WESTMINSTER, CO: Week 5 Recap | Eat, sleep, ball, win

With a chance to have a late season showdown between undefeated teams, neither Impact Basketball nor the Long Shots did anything to spoil the headline matchup going in to week six, as both teams won their games in convincing fashion.

IMPACT - 104 PURPLE COBRAS - 68

Picking up an early lead in the very beginning of the game, IMPACT took care of business Tuesday night against Purple Cobras. Rising to a now 5-0 undefeated (still) record this season, IMPACT was led by Beau Barney 32 points in a game that didn’t seem to ever start for the Purple Cobras. Unable to contain IMPACT’s aggressive offense, flawless fundamental skills, and great perimeter shooting, the Purple Cobras dropped to 2-3 but were led with impressive efforts by Nick Moreno (23 points) and Josh Graffam (22 points)


LONG SHOTS - 155 LT BALLERS - 75

Another impressive team effort was executed by the second undefeated team of the season, the Long Shots. Every member off of the bench recorded double digits in scoring with 4 of the 6 players also recording double doubles. An incredible performance by sharp shooter Joey McLain easily sealed the deal for the Long Shots as they shut down the LT Ballers. McLain recorded 14 threes, going 67% from behind the arc and 57% from the field resulting in a team high 48 points and chipping in 11 assists and 11 rebounds resulting in a triple double for the night. Behind McLain, team leader, Derek Elliot, added in 33 points of his own along with 13 rebounds, and 10 assists that also gave The Long Shots their second triple double of the night. LT Ballers had no chance of stopping the powerhouse squad when they found their sweet spot. LT Ballers fall to 1-3 on the season.


THE BAD BOYS - 74 CIROC BOYZ - 64

In an aggressive competition between two solid squads, it was The Bad Boys who came out on top Tuesday night against the Ciroc Boyz. Both teams feed off of fast transition offense and driving north, south with their nose on the rim but it was The Bad Boyz resilience and team chemistry that gave them the edge over the Ciroc Boyz. Missing a good piece of their puzzle (Nick Nizam), Team leader Chris Morgan put the team on his back posting a team high 30 points and 9 rebounds, just shy of a double double. But great defensive efforts and quick buckets by Morgan weren’t enough to catch up to The Bad Boys who were led by aggressive man Blake Mahler (31 points) followed by quick guard Carlos Matos (14 points) and new addition Patrick Dudley (11 points).


EAT, SLEEP, BALL, REPEAT - 100 THE GLADIATORS - 79

A great team effort by ESBR paid off when they snagged a victory over The Gladiators giving them their first win of the season as The Gladiators continue their losing streak with what is now 5 in a row. With two players reaching double doubles, Austin Elzinga and Steven Swift, and the rest of the crew adding in plenty of rebounds, assists, and points themselves, the fundamental execution of ESBR is what catapulted them into victory Tuesday night. With no subs for either team it was a battle through and through, but The Gladiators couldn’t get themselves on a good enough run to catch up to ESBR.


MEDICINAL MAMBAS - 80 LIFE TIME LEGENDS - 79

The very last game of the night was most definitely the most exciting. A battle until the very end, it was the Medicinal Mambas who came out on top. Dylan Vandenend led the Mambas with 33 points going 4-6 from behind the arc and 11-14 from the field. Incredible efforts by leading guard Ruben Rivas added 25 points of his own helping the Mambas slither past the LT Legends at the very end. This game came down to the very last minute and slight miscommunication by the Mambas almost cost them the victory. However they came out on top against the LT Legends. Performances by Paul Grosshuesch and Andrew Martin, both finishing with a team high 27 points each, showed great sportsmanship and poise until the very end. Ultimately it was basketball IQ that was the deciding factor in this victory on Tuesday night.