NationStates Jolt Archive

I guess it's about time for one of these again: the International Basketball Championships are back! This time I'll shift the format to something that looks more like the real world championships, with a home-and-away group stage followed by a group stage for qualifiers and capped off with a bracket. As with previous editions (for instance, IBC II (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=564056)), RP will count for everything, with additional allowances for home teams and bracketology.

Team ratings, now calculated with something more like what we do for the World Cup, are posted here for seeding/draw purposes only. They don't factor into my scorinator at all, although that's on the list of things to do.

1 Newmanistan : 4.84
2 Arroza : 4.17
3 Myedvedeya : 4.00
4 Lovisa : 4.00
5 Magnus Valerius: 3.75
6 Secristan : 3.67
7 Cafundeu : 3.36
8 Taeshan : 3.17
9 Jeruselem : 2.25
10 Kenavt : 1.76
11 Dancougar : 1.76
12 Kose/Turkomans : 1.52
13 Frontenax : 1.38
14 Corivia : 1.09
15 Xaristan : 1.04
16 Miroxia : 1.00
17 Rennidan : 1.00
18 Swilatia : 1.00
19 Kura-Pelland : 0.47
20 Gerainia : 0.32

Signups are now open and will run through Wednesday, January 7. New teams will be assigned an initial ranking based on their signup order. More details will be posted at tournament time, although you can probably expect it'll go the same as the other two.

This thread can be used for everything. A link has been posted to the tournament frontpage; from there you'll be able to navigate to rosters, results, etc.

SIGNUPS: 16 (Updated through Lurikastan):
1 Newmanistan
2 Arroza
3 Myedvedeya
4 Lovisa
6 Secristan
7 Cafundeu
8 Taeshan
11 Dancougar
21 Oiseaui
22 Midlauthia
23 Sarzonia
24 Tocrowkia
25 Colbourne
26 Draistania
27 Greal
28 Lurikastan

Tournament Frontpage! (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14375725&postcount=22)

The Democratic Republic of Oiseaui will send a team.

The Knights be bach

Yes11oneone!

We will defend our title.

Who is going to be hosting, or will there be hosting bids at a later point?

Lovisa sign in

Sarzonia wishes to play some round ball.

We'll sign up, for lulz.

The nation on the top of that ranking list signs up.

Back to defend our title of "Team most likely to posterize your defense, but still lose".

Who is going to be hosting, or will there be hosting bids at a later point?

I'll be taking care of the hostinating unless someone else really wants to do it, in which case feel free to create a hat and throw your name inside of it.

I'll be taking care of the hostinating unless someone else really wants to do it, in which case feel free to create a hat and throw your name inside of it.

No thanks, I was here for the first conversation about how to scorinate it. I'm still shivering.

colbourne is in

Draistania will participate in this.

Cafundéu wishes to sign-up.

The winners of the first and biggest disappointment of the second sign up.

Bump to get back to the front page.

Still got lots of time to jump in, and 14 off the bat is awesome.

Hoo boy, two straight bumps don't look good for the home team, eh? Nevertheless, here we are at 14 and back on the front page. Signups remain open till Wednesday.

sign Greal up then.

Upon word of this event reaching Lurikastan. Minister of Sport Jerry McDougal and Director of Lurikastan Basketball Jim Palitono Were eager to enter the Lurikastani mens team into the foray.

Roster
PG-PM Mikhail Petkov (#57 5'7")
SG-Duke Snyder (#13 6'0")
SF-Solud Achem (#00 6'5")
PF-Luis Arroyo (#31 7'1")
C-Abraham Romez (#44 8'0")
____________________________

PG-Delicious Afolabi (#21 3'5")
C-Greg Noxious (#93 7'6")
SF-Hideki Tashikamura (#1 6'8")
SF-Tashiko-san (#2 6'5")
SG-Mike Harvey (#21 6'0")
PF-Jobu Nakitahikalrimofunusamesahemapolitariuas (#40 6'10")
SG-Danielle Boticelli (#20 6'4")
_______________________________
Reserves:

C-Barry Richardson (#12 7'0")
PG-Christiano Domi (#27 5'9")
SF-L (#54 6'6")

General Procedure

* Teams earn between 0 and 3 RP points per match day based on combined quality of posts. RP degrades every matchday according to RP(t) = 1/2RPearnedtoday + 1/2RP(t-1), although you will not lose your cumulative RP bonus on days that you have off.
* Teams playing at home have an extra RP point tacked onto whatever they earn.
* Dancougar does not earn RP on account of he's the one judging them, but does get the 1.0 for home games. This includes Best of the Rest and the Final Tournament, whichever he ends up in.
* I will attempt to do scorination between 8-10 PM eastern time (0100-0300 GMT), with scheduled delays of 3-5 hours on Mondays and Saturdays due to other commitments. Additional breaks due to me being out of town can be found in the schedule of matches and are enumerated here: no matches Friday 1/16, Sat 1/17, Sun 1/18, Fri 1/30, and Sat 1/31. Any other delays will be announced in this thread with as much warning as possible.

Qualifying Round

Teams have been drawn into two groups of eight and will play home-and-away.

QUALIFYING GROUP A
Newmanistan (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14383165&postcount=31)
Lovisa
Secristan (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14379807&postcount=27)
Taeshan (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14377855&postcount=26)
Oiseaui
Sarzonia (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14377609&postcount=25)
Draistania (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14375909&postcount=23)
Lurikastan (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14367148&postcount=21)

QUALIFYING GROUP B
Arroza (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14376713&postcount=24)
Myedvedeya
Cafundeu
Dancougar (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14382646&postcount=30)
Midlauthia
Tocrowkia
Colbourne (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14381940&postcount=29)
Greal

Schedule (home teams first):
MD1 (Sat 1/10): 3v5, 2v4, 1v8, 6v7 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14387178&postcount=34)
MD2 (Sun 1/11): 1v2, 3v7, 4v8, 5v6 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14389095&postcount=44)
MD3 (Mon 1/12): 1v3, 5v7, 4v6, 2v8 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14393141&postcount=51)
MD4 (Tue 1/13): 4v5, 6v8, 2v3, 1v7 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14395881&postcount=55)
MD5 (Wed 1/14): 3v6, 1v4, 2v7, 5v8 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14399647&postcount=60)
MD6 (Thu 1/15): 3v8, 2v6, 1v5, 4v7 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14403550&postcount=65)
MD7 (Mon 1/19): 3v4, 7v8, 2v5, 1v6 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14418330&postcount=69)
MD8 (Tue 1/20): 5v3, 4v2, 8v1, 7v6 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14421707&postcount=72)
MD9 (Wed 1/21): 2v1, 7v3, 8v4, 6v5 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14425672&postcount=76)
MD10 (Thu 1/22): 3v1, 7v5, 6v4, 8v2 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14430566&postcount=79)
MD11 (Fri 1/23): 5v4, 8v6, 3v2, 7v1 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14434202&postcount=83)
MD12 (Sat 1/24): 6v3, 4v1, 7v2, 8v5 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14438204&postcount=88)
MD13 (Sun 1/25): 8v3, 6v2, 5v1, 7v4 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14440546&postcount=92)
MD14 (Mon 1/26): 4v3, 8v7, 5v2, 6v1 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14445842&postcount=96)

At the end of qualifying, the top three teams in each group will be ranked from 1-6 and the remaining ten will be ranked from 7-16. Tiebreakers are: head-to-head victories, head-to-head points scored, overall point differential, overall points scored, special playoff game scorinated on Mon 1/26.

Best of the Rest

The teams ranked 11-16 will be placed in a single group and every team will play the others once. This serves the role of the Cup of Harmony.

Lovisa
Cafundeu
Oiseaui
Taeshan
Midlauthia
Arroza

Schedule (all games neutral):
MD15 (Tue 1/27): 2v4, 1v3, 5v6 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14447055&postcount=98)
MD16 (Wed 1/28): 2v3, 4v5, 1v6 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14453714&postcount=100)
MD17 (Thu 1/29): 1v4, 3v6, 2v5 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14456967&postcount=101)
MD18 (Sun 2/01): 3v5, 4v6, 1v2 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14466145&postcount=105)
MD19 (Mon 2/02): 3v4, 2v6, 1v5 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14470781&postcount=108)

Final Tournament

The teams ranked 1-10 will be placed in two groups of five and will play the other teams in their group once.

GROUP A
Myedvedeya
Dancougar
Secristan
Colbourne
Newmanistan

GROUP B
Sarzonia
Draistania
Tocrowkia
Greal
Lurikastan

Schedule (all games neutral):
MD16 (Wed 1/28): 1v2, 3v4 (5 off) (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14453714&postcount=100)
MD17 (Thu 1/29): 3v5, 2v4 (1 off) (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14456967&postcount=101)
MD18 (Sun 2/01): 1v3, 4v5 (2 off) (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14466145&postcount=105)
MD19 (Mon 2/02): 2v5, 1v4 (3 off) (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14470781&postcount=108)
MD20 (Tue 2/03): 1v5, 2v3 (4 off) (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14478799&postcount=112)

The top two teams in each group advance to the semifinals. Tiebreakers are the same as in the qualifying stage, with extra matches scorinated on Tue 2/03 if needed.

A1: Newmanistan
A2: Secristan
B1: Sarzonia
B2: Draistania

MD21 (Wed 2/04): A1 v B2, A2 v B1 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14478799&postcount=112)
MD22 (Thu 2/05): A1 v B2, A2 v B1 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14483064&postcount=115)
MD23 (Fri 2/06): A1 v B2, A2 v B1 (if necessary)

The winners play in the championship series.

