MONTVALE, NJ: One Undefeated Remains

Only one team came out of Week Four unblemished, while two are still struggling to find their first victory of the Winter Season.

The Ball Hogs dealt Team Justin its first loss of the season in what proved to be the most competitive game of the night. The well-played contest saw both teams shoot just shy of 50% from the field and would go down to the wire before the Ball Hogs prevailed, 62-57.

The opening half began with Justin racing to a 24-12 advantage. That, however, would be the biggest lead of the night for either squad, as the Ball Hogs ended the first 22 minutes of action with a one-point edge going into the half.

While Justin’s Jesse Joudanin played most of the second half with four fouls, he managed to keep his team close by using his aggression to provide timely buckets. When it was all said and done, he and Justin Leon combined for 41 of the team’s 57 points. The two shot nearly 60% from the field and grabbed 15 rebounds as well. The Ball Hogs, meanwhile, had a much more balanced approach. Six players scored between seven and 16, led by Alexis Drullunsky, who also recorded seven rebounds.

Facing a deficit with two minutes remaining, Justin opted to start fouling the Ball Hogs, forcing them to make free throws to close out their victory. While Team Justin was able to get within a basket after hitting a few threes, they couldn’t even up the score. Clutch free throw shooting by Sam Katz, who went 6-6 from the line, helped provide the difference in his team’s victory.

Games two and three of the night provided similar scores of 63-37 and 61-33. Not surprisingly, Victorious Secret put up one of those 60-point totals, as they put forth another impressive victory to move to 3-0 and send Just The Tip to an 0-3 start.

Victorious Secret jumped out to a 15-0 lead as Adrian Woodard contributed two quick threes in the opening minutes. Woodard and Vinnie Graff would both reach the 20-point mark when it was all said and done.

The 63-37 outcome never appeared to be in question, as Just The Tip trailed by double-digits at the half and never seemed to get things going on offense. Robert Buonanno struggled to find his shot, going 5-21 from the field. That percentage reflected the entire team’s shooting woes, as they connected on just 24% of their attempts.

In addition to Buonanno, Larry DeLuise was the only other member of his team to crack double figures. Frustration appeared to get the best of Just the Tip, as the team received three technicals in the second half and Larry Politis was sent to the bench after being ejected.

The action was also lopsided in Old School’s victory over Team Randy. Like Just the Tip, Randy failed to win its first game of the season as they struggled on offense. They made just ten field goals the entire game and managed just one doube-digit scorer, Alex Benisatto, who made two of his ten attempts.

In their 61-33 victory, Old School out-muscled Randy on the glass with 11 offensive rebounds and a +18 advantage overall. Joe Cothron, Akeem Atanda and Bill Costello led the way on the boards. Offensively, Billy Allen did what Team Randy could not, providing a very efficient performance with five three-pointers and a 71% mark from the field.