The Ferrall Ballerz have twice run through an undefeated season on the way to a championship in the Montvale League (including last season) so it was nothing new for them to finish the Winter Season unbeaten and be playing in the title game. What was different this time was the struggle they would face in trying to beat the young Comebacks to capture the first repeat championship in the league’s history. The Ballerz were used to running away with games after winning by an average of 17 points this season and winning each of their last 4 games by more than 20, but no one would hold a lead of more than 5 points in this game until less than 5 minutes left.

A mix-up with the schedule caused the game to be delayed as the Comebacks waited to have their full roster, and the hold-up might have caused both teams to cool down before the tip and bring a sloppy first 10 minutes, with a lot of turnovers and a slow start shooting for the Comebacks. The Ballerz took the early advantage with Ryan Dawson (14 pts, 14 reb, 3 blk) leading the way with a running floater, 2 free throws, a strong post up finish, a few blocks and a handful of rebounds.

While most of the Comebacks were struggling to get going, Marselis Middleton (10 pts, 4 reb) wouldn’t let the Ballerz get too far ahead as he nailed a 3 pointer just 4 minutes into the game for the team’s first points and a running floater 2 minutes later to bring the score to 6-5. The teams started to get the scoring going over the next 3 minutes as they traded points, with the Comebacks spreading the ball all around and the Ballerz letting Vinnie Graff (21 pts, 6 ast, 3 reb) lead the way with 8 straight points.

Daniel Readie (20 pts), who was the leading scorer for the Comebacks all season, started to heat up late in the 1st half as his layup with 7:13 left in the half tied the game at 16 and he made both free throws after a technical foul was called on Justin Leon (13 pts, 7 reb) to give the Comebacks their first lead at 18-16. The Ballerz would immediately take the lead back on a Graff 3, but Readie added 5 more points before the break to help the Comebacks to a 26-25 lead at halftime.

There was a scary moment with just over 2 minutes left in the 1st half when Devin Agic (5 pts) drove through the lane and was fouled going up for the layup. As he came down, he landed awkwardly on his ankle and went down in a heap. Agic couldn’t put any pressure on the leg and looked to be done for the game, leaving the Comebacks with only 4 players and in danger of having to play a man down the rest of the way. In the interest of fairness and a good game, Brian Mistretta switched sides but it ended up not being for long because Agic would play through the pain and return for his team in the 2nd half.

The teams would go back and forth trading the lead for much of the 2nd half, especially in the first 5 minutes, as they traded scores back and forth. Neither team could gain control of the game for most of the way, as there were 10 lead changes throughout the 2nd half. The Ballerz were taking it to the basket early with a Graff driving layup, a Leon reverse layup, a Dawson power post up off an inbounds play and a Dan Bronstein (8 Pts, 7 ast, 6 reb) transition layup off a Graff rebound and deep pass. But a Middleton 3-pointer, a Dahne Menzel (10 pts, 11 reb) elbow jumper and a Readie transition layup kept the score tied at 33 with 18 minutes left in the game.

Over the next 9 minutes, neither team would be afraid to go to the basket as they continued to trade the lead, which was highlighted by Readie taking it at the big man Dawson and hitting the up and under layup for the Comebacks (35-35 with 17:34 left), Dawson powering through the double team on the post to hit a baby hook (37-37 with 15:45 left) and Menzel following up his own missed put-back with a second offensive rebound and the finish for a 40-39 Comebacks lead with 10:32 left in the game.

It continued to go back and forth and staying close up until a 47-47 tie with 7:35 left in the game. The experience of the older Ballerz would take over from there though and the Ballerz would close the game out on a 13-0 run as their defense clamped down and Leon and Bronstein scored 5 points each. The run was highlighted by a Ballerz steal that led to Graff throwing a diagonal, behind his head, no look pass to Bronstein up court for an easy transition layup that extended the lead to double digits (58-47).

The Ballerz ended up winning the game 60-47 to wrap up back-to-back perfect seasons and back-to-back Montvale Ultimate Hoops Championships. The Ballerz become the first team in the history of the league to win back-to-back and first to win 3 titles in franchise history.

There is no rest for the weary though as the Spring 2016 season starts next week. Make sure to talk to Perry Mann to get your teams in the mix to try and upset the Ballerz next season!!

For more highlights see our Championship Game Playlist on the Ultimate Hoops Montvale YouTube page

You can watch the full Championship Game on the YouTube Page

Before the game, Scott Ferrall caught up with most of the Comebacks to talk about their incredible upset over the 2nd seeded Bergen Tropics to make it into the Title game and gets their predictions for how the championship game would go