WESTMINSTER, CO: Week 3 Recap | David almost takes down Goliath

If the first two weeks of the winter season were any indication of what is to come in Westminster, this season was looking to be not very entertaining. There were a lot of blowouts and sloppy basketball, but week three changed all that.

Long Shots - 71 vs. Life Time Legends - 69

Long Shots earned their third win this week while Life Time Legends fell to 0-3. With what was thought to be a box score buster for Long Shots turned out to be a solid game between the two squads. Usual powerhouse Derek Elliot posted a team high of 27 points being the most dangerous weapon the Long Shots had this game. Life Time Legends Power Forward Paul Grosshuesch put the team on his back alongside teammate Andrew Martin and combined supplied 59 out of LTL's 69 points. Long Shots were able to hold off the squad as Long Shots continue to stay undefeated throughout the league.

Purple Cobras - 81 vs. Eat, Sleep, Ball, Repeat - 76

With a team that has been revamped and rebooted Purple Cobras pick up their second win of the season starting off 2-1 compared to last Fall’s 0-3 start. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for ESBR, picking up their third loss in a row to Purple Cobras. A close game coming out of the half (41-38 ESBR) Purple Cobras came back with key plays and shot selections that just seemed to drop. ESBR went through quite of a dry spell relying mostly on the production of Nick Folkedahl and Mike Murnan. Hot hands and aggressive drives to the hole weren’t enough to stop Purple Cobra’s big men inside, dominating the glass 39-23. The Purple Cobras present us with a strong start and hope that they can keep their new streak alive.

Ciroc Boyz - 137 VS. LT Ballers - 69

The blowout of week 3 came at the hands of the Ciroc Boyz as they put up triple digits against free agent team LT Ballers. Almost every player on the roster put up double digits for the Ciroc Boyz on Tuesday night except for big man Marquis Scott. They dominated the boards 59-33 snagging 18 offensive rebounds nearly doubling their second chance opportunities compared to those of the LT Ballers. Ciroc Boyz had a field day beyond the arc putting up 54 three’s. Alfredo Gracia led the Boyz with 49 points followed by Nick Nizam with 32 and Chris Morgan pitching in 25 of his own. LT Ballers unfortunately had no answer for the Ciroc Boyz as they fell 50-21 just at the half. The second half was even more of a struggle connecting on their shots and trying to answer for the Ciroc Boyz ground and pound transition offense.

IMPACT Basketball - 89 vs. Medicinal Mambas - 81

In what turned out to be the most anticipated game of the night, the two talented teams of IMPACT and Medicinal Mambas battled it out for 44 minutes. No surprise that Beau Barney of IMPACT led the team in the points production category, he put up big numbers for his squad scoring almost half of the teams 86 points; Barney finished with 41 points and 11 rebounds recording another double-double of the season. Solid performances by Ruben Rivas and Dylan Vandenend kept the Medicinal Mambas in striking distance up until the very end. With two players in foul trouble at the very end the Medicinal Mambas had no choice but to use their last remaining fouls to slow down IMPACT. However with FT% of 79%, IMPACT only increased their lead as the clock expired. With what was a great battle between two very good squads, the undefeated champions remain just that, undefeated.

The Bad Boys - 66 vs. The Gladiators - 52

In the final matchup of the night, the undefeated Bad Boys took on the Gladiators as they searched for their first W of the season; Their hopes unfortunately weren’t high enough as they fell to 0-3. The game started out well for both teams and a suspenseful first half left the Gladiators only down by 1. Kyle Norman of The Gladiators led the team with 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 1 block followed by Matt Gutierrez who chipped in 11 points himself. Even with a clear size advantage with Norman on their team and big man Reggie Jackson being absent for The Bad Boys, Gladiators weren’t able to take advantage of their clear advantage and allowed Matthew Lloyd, Carlos Matos, and Blake Mahler to penetrate deep into the key and launch sinkers from beyond the arc. Even though The Gladiators won the battle of the boards 37-25 and had 7 more second chance opportunities than The Bad Boys did, they were unable to capitalize on those opportunities and finish at the rim. The Gladiators will continue to search for their first win of the season as The Bad Boys keep their eyes set on the Championship as an undefeated squad.