MD24 (Sun 2/08): SF1 v SF2 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14493103&postcount=119)
MD25 (Mon 2/09): SF1 v SF2 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14496040&postcount=121)
MD26 (Tue 2/10): SF1 v SF2 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14499980&postcount=123)
MD27 (Wed 2/11): SF1 v SF2 (if necessary)
MD27 (Thu 2/12): SF1 v SF2 (if necessary)

Draistanian Basketball League News

The most popular sport in Draistania according to a national poll, is basketball. Now, Draistania is finally entering a team in the International Basketball Championship. The best players from the best teams have been selected.

For over a week, players from the professional teams were given the chance to prove themselves in a number of events. This data combined with their previous performances has given us the following roster for the Draistania Team.

*Starting Five*

Philip Cashvaw (45)
Position: Point Guard
Height: 6'4"
Professional Team: Trassvan Destroyers

Donovan Zarrian (52)
Position: Shooting Guard
Height: 6'5"
Professional Team: Unsen Bears

Karl Tabercan
Position: Small Forward
Height: 6'2"
Professional Team: Zerfic Eagles

Clyde Smith
Position: Power Forward
Height: 6'4"
Professional Team: Trassvan Destroyers

Jamal Nammerson
Position: Center
Height: 6'6"
Professional Team: Draistania City Mountain Lions

*Substitutes*

Fred Darser
Position: Point Guard
Height: 6'1"
Professional Team: New Vaxaf Falcons

Fox Trassvan
Position: Point Guard
Height: 6'2"
Professional Team: Halter Warriors

Daniel Trevors
Position: Shooting Guard
Height: 6'5"
Professional Team: Zerfic Eagles

Xavier Angeles
Position: Small Forward
Height: 5'11"
Professional Team: Crassenville Wolves

Yassur Cantons
Position: Small Forward
Height: 6'0"
Professional Team: Gozanral Bobcats

Ralzer Johnson
Position: Power Forward
Height: 6'3"
Professional Team: Justanbar Soldiers

Shammon Trake
Position: Power Forward
Height: 6'2"
Professional Team: Saint Vernon Sting Rays

Robert Vladamir
Position: Center
Height: 6'6"
Professional Team: Yessemity Aces of Diamonds

These are the best players, there are tests to decide that, but who are the best coaches? That was a bit more complicated, but after many hours of arguing between DBL officials, Gregory Massenet of the Draistania City Mountain Lions was chosen as head coach and Charles Porfic of the Halter Warriors was chosen as assistant coach.

We hope that you are satisfied with these picks. For more updates on your favorite players, stay connected to the Draistanian Basketball League News rather it be from Carfour Dome in Draistania City or anywhere that basketball is played!

Ball Till You Fall. Drink Till You Can't. The IBC Has Returned.

Style/Notes: The Tar Hornets of Arroza aren’t the biggest team in the tournament, but in a tournament of physically smaller players, that wasn’t as much of a problem in the first IBC as you would have assumed. What was more of a problem was the team’s complete lack of defensive morals, and their refusal to play as a team at several points into the tournament. After a year or so playing together at a secretive training location on the North Island, the team had learned how to play as a team, and proved it going deep into the playoffs. But now the team's getting older by the day. Can a team built around athletic potential instead of skills or a system succeed like they could 2 years ago?

On the court, they still play with 3 guards and 2 post players ala Newmanistan. But unlike the Snipers, Arroza depends on their ability to spread the court, and get one on one matchups that they can exploit by driving to the hoop, or by “stunting” on their opponents. Against zone defenses, they have been known to continuously fire the ball from the corners, with surprising accuracy.

Feel free to use any name you want for the players, but all Arrozan players wear their nicknames on the back of their jerseys instead of their normal name, and will be referred to as such during all national reporting.

Starters:
PG: Joshua Staten - 6’0” – 27 – Nickname: Ignition
Like his nickname, Staten’s there to get the team started. Putting the ball at the right place at the right time is his specialty, but he can be dangerous keeping the ball as well, as he's probably the most well rounded player on the team.

SG: Steven McClellan – 6’2” – 23 – Nickname: Jetstream
McClellan is the first option for getting the ball to the interior. With a dramatically fast first step, and a penchant for breaking ankles, Jetstream is a nightmare for opposing defenders, and his speed is augmented by an arsenal of dribbles and tricks.

SG: LaQuinta Carter – 6’1” – 25 – Nickname: Sniper
The best shooter on the team, She can put it in the air from four point range and be accurate. She’s not as much of a driver as the other guards, but she should not be left open at any cost.

PF: Keyron Doaks – 6’7” – 28 – Nickname: Lights Out
Strong for his height, Doaks is the main interior option. With his ability to get to the hoop, he can outpace most big 4’s and jump over the smaller ones. But now he's getting old, and has to make way for the constant youth movement of the team.

C: Anson Bol – 6'11” - 21 – Nickname: Windex
The centers don't play a giant role in the offense, so Bol's main job is to clean the glass and to throw other people's shots into the tenth row.

Reserves:
PG: J.J. Toles – 6’1” – 25 – Nickname: The Jet
PG: Jane Wesley – 5’10” – 24 – Nickname: Queen Bee
SG: Jerome Noble – 6’2” – 21 – Nickname: Purple Haze
SG: Jesus Garcia-Leighton – 6’3” – 24 – Nickname: Daddy Smooth
SF: Hope Quintard – 6'3” - 19 – Nickname: Femme Fatale
PF: Cornelius Wilmer – 6'7” - 20 – Nickname: Professor
C: Leroy Moore – 6'10” - 18 – Nickname: Slash

Announcers:
Starting: Chris “Supreme” Querrey
Back-Up / Spanish Translation: Phil “Ultimado” Moya

Note : In Arroza, the announcers are allowed to roam onto the actual playing court as long as they do not interfere with play of either team, and use cordless microphones. Their official duty is to provide a colorful form of play-by-play and is sponsored by the home team, and is therefore ridiculously biased.

Since we doubt that any other team (except maybe Rennidan) will produce any sort of quality announcer, Arroza is bringing their announcer to broadcast at any game with at least one thousand Arrozan fans (all of their games). In adherence to Dancougarian and International rules, however, the announcer will be confined to the seating area or the bench.

Arroza Basketball. We don't front. We don't play for fame. We don't negotiate. We don't stop. We don't need approval. We don't play games. WE BALL.

Sarzonia wasn't known as a hoops playing nation, but owing to its historical roots, there definitely was an interest in one of the world's most popular games.

The country had two professional leagues, the Sarzonian Basketball Association and the Incorporated Basketball League, which each sported 12 teams. Two divisions of intercollegiate play, for junior and senior colleges, also existed. Players who were too tall for or had no interest in football sometimes took up basketball.

Thus, there was little trouble establishing a roster or a coaching staff for Sarzonia's entry into basketball. Thus, the team set forth by the Sarzonian International Basketball Federation was as follows:

Coach: Henry West (58 years old). West served as coach of the SBA's Portland Lumberjacks until he retired three seasons ago. He remained as a basketball analyst for the Sarzonian Sports Network and three years away from the rigours of coaching gave him fresh perspective. He favours a half court offence and a stingy man-to-man defence, but can adjust depending on the personnel he has or the opponent's greatest strengths.
Assistant coaches: Matt Walton (51; head coach of the Woodstock Warriors of the SBA); Dave Tunney (44; head coach of the Wilmington Clippers of the IBL).

Starting lineup
PG: Brandon Collins, 27 (6-foot-4, 205 pounds), Wilmington. Collins led the IBL in assists-to-turnovers ratio with 4.6 in 36 games. He is known as a deft passer of the ball and finished third in the league in assists with 8.9 per game.
SG: Chris Draden, 23 (6-foot-6, 215 pounds), Woodstock. Draden led the SBA in scoring with 29.6 points per game and is surprisingly strong on the boards, averaging 6.4 per game. He isn't that great at creating his own shot, but is working with Walton to improve that aspect of his game.
SF: Will Christian, 28 (6-foot-8, 220 pounds), Tacoma Terror, IBL. Christian has good speed and a deft shooting touch, averaging 15.7 points per game. He added 3.2 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game last season.
PF: George Tblik, 30 (6-foot-9, 245 pounds), Saugerties Breeze, IBL. Tblik is a banger, pure and simple. He has a deft touch inside, but has trouble hitting a jumper beyond 10 feet. Averaged 9.7 points per game and 10.6 rebounds per game.
C: Cole Schooler, 27 (7 feet, 275 pounds), Portland. Schooler led both leagues in rebounding with 14.9 per game. He has a surprisingly strong shooter's touch from the international 3-point line.

Reserves
G Marty Rathburn (6-foot-3, 195 pounds), Tacoma
G Jeff King (6-foot-7, 215 pounds), Woodstock
G/F Terry Fox (6-foot-6, 220 pounds), Rypien Rush, IBL
F Corey Landry (6-foot-9, 230 pounds), Portland
F Gabe Loretta (6-foot-8, 240 pounds), free agent
F/C Joe Cameron (6-foot-9, 250 pounds), Tacoma

Note: All home fixtures will be played at The Palestra in Woodstock (capacity 20,850).

We play a three guard lineup, as you will see. Basketball is our national sport and most favorite, and we are a force from beyond the arc and at the line.

PG Aaron Beliew 21 12
SG Alice Coopen 23 30
BG Phil Greggs 24 57
SF Qcraig Golchin 22 21
C Ilchyin Baker 21 28
Subs
PG Deliua Greftoy 22 41
SG William Force 28 7
BG Fred Murphy 23 36
SF Cill Siss 21 9
C Baxter Bailey 31 30

Purple an dGold jerseys

Home Stadium-Atlantea Speed Arena, Laketown MetroGarden
(schedule later)

After winning the 1st International Basketball Championship, the Secristan Department of Sports made one of their biggest mistakes. They allowed the same players to return for the 2nd edition based solely on the fact that they were the defending champions. This did not work out well at all as they couldn’t even advance out of the group stage. The SDOS will not make the same mistake again. As is our custom, positions went to the highest bidder. Now, hopefully, things will more like they were the first time and not the second.

Coach: Steve Bassett (51)

Starters:
PF: #32- Alex Mullen (24) 6'8"- Ferocious rebounder is also good for 20-25 points per game.
SF: #33- Chris Goodrich (26) 6'4"- Known more for his defensive ability.
C: #50- Eric Mercier (28) 7'3"- Big, but can’t hit a free throw if his life depended on it.
SG: #24- Emerson Hyatt (25) 6'5"- Lights out from downtown. Should average 20 PPG.
PG: #23- Corey Burks (19) 6'2"- Agile, but sometimes tries to be too cute with the ball.

Bench:
F: #34- Joshua Franklin (26) 6'9"- Good on the boards, should see solid minutes per game.
F: #44- Kenny Hastings (23) 6'5"- Effective shooter, and outstanding from the charity stripe.
C: #55- Jerome White (25) 6'11"- Better all-around center then Mercier, just didn’t bid enough.
G: #12- Tyrone Rainford (20) 6'5'- Rather selfish with the ball.
G: #3- Isaiah Douglas (26) 6'6"- Strong from downtown. Bassett’s preference of the two backup guards.
C: #54- Luke Clippard (33) 7'0"- An older version of Mercier.
Util: #20- Anthony Edmunds (26) 6'1"- Honestly, he’s not that great, but he put up the bid money.

Bidding the most for the right to host the games was the 16,330-seat Elite Fieldhouse in Homestead. It’s actually a pretty nice facility, you all are getting lucky.

THE SALO TIMES
Sports

Low down: Lurikastan Basketball

by Jaques Budoir

Usually when you enter McPakens Arena in Salo you hear the roar of the crowd cheering their beloved Salo Gorillas on to victory, but today that's not the case. Instead, today you hear the bounce of basketballs and the coaches stern words, and this does not happen to be a Gorillas practice. Instead the Lurikastani Basketball Team is practicing for the biggest competition of their lives. After what I heard was a tough practice we caught up with Point Guard/Coach/Prime Minister Michael Petkov. He told me that "The first few games are going to be tough but we'll be playing 100% in no time. Although that probably wont add any thing to the loss column." Center Abe Romez added that "Despite this being our first international not against The Yorozuya we feel that were well prepared to handle all that Newmanistan can throw at us, but we'll leave that to the court."


((OOC: Home court is McPackens Arena in Salo and the Texas Dome in Texas City.))

Colbourne has released its final roster fro the tournament
PG #10 LeSean Williams 6'1
SG #14 Nathan Jackson 6'4
SF #15 Reggie Harrison 6'5
PF #6 Alex Richardson 6'10
C # 7 John Green 7'0
Subs
PG #5 Steve Miller 6'0
SG #2 Eric Peterson 6'2
SF #1 Lamar West 6'4
PF #4 Greg Taylor 6'9
C #3 Harry Brett 6'11
Home arena is the Air Colbourne Centre 21 000 in downtown Toronto
Homehttp://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc121/deacan94/1t0cfwjjwfgektyfroift1bvr.gif
Awayhttp://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc121/deacan94/hy5dtbe9mpgonge41gstk7qzb.gif
Alternate http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc121/deacan94/dgbzgdsxaeg7qthlpkx4ei76i.gif

Dancougar Roster: Rated by whiteness!
Starters in bold.

******: <------ That guy in the profile picture there.
*****: Is it Polish in here, or is it just you?
****: I hope you're a religious man, 'cuz you ain't got soul.
***: Only dances well to songs that start with "KONAMI!"
**: Turns his cap sideways, sometimes untucks his polo shirt.
*: Listens to rap music; "It is so gangster, dogs."

C Nathanial Schaub (****)
C Grant Slyter (***)
SG Wallace Kilborn (*****)
SG Nicky Starnold (****)
SG Richard LeRoux (*****)
PG Nigel Capps (***)
PG Wally Mangini (***)
G Gilbert Stilner (**)
G Craig Abatelle (****)
SF Alfred Steedman (****)
PF Kevin Muncie (*****)
PF Roy Stableford (**)

(One more day to get in your pre-tournament RPs, which will count to your matchday one result. Rosters are also RPs. The first matchday is tomorrow night, and remember, Saturdays are delayed, so there's a few extra hours to squeeze these in!)

There will not be much difference in the team that Newmanistan brings to the 3rd International Basketball Championships. These players have shown that they can compete at this high level, but the championship has eluded them so far. They are hungry for it, and get another opportunity.

A little background on my team for those who didn’t compete in the first one: We are a three-point shooting team, we shoot them constantly, all game long. What makes us a little unique is that you never know where the three is going to come from. In Newmanistan’s domestic league, there is also a four-point line which is an additional six feet behind the three point line. While this line does not exist in the IBC, it is because of its existence at home that our shooters will just pull up and shoot from distances that opposing players may not be accustomed too.

The team is as follows, with the starting five all the same.

Manager- Phil McDowell

PG- Connor Crawford (30, 6'6")- A prototypical point guard, he is a field general with the ball, and does a good job in recognizing which of his teammates will have the best three-point opportunity. He can hit them himself, too, of course. Crawford is also very good defending the three.

SG- Kory Klassen (31, 6'7")- This is the guy who will likely be the leading scorer for the Rockets. His three point shooting accuracy has led the EBA for four consecutive years, and he also can shoot the Empire-unique four-pointer as well, leading the way in 4-pointer average for six straight years. While that doesn't mean anything here, it does mean to watch out, because he will shoot from just about anywhere! Klassen, who is the team captain, was the team's leading scorer in each of the last two IBC's.

C- Tank Nelson (32, 7'1")- Well, someone's got to try and get the rebounds, right? Nelson will generally be doing just that, but every now and then, the Rockets will play it down low and give him a shot in the paint. Nelson is especially valuable defensively, though. He is fearless to the opponent, and never backs down from a challenge. For a center, he does a good job staying out of foul trouble.

PF- Reese Fraser (27, 6'8")- Fraser is really more of a power forward by default then what you traditionally expect from someone at this spot. Fraser will unload threes just as much as the guards, but unlike them, he will take it inside. He is the most physical player in the lineup.

SF- Garrett York (30, 6'6")- Small forward or a second shooting guard? You decide what you wanna call him! While listed as a forward, he plays like a guard.

Bench:
G- Raphael Lachance (28, 6' 1")
G- Michael Lessard (28, 6' 5")
C- Pedro Oliveras (23, 6' 11")
F- John Watson (21, 6' 4")
F- Dennis Norton (29, 6'5")
C- Tyler Hanlon (27, 6" 10")
G- Matthew Lawlor (20, 6'5")- Only newcomer on team.

Stadium- Tundra Falls Proving Grounds

RP Permissions: If you RP first, please stick with the theme of our team. Don't injure anyone anymore then saying so and so was hurt. And don't do anything crazy (i.e. aliens attack) without my consent.

THE ROCKET REPORT

BASKETBALL COMPETITION TO BEGIN

Tundra Falls, Newmanistan- With the nation still in shock over the Empress’ decision to pull the country out of World Cup competition, there is another national team set to pursue their dream of becoming a world champion. That would be our basketball players in the 3rd edition of the International Basketball Championships which tips off tonight against Lurikastan. Newmanistan should be seen as a contender for the championship, as they have performed well in the first two, including the runner up finish in the inaugural IBC, but you have to wonder what is going through the minds of out players. Are they going to have the same fate? Our Jason Richards sat down with coach Phil McDowell to discuss the topics surrounding the team and the competition.

JR: Good afternoon. I’m Jason Richards and I am here with Phil McDowell, the coach of the national basketball team, hello Phil.

PM: Hello Jason, always good to be here.

JR: It must be hard getting the team psyched up after the Empress said what she said yesterday about the football team under concern that it could happen to them.

PM: The suddenness of the announcement is what scares you, sure. The timing of it did nothing to benefit our team in anyway, but I have told the guys just not to think about, and to go out there and play basketball. That’s something that they can control, but it will be difficult to get it out of your head when the media is constantly asking you about it.

JR: It has caused a lot of outrage in the Empire. What was your opinion about it?

PM: I feel for Brian Carson and the team, sure. We shouldn’t be giving up on teams that are struggling at the halfway point especially when there has been a strong commitment to them in the past. I hope that she reconsiders because the players deserve it.

JR: How much have the players been talking about it?

PM: Somewhat. Look, we’re here to play basketball so can we move on to that now?

JR: Yeah, let’s move on to basketball.

PM: Good.

JR: So the team has the reputation for being fearless three point shooters. The starting lineup is identical, so it’s going to be more of the same I take it.

PM: Yes. With us it’s never a secret of what we are going to do to try and win a game. We are going to shoot from behind the three point line all game. Tank Nelson and Reese Fraser have done a good job on the glass for us and have shown the ability to kick it back out for another three attempt when needed or to put it up themselves. We do have some versatility, but we’re still going to be aggressive from downtwon.

JR: And what about the people who say that the team is way too predictable?

PM: If our opponents think that, then that is fine. Because we shoot from distances that they aren’t used to defending, it’s something that they have to adjust to. You really can’t play a zone against us, because there is a lot of free space for our guys to room. We use the entire halfcourt, and the defense has to adjust by covering more ground because of it. We can then find openings. So even though you know we are looking for the three, we can put it up from anywhere so if you start to think we are predictable, we have you right where we want you.

JR: Nelson and Fraser have established themselves as enough of a force in the paint to where they have to be respected and can’t be left alone, too.

PM: Absolutely, you still must have a man on both of them down low, which gives our guards even more room to set up shop and do their thing, and certainly they will play it down low if they feel that have a good look.

JR: Having been so close twice before, bringing the same group of starters back for the third time is a wise idea, but if you don’t get it, do you start to get concerned about whether or not you should be looking at other players?

PM: These are the best players in the country at their respective positions, and they are all in their prime right now, upper 20's or low 30's. They are a smart team, and a real pleasure to coach, and I am really looking forward to it.

JR: What nations in the group do you see as being the biggest threats. Secristan, I’m sure is one.

PM: Well Secristan, for sure. They are a champion at this and it looks like they are going back to their normal way of doing things. This Lurikastan team could be a little pesky right here. Taeshan is generally strong in everything they do, and Sarzonia has had some good showings as they have returned to international play. Draistania could be a sleeper. It’s a pretty good group, and we cannot take anything for granted or spend any time worrying about things that are not relevant to our team at the present time, if you catch my drift.

JR: Yes I do. And on that note, that will conclude my talk with basketball coach Phil McDowell. Thanks, Phil.

PM: Thanks Jason, I hope all our fans have the game on tonight. We look forward to hearing your support as we pursue this championship!

Basketball Takes Over The Airwaves For Third World Championship

Halfway through qualifying for the World Cup, and its time for basketball. You may know what that means in Taeshna. Basketball all over tv, on the radio, even in school. Basketball is the national sport of Taeshan and it shows whenever its time for Taeshan to play some international basketball games. The Purple Knights of Basketball all ae not as known as the soccer players, the Falcons of football, and the baseball team, but whenever they play everyone will watch. Consider this in the first two championships when they played games away from home tv studios recorded record highs. Everyone in Taeshan loves basketball, and that is not an understatement. Even the Pres is a fan of the sport. Wearing a Purple And gold national jersey everywhere.(reminscent of the Lakers. Hmm never realised i had done that beofre. Anyways go Lakers. Kooooooobe)

Anyways wehn it comes to the World Basketball Championships half of the Taeshan Basketball Leagues season is canceled to make way for the competition. Eveyone loves the team and it shows. There grouop this year will consist of the following teams, Newmanistan, Lovisa, Secristan, Oiseaui, Sarzonia, Lurkistan, and Draistania. We are easily the third best in that group. Behind guess who the Rockets, and the Millionares. Well hopefully we can make it. The team will try the best led by team captains Center Ilychin Baker, and Aaron Beliew. Expect them both two lead the tourneamnet in scoring and assists respectively. We don't have many big basketball players in Taeshan, but when we have one your scewed.

Schedule
Taeshan @ Lovisa
Taeshan VS Lurkistan@ Atlantea Police Department Arena 78,000
Taeshan VS Sarzonia@ Laketown Metrogarden 90,000
Taeshan VS Oiseuai@ Atlantea Police Department Arena
Taeshan @ Newmanistan, Tundra Falls Proving Grounds
Taeshan VS Draistania@ Atlantea PD Arena
Taeshan @ Secristan, Elite Fieldhouse
Taeshan VS Lovisa @ Laketown Metrogarden
Taeshan @ Lurkistan, Mcparkens Arena
Taeshan @ Sarzonia
Taeshan @ Oiseaui
Taeshan VS Newmanistan@ Laketown Metrogarden
Taeshan @ Draistania
Taeshan VS Secristan @ Laektown Metogarden

And here we finally are... matchday one RP cutoff!

GROUP A
Oiseaui 75 @ 90 Secristan
Taeshan 82 @ 93 Lovisa
Lurikastan 87 @ 106 Newmanistan
Draistania 86 @ 92 Sarzonia

QUALIFYING GROUP A | W L PF PA PD
Newmanistan 1 0 106 87 +19
Secristan 1 0 90 75 +15
Lovisa 1 0 93 82 +11
Sarzonia 1 0 92 86 +6
Draistania 0 1 86 92 -6
Taeshan 0 1 82 93 -11
Oiseaui 0 1 75 90 -15
Lurikastan 0 1 87 106 -19

GROUP B
Midlauthia 82 @ 88 Cafundeu
Dancougar 95 @ 76 Myedvedeya
Greal 94 @ 91 Arroza
Colbourne 80 @ 99 Tocrowkia

QUALIFYING GROUP B | W L PF PA PD
Tocrowkia 1 0 99 80 +19
Dancougar 1 0 95 76 +19
Cafundeu 1 0 88 82 +6
Greal 1 0 94 91 +3
Arroza 0 1 91 94 -3
Midlauthia 0 1 82 88 -6
Colbourne 0 1 80 99 -19
Myedvedeya 0 1 76 95 -19

THE ROCKET REPORT

OPENING VICTORY

Tundra Falls, Newmanistan- Not all the signs that fans brought into the Arena at the Proving Grounds had to do with basketball. A couple fans offered warnings to the Empress. “Don’t tempt the Spirits, Empress.” Or “For your safety, don’t come to Tundra Falls again. You’ve pissed off the Spirits.” Chants of “We want football!” or “45" were heard all throughout the arena before the match as the players had their pre-game shoot-around, and it continued after the opening tipoff. Outside the arena, fans took up seats all along the enormous complex simply to protest the move of the Empress in football. They went peacefully, as citizens of Tundra Falls know that you don’t do anything to upset those power which oversea these sacred grounds.

The players proceeded as normal. Yes, it was probably frustrating for them that most of the people in attendance were using their game as a staging ground to yell taunts at Empress Jessica, who’s approval ratings have hit rock bottom. Eventually, the fans will focus on basketball, coach McDowell had to remind them, but with this the first home international match played on Empire soil since the announcement it was natural that it would there would be this kind of protest. It didn’t really seem to affect the players on the court as the threes were going up and falling on each of the team’s first six possessions. Up quickly 18-6, Kory Klassen with 12 points already, the fans began to notice a little bit as Lurikastan called their first timeout. That though, caused more anger as the PA announcer announced other IBC matchups. Each time a country that would likely participate in the World Cup was announced, the fans shouted “45!” over and over again. After the timeout, the game settled into to a groove with neither team doing anything all that spectacular, except for a powerful dunk by Reese Fraser with five minutes left in the half. The lead hovered around the 8-14 point range for the rest of the second half, as the law of averages started to go into effect on the Rockets three point efficiency, and Lurikastan tried to stay in the contest. Lurikastan tried to get the ball into their gigantic force known as Abraham Romez, but he can’t do much if you can’t get him the ball, and the Rockets defense did an outstanding job at containing the guards on the perimeter. Then once Romez got the ball, he saw an eager Tank Nelson ready to take him on, and he was contained quite well. The buzzer went off for the first half with the score 52-41 in favor of Newmanistan.

During the half, coach McDowell was satisfied with the team’s performance since they never allowed Lurikastan to get back in the game after taking the early lead. The points were spread around pretty well, with Klassen’s 20 leading the way, and defensively they were doing enough. The players were trying to feed off of the emotions of the crowd, because there was plenty of that in the arena even if it was directed at another source. While the teams were in the locker room for halftime, the fans continued to chant “Down with the Empress”, and a news report came on about how the Empress has had to increase her level of security drastically since the announcement. Not a surprise, but enough to keep the fans chanting during the break. Lurikastan hit the first three buckets of the second half to get as close as they would all game, at 52-47. Not to worry, the Rockets would simply respond with a 21-4 run that completely put the game away. Connor Crawford scored 12 points in this stretch as the threes continued to fall. Traditionally they would be streaky, but tonight they were looking good throughout. Lurikastan could do nothing about it. Their defense, with the tall inside players is simply not designed to defend a team that shoots from the outside as nonstop as the Rockets do, and the team was taking advantage of it. The rout was on, with the biggest lead 92-62 at one point. Then, it was time to give the starters the rest of the game off, there would be tougher games down the road. Kory Klassen would be the leading scorer with 38 points. With the reserves in, Lurikastan was able to make the final score more respectable, but the outcome had already been decided. The Rockets take the opener by the score of 106-87.

Newmanistan’s next match is at home against Lovisa, an encounter that should generate more protests as the driving point behind many protestors is “why can’t we just do a Lovisa for future World Cups.” If time constraints are an issue, then what is wrong with the ol’ Lovisan strategy. The Rockets schedule is well, interesting. The first seven games are at home. The last seven games are on the road. Lurikastan’s schedule works the exact opposite. Home teams won six of the eight games played last night, and the two home teams that lost were quite interesting. Defending champion Myedvedeya as well as Arroza. The Rockets were the only team to hit triple digits last night.

From "The Salo Times"


After what was the poorest showing any of these boys had given in their lives, one thing rings in our ears. "When will they rebound?". Although the 106-87 loss to Newmanistan wasn't exactly their fault. Mikhail Petkov did not play due to organizing the Rugby League World Cup II and Abe Romez Fid not play due to family issues. This left Delicous Afolabi who some questioned his place on the team and Greg Noxious (who is injured) to start the game and take up extra minutes. This combined with a selfish game by Delicious and poor defense allowed Newmanistan to escape with the win, not to mention that Assistant Coach (acting as head coach) Vladimir Rustov was ejected in the First Quarter for pushing one of the refs. After this demoralizing loss the future remains in the balance for this Lurikastani team.

Woodstock Daily Mail

Sarzonia gets off to strong start, 92-86

By George Lundy
Special to The Daily Mail

Sarzonia may have developed its sporting reputation mainly on the exploits of its football side, but thus far, the nation has shown it can play other sports as well.

That extended to basketball as the Sarzonian national basketball team rallied from a 14-point deficit, using a 16-4 fourth quarter run to take control and defeated Draistania 92-86 in front of 15,823 at The Palestra in Woodstock.

Shooting guard Chris Draden led the team with 27 points on eight-of-14 shooting, including three-of-four from 3-point range. He also hit eight-of-nine from the foul line.

"We were able to establish our half court offence and play stingy defence," said Sarzonia coach Henry West. "It was basically a matter of our staying with our game plan and doing the things we were expected to do."

Sarzonia (1-0) got off to a strong start behind eight straight pionts from Draden after the opening tip, leading Draistania coach Gregory Massenet to call time out with three minutes, eight seconds off the first quarter clock. He made some adjustments and Draden only scored four points between the time out and the end of the third quarter.

However, Draden found the range in the fourth quarter. He scored 15 of his points in that frame, including all three 3-pointers, and came up with a timely steal of an ill-advised pass from point guard Philip Cashva, leading to a driving layup and a three-point play.

"I just watched Cashva's eyes," Draden said. "He telgraphed that pass and I just gambled."

Sarzonia's game plan also included trying to take advantage of its decided height advantage over Draistania. No one on the Draistanian roster is taller than 6-foot-6, while no one on the Sarzonian roster is shorter than guard Marty Rathburn's 6-foot-3 frame. West went with a small lineup that featured 6-foot-8 forward Gabe Loretta playing center.

Sarzonia's game plan succeeded. The home side won the rebounding battle 52-31 with power forward George Tblik grabbing 17 rebounds and scoring eight points.

"That was key," Tblik said of Sarzonia's victory. "We had to dominate the inside game and we did that. We forced them on the perimeter. By the fourth quarter, they started to lose their legs a little bit."

To wit: Sarzonia outscored Draistania 31-11 in the fourth quarter, rallying from a 14-point deficit to win. West said he never considered abandoning the inside game even when his team was down 14.

"We're not a perimeter-first team," he said. "We have to continue to try to do the things we do. We were able to get things going and wear Draistania out. That's what made the difference in the fourth quarter."

MILLIONAIRES START WITH WIN

A new group of players trying to make a name for themselves took to the court for Secristan as the third International Basketball Championships have begun. The glory that was the first IBC for our country was the first time in which we were able to show the world that you don’t need to waste time selecting the best players for the job, nor do you need a bunch of talent. All you need to succeed in sports is money, and the desire to have success knowing that positive results will yield more money, in terms of lucrative endorsement deals. The players that wore the green and white in the first edition knew this, and they all increased their individual net worth. The Secristan Department of Sports allowed them to get back 50% of their bid price if they won the championship, and they achieved that. Looking at these men as heroes, the SDOS let them return to the court without needing to bid. If they were the best before, they should be again. It didn’t work out that way as the team failed to advance from the group stage, and those players who used to be heroes were no longer allowed to represent the country. The SDOS has now gone back to its roots, and a new group of Millionaires takes to the court. They know that major corporations out there are willing to award big sums of money to players if they have success. It’s time to go out there, and get a return on the investment.

Standing in the way would be Oiseaui, ready to be the first victim of the new Millionaires. Much is not known about these Birds, not that it really mattered. Playing at the Elite Fieldhouse in Homestead, this game was about making a statement that, ladies and gentlemen, the Millionaires are back! Secristan is ready to re-assert itself as a championship contender, and a sold out crowd in Homestead was all for it. The average bid price per seat went at a modest 62R for the game, a figure that will probably be higher when more well known nations come to visit, such as those people from the other side of the Penthoria later on. The Millionaires scored the first 12 points of the game as Oiseaui simply shot horribly and were not able to rebound if their life depended on it. Alex Mullen was simply owning them on the glass. Secristan would never look back. Jumping out to a 48-30 lead at halftime and outrebounding their opponents by a near 3-to-1 margin, this game seemed in the bag. In the second half, the Millionaires kept the pressure on just to make sure that there would be no comeback in the making. They accomplished this, leading by as many as 26 before Oiseaui had a brief moment in the sun where they went on a 16-3 run. It didn’t really matter as the game was already in the bag. Emerson Hyatt led the Millionaires in scoring with 30 points, and Alex Mullen turned in a triple-double. Mullen was named the game’s MVP for his efforts. Afterwards, coach Bassett told us that, “The effort was outstanding tonight, but I am thinking that we will see strong opponents in our group. We did everything we set out to do tonight, with Alex doing a tremendous job on the boards. Our defense was strong, which was exactly how it was in the first IBC.” The final score is 90-75, with Draistania the next opponent for the Millionaires, right here at the Elite Fieldhouse, before we cross the Penthoria and go to Tundra Falls. Bassett assures us that the Draistania game will not be one of those “trap” games.

Purple Knights Lose In Lovisa

Though Basketball is the national sport of Taeshan, they have never been more then a team who finishes in the middle of the pack. Last night they lost to the Lovisans in a 82-93 shutout. The game was a guards gam as the Knights like it, but they could not keep up on the offensive side with Lovisa's surefire shooting and it showed in the vast loss. The Knights are a team of pride, but they better learn how to play or pride might be the end of them.

The Knbights scoring leader odly enough was not Center Ilychin Baker as many would expect. With 25 points Baker, was just beat out by the Point Guard Aaron Beliew who scored a cool 30. The other 27 points were divided between the 3 starters and two of the backups. Next the Knights face Lurkistan in there first home game, and hopefully should win in a tough game.

It might be time to bring the paper bags back...

Basketball Team Dazed and Confused

The last game of the day was the IBC opener, in which the Arrozan Tar Hornets failed to fail in a most spectacular fashion. Believing that the games were all to be played in Dancougar, like in the last tournament, the team bought tikets to Stoneridge, and even flew all the way there before reading the official schedule and realizing that the games were actually to be played in the participating countries. With Greal already being ensconced in the Capital district, and the home team having to fly back around the region to get home the Tar Hornets came into their game jet-lagged and completely demoralized. Adding insult to injury was the fact that without being notified of the change in plans, the team could not use their preferred home arena, as the Resurgens Omni was currently booked for the Oceanic Soul Circus.

An arena was eventually found, and the game was played at the gymnasium of Atalanta's Douglass High School. Even with the massive fail in planning, once on the court the team did what they do best, which is play an offensive game without regard for human life or defense. But in the late third quarter the fatigue started to set in as the team fell behind, first by six, then up to as much as 13 points late in the fourth. The team clawed back, but it was too late, as Greal held off the charge to win 94-91.

The next game will be next Sunday at 19:30, as the Tar Hornets welcome Myedvedeva and the Kamchatka Grizzlies to the Resurgens Omni. Luckily for the owners of the Omni, bears don't normally favor warm climates like Arroza so we shouldn't have to deal with an ursine furry invasion. It's also good for the citizens of Resurgens, given the country's vehement anti-anthropomorph stance, and the average killing power of a bear.

http://i432.photobucket.com/albums/qq41/Mafiastewe/Sport-Watch.jpg


Acronym definitions

JR: Jim Robinson Co-Host of SportWatch

DR: Dean Reynolds Co-host of SportWatch



JR: Hello and welcome to SportWatch. Let me tell you that Lurikastan is hoping to gain strength after their devastating loss to Newmanistan.

DR: Yea, although they will be lucky today as both Petkov and Romez will be starting.

JR: Mmhm, couple that with a less fatigued line-up and things might be looking up for our boys.

DR: Ok and now lets go-over the Voratech Points to Victory. For me what we'd need to do is one: take and make three point shots two: Defend phisically and Three: Work the ball around to make good shots.

JR: Sounds good, and well see how that works out tonight against Taeshan


(cut to commercial)

The Salo Times

Lurikastani Team looks to rebound

by Jim Selzan


It was a tough loss last night against Newmanistan, one Lurikastan wont soon forget.

After playing absolutely horrible in the opener many critics say that the Fightin' Inugami of Lurikastan don't have a chance. "That is where they are wrong" says Coach, Prime Minister and PG Mikhail Petkov "They underestimate us and yet they know that the team we fielded was not that great. The one that you will see tonight will be much more organized, on focus and generally better. That's not all cuz we would love it if we could beat Taeshan in both Rugby and Basketball."

The Fightin' Inugami have high hopes but arent too cocky as Taeshan has a good low-post offense ans a tough defense.



Tips for the Bettin' Man: To be safe put around 10,000 bokken on Lurikastan winning by 10-20. However if you want to go with Taeshan put around 20,000 bokken on them winning by 5-15.



Tip-off 20:30 EST in the Atlantea Police Department Arena (@Taeshan)


TV: You can watch this game on your local X-affiliate and listen to it on SportRadio 2.



STARTERS


SF- Snyder
PF- Arroyo
C- Romez
PG- Petkov
SG- Harvey

Gregory Massenet walked back into the locker room after the game, annoyed at the loss, but it was still a close loss, and didn't mean much. Still, all of Draistania was watching. The world cup had gone very badly for Draistania so far, and people were looking to basketball now to see if Draistania was good at somthing.

The game had started out well for Draistania after Karl Tabercan was taken out for Xavier Angeles and they started passing more. They had managed to mostly keep up their good game until the 4th quarter. Sarzonia had managed to make up a 14 point deficit, and Draistania was just too winded to make it up.

"That was a good effort out there tonight," Gregory said as the team reached the room, "but it could have been a lot better. You got tired, and a little careless towards the end. We need to practice more, so we can play more like a team. We'll get em' next time."

There was little reply to that and Gregory continued back to a small office. Charles Porfic followed him back, obviously angry. "You should have been harder on them! They could have done a lot better! They are men, not boys; lay down the law!"

Gregory knew that his assistant was outspoken, but he should not be challenging his command like this. "Assistant Coach Porfic, I have made my decision and you should not challenge it. I will do what I deem necessary to win. If and when I think that they need more yelling, it will happen."

Charles just stormed out of the room. There would be more problems with him, not a good way to start a tournament.

Matchday two RP cutoff! In honor of the Steelers' victory, everybody gets 1 free RP point from Jubilant Dan. But because we have to host an AFC Championship and tend to lose those, everybody gets -1 free RP point from Angsty Dan.

GROUP A
Lovisa 71 @ 94 Newmanistan
Draistania 77 @ 95 Secristan
Lurikastan 77 @ 97 Taeshan
Sarzonia 99 @ 90 Oiseaui

QUALIFYING GROUP A | W L PF PA PD
Newmanistan 2 0 210 158 +42
Secristan 2 0 185 152 +33
Sarzonia 2 0 191 176 +15
Lovisa 1 1 164 176 -12
Taeshan 1 1 179 170 +9
Oiseaui 0 2 165 189 -24
Draistania 0 2 163 187 -24
Lurikastan 0 2 164 203 -39

* The top three teams are separated by the third tiebreaker (overall point difference).
* Lovisa over Taeshan due to first tiebreaker (1-0 H2H).
* Oiseaui and Draistania over Lurikastan due to third tiebreaker.
* Oiseaui over Draistania due to fourth tiebreaker (overall points scored).

GROUP B
Myedvedeya 89 @ 90 Arroza
Colbourne 75 @ 71 Cafundeu
Greal 99 @ 96 Dancougar
Tocrowkia 70 @ 99 Midlauthia

QUALIFYING GROUP B | W L PF PA PD
Greal 2 0 193 187 +6
Midlauthia 1 1 181 158 +23
Dancougar 1 1 191 175 +16
Arroza 1 1 181 183 -2
Tocrowkia 1 1 169 179 -10
Cafundeu 1 1 159 157 +2
Colbourne 1 1 155 170 -15
Myedvedeya 0 2 165 185 -20

* The following four teams are in a head-to-head four-cycle: Midlauthia, Tocrowkia, Cafundeu, and Colbourne. The second tiebreaker, head-to-head points scored, has resulted in the table order.
* Dancougar and Arroza own the third tiebreaker (point difference) over Tocrowkia.

Monday night is a late night.

THE ROCKET REPORT

FLY ROCKETS, FLY!!

Tundra Falls, Newmanistan- Sometimes, even though you have an edge over an opponent, you can look to other sports as motivation for a game. As Newmanistan’s ballers came into their second game of the International Basketball Championships heavily favored to defeat Lovisa, thoughts of needing to make them pay for World Cup 43 danced in their heads. It was in that qualifying where the Lovisans claimed the final spot and sent us to the Cup of Harmony. Had the Rockets qualified, then perhaps the Empress doesn’t make the announcement she did, which would mean they wouldn’t have to hear chants relating to football at the Proving Grounds while they tried to play some basketball. The Rockets were determined to shut down their opponent, and Lovisa could have been a defending champion for all it mattered. They weren’t going to come in here and win tonight.

At the start of the game, the three pointers weren’t falling as quickly as the team would have liked, but they were able to get through it thanks to their defense. Lovisa turned the ball over on several of their early possessions, and a tough man-to-man defense prevented their shooters from getting any good looks at the hoop. When they finally put them up, Reese Fraser and Tank Nelson were all over the boards. Credit Fraser too, as he has had his second fantastic game on the boards in a row. You may recall that this was an area that the team struggled in at times, especially during the last IBC. Even though the outside game wasn’t clicking, Newmanistan still a enjoyed a rather pedestrian 14-10 lead after the early stages. Eventually, the shots would start falling, with Kory Klassen draining three from downtown in a four minutes stretch, and Connor Crawford getting one of his own as the team tried to open it up, but this would be a rather short-lived streak. Again they got cold, but realized this, and went to the inside game a little more, and Tank Nelson quickly found himself with 10 points, and Garrett York got into the mix as well. The first half ended with the game looking as though it still could go either way even though the Rockets never trailed after falling behind 6-4 early. The scoreboard would read 41-36. Decent, but more needed to be done.

During the half, the fans began their thing again with anti-Empress chants. They were egged on by the final score from Loudon as well that saw the Rockets get a huge 2-1 victory on the pitch over Septentrionia. Before the game, a commercial appeared on the jumbotron above asking fans to keep the football related chants out of game action, so that the players could have the feeling that our fans came to the game to support them and not protest an action for another sport, and for the most part, the fans did their thing. In the locker room, coach McDowell demanded that his team do their thing and start hitting more outside shots. Klassen and Crawford were talking, and the three of them had a pretty long discussion about where they thought they were going wrong. With the team ahead, they could relax. As the second half began, the shots that they were missing did not all of the sudden start falling, and the Rockets actually missed on their first four shots from behind the arc, allowing Lovisa to climb all the way back to 45-44. Something about this score must have triggered the spirits to jump on the team bandwagon, because it was really as if someone flipped a switch and the shots were being made. Nine consecutive possessions ended in a three pointer, four of them by Klassen, three by Crawford, and two by York, and that stretch, two additional buckets by Reese Fraser allowed for a 31-8 run and all of the sudden a game that was seeming a lot closer had turned into a 76-52 cushion for the home team. Lovisa called two timeouts to try and get back some momentum but they simply could not. This was the moment in which the game was won, and from there, the teams played relatively even to an eventual final score of 94-71.

The win gives Newmanistan a record of 2-0, and they are one of three teams in the group with that record. Their next match will be against one of the other teams in that pack, and of course we are talking about our One Big Island rivals from Secristan. Tickets inside the arena are sold out, but overflow seats will be made available, so feel free to come anyway if you want to be there.

Woodstock Daily Mail

Sarzonia cagers now 2-0

By George Lundy
Special to The Daily Mail

OISEAUI -- To win its first game of the third International Basketball Championships, Sarzonia had to rally from a 14-point deficit. This time, they saw a 22-point lead nearly evaporate in the fourth quarter, but held on to post a 99-90 win over Oiseaui.

Center Cole Schooler scored a game-high 25 points on eight-of-11 shooting from the field. He hit eight-of-10 shots from the foul line and made a 25-foot 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down in the fourth quarter that essentially iced the game for Sarzonia.

"Schooler's more than capable of hitting that shot," Coach Henry West said. "He has a deft touch from the outside, but we were focusing on trying to establish our inside presence. We were able to do that."

Once again, Sarzonia (2-0, third place in Group A) out-rebounded their opponents, this time by a 56-34 margin. Power forward George Tblik and Schooler each grabbed 11 rebounds for the visitors.

"We were able to assert ourselves in the paint," Tblik said. "That's how we were able to build the big lead."

However, West said he was concerned about his team's inability to focus for the entire 40 minutes.

"One of these days, our lack of concentration for 40 minutes is going to come back to bite us in the [rear]," West said. "We're going to find the rest of the road much tougher going from here on out."

Sarzonia's next match is away to Taeshan, most likely at the Atlantea Speed Arena. They return to the Palestra for a home match against Lurikastan for Matchday Four. They then play four straight away matches before closing out with five home matches in their final six qualifiers.

West said he didn't like the schedule, but there wasn't much he or the team could do about it.

"We have to play the hand we're dealt," he said. "Hopefully, we can hold our own away and then hold serve at the Palestra. We expect it to be loud when we're here."

Purple Knights Put a Thrashing On Lurkistan

Man that was an awesome game. The Knights opened up the newly rechristened Atlantea Police Dapartment Arena formerly the Atlantea Speed Arena with a wild one last night. The Knights hosted there first game with a 97-77 shalacking of the visotors. They easily handled the younger team from the Lurkistani nation and trounced any chance of the game being close early

Ilychin Baker led both teams with 30 points, Aaron Beliew had 14 as well as 14 assists. All 8 of the other players contirbuted in there points, wether it be as the sixth man, or the pistol. Next, the Knights will play the Sarzonian Stars.(Look at my schedule) The Knights will be playing the first ever international in the 90,000 seater tin Laetown. the Metorgarden. Hope to see you there.

The Salo Times


Fightin' Inugami in Shame

by Dan Iglesia


The whole country was stopped last night for this game. Even the opening ceremonies for the Rugby League World Cup were put on halt for this game. Yet it seemed as it was all for nothing as Lurikastan lost to Taeshan 77-97.

The game wasn't close for the duration as Taeshan quickly shut down any chances of Lurikastani victory. With Lurikastan failing to stop Baker from scoring. The only notible statistics were Petkov's 30 assists and his 3 steals. But sadly none of those steals were capitalized upon for points.

The team also struggled from three-point range going 1-20 from beyond the arc. And from the charity strike they werent much better going 4-10 .

However, this must be put behind them as they go on the road again to face third ranked Lovisa.



Tips for the bettin' man: Put 50,000 bokken on Lovisa winning by 15-35.


Tipoff: 21:00 EST somewhere in Lovisa (real helpful arent we!!)

TV+Radio: Local X affiliate at 2100 LST (UTC -5), SportRadio1 @ 2100 LST





Starters


SF: Snyder
PF: Arroyo
C: Romez
PG:Petkov
SG:Harvey

sooy, but its aker Lurk, i fixed it in my post just after reading yours. Sorry for the problem.

(OOC: Lurikastan, I say this to be helpful. This is twice now where your opponent has RPed your game before you. It is very poor sports RP etiquette to say that something completely different happened in the game then what was previously reported by your opponent before hand. In sports RP, it is an accepted practice that the first RPer determines what happens in the game. If you want to get respect, you have to go along with it. You can have your own take on it, but you can't say something completely different happened. Such as our game where I reported we shutdown your big center and then you said he didn't play. That's just not good RPing. Again, I say this so you can learn from your mistake and not to criticize).

Woo, finally home from soccer. Man, they pushed our time slot back an hour! So now I'm going to shower and be less disgusting and then matchday three will be totally scorinated.

GROUP A
Secristan 103 @ 96 Newmanistan
Draistania 114 @ 94 Oiseaui
Sarzonia 100 @ 88 Taeshan
Lurikastan 91 @ 92 Lovisa

QUALIFYING GROUP A | W L PF PA PD
Secristan 3 0 288 248 +40
Sarzonia 3 0 291 264 +27
Newmanistan 2 1 306 261 +45
Lovisa 2 1 256 265 -9
Taeshan 1 2 267 270 -3
Draistania 1 2 277 281 -4
Lurikastan 0 3 255 295 -40
Oiseaui 0 3 259 303 -44

GROUP B
Cafundeu 96 @ 82 Arroza
Colbourne 90 @ 82 Midlauthia
Tocrowkia 93 @ 102 Dancougar
Greal 65 @ 87 Myedvedeya

QUALIFYING GROUP B | W L PF PA PD
Greal 2 1 258 274 -16
Dancougar 2 1 293 268 +25
Colbourne 2 1 245 252 -7
Cafundeu 2 1 255 239 +16
Tocrowkia 1 2 262 281 -19
Midlauthia 1 2 263 248 +15
Myedvedeya 1 2 252 250 +2
Arroza 1 2 263 279 -16

Woodstock Daily Mail

Sarzonia relies on familiar formula, 100-88

By George Lundy
Special to The Daily Mail

LAETOWN, Taeshan -- The Sarzonian national basketball team is getting used to this. Facing a team that sent out a small line up, Coach Henry West countered with his usual starting five and rode its powerful inside game to a 100-88 win over Taeshan in front of a sold out crowd of 89,826 at the Metrogarden in the third group stage match of the World Basketball Championships.

Center Cole Schooler scored 27 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked six shots to lead the way for Sarzonia, who improved to 3-0 and is one of only two remaining undefeated teams in Group A.

"It was important for us to play a full 40 minute match," West said. "We didn't do that the first two matches and it damn near cost us. This time, we were able to sustain our effort the full 40 minutes."

Sarzonia had to do it against a loud and partisan Taeshani crowd, many of whom were already in the stadium a full hour before tip off. Shooting guard Chris Draden was rattled by the "ear-splitting" crowd noise, hitting only three-of-12 shots and finishing with 11 points.

"I finally had to put earplugs in," Draden said. "Give those guys credit. They definitely are enthusiastic about their basketball." Taeshan dropped to 1-2, but the 12-point defeat left them with a minus-3 point differential. Phil Greggs led Taeshan in scoring with 18 points on seven-of-16 shooting from the floor.

"They're a good team," West said. "We're going to have to be wary of them."

Sarzonia faces Lurikastan (0-3), who lost a nail-biter against 2-1 Lovisa, 92-91. West said his team will not be complacent.

"We can't afford to be," he said. "We've got several tough fixtures ahead of us. We need to be as sharp as possible each time out there."

MILLIONAIRES DEFEAT ROCKETS

There is no denying who plays the best basketball on One Big Island. In the first national meeting between ourselves and our rivals to the west of the Penthoria since we defeated Newmanistan in the finals of the first International Basketball Championship, our new lineup beat their familiar lineup of snipers from behind the arc. The win puts us at 3-0, and like the World Lacrosse Championships, has as tied with Sarzonia for first place. The basketball arena at the famed Tundra Falls Proving Grounds was sold out as it normally is, and their fans seemed to be a little upset still about the imperial decision to pull the plug on their football team even though electronics giant Samseong has put the plug back in on it. Many Secristanis made the trip to the Proving Grounds as you can never turn down a trip to Tundra Falls and attempt to annoy the home fans. With coin jars rattling, we busted out to 20-6 lead as their supposed sharpshooters rattled shots off the rim and out. Alex Mullen did a good job overpowering Reese Fraser for most of the rebounds, and they also had a tough time containing him on defense. He would finish the game with 38 points and 25 boards. A cold spell by the team midway through the first allowed for a Newmanistan comeback, but we maintained at 47-45 lead at halftime. Despite falling behind 63-56 at one point, the Millionaires kept their focus and pulled back in front with four minutes to play, 92-91 and they would never look back. Newmanistan efforts to put us to the line worked against them, and we went on to a 103-96 victory to improve to 3-0.

This was on the heels of a lopsided win in our second game of the competition, a 95-77 win over Draistania. Mullen was the leading scorer in that game as well, getting 30 points. Alex is establishing himself as one of the best players in the tournament, and the feeling is that pretty soon he may start to see some endorsement deals if this keeps up. The Secristan Department of Sports is thrilled with the start and by being able to beat the Rockets, the SDOS hopes that the country will believe that our failure in the 2nd International Basketball Championships was an aberration, and we are back to regain our title. Our next game will be against Lovisa on the road before we return home and battle Sarzonia. The SDOS reports that pay-per-view sales for the Lovisa game are very strong right now.

THE ROCKET REPORT

SLOW START; POOR FINISH DO IN ROCKETS

Tundra Falls, Newmanistan- Games against Secristan are always exciting. In basketball, however, they seem to be a little more special. The very first International Basketball Championship series was decided by a “Penthoria River War,” sparking the rivalry on the hardwood. And now for the first time since that series that we had slip away from us, we were on the court with the Millionaires again. As expected, there was a rather large Secristani contingent in house to attend the game as it is not a long drive from the national border to Tundra Falls. Perhaps, we should have played this game in Southport. Sadly, the result was similar to what we had already seen. Secristan wins to improve to 3-0. The 103-96 defeat sends us to 2-1.

Getting off to a good start would be key for the Rockets and they needed the long distance shots to fall early, and boy did the opposite ever hold true. Against Lovisa, we got off to a poor start as well, but did enough defensively to where it didn’t really hurt us. Things were different now. Kory Klassen misfired on his first four three points attempts and Connor Crawford hit just one of five of us. Garrett York did add a three, but it was his only successful conversion in the three such shots as well. This comedy of missed buckets led to the Millionaires jumping out to a quick 20-6 lead. Coach McDowell called a time out to try and settle down his team as the visiting fans did that thing with the coin jars again. There was no time for our fans to chant about doing away with the Empress and the football team, this was just ugly. It didn’t help that Reese Fraser, who had a very impressive performance on the glass in the first two games was being completely outplayed by their Alex Mullen, both offensively and defensively. After the timeout, though the Rockets began to claw their way back. It’s kinda funny how after the time out, the guards started finding their stroke from downtown again. Kory Klassen nailed a three on three consecutive trips down the floor, and the Rockets were getting closer, until they would actually come all the way back to tie the game at 36. Showing the streakiness of the team, Klassen went from no points to fifteen points in a span of six minutes. The remainder of the first half saw some very entertaining basketball by both sides with the Millionaires up by a bucket, 47-45.

Coach McDowell was aggravated at halftime. After preaching how important it would be to get off to his start, his team played poorly and should be fortunate that the Millionaires allowed them back in their game with poor shot selection of their own midway through the half. It’s always tough when you so streaky because it makes the critics get in your face about how you need to stop being such a one dimensional team. At halftime, McDowell may have been thinking about and told the team he wanted to establish a better inside presence and get Tank Nelson and Garrett York involved more, all while hoping to get Alex Mullen into foul trouble. After the Millionaires hit the first two buckets of the second half, the Rockets would go on a moderate 18-5 run led by ten points from Nelson. Klassen quickly found his assist total up to ten, and things were looking good for the team as they pulled seven points ahead. But this plan about getting Mullen into foul trouble worked against him, as it would be Nelson who would get into trouble, picking up three fouls in a span of four minutes and needing to sit down. With inexperienced reserve Pedro Oliveras out there, the Millionaires capitalized as they slowly came back. Much of the half was pretty evenly played, but a basket by Corey Burks with 4:04 to play gave Secristan their first lead since the Rockets early second half run at 92-91, and eventually fell behind 96-91. They could not muster any kind of a comeback and have been handed their first defeat of the IBC.

The loss dropped Newmanistan to 2-1, tying them with Lovisa for third in Group A, and sitting a game behind Secristan and Sarzonia, who are tied for second. The next match for the Rockets will be here at the Proving Grounds against Draistania, which will be interesting as both the World Cup qualifying match and the basketball game will be taking place at the facility at the same time. After Draistania, Newmanistan will have a beating of Taeshan to give out. Both Draistania and Taeshan are 1-2 right now.

Matchday four RP cutoff!

GROUP A
Oiseaui 95 @ 99 Taeshan
Lurikastan 86 @ 94 Sarzonia
Secristan 107 @ 92 Lovisa
Draistania 98 @ 88 Newmanistan

QUALIFYING GROUP A | W L PF PA PD
Secristan 4 0 395 340 +55
Sarzonia 4 0 385 350 +35
Draistania 2 2 375 369 +6
Newmanistan 2 2 394 359 +35
Taeshan 2 2 366 365 +1
Lovisa 2 2 348 372 -24
Oiseaui 0 4 354 402 -48
Lurikastan 0 4 341 389 -48

GROUP B
Midlauthia 86 @ 90 Dancougar
Greal 82 @ 99 Tocrowkia
Cafundeu 82 @ 107 Myedvedeya
Colbourne 101 @ 98 Arroza

QUALIFYING GROUP B | W L PF PA PD
Dancougar 3 1 383 354 +29
Colbourne 3 1 346 350 -4
Cafundeu 2 2 337 346 -9
Myedvedeya 2 2 359 332 +27
Greal 2 2 340 373 -33
Tocrowkia 2 2 361 363 -2
Midlauthia 1 3 349 338 +11
Arroza 1 3 361 380 -19

The Salo Times

Lurikastan loses 4 straight in IBC


by Gerald Brodowfski



It is becoming apparent that Lurikastan was never meant to be playing at this level. After losing 3 straight the Fightin' Inugamis continued the trend in a 86-94 loss to Sarzonia.

Sarzonia did a good job of shutting down Petkov leaving him with a tournament low of 3 assists and 6 points. Abaraham Romez picked up slack though scoring 50 points with 2 blocks. Giving them an impressive halftime lead of 60-39. But that also was never meant to last as in the late third quarter and throughout the 4th Sarzonia shot back posting an impressive 50-4 run from 3:21 left in the third untill the end of the game. During this run Sarzonia shutdown the Inugami's offense. Not to mention the complete downfall of Lurikastan's defense. It was a sad game that left many Lurikastani's including the team crying as they left the court. One fan (Gordon Burman) even comitted suicide by hanging him self from a tree right outside the stadium. Memorial services will be held in Dariam on Monday.



The Fightin Inugami next play Oiseaui on the road. This match will determine who is at the bottom of Qualifying Group A. Both teams are win less.


Tipoff is at 1800 LST in Oiseaui (no clue where)


TV: Game can be seen on XSN @ 1800 LST

THE ROCKET REPORT

SPIRITS WERE WATCHING FOOTBALL

Tundra Falls, Newmanistan- There weren’t many chants regarding the football team in the arena tonight. Some of the reason for this would be because that team was also playing at the complex, leaving the chants to occur at the football field. The bigger reason was that the play of the basketball team has begun to give the fans something new to chant about, and it hasn’t been pretty. After starting well in the opener against Lurikastan, Newmanistan now had their third consecutive game of inconsistent three point shooting. They got away with it against Lovisa, but the powerful Secristani team made them pay. Draistania should have been beatable. When most Newmanistanians haven’t heard of the country, losing to them on the hardwood is unacceptable.

Once again, the fans signed as Kory Klassen couldn’t hit a shot from behind the arc. Well, correct that. He did manage one in his first seven attempts and Connor Crawford really continues to struggle. Good early rebounding by Tank Nelson allowed the Rockets to convert on some of these chances, but with the first half past the midway point, Newmanistan had only managed that one three point basket by Klassen. Crawford was 0-for-5 and Garrett York 0-for-4. Donovan Zarrian played some good tough defense on Crawford, but other then that there shouldn’t have been anything especially intimidating about this opponent. On defense, Newmanistan did a fairly good job and kept the team in it for when the pendulum of streakiness would swing to the hot side. Jamal Nammerson struggled, going 2-for-10 from the floor, and this seemed to frustrate the opponents that they couldn’t extend a lead because they had to think they had the Rockets beaten early, especially if they had watched tape of the Secristan game. Their biggest first half lead would be 30-15, which was good enough, and the Rockets had to feel this would get a lot worse. Phil McDowell made one of his angry timeouts, hoping that would get the team in gear again, but still, the shots just weren’t falling. Klassen only hit one more three, and was 2-for-14 from downtown in the first half, and Connor Crawford wasn’t much better. Again, Nelson as well as Reese Fraser must be commended for their strong rebounding (Newmanistan held the advantage on the boards throughout the game), and converting on second chance baskets from in the paint as this kept the Rockets from falling way out of it. Still, at halftime, Draistania was out in front 48-34.

An irate Phil McDowell lectured his team at halftime, but a verbal scolding isn’t always going to be able to work, especially when you are dealing with seasoned veterans who are well aware of how poorly they played. The coached questioned his team’s commitment to the game, and if they were looking past it to the matches against Taeshan and Sarzonia, or if they simply had spent too much time partying since the game with rival Secristan. This was a trap game, and certainly, the Rockets had been trapped and cornered. What seemed to upset the coach more was a lack of player stepping up to be the leader, so he would try to find one. That one would not be from the starters. Starting the second half: Raphael Lachance, Michael Lessard, Tank Nelson (after all he did nothing to warrant being benched), John Watson, and Dennis Norton.

The fans were surprised when these players took off their warm up jackets and hit the court as the regular starters sat their slumping butts down. But they would applaud the move. Some may wonder why McDowell hadn’t done this earlier given the struggles of the team, but historically these players had not fared much better. Here, they would be given a chance, and they would do it with a new style. They weren’t the snipers from the outside, but wanting to take it inside, and John Watson looked particularly strong early. He scored a quick eight points as Newmanistan started to score more. However, this lineup adjustment had its tradeoff on defense. The visitors seemed to be able to have more room to shoot and moved the ball around very well on the perimeter, and they kept on scoring to maintain a pretty good cushion for themselves. Then eventually the freshness of the reserves began to wear off and they got cold. No one had really stepped up the way that McDowell wanted, so with the team down now 76-58, the coach elected to put the starters back in, but wanted to see them play the ball inside more to get a little momentum before they tried gunning threes again. Again, they found some success, and they would do a much better job on defense, and had cut the deficit all the way down to 84-76 before this time it would be Draistania calling the timeout. They may have had success doing this, but time was not on their side. They would have to start putting up the three-pointers again. They still could not find their stroke. Connor Crawford hit two shots, but like the last game, they had to put Draistania to the line late, only to see their opponent make the free throws. The end result is Draistania coming to Tundra Falls and picking up a 98-88 win over the Rockets. Kory Klassen had an IBC career-low 10 points and the team made an IBC team record-low seven three-pointers. It was ugly. The spirits of Tundra Falls either weren’t helping or the Dreamed Realm executed it’s Worst Nightmare tactic at the wrong Proving Grounds facility.

Woodstock Daily Mail

Hoop Daydreamers/Matt Clayton

Sarzonia v. Secristan becoming newest sporting rivalry

HOMESTEAD, Secristan -- Most observers would say that the fifth match in a 14-match groups stage is too early to be considered a big match.

In the case of Sarzonia-Secristan, however, those observers would be wrong. Even though Sarzonia and Secristan have only met in lacrosse and have yet to play a football match, the two nations are in the beginning stages of a fierce rivalry.

In the first meeting between the Millionaires and Sarzonia (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14375771&postcount=36) in the World Lacrosse Championships, the Slash overcame a 10-5 fourth quarter deficit to stun the hosts 11-10 in overtime. Secristan returned the favour with a 12-9 win (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14386110&postcount=53) at Chip Moose Lacrosse Stadium.

Now, Secristan and Sarzonia are tipping off their first meeting in the International Basketball Championships with first place on the line. Sarzonia rallied to defeat last place Lurikastan 94-86 in front of 14,529 at the Palestra. Secristan drilled Lovisa 107-92 away. Now the two remaining unbeaten squads face each other.

Sarzonia Coach Henry West tried to downplay the match.

"It's just the fifth match of qualifying," he said. "Nobody's going to clinch a spot in the finals tournament after five matches. We take these one match at a time."

However, center Cole Schooler said the match would be important.

"We want to set a strong tone for the rest of the tournament," he said. "Secristan are an outstanding side. They're the inaugural champions. We know we have to have a better work rate than them to get an away result."

Meanwhile, West said his team would look to establish its inside game, even though Schooler is giving up three inches to an opponent for the first time in the tournament.

"We've got advantages in the rest of the starting five," West said. "If we have to incorporate the perimeter game, we'll do so. But we think we can establish inside presence."

Regardless of who wins or loses, one thing is perfectly clear. A matchup between Sarzonia and Secristan will be worth watching, no matter the sport.

EXCITEMENT BUILDS AS WINS CONTINUE

The Millionaires defeated Lovisa 107-92 to improve their record to 4-0, tying them with Sarzonia for first place atop Group A. While we are still very early into the International Basketball Championships, it is a big victory for the team and for the nation as it sends a powerful message to everyone in the country. After their struggle in the last IBC, the Millionaires are back! Back and ready to reclaim their title. Corporations have noticed, and while none of the players have picked up a huge endorsement deal yet, Alex Mullen did appear in an advertisement for a smaller retailer in Homestead. You have the feeling that it is just a matter of time before the big deals come in, and a win over Sarzonia in their upcoming showdown could go a long way in creating that but more on that in a bit. In the Lovisa game, Mullen was again a dