MONTVALE, NJ: Four Teams Left Standing

The field was cut down from seven to four as the first playoffs in Montvale UHoops history tipped off Wednesday night.

As the field has narrowed, the three remaining games with the final four teams should provide considerably more excitement than what went down in Round One. Each contest was decided by double-digits as all three favorites advanced.

First up was Team Randy taking on Victorious Secret. Adrian Woodard faced his former team and did not disappoint. His 19 points and 14 rebounds led the way as his squad won their third straight game and is arguably the most dangerous team remaining. After winning their first three contests, Victorious Secret dropped its fourth consecutive to end a disappointing season.

While Randy held on for a 67-55 win, it appeared that they would run away with the game in the opening minutes. After hot shooting by Jason Fond, Team Randy jumped out to a 16-0 advantage. They went into the break up 20. However, Victorious Secret found an offense in the second half as Vinnie Graff found his three-point shot. He and David Simpson kicked up the scoring as VS was able to cut the lead to five with plenty of time remaining. That was as close as they’d get, however. Woodard helped to seal the contest by getting some easy buckets and VS turned the ball over too much down the stretch.

The next team to advance was Team Justin, who sent home one-win Just the Tip in a closer than expected 52-42 victory. While Justin claimed an early 12-5 advantage, the two teams were knotted up after 22 minutes at 25. Hot shooting by Larry DeLuise, who finished with 20 points, was a big reason why Just the Tip was able to keep things close.

When the second half began, however, Justin took a 38-27 advantage and never looked back. With Anthony Romano, Justin Leon and Jesse Joudanin all reaching double-figures, they had too many weapons for Just the Tip to be able to stick with them.

The final team moving on, Ball Hogs, did not face much of a challenge in Team Bryan. In their 66-31 rout, the Ball Hogs shot the ball at a 56% clip, more than twice the percentage of Bryan’s 22. Their anemic offense failed to produce a single double-digit scorer, while the Ball Hogs had four, led by Sam Katz and Brian Perez.

Of the final four teams standing, Randy is the only one with a losing record. However, they haven’t been defeated since Adrian Woodard joined the club. Their matchup with top-seeded Old School could make for one of the best games of the season. The second semifinal between the Ball Hogs and Justin could be equally compelling. The two met once during the regular season, with the Ball Hogs scoring a 62-57 victory in a back-and-forth contest.