Corps had beaten all the unranked and low ranked teams that missed the playoffs. Still, a record of 11-7 wasn't going to be enough for the Corps to be a high playoffs seed.

With all three of Drawkland, Equestria, and Indusse winning on the penultimate matchday, it would be impossible for the Elite Eleven to sneak into 2nd place in the group. A win against Venmere would've been nice to save face and marginally boost their seeding, but unless Equestria beat Indusse, Drawkland would be 4th in the group regardless. Unfortunately, the good-for-nothing Weavers went and lost by three points to Indusse on the final matchday to seal the fate of Group E. Fortunately, this karma for Equestria would be instant. The loss dropped them from being one of the top Round of 24 seeds to being merely middling in the bracket.

So now, the Elite Eleven face an uphill battle going into the playoffs. Besides Chromatika and Abanhfleft, Drawkland had the best point differential to not get a first-round bye. This just makes it doubly unfortunate when you consider the fact that Drawkland will have to punch upwards for the entire playoffs, living in the bottom end of the bracket. Obviously this draw is not very kind. The only possible silver lining is the fact that group rematches will be avoided in the Round of 16, which is a massive blessing. This means that Drawkland can't possibly play TJUN-ia until later in the playoffs (if at all). Considering how TJUN-ia easily handled the Elite Eleven twice, and proceeded to make a mockery of every team in Group E, it wouldn't be fun to play them a third time.

Of course, being one of the lower seeds in the bracket regardless, winning in the Round of 24 would almost certainly pit Drawkland against one of the toughest teams in the tournament in the Round of 16. With reseeding, Drawkland is likely be a bottom seed, unless some of the even worse-seeded teams also pull off an upset. Regardless, Drawkland can't play TJUN-ia in the Round of 16. Unless two or more teams worse than Drawkland win in the Round of 24, Drawkland will be going against our gridiron rivals in Delaclava in the Round of 16. Delaclava have looked almost as unbeatable as TJUN-ia, but they haven't been blowing out their opponents with such frequency and intensity as the Jags.

From there, if Drawkland manages to beat Delaclava, they'll face whoever comes next. That many rounds away from now, with reseeding involved, it'll be essentially impossible to tell who would be up. The one big takeaway: being on the #2 team's side of the bracket means they wouldn't have to face TJUN-ia until the final. It's not like that's a big deal anyway, considering how many things have to go right, and how many good teams the Elite would have to beat on the way to a potential final run. Having to create some upsets is never fun or easy, but the Net Corps of cycles past is no stranger to flipping the IBC upside down. Maybe the Elite Eleven could take inspiration from those old Corps teams and make something special happen.

We can postulate about the later rounds all we want. We can imagine a fictional world where the Elite Eleven will actually achieve something. None of that matters until and unless they can beat their upcoming opponent: Kriegiersien. The Kriegs had an interesting group stage. Despite having a worse record and point differential, they managed to snag 3rd place in a paper-thin Group C. The Kriegiersien teams of years past have always played with heart. They've even defeated past Net Corps in group stages of previous IBCs, but this is the playoffs. Coming into this tournament ranked merely #32, they're definitely punching above their weight level with a #15 seed in these playoffs.

This isn't to say the game will be easy. The Elite Eleven had trouble defeating similarly-ranked Indusse and Juvencus during the group stage. A team like Kriegiersien is just good enough that the Elite Eleven can't just cruise to a simple victory. Thankfully, they're not as good as a team like TJUN-ia or Equestria, which the Elite have shown they (apparently) can't defeat. On paper, the match should be in Drawkland's favor, but just by a bit. Playing in a foreign land, in a tiny shoebox of a ~~gymnasium~~ stadium, anything can happen. We could talk for ages about how the rest of the tournament could turn out, but without a win here? It's just a waste of time.

The Elite Eleven simply need to take care of business. For better or for worse, this is only the third time they've ever been in an international playoff round. The first time was in their first cycle of soccer, a Round of 16 match against Port Ember where they were unceremoniously dumped out by a score of 1-0. The second time was a few cycles later, on home soil, in the World Cup. Things were dire, going against a powerful Vilita squad. The Elite battled hard to the end, ending the game 4-4 in regulation and holding that score through extra time. The penalty shootout would end 3-4 in Vilita's favor.

Do the Elite Eleven have what it takes to actually win a playoff game on the world stage? It may be a different sport, but they've shown as much competency at basketball as they show at soccer. At least they know that all of Drawkland will be cheering behind them. Well, make that most of Drawkland. They've lost some supporters after what went down regarding this IBC, as you might have noticed. For better or for worse though ... we'll be cheering On Corps.

by **Kriegiersien** » Fri Feb 25, 2022 5:49 pm

?

It is Drawkland again. And Kriegiersien has beaten them a few times, but in the end Drawkland won the titles and World Championships and Kriegiersien only Olympic silver. Somehow both teams survived a bad group stage and are now fighting in the first play off round.

If the Kriegiersien team can play out their strength (that is strength aka pure muscle) and outnumber them, they may be able to recover from the group stages and come back into the tournament, as they came back from hiatus into the IBC.

In an IBC were some of the Top Teams are missing, this is a chance to grab the title, but only if the dices are beginning to role in the favor of the Kriegiersien athletes who until now were very fickle (both the dice and athletes).
Thankfully all players are now back to 100 percent and the coaches are trying to get them Over 9k and to 11. What will be needed at this stage.

by **Tjorl** » Sat Feb 26, 2022 10:57 am

NS-verse Tjorl Lore

Tjorl's Primary Online Sports Commmunity

Despite three straight losses, Tjorl makes it to the knock-out rounds
By Evan Vinumsen

The last thing Tjorl needed to do was to lose their final games against Græntfjall and Deblar. Unfortunately, they did just that, losing 92-64 to Græntfjall and 67-69 to Deblar. However, they remained above the fifth seed in the group, securing qualification to the Round of 24. Head coach Vinzenz Hansson was not happy after the two losses; he said "Yeah, we can't be glad even if we qualified. The team knew what was at stake, and they've decided to do f*ck all". Team captain Jakob Kaiser led the team in scoring in the group stage, averaging 23.5 PPG. Pat Teufel carried the team when it comes to crashing the boards, grabbing 9.7 RPG. This is the first time Tjorl has reached the knock-out stages of any international sports competition they have participated in since the regional basketball tournament in 2018. What's also intriguing is the fact that the Orcas reached the Round of 24 despite having a point differential of -9.

In their IBC knock-out debut, they will face World #29 Valentine Z, which finished with an 11-7 record in Group B. Valentine Z wasn't even Tjorl's first intended opponent in the Round of 24. The Orcas were first set to play Equestria in Kinetik Arena, South Newlandia. However, Tjorl and Magnecia were switched seeds due to issues regarding a rematch between Valentine Z and Magnecia. Tjorl is now set to clash with Valentine Z in Walstreim Arena, South Newlandia. When asked about any thoughts about their RO24 match-up, starting shooting guard Anders Martikainen said "It's certainly interesting and sometimes a bit intimidating to play against all these top teams, but hopefully we can put up some sort of a fight. We wouldn't want a repeat of those last three group stage games". Despite the poor form they have been in the past few games, the whole of Tjorl is sure to support the Orcas.

Comments
- afolnman22
Wow wow wow! I'm loving our team, but yeah man I am really skeptical of our chances against Valentine Z.

- Stefan T.
naerly had a heart attack after the losses, f's sake

- putinisamoron
Good luck Orcas! We're all behind you!

by **Chromatika** » Sat Feb 26, 2022 11:43 pm

Despite Late Slip-Up, Penguins Remain Optimistic

It is true that by losing their fourth game by less than three points - a home defeat to the Commonwealth of Baker Park in which the team could barely muster sixty points - Chromatika ended up with a bad enough record that the team will have to play in the Round of 24 instead of qualifying directly to the Round of 16. However, if you talk to any of the Penguins, they aren't too disappointed.

"It's not very often that we have a game like today where we couldn't hit the broad side of the barn," admitted Lia Xiu after the match in which the team shot a combined 31%, "If we hit five more shots, we win this game. Also, we still played absolutely phenomenal defense - sixty-one points conceded is very good."

Chromatika will head to South Newlandia with a matchup against Juvencus waiting for them. Chromatika would've faced Ranoria, but the switch needed to happen to stop Indusse from playing Juvencus when they had both been in Group E. Juvencus went 10-8 in Group E with a PD of +19; Chromatika will be overwhelming favorites.

If the Penguins do win, they'll be one of the only teams to be able to know who their opponent will be - it will always ben Qasden, the team that lucked out of having to play in the Round of 24 due to the Penguins' falter in the last step. Qasden, the second placed team in Group C, sported a 14-4 record with a modest +155 PD.

What has Chromatik fans worried is the fact that the team did lose four games by less than three points; if the team doesn't know how to win close, they may struggle in the later rounds of the playoffs - not that they're counting Juvencus out.

"This is where the true tournament begins," stated Park Jung-Hyuk, "Let's get started."

by **Nyowani Kitara** » Sun Feb 27, 2022 1:53 pm

Note: Big thank you to Tumbra for making the below map for me!

Electoral County map for the Northern Kitara Independence Referendum

Full Demographic Details

Max Ulf, at the Pro-Independence Vote Headquarters on Election Night

The entire room was packed. Port Viljan was expecting a party, and Max Ulf intended to deliver it. He had originally gone for the throne itself, shooting for power in Dewayo- but his failure to capture power, and the subsequent execution of his compatriot, General Lidstrom, had helped lead Nyowani Kitara into Civil War. Their success in holding many of their territorial gains, as well as their failure to push further on the mainland and closer to Dewayo, meant that Osterland would be what they would settle for.

But it would be a glorious gain. For the DFLK, for a new Osterland, for everyone. Get out from underneath the politics of Nyowani Kitara, and give themselves a new country, even if a smaller country, a fresh start They'd have natural allies within the region, particularly to the north in Hattmark. Max Ulf carried with him a quiet confidence. Like most major campaign leaders, he was at the party, but in the backroom, with family members and other leaders, as the live cast of the count went along.

"Hey, Mayor Max!" His brother walked up to him. Max embraced his brother. The two did not have a ton of history of getting along well. BUt while most civil wars tore families apart, it had actually brought Max and his brother, Matt, together. Matt, previously apolitical, had signed up and fought on the front against Nepharans and Kitarans. "Think we can win this one bro?"

"Oh, I definitely think so." Max Ulf said. "It'll be closer than expected. But, I think we should pull out a strong victory. On the trail, there was plenty of energy and hunger for a fresh start. There is no more fresh start than leaving Nyowani Kitara. As long as the Akongos are around.. I can't imagine Nafuna ever giving up power. Can you?"

"Absolutely not." Matt said.

"Exactly." Mayor Ulf replied. "I'll be getting rid of this 'Mayor' tag pretty soon..." The two then sat down. The election results show was about to begin. The Mayor's wife turned on the TV.

"Welcome to our live coverage of the Osterland referendum!" The female TV host said. "This is, what many are calling the biggest election in Nyowani Kitara history. It is certainly the first vote, of any kind, held here in the last 35 years! The peninsular portions of Nyowani Kitara, around Lake Viljan, will vote on whether or not they will become a country. Of course, as has been seen throughout the day, the Electoral Commission has said things have been moving along without a hitch. Staffers from both sides of the campaign in Port Viljan have told media that they are 'pleased' with how voting has been handled throughout the day."

"Results, of course, will start rolling in now! As a reminder- prospective Osterland is being divided into 5 different electoral counties. One is the City of Port Viljan, and the other four are mapped out as seen above. While the counties are not of equal population size, each county has been divided into precincts, where the vote totals will roll in from. Remember, the votes from the refugee population will be released first, right at 10 PM. "

Max Ulf sat there, relaxed, as the TV host kept speaking. When it reached 10 PM, he was ready for results to start pouring in from across the future Osterland.

"As we prepare to get the refugee electoral results from the Electoral Commission, let's call upon our analysis man to preview what these results will look like. Florian?"

"Thank you, Zebenji." The network's political analyst said. "Now, of course there are a lot of things to look at regarding the refugee vote. While all countries hosting refugees have helped facilitate the voting process, there's a practical matter- it's probably harder to vote when you're abroad then when you're at home. You've got to do more research, nobody's campaigning among you... It's not easy."

"Which way is their vote expected to lean? Pro or anti independence?" Zebenji asked.

"Probably anti? But it's all about the margin." Florian said. "Let's assume turnout among this section of the population is lower than those who are still here, who are living and breathing this campaign. The population living abroad is dominated by ethnic Kitarans, wo are seen largely to oppose independence- but not entirely. Our polling, consistently throughout the campaign, have support for independence between 25 and 40% of the ethnic Kitaran population. So they're a big chunk of pro-independence supporters too. Really, Max Ulf will be glad to keep it close among those supporters."

"Well, let's see what kind of refugee results we got- over to Peregrine Adler, the Chairwoman of the Electoral Commission, with the results." Zebenji said. The camera went to Peregrine Adler, who was, ironically, at the City Council's chambers in Port Viljan.

Max Ulf watched intently as Peregrine Adler was on television. "We have votes cast from the refugee population voting abroad. Voting Yes in favor of independence, we have 145,292 votes. Voting no against independence, we have 178,283 votes. This leaves us a voter turnout of 39.63%." Max Ulf was stunned. He expected to lose among refugees, and that margin wasn't bad. But the voter turnout abroad? Fairly low. Which was a decent sign for his campaign.

There was plenty of energy in the backroom. They were slowly releasing results, and they were going... About as expected. While the networks harshly debated the extremely low voter turnout rates of those voting abroad, whether it meant refugees might want to stay long-term in their home countries, or the lack of campaigning among them made a difference, turnout rates were really punching through the roof. At around 11 PM, 20% of the vote was in throughout most of the country, although only 10% of precincts within the City (Port Viljan) had reported. Here were the live updates.

11 PM Update
Electoral County 1- 98,473 Yes Votes(52.99%). 87,373 No Votes(47.01%)
Electoral County 2- 74,838 Yes Votes(42.36%). 101,833 No Votes(57.64%)
Electoral County 3- 74,299 Yes Votes(62.66%). 44,279 No Votes(37.34%)
Port Viljan- 45,832 Yes Votes(52.28%). 41,838 No Votes(47.72%)
Electoral County 5- 101,838 Yes Votes(51.12%). 97,383 No Votes(48.88%)
Refugees- 145,292 Yes Votes(44.90%). 178,283 No Votes(55.10%)
Total- 540,572 Yes Votes(49.52%). 550,989 No Votes(50.48%)

"It's a pretty tight ballot so far." Matt remarked.

"Yeah, it's gonna be a late night for us." Max Ulf said. He yawned a little bit. "We're down right now, yes. But still early in the night, so a disproportionate share of votes are still from the refugee ballot. We're down 10,000- but we got at least 3 million votes left to count, maybe more? So I'm not that worried." Then Ulf looked up at the TV as they paid attention to analysis.

"What do you think these early results tell us so far? What are they portraying?" Zebenji, the main TV host, asked Florian, the political analyst.

"Well, we were right about the two blowout counties, both Electoral counties 2 and 3." Florian paused before continuing. "They do show that, while Nyowani Kitara is a notoriousy tough place to poll simply due to the lack of past electoral data to reference, we were right about counties 2 and 3. Those were both always looking to be blowouts, and they are. If you are in Max Ulf's camp, you would probably want that margin in Electoral County 3 to be a bit larger? They're up by 25 points in that county, which is nothing to sneeze at. But look at it like this. That county is the smallest one of the 5. You maybe want a 30-35 point gap up there at the end of the night? That's the heart of historical Osterland."

He paused before continuing. "But where I'd be the most worried about, is Port Viljan. LIke we said, they're working with only 10% of precincts having submitted their balloting. But a key to victory was not only Max Ulf winning in his own city, but getting some big-time margins in what would be the future capitol of Osterland. If they can win there with some numbers, then it'd be hard for the No Camp to make up those votes. But so far- they are making good ground."

Max Ulf could feel his own stress levels rising as the reporters kept commenting on TV. He knew that he had the main ability to win this referendum. Right? There was no way things could be going wrong, even at this point in the night. The point about Port Viljan... You know, he had heard things from volunteers towards the end of the campaign. That the city needed to be shored up. Ulf continued watching for the next hour and a half, while votes were being counted and slowly coming into the TV screen.

He decided to even send out a tweet. No better way to calm the nerves than directly in front of a few hundred thousand of your closest friends, and millions from across Rushmore and around the world watching, right?

He remembered the strict rules Adler had laid down for him and Nafuna Akongo. No declaring victory while counting was still ongoing, and then, post-election rules as well.

@VoteYESForOsterland We're doing well tonight my friends! We are going to claim our country tonight as the newest spot on the Rushmori map. Keep the faith! #Max

He continued talking to his family. After looking up at the screen at 1 AM, he saw the latest update at 50% of precincts having turned in their ballots.

1 AM Update, 50% of Osterland precincts

County Name	Yes Votes	No Votes	Yes%	No%
County #1	231,936	196,271	54.16%	45.84%
County #2	174,828	243,838	41.76%	58.24%
County #3	198,272	134,838	59.52%	40.48%
Port Viljan/County #4	182,838	170,282	51.78%	48.22%
County #5	254,828	240,939	51.40%	48.60%
People Abroad	145,292	178,283	44.90%	55.10%
Total Population	1,187,994	1,164,451	50.50%	49.50%

The stress levels were started to reach Max Ulf. While he had a lead halfway through the night- that lead was slimmer, much slimmer than he had expected it to be. He started talking to the campaign director.

"Okeli!" Ulf yelled. "What the hell is going on? How is our lead so small? What the hell is happening in County 3 and Port Viljan? We were supposed to run up some huge numbers in County 3 to give us a cushion, and Port Viljan was then going to bring us home and across the finish line, with a decent margin to boot. Our numbers are fine elsewhere... Couldn't have expected much better in Electoral County 2, as well as

Okeli scrambled up. "Well," He said to his boss, stammering. Okeli was one of those ethnic Kitarans who were hugely in favor of Osterland. Different people supported independence for different reasons. But his was the simplest- he didn't trust any sort of nation-state with Nafuna Akongo at the center of it.

"Unfortunately, we seem to be struggling especially in Port Viljan. Truly, I'm not sure why we're under projection in County 3. We should have a much bigger gap than that. But Port Viljan, and County 5, are both giving us problems. I've finally got copies of our exit polling in both counties, and-"

Max Ulf put a hand up to stop Okeli. This was not good. They were winning right now, yes. But only 50% of the vote in. A lot of night to go. A lot of tired faces out there in the crowd. That's when Max Ulf made a decision. He grabbed the microphone and walked up to the stage.

"My friends!" He told his supporters. The crowd, which had started the night with so much energy, was in shock. It wasn't' the craziest upset in electoral history, but that had expected to dance throughout the night. Instead, it was turning into an extremely long counting night, and most importantly, not only was it a razor-thin margin- things were not going their way.

"My friends!" He said again. "We have a long night ahead of us. We may even be counting in the morning! This makes sense- this is the first time this country has organized true, democratic elections in a long, long time. I implore all of you- it is late! Go home. Tomorrow we will convene back here, and hopefully, we will celebrate the creation of a new nation-state!"

The energy of the crowd was fairly low. The stress levels, of course, were through the roof. THe numbers Max Ulf had seen, were not good. He waited one more hour before he finally decided that he had to go to sleep. But those numbers... were not great either. Nationwide, while the ballots were tight, they had moved back into the No Column at a smaller rate. But votes were coming in for the NO side... In stronger numbers than expected.

That was when Ulf decided to go to sleep. He slept right there, at the party center, in the backroom. Just for 3 hours- he was not going to pull an all-nighter. When he woke up at 6 AM, he looked at the television screen.

They were running summaries of coverage from the 2 AM to 6 AM, and boy, was it not good. Precinct after precinct in key counties, across what he thought would be future Osterland, were being called for the No Vote. There was no sign what Nafuna Akongo was thinking, because in this center they made sure not to watch the No Vote's Watch Party.

He was thinking about what he should do, when Okeli, who had left for the night after Ulf had fallen asleep, had walked into the room.

"Hey boss. How's it going?" Okeli said.

Mayor Max Ulf just sighed. He looked at the television screen one more time. "These numbers man- they aren't good." He said. "What are the other side saying? Have you seen Nafuna Akongo's twii.tur account?"

"I have been looking at her account. She hasn't tweeted anything."

"Nafuna? Holding back?" Max Ulf scoffed. "I'm surprised. You know, maybe we underestimated her."

"Well, I have to say, she's grown as a politician." Okeli bitterly admitted. "Let's be clear- I don't like her. Not one bit. But she went from the murderous traits of her grandfather... to actually a decent democratic politician? She's young and energetic, which helps. But she survived the civil war, and now... Look at her. She's actually grown her popularity up here. It's wild. And even in County 1.. They overperformed. Big time."

"A leopard can't change its spots at heart." Max Ulf said. "But... It looks like we'll have to live in the Lion's Den." Max Ulf looked up at the TV screen, one more time. He shed a couple of tears.

He remembered what Adler had told them what needed to be done once the vote was decided. "Give me my phone." Max Ulf said. "Let me make the phone call." He was handed his phone, and he stared at it for what seemed like an eternity. To get all this far- and yet, come short. Again. But this was what needed to be done. He pressed the call button on the contact he dreaded most to speak to in the world- Nafuna Akongo.

@NYKWatch BREAKING: Max Ulf has called Nafuna Akongo and CONCEDED the Osterland referendum on behalf of the Yes Vote. Final results to be announced shortly by Peregrine Adler

Final Osterland Independence Referendum Results

County Name	Yes Votes	No Votes	Yes%	No%	Turnout
County #1	418,292	435,728	48.98%	51.02%	80.04%
County #2	382,748	525,483	42.14%	57.86%	80.38%
County #3	349,029	248,594	58.40%	41.60%	81.70%
Port Viljan/County #4	370,393	350,271	51.40%	48.60%	79.67%
County #5	445,039	513,987	46.41%	53.59%	81.09%
People Abroad	145,292	178,283	44.90%	55.10%	39.63%
Total Population	2,110,793	2,252,346	48.38%	51.62%	74.81%

by **South Newlandia** » Sun Feb 27, 2022 2:03 pm

Cutoff for the South Newlandian-scorinated half of the Round of 24! Here's a cutoff elephant:

Scored by South Newlandia:

(9) Chromatika 82–62 (23) Juvencus
@ Elephant Multiplex, Elephant Valley, South Newlandia (Cap. 12,000)

(16) Nyowani Kitara 74–86 (17) Mytanija
@ Elephant Valley Superhall, Elephant Valley, South Newlandia (Cap. 6,000)

(13) Equestria 78–72 (19) Magnecia
@ Kinetik Arena, New Colk, South Newlandia (Cap. 5,500)

(12) Pemecutan 83–90 (21) Ko-oren
@ Kinetik Arena, New Colk, South Newlandia (Cap. 5,500)

Matchups will follow with Chromatika's post later.

by **Quebec and Shingoryeo** » Sun Feb 27, 2022 10:19 pm

The Taegukgi: The Korean-language voice of the Québécois Commonwealth

'100 Years of Sporting Films': 'A Ball Written In Fire' Review

★★★★

Jean-Francois Le Tellier

Films about basketball, a movement-to-movement sport known for particularly era-establishing moments, have become particularly popular in the past fifty years. As the generations of fans started to grow up with the sport not just as a sport, but also a cultural sport, so did the film's variance, and that has no doubt helped the film's portrayal. Producer Alain Moustafi was a basketball player up to professional level, and if not for a gruesome injury that happened on the 2038 QIS Championship Tournament his junior season, he would have had a decent QBL career.

But Moustafi, who received film degrees at the Iggulden and Halifax universities before becoming a producer, says to the public that he prefers not to talk about his own heroics, preferring to focus on the journeys of others instead of his 'boring stories'. Instead the topic of a film, a mix of both a year-round saga and a biopic involving Vahid Bratusa, current Kingston Raptors coach, and his family, was the way he chose to approach it. He, who has known the Bratusa family for several years due to his mother being a teammate of Bratusa's wife, QWBL and Grim Reapers legend Tasha Zatoff, may have come up with something that more than substitutes a tempting need to film his own story. As with his previous three films, Iron Wolves (2040), Dirk, and the three shades of Yellow (2045) and The Hills (2047), he was able to maximise his understanding of the settings to spellbind a strong documentary that are both visually exciting and narratively moving in his 'A Ball Written in Fire' (2052).

This extensively-edited and thoroughly-reviewed 3-hour film is based on the footages from two eras - the yearlong footage of the Bratusa family who live in west end of Kingston, the country's third-largest city, and endless hours of newsreel, material from the Mytanar and Quebecois archives, and the content generously offered by the Basketball Quebec. There is a bit of recollections done now and then over the decades past, but not much more than what we'd expect from this film- instead we receive more of a comprehensive review of contributions by journalists, former coaches and players, with their dialogues carefully put together by the narration of their daughter, Meliha, who just graduated from Kingston Polytechnical University as all-time assists leader.

In one half, 'A Ball Written in Fire' is a film about a Quebecois family whose parents are professionals within the sports they have become known for a different reason, and we are viewed to both the children's senior seasons - Meliha as a college senior and high-profile prospect Elmedin as a high school senior - with plenty of stakes in mind. The couple's support for the children is clearly there as we follow the kids and not to mention the coach's season coaching the Kingston Raptors. There is a lot there packed, and the media articles mentioning about Elmedin's potential as outside hitter, especially with possibility of being selected for the senior team in the WorldLeague, elate the family. It's fairly clear from early on that he's had pro ambitions, and we find out halfway into the film that college pathway's not the one he's looking for, so there's whole preparation about it.

This coincides with the parents' journey - more specifically that of the father - as his younger days as in Mytanija flashes. The film traces the childhood and the youthful days of a bald man who wore tight goggles to keep himself playing with poor eyesights. Growing in a rural, multiethnic town in Thessia region, he steadily climbs up the ranks from club to club, and eventually ends up starring at the MKA Liga with Atletik. In his journey, Bratusa remains particularly stoic, speaking so few sentences coming out of line that his friends remain surprised that he ended up a coach on the other side of the waters between Rushmore and AO-Anaia. Even though there is no doubt that he is, by all means, proud of what he's achieved - the titles and medals at the family home would suggest so, and so would many photos taken of his teams' trips, and friends having good time.

Now, what added to the challenge with portraying the coach's playing days, as anybody on both sides of the career agreed, was the impact the Mytanar Conflict had on the lives of everybody in the Rushmori nation. To borrow the words of his wife Tasha Zatkoff, how he ended up abroad was 'a story of its own', something that maybe shouldn't have been halved in synopsis and analysis by their children's ascent and winding down. There are overlaps of religious and ethnic aspects to his days that more than not affected the times - the family remain agnostic and flashbacks to tragedies suffered by his multiethnic hometown, where he has not been in fifteen years, are eerily narrated by his daughter Meliha. The exchange between his father and son is interesting here, as Elmedin asks: 'Would it have been possible to get away from it all like nothing? You know, the rubbles and the bombs, the honks-'

'No, you just live with it and with time you get out and try to forget parts where you wish to forget,' answers Vahid. A statement when you think about the Mytanar Conflict.

But his own pride, which was brought up by youth coach Sredcko, the only one of five friends in the neighbourhood who remained in the town, is evident too in their youth gym that was long rebuilt. He may have immigrated long ago, but you can see it pop up again and again when he's out there coaching or commenting about Mytanar basketball on regular basis with Basketball Quebec officials. The past didn't stay past for him, and he let life his own go on. That's also how he met his wife, Tasha, when he retired early in the twenties to coach, first in the city of Thessia, before moving to stints in the Women's GatLiga, where the Quebecois centre was starring. 'Being a basketballer myself, I understand that holding the entire nation's pride up is not easy. That's where having pride and toughness were key,' Zakoff smiles upon being asked.

The film's ending, where the family is present with Meliha on the senior day, is moving. Everybody knows what happens in the end - Elmedin is selected to the WorldLeague team before being selected to London Nonghyeop Grasshoppers, Meliha quietly walks away from basketball to law school after a quarterfinals finish at the QIS championship tournament, and the parents still have a lot of work to do. But the ball continues to roll, with both of Bratusa's countries stand top 10 in the IBO rankings, and his native Mytanija looking as stable as ever with Ana Metava-Catic in charge.

Read this article in:

English | Français | The Taegukgi Indigenous

by **Valentine Z** » Sun Feb 27, 2022 10:41 pm

The Valentians – Part 5 – The Angel's Kiss.

Joshua sat together with the team, debriefing right after the match against the Plus Desurongcrandis' team. He scanned around the room, making sure that everyone is present and accounted for the announcement. The results against Ranoria were not that fantastic, and perhaps even sensible to say that the Valentians (Gwen's Angels) got steamrolled. Today, however, was different, "We got a clearing," he said clearly to the Angels, clearing his throat a little, "We lost the match against Ranoria's Krauts, and that's okay. They are a pretty great team, and there are times when we just lose a little. The one against Desurong - in short form - was excellent. We needed that one win, and we got it. Congratulations, guys! You are all going to the Round of 24!" Gwen's Angels could not believe it. This was the first time in history for them that they got through and out of the qualifications and to the next part of the event – the playoffs. What happens next is to be determined, but for that moment, if one were a fly on the wall of that Valentian dropship, they could hear the cheers and jubilations emanating from the Angels, even going as far as pulling off some dance moves while trying their best not to get injuries. Of course, then comes the matter of who they are going to be playing against, to which Rossa asked with a basketball in her hand as she was dribbling around gently, “That’s amazing, I’m glad we are making it this far like the Valentian Kittens back in Cup of Harmony! So ahh, who are we playing against? I mean, which team are we matched up with?” Joshua then flipped through the pages for a brief moment, simply to ensure that he got the name right. “The Bulls,” he said, pointing at the clipboard and showing it to the players, “The team from Magnecia. I’m sure you guys have had experience against these guys, you all played against them for the 7th and 16th matches of this season. Just study them a little bit, take a lot of rest, and hey, see you guys the morning after for an exercise. Take a complete break for tomorrow, you guys deserve it after all of this. That, and because well, the playoffs are going to be one day further than the usual matchdays, and thus the one day- anyway, see you guys after tomorrow for training. If anything, I’ll let you know.”

It was perhaps by fate (or tempting one) that Joshua did have something for the team the next day. It was a few more hours before lunch, with Joshua already having went for his morning exercise and was eating his breakfast in his lounge room. It was at that moment that he heard a knock on the door. “Yes, who is it?” he asked, to which the person at the other side of the door answered back, “Hello, and good morning. Err, is this Mr. Mthobeni, the lead coach and manager of Valentine Z’s Gwen’s Angels?” He approached the door, opening it to see an IBC official. Usually, when an official visits the coach like so, it could usually mean one thing – one of Gwen’s Angels teammates is in trouble, for whatever reason that might be. It certainly was not because of doping, at least he hoped so; the Valentians were not the ones to take recreational substances outside of sports, let alone in one. Could it be because someone broke into a fight and the Angels got involved? Or some last-minute cruel joke that they did not make it in? Questions raced through his mind, but he simply kept his cool, not wanting to let the man in a suit know that he is nervous, “Yes, ahh, you can call me Joshua, please. It’s okay either way. So, may I know what I can help you with?” He prepared for the worst to come, the thoughts and stress now getting a little bit of him. Gwen certainly didn’t see this coming, and now it is all up to him. He could give her a call, but that would take a little longer than he would like to, and he didn’t want the man to wait. The official, adjusting his outfit, produced a folder with regards to the Round of 24. “Oh good, it wasn’t because one of them socked the Krauts,” Joshua thought with a certain bit of snark. The Valentians were not the one to fight, but he might never know. With that out of the way, he simply waited.

“Right, this is in regards to the slight change in Round of 24. Now, don’t worry, Mr. Mthobe- Joshua, your team is still inside the playoffs. However, we have to do a little bit of adjustments to the matches that are to be played. To keep it short and simple, we have determined and changed that the Valentians will be playing against Tjorl’s team. Walstreim Arena, still in Walstreim, South Newlandia. If you need their roster, you can check it out on our official page, then perhaps tell your team what to do for the upcoming game. We do apologise for the inconvenience and at the same time, we wish you luck.” Joshua sighed a breath of relief, happy that it was nothing nefarious going on in the background; a simple mishap that was easily fixed. It was a slightly amusing scene to see Joshua, who is possibly more than twice the height, to be so intimidated by an official who has to literally look up and possibly ache his neck. After more formalities were exchanged, Joshua thanked the man as he went off and out of the lounge, with Joshua sitting back down and sending a text message on Angels’ team chat: We are going up against Tjorl. Do enjoy your break still and no pressure, but at the same time, it would be great if you guys can take a look at their roster, and then come up with strategies and plans as to how you want to go about this. All the best, and good luck!”

by **Chromatika** » Sun Feb 27, 2022 11:07 pm

This is your cutoff for the other half of the Round of 24.

Scored by Chromatika:

(10) Indusse 62-70 (24) Ranoria
@ Stadium against the Tumbran Invasion of the Northlands, Newport, South Newlandia (Cap. 4,000)
(15) Kriegiersien 61-61 (18) Drawkland (73-78 OT)
@ Jungle Stadium, Ratzupalfu, South Newlandia (Cap. 4,500)
(14) Valentine Z 79-76 (20) Tjorl
@ Walstreim Arena, Walstreim, South Newlandia (Cap. 6,969)
(11) Abanhfleft 76-73 (22) Zeta Reka and Hügeltaldom
@ Walstreim Arena, Walstreim, South Newlandia (Cap. 6,969)

Round of Sixteen Seeding

Rk Gr Nation                   Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD Plc
01 E1 TJUN-ia                   18   18   0  1563 1144 +419 1st
02 C1 Delaclava                 18   17   1  1468 1268 +200 1st
03 B1 Hannasea                  18   16   2  1522 1149 +373 1st
04 A1 Valanora                  18   16   2  1447 1170 +277 1st
05 D1 Quebec and Shingoryeo     18   16   2  1536 1275 +261 1st 
06 B2 Nova Anglicana            18   14   4  1481 1205 +276 2nd
07 A2 Græntfjall                18   14   4  1446 1240 +206 2nd
08 C2 Qasden                    18   14   4  1442 1287 +155 2nd
09 D2 Chromatika                18   13   5  1494 1167 +327 2nd
10 C3 Abanhfleft                18   12   6  1466 1237 +229 3rd
11 E3 Equestria                 18   12   6  1428 1336  +92 3rd
12 B3 Valentine Z               18   11   7  1300 1301   −1 3rd
13 C4 Mytanija                  18   11   7  1398 1262 +136 4th
14 E4 Drawkland                 18   11   7  1457 1313 +144 4th
15 C5 Ko-oren                   18   10   8  1371 1314  +57 5th 
16 B5 Ranoria                   18   10   8  1337 1347  −10 5th

IBC Playoffs - Round of 16
All Games in South Newlandia

Scored by South Newlandia:
(1) TJUN-ia vs. (15) Ko-oren*
@ Elephant Multiplex, Elephant Valley, South Newlandia (Cap. 12,000)
(8) Qasden vs. (9) Chromatika
@ Elephant Multiplex, Elephant Valley, South Newlandia
(5) Quebec and Shingoryeo vs. (12) Valentine Z
@ Elephant Valley Superhall, Elephant Valley, South Newlandia (Cap. 6,000)
(4) Valanora vs. (13) Mytanija
@ Kinetik Arena, New Colk, South Newlandia (Cap. 5,500)

Scored by Chromatika:
(2) Delaclava vs. (16) Ranoria*
@ Stadium against the Tumbran Invasion of the Northlands, Newport, South Newlandia (Cap. 4,000)
(7) Græntfjall vs. (10) Abanhfleft
@ Jungle Stadium, Ratzupalfu, South Newlandia (Cap. 4,500)
(6) Nova Anglicana vs. (11) Equestria
@ Jungle Stadium, Ratzupalfu, South Newlandia (Cap. 4,500)
(3) Hannasea vs. (14) Drawkland
@ Walstreim Arena, Walstreim, South Newlandia (Cap. 6,969)

*Ko-oren and Ranoria flipped to avoid Group-Stage rematch between Delaclava and Ko-oren

Given that a lot of people are flipping scorers for the Round of Sixteen (and some weren't aware of the fact that they would have the earlier scorination window until this post), the Round of Sixteen has been delayed to Tuesday. The OP will reflect the updated schedule.

by **TJUN-ia** » Mon Feb 28, 2022 5:46 am

After two big and expected wins, the Jaguars of TJUN-ia were 16-0. Sixteen and Zero. That is certainly very impressive in a sport as chaotic as basketball, to remain unscathed after 16 individual games...but we still had two more left to go. Two more before that word we cannot mention can be uttered once more. Bao Zhou and the Dynasty could certainly feel the role they were in now, as a team with all eyes upon them both domestically and abroad. #OneFinalRun had carried us this far...but how far could it? How far can these ageing legends of the sport carry us in the playoffs? Can we reach that Final we have been dreaming bout for 6 years now?

Those questions have to be answered soon but for now, up first was our final home game of the campaign against a Top 4 contender in Juvencus. This game was certainly big for both, with the Hoops-Jags fighting for the #1 seed and Juvencus fighting to even make the playoffs entirely, so the atmosphere was certainly a bit tense for a little while. Juvencus certainly did fight with their 66 points but even though they would just about make the plane to South Newlandia as the 23rd seed of 24, tonight just wasn't their night - a phrase I have repeated so many times this IBC. We managed to get a 19-point dub this time around, the crowd just about relaxing with about 3 minutes left on the clock. Everyone knew that this will be the last time they saw this current iteration of the Jaguars and so, they cheered their heroes on - the sharp-shooting Travarius Okuramangawa and Adamo Zamenhofo, the quick-playing DeMarcus Winston and Mindaugas Karnišovas, the two-way maestro in Jean-Jacques Mpolando and every single other soul that occupied the bench and beyond. They have all done us proud no matter what and staying perfect at home was certainly a great way to send them off.

But before we could claim both history and #1, we had to take a trip to Schima Bas to play Jaosuq Harro's Floating Stars for the final time. We knew this game was going to be emotional, the final game and all, but this was certainly was. Schima Bas would end up 6-12 on debut, but scoring 61 points tonight was certainly a way of telling the world that they have the potential in their hands. Jamil Okumahoha, in particular, was a stud for the future...but couldn't handle us all night. It was our group-stage swan song after all and we needed to go out with a bang, a bang delivered in kindness thanks to Zamenhofo's 25 points and Karnišovas' 23. A buzzer-beater by Peter Klivert got us to 100 at the death and with that, it was all over. In this sport of chaos, TJUN-ia has gone through the group stage undefeated. We may be #2 in the rankings, but we certainly feel like #1 right now.

Our opponents would be decided in the Round of 24, with the need to avoid group-stage rematches sending #15 Ko-oren our way and to the Elephant Multiplex in Elephant Valley. Ultra-defensive, Juliet Shillington's Dragonflies just scraped in at 10-7 but upset a very good Pemecutan side 90-83 to set up this match. Many may feel that this should be an easy win, but they will also feel very cautious about that. Memories of the World Bowl come flying back, when the Jaguars also went undefeated in the group stage - only to fall at the first playoff hurdle in the form of Drawkland. Many will be hoping and praying that the nightmare of that WB isn't repeated on South Newlandian soil - but if any team can break curses, it might be these guys. GO JAGS!

Group Stage (Group E)
Results: W 85-66 vs Juvencus (30), W 100-61 @Schima Bas (UR)
Standings: 1st (18-0, +419PD/#1 Seed)

Playoffs (all games in South Newlandia)
Ro16: vs Ko-oren (14/#15/#21 in Ro24/10-8/C5) - Elephant Multiplex, Elephant Valley

by **Nova Anglicana** » Mon Feb 28, 2022 12:28 pm

Prime Minister Josephine Clark's speech to the Assembly of Esportiva

Assemblymembers, fellow Esportivans, friends, I stand before you today as a representative of the Nova Anglican people, your partners in this mighty endeavor. When the Esportivan Union was conceived, Nova Anglicana was one of the original six nations that formed it. When we signed the Treaty of Montfort, we believed in a region united. We believed that international co-operation could benefit us all, could bring shared security and prosperity. And as this Union has grown, we have witnessed the power of co-operation in the economic sphere. I am under no illusions; I understand that the majority of nations joined to gain access to things like the Esportivan Free Trade Association, the Esportivan Economic Development Area, and even the Esportivan Central Bank and the espo currency. I do not blame national leaders for being attracted by these things, and I believe that they are powerful tools for improving the lives of not just one's own countrywomen, but also the lives of our neighbors. Free trade makes it painful for all when one nation chooses war, and so it brings prosperity and security in its wake.

But as I look out over this three hundred-plus-strong body, I also see cracks in the unity of our Union. Attendance at the Assembly has not been consistent, the body has struggled to elect regular officers, and the outpouring of beneficial co-operation and legislation that optimists expected when this body was inaugurated has yet to materialise. I believe that we are cracking because markets alone are not a sufficient basis for true regional unity. Markets alone cannot ensure peace, cannot repair our environment or solve the tragedy of the commons. They rarely have proper concern for those they leave behind and they cannot help bind disparate peoples together into a single nation. Perhaps most importantly, they cannot uplift the God-given dignity of every human being. Money alone cannot be the sole reason we come together. I believe there are two great principles that both bring us together and recognise the inherent worth of every human being: democracy and human rights.

Democracy is the foundation of this great institution, and of every government that has joined this Union. In this Assembly, the collective voices of the many nations of the Union can be heard, and decisions are taken by consulting representatives of the people. Similarly, in the Esportivan Council, democracy reigns. Our executives do not stand unaccountable to the people, nor does wealth or population dominate. One representative from each nation participates and thus we maintain internal democracy in our institutions as well as at home in our respective governments. Democracy means that the people's voice will be heard: both the majority and the minorities. The will of the majority is the bedrock of democracy; what the people want, they will receive, or else they will withdraw their consent from the current government and raise up a new one. The will of the majority helps us to move forward, to make fundamental changes that need to be made, and to keep the well-being of our citizens at the forefront of our aspirations. But we must also reckon with the minority voices in democracy. The will of the majority does not mean that those who disagree are to be trampled underfoot; this is little better than arbitrary rule by force. The rights of the minorities hold us to account, keep us from rushing ahead too far without thought for the consequences, and force us to consider even those people who, for whatever reason, have been silent or silenced in both our history and our present. Because democracies are both accountable to the will of the majority and respect the rights of the minorities, they destroy the case for offensive war. Unprovoked attacks, the use of force outside of international law, or even the threat of force to get one's way, these cannot and will not be tolerated by a free and democratic people. When we begin to lose our democratic rights, we will begin to lose our own security.

Human rights also form part of the roots of this Union that protects our security and our prosperity. When I say human rights, I mean those freedoms which are inherent to every human being, regardless of circumstance, of age, nationality, sex, or any other preconditions. Among these freedoms are guarantees: the right to life, the right to grow up undamaged by war, poverty, racism, sexism, or any other force of wickedness that would destroy us. The right to equal treatment before the law, the right to be educated, the right to participate in our democratic process. But also among these freedoms are protections: protections from having our reasonable speech restricted, protections from having our legitimate press censored, and protections from having our legitimate religious beliefs trampled upon. Above all, we ought to be protected from having our right to self-determination taken away. When we embrace war, we close off paths for our own citizens and for the citizens of other nations and prevent them from choosing their own way to live. As a Union, if we embrace human rights, we must reject war. War does not care for human dignity, for the child that dies in his mother's arms, for the promising young student forced to flee her home and abandon her studies, or for the elderly who cannot escape the devastations of war.

As a Union, we sought to stand up for and protect human rights in the recent conflict in Nyowani Kitara. I applaud the actions of the Esportivan Union Foreign Aid Commission and the generosity of the citizens of all nations in our Union. Together, we were able to send millions of pounds of food, millions of litres of water, and countless medical supplies to those cruelly affected by war. Additionally, I am proud of the EUFAC task force sent by the original six nations to promote education, healthcare, and infrastructure in the midst of conflict. Together, as a Union, we chose de-escalation rather than intensification, peace rather than war, and healing rather than harm. I am proud of our stance that was pro-democracy, pro-human rights, and envisioned a solution based on peace. We rejected the advice of cold-hearted cynics who told us there was nothing we could do or that we needed to support a callous dictator in the name of stability, a bloodthirsty rebel in the name of regime change, or only certain sections of the population because they were "the least worst option." I can tell you we made a difference to the people of Nyowani Kitara because of our aid. We co-operated and together we stood up for those who were being forgotten amid all the battle plans, conferences, and military operations. In my own country of Nova Anglicana, we are standing up for those who are abused for their ethnicity, language, and religion. We are taking in Janseebuck refugees in the name of human rights. This is the kind of advocacy that should be our purpose.

But we cannot ignore violations of human rights and of democracy here at home, even among those who choose not to join our Union. In Ethane, a sinister oppression of human rights is taking place. The MoralEthane! party, led by Damien Shaw, have decided that one-half of their population, the women of Ethane, are not deserving of the same human rights as everyone else. From segregation to limits on women breastfeeding, a natural act that helps sustain life, to the restriction of a proud tradition of Ethanian women in sports, the human rights of the women of Ethane are under attack. One-third of Ethanian women are too terrorised to engage with men in more than platonic fashion, for fear of being accused of sexual impropriety. One-seventh of Ethanian women would rather be ritually sacrificed to an eldritch abomination than continue to live under the oppression they face every day. There are troubling signs that women will embrace violence, because they have lost confidence in the democratic system Ethane held dear. Here, human rights and democracy are under attack. Similarly, we must be vigilant about the rights of the peoples of the Tumbran Northlands - nations have a right to expand into internationally unrecognised territory, but ought to do so under treaty, under international law, and with due respect for those who may live in the areas they wish to expand to.

Therefore, I ask the Esportivan Assembly to take definitive action on these problems. I ask the Assembly to send a fact-finding mission to Ethane, to interview the women of Ethane, and to interview the men of Ethane as well, since MoralEthane! surely cannot claim to speak for all. After the fact-finding mission, the Union should begin a campaign for change in Ethane. As part of this campaign, we must bring the people of Ethane the truth about the freedoms that they are missing. I ask for unified statements condemning the violations of human rights in Ethane, the use of media to counteract disinformation and propaganda and to uplift women's voices in Ethane that are now silenced. I ask for the opening and expediting of an asylum process for Ethanian women to come to EU countries and live free from the fear that now surrounds them. And finally, I ask for a campaign of isolation on the regional stage. Ethane is bidding to host the upcoming Campionato Esportiva; we cannot reward them with a football tournament when they show no regard for human rights. We cannot allow Ethane to join the EU or EU institutions while they maintain these discriminatory laws. I also ask the Union to sanction Damien Shaw and his cronies; restrict their ability to travel to EU states, access their assets in espos or in other currencies of EU states, and to seek out and restrict any real estate, securities, or shares of companies owned by Shaw and his vicious gang. We must hit these anti-democrats where it hurts.

With human rights and democracy as our guiding lights, and with international co-operation and economics as our tools, we can make a better world. We can make a better world for our own nation, for our friends in the EU, and for oppressed peoples across the multiverse. Working together, we can achieve this and we will! Thank you and may all our nations be blessed.

by **Chromatika** » Mon Feb 28, 2022 10:00 pm

Penguins Bounce Past Juvencus, Focus on Qasden

For all the concern about the Chromatika Penguins' lack of ability in close games, one solution remains at large: Don't play in games decided by three points or less. Against Juvencus, the Penguins thrived defensively, never letting their opposition score more than eighteen points in a quarter, outrebounding them three to one, and altogether demolishing the contest in a 82-62 victory that truly showed the brand of Chromatik basketball.

When the Penguins play their best brand of basketball, they play possession-by-possession, defense-first, and stick to buckets in transition or wide-open shots. Everybody on the court can guard, everyone on the court can shoot, and most of all, everyone on the court can move.

Take Park Jung-Hyuk, for starters. The aging veteran, despite being rumored that he might be retiring soon, still plays for more than forty minutes a game and averages a double-double. Gone are his days of contributing more than twenty points on every game, but he's still good for the high teens and some eye-opening assists that really set the pace for the Chromatiks. When he's off the court, Kristie Shaddon-Ysenov has been sensational when she's on the court, almost averaging double digits in points despite being the team's sixth man. The future is all hers - she just needs to reach out her hand and take it.

Where does the scoring come from? Lia Xiu. Averaging in the high twenties and almost double digits in rebounds, Xiu's presence as the star scorer on the team has only become more and more apparent with the knowledge that Anidra Roxanoff also averages a double-double and Maude Zwaheil is good for twenty rebounds per game. Understandably, Xiu has become even more of a media celebrity as well, which she has taken to with much aplomb. The media loves her, the Chromatik public loves her, and she's absolutely okay with that.

The team moves on to Qasden, with the knowledge that a matchup against the TJUN-ia Jaguars will most likely await them should they advance. Qasden, for their credit, was there to pick up the slack that Chromatika had left behind when the Penguins lost in the final matchday to fall down to the nine seed; that being said, this matchup has been brewing for months.

"It should be an even-keeled match," admitted Xiu, "I think we are ready, though."

A defense that concedes 64.83 points per game in the group stage - and then 62 in a playoff game - means that they'll have a legitimate shot.

by **South Newlandia** » Tue Mar 01, 2022 2:07 pm

Cutoff for the South Newlandian-scorinated half of the Round of 16! Sadly, there's no new cutoff elephant tonight, but here are some old elephant friends:

IBC Playoffs - Round of 16
All Games in South Newlandia

Scored by South Newlandia:
(1) TJUN-ia 63–57 (15) Ko-oren
@ Elephant Multiplex, Elephant Valley, South Newlandia (Cap. 12,000)
(8) Qasden 58–81 (9) Chromatika
@ Elephant Multiplex, Elephant Valley, South Newlandia (Cap. 12,000)
(5) Quebec and Shingoryeo 84–58 (12) Valentine Z
@ Elephant Valley Superhall, Elephant Valley, South Newlandia (Cap. 6,000)
(4) Valanora 70–72 (13) Mytanija
@ Kinetik Arena, New Colk, South Newlandia (Cap. 5,500)

IBC Playoffs - Quarterfinals
All Games in South Newlandia

Scored by South Newlandia:
(1) TJUN-ia vs. (9) Chromatika
@ Jungle Stadium, Ratzupalfu, South Newlandia (Cap. 4,500)

(5) Quebec and Shingoryeo vs. (13) Mytanija
@ Stadium against the Tumbran Invasion of the Northlands, Newport, South Newlandia (Cap. 4,000)

Edit: Fixing a couple things with the venues.

by **Drawkland** » Tue Mar 01, 2022 3:09 pm

0:45 remaining in OT.

With 45 seconds left in overtime, Ian 'Milk Machine' Bald of Kriegiersien hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 73 points. The overtime period had been literally insane. Both teams were hitting shots on the perimeter, with a couple and-one fouls converted into additional points. Both teams had already scored 12 apiece, impressive for just five minutes, but the game was coming to a climax again.

As soon as the Elite Eleven got the ball back, they hustled to get the ball to halfcourt, and manager Jaxon Madison called a timeout immediately. There was only one timeout left for Drawkland after that, so Madison had to make this one count. It was less about the play, and now more about hyping the team up.

"LISTEN TO ME!" Madison yelled to the huddle of eleven men. "This is the game right here! We have twenty seconds to score here, but I swear to God you can't use those twenty seconds! We are not going to play time-wasting pussy ball tonight! If you drain the shot clock out and miss a shot it's game, fucking, over! I don't want to see that shit! You all get ten seconds to make a play and get the ball up into the basket. I'm not kidding around! If you haven't put the ball up by 30 on the clock I'm calling a timeout and I'm coming out on the court!"

Jaxon grabbed the shirt of his suit, which looked like what most basketball coaches wore on the court. "I won't even take this shit off! I will go out on the court in these suede shoes if I have to! Either take the shot soon or I'm stepping in and shooting it immediately after the timeout!"

"Jaxon, we can't risk giving them the ball back with so much time!" Trevor Garnet, the on-court captain, protested. "We gotta play smart basketball here. We've lost games from being too aggressive at the end."

"I don't give a shit about what's smart!" Jaxon roared back. "We play OUR game here tonight. We've lost games from playing it too safe. If we're going to brick a shot and give it back to them with a chance to take the lead, I want to have time left on the clock for a hail mary, or something! At least if we go down we can say we did it our way, and we made it hard on them, and we didn't just lay down and do the weak thing! We lost to Milchama in the playoff, but we were playing our damn game. We can go down tonight and never play as the Net Corps again, but we'll be doing it on OUR terms! You hear me? We're playing OUR BALL tonight! Now get the fuck on that court and hit something big. OUR BALL ON THREE. One, two, three-"

"OUR BALL!" The Elite Eleven shouted in unison.

"What was that?!" Jaxon yelled back.

"OUR BALL!" The Elite responded, with power this time.

The timeout came to an end, and half the Elite Eleven trotted back out onto the court for the throw-in. Garnet was throwing in, and the shooters were on the court. Elias Keys, Ross Hunter, Mike Rodney, and Dominic Southers were ready to go, trying to get open for the toss. Obviously, with the height advantage, it was more about finding a good position than getting open.

Garnet found Mike Rodney in a good spot, who dribbled around a little bit. He was trying to shake Michael Lejames of Kriegiersien, but content to take a little time.

"GET IT OFF MIKE!" Jaxon screamed from the bench. He was dangerously close to falling onto the court for how much he was leaning over the line.

Mike gritted his teeth, and saw Dominic moving into the paint, drawing defenders. Mike saw the play coming together, and passed it to him quickly. Dominic rumbled towards the basket, but he now had three Kriegiers on him. Even with the height advantage, he wouldn't get a clean shot. He knew the play was on, though, and shot a no-look bouncer to Elias, who was now wide open in the corner. With just enough space to make a calm shot, Elias calmly threw up the three-ball.

It sank right through the hoop, and the tiny South Newlandian arena burst into cheers. There was now just under 30 seconds left in the game. Kriegiersien would only be able to tie the game, and unless they got a missed shot and a rebound to reset the shot clock (unlikely considering Drawkian height advantage in the paint), the Net Corps would get the ball back with just enough time to get one more shot.

Jaxon was savagely grinning ear-to-ear. His plan had worked perfectly.

"GO GET THEM!" He screamed onto the court, and everybody nodded. The remaining five guys on the bench were all standing up in anticipation, eagerly leaning forward to see the action as Kriegiersien charged across the court to make their final stand.

Kriegiersien was left scrambling. Energized by the clutch lead-taking shot, Elias and the rest of the Elite on the floor were playing suffocating defense. It was all the Olympic silver medal winners could do to keep the ball moving. Suddenly, disaster struck.

Pascal Donat was dribbling, trying to force his way into the paint to draw defenders. Trevor was letting him in a bit, knowing two would do them no good. He gave a nod behind him to Dominic and Mike, who dropped their guys and came in to reinforce. Trevor hoped Pascal would take the bait, and he did. As Mike came from behind, Trevor seamlessly shifted away from Pascal's back, with Mike coming in to take his place immediately. Pascal didn't notice the switch, just that Dominic was coming forward to defend, so he shot it out to a supposedly open 'Milk Machine' on the perimeter. He didn't know that Trevor was now coming around from behind him and swatting at the pass, poking it out of its intended path and bouncing it straight into big Dominic's hands.

Turnover.

Before the Kriegiersien team, or even the rest of the arena, had registered the catastrophic fumble, Dominic flicked the ball back out to a now wide-open Ross streaking across the court. Ross hauled in the pass like a gridiron wide receiver, alone on the fastbreak. With nobody around him, Ross had enough time to put together an arguably disrespectful level of swagger into his shot.

Back-breaking, game-icing, one-handed slam dunk.

Sonic Wedgehog, Kriegiersien's coach, called his final timeout to try and cool off the momentum, but the damage had been done. There was now less than 10 seconds on the clock, a five-point deficit, and now the Elite would rotate in the defensive-minded dogs for the final series. Richard Hanson, Craig Bakker, Nicholas Kingston, Septimus Xander, and Trevor Garnet were ready to end and win the game for Drawkland.

And that they did. When Kriegiersien's final shot bounced harmlessly off the rim and into Richard's waiting arms, the buzzer went off and the rest of the Elite Eleven came to hound their man on the hardwood. Even Jaxon in his suit joined the dogpile as the Drawkland faithful in the crowd cheered in jubilation.

How about that? The Elite Eleven had finally won a playoff game. Probably not the playoff game they wanted to win in the long run, but it was something. And by God, they did it their way. Nobody was thinking about how hard of a road it would be to pull off something like a semifinal or a title run, but at that moment? Nobody cared. Drawkland was winning playoff games again. Maybe this time, it could mean something.

by **Hannasea** » Tue Mar 01, 2022 4:52 pm

     David Bird International Stadium, Sanchago
    MAGNECIA 45 – 88 HANNASEA
    (11–27, 15–17, 11–19, 8–25)
    Pts: Manning 9   Pts: Floyd 17
     Rbds: Manning 6   Rbds: Navarro 6
      Asts: King 3   Asts: Floyd 7

Shooting sucked tonight,
But defense was so stifling.
Jacques clutch in the post

               Monster MASH, Pintook
               HANNASEA 88 – 67 RANORIA
               (31–22, 19–15, 22–17, 16–13)
                   Pts: Powell 39   Pts: Caribbean 14
             Rbds: Brazier 10   Rbds: Viola 6
Asts: Brazier, Floyd, Pittman 4   Asts: Eveline 5

Tom’s thirty nine points
Proved he is fit and ready.
Free throws a worry

Selection of articles from Hannasean news media.

Sardines boosted by Powell return; Evans ruled out for finals

Clark speech draws muted response from Guild Federation

by **Delaclava** » Tue Mar 01, 2022 6:18 pm

DSGN.com Basketball

Delaclav basketball motivating with Ranoria football losses
Media and donation campaigns in full swing ahead of IBC matchup with Krauts

As the preliminary round of the International Basketball Championship in South Newlandia unfolded, Delaclav basketball fans were keeping an eye on the underdogs, someone who might get drawn against their #2 seed Phoenixes.

When 49th-ranked Ranoria emerged victorious 70-62 over Indusse and was slotted in to face Delaclava, it didn't ring any bells in the basketball community - but it brought up some painfully fresh memories for the nation's football fans.

The Delaclava football team has reached the semifinals of the last three World Bowls. They have fallen at that stage each time. The past two times, the defeat has come at the hands of the Ranoria Krauts - the first a narrow loss in Buffalostan, the second a blowout at Royster Field in Catherina. And to add insult to injury, the Krauts would go on to win the two World Bowls in even more dominating fashion, showing just how close the Phoenixes were to taking their third and fourth titles.

The basketball Phoenixes' main objective is simply to win, but an online campaign called "Erase the Deficit" has started as a rallying cry for the team, seeking a measure of revenge. The meaning? The Krauts defeated the Phoenixes 23-16 in Buffalostan, 37-10 in Catherina - for a total margin of victory of 34 points. The Delaclav basketball faithful are hoping for at least 35.

And in a strange trend of superstition and generosity, hospitals, recreation programs, and charities across the country - concentrated particularly in Manchester - have seen donations of K$35 pouring in. Having A Ball, a children's sports and wellness initiative in Manchester, has since reported "the biggest day of giving in our organization's history".

Coach Jim Levins, asked about the trend, said it was "heartwarming to see citizens getting so involved with the community... Just because it's for a goofy reason doesn't mean it's not incredibly helpful to these organizations."

Levins is aware of the history between the nations' football programs, but insists it doesn't change the strategy: "We accomplish the same goal winning by one or 50. We're going to execute like we know how and keep on moving."

The Phoenixes earned a bye into the Round of 16 with the second-best overall performance in the qualifying stage. However, they have already recorded a win in South Newlandia recently, defeating the Elephants 92-76 in Elephant Valley on the back of 24 points and 14 rebounds by Przemysław Derda. The game was each team's last of the qualifying round, wrapping up a 17-1 campaign for the Phoenixes and ending a 5-13 season for the debuting hosts.

by **Graintfjall** » Tue Mar 01, 2022 6:54 pm

Posted on the In Brief section of the GS SuperSports+ website.

Super Wolves go on winning run to cruise to playoffs

In the loading bay of the International Basketball Committee headquarters in Háttmark, a more-or-less regulation size basketball court had been marked out in chalk (though the baseline at one end had a bulge in order to avoid a particularly stubborn bit of chewing gum). About ten civil servants in ill-fitting castoff Super Wolves jerseys were milling about, practising shooting and dribbling; ill-fitting because the jerseys were clearly designed for, well, basketball players, and none among those assembled had an especially athletic build nor, with the exception of Sigurberg the intern, was much over 6’ tall. Most of the team’s hopes rested on young Johannansson from Human Resources, who had been too excited at being invited to be on the team to question why he, the only black member of staff in the entire committee, had been personally hand-picked.

Óliver Theodórsson checked his clipboard again.

Tactics

1. Pass the ball to Johannansson
2. Think of a second tactic

Johannansson was dribbling the ball, weaving past three hapless defenders. He pulled up and lobbed up a jump shot. It looped five feet over the hoop. One of the junior accountancy staff took off down the street, chasing after the ball. Óliver buried his head in his hands. But even with his eyes covered, he felt the arrival of the imposing figure looming over him. When he looked up, he had to crane his neck back. Towering over him was an enormous, vaguely familiar figure, his once-dark hair threaded with silver. His knuckles looked overlarge, verging on the arthritic. But he walked tall and proud all the same.

“Mr Theodórsson, I was told to report to you.”

The handshake left Óliver wincing. The man might be middle-aged, but he still had mighty strength in his arms.

“You are…”

“I’m Auðunar Kristdórsson. I was just reassigned to your department.”

Now, let’s interject some context. There certainly was a player, ten years ago, who was the star of Græntfjall’s first ever international team, named Auðunar Kristdórsson. And the gentleman standing before – over, really – Óliver did bear a striking resemblance to said basketball player. Only thing was, Óliver had no memory of him being a civil servant…

“When did you join the civil service, Mr Kristdórsson?”

“Yesterday.”

“You joined the civil service yesterday. And you were assigned to me today.”

“Yes.”

Óliver had a hatred of cheating. His passion for a fair sporting outcome had recommended him as team leader at the IBC, where he thought he’d done a good job ensuring a spirit of healthy competitiveness had prevailed upon a level playing field. Óliver had also just watched his team of civil servants jack up 27 consecutive shots without hitting a single one.

“Mr Kristdórsson… welcome to the team!”

The lights went dark. It wasn’t for ambience, it was just the economy drive the civil service was operating under meant the metered lights cut off at a certain point. A couple of interns ran around to start handcranking the generator, while someone found an overhead projector and shone it full beam down on the court, creating a crude spotlight of sorts.

“Representing, the International Basketball Committee…”

Óliver sought out the voice. It was Naranja, surprisingly given its deep, bassy, quality. The petite Publications Manager was sitting cross-legged on the scorers’ table with a karaoke mic in her hand. She seemed to be getting into the role of announcer.

“At point guard, Building Services Coordinator Gaddi Dósóþeusarson!”

“At shooting guard, Human Resources Deputy Supervisor Sólimann Johannansson!”

“At small forward, Communications Advisor Rúben Agnarsson!”

“At power forward, Interning in the Graphic Design Department, Sigurberg Stapason!”

“And…!”

There whispers off-mic as she double-checked the name on the scoresheet.

“At center, newly appointed…”

Further whispering.

“Assistant to the Regional Manager! Auðunar Kristdórsson!”

He’d bulked out a bit and gone gray, and was moving with all the stately grace of an oil tanker, but it was Auðunar Kristdórsson all the same who lumbered out on court last, to cheers from the assembled staff who, after the low morale of recent weeks, were excited by the distraction of the game. And, thanks to the still they’d set up in the basement radiator well finally coming good, roaring drunk.

“And playing them, we’re delighted to welcome…”

More whispering.

“… Kyzhurkistan!?”

by **Ranoria** » Tue Mar 01, 2022 10:22 pm

We Hope You Grabbed the Popcorn and Sauerkraut Sandwich, Because It Looks Like We're In For The Long Haul!

Chaos In Ranoria City Near the City's Center As Krauts Defeat Indusse 70-62 in First Round Of IBC Playoffs

Un. Real. After Baraka Hali - who barely averages two minutes per game - hit a three pointer late to take the lead, our Krauts were able to close out a first round playoff contest that, given how the group stage went, few saw them escaping.

So many parallels with certain other iteration of the Krauts that we'll get into here. There are bigger storylines, of course. Quebec and Shingoryeo's 16-2 team looking to capitalize on the winner of the last four IBC's - Banija - backing out. TJUN-ia's ascent, as in other sports, as an 18-0 juggernaut. Hell, even our scheduled opponent in the 17-1 Delaclava is sporting their best defense in program history with a diverse cast of players, all of whom have shown the ability to score at times throughout the campaign.

But who cares about those!

We expected our squad to make the playoffs, although after a rough start many threw those lofty expectations out the window. Much like our WBC 50 squad, the team was on the outside looking in before getting hot late when it mattered. For that team, it was winning 10 of the final 11, and for this one it was 5 victories in their last outings. Between Ophelia Carter and Daniele Eveline heating up and Reiner Anneliese finally meshing with fellow athletic freak Julian Viola, the offense exploded to win those victories.

Also like that WBC team, it's their second foray into the tournament after a surprisingly competitive debut (well, technically it was our third time participating in the World Baseball Classic, but that first time, in the 44th edition, is largely ignored)

"We got lucky a bit on the defensive end too," claimed Anneliese, "Defense is really all about luck, whether your opponent is hot or cold, and in some of those games our opponents weren't able to convert possessions into points very effectively."

So what are we looking at in Delaclava, besides a team that's likely to kick us to the curb and then stomp our teeth through it for good measure?

Let's start with the stars. Đorđe Zubić will have to deal with perhaps the best product to ever come out of Ranoria in Reiner Anneliese for the majority of this game, but make no mistake, Zubić will be the best player on the court. He's been incredible in this tournament and has been the key cog in the machine that this team has become. And if it's close in the end? Przemysław Derda is likely going to be the one to shoot a dagger - he's been a sniper in the clutch late in games and if Ranoria is to have any hope of winning, they'll have to establish a wide margin just outside that two minute mark, no small task against a 16-2 squad.

And unfortunately for us, there's only one man on this team willing to play defense in Julian Viola. The rookie will have to play his best to try and mitigate the damage of Delaclava's studs as they seek some measure of revenge against a nation that's embarrassed them in two straight World Bowl finals, most recently on home turf in Catherina.

"No, we won't be changing our philosophy," head coach Billy Garrett said at a presser this week, "Defense is for nerds in this sport, and I think that mentality helps us be more effective on the other end of the court where it matters. Ultimately we're sacrificing the equivalent of a brick standing against a tsunami on defense to add a hell of a lot of firepower to our scoring.

We'll see if that pans out. Regardless, our Krauts have exceeded expectations, and let's be honest - Delaclav fans deserve this victory.

IBC 34: South Newlandia EVERYTHING THREAD

Playoff Preview

DROP IT DOWN!: Bliss Before The Ultimate Gauntlet

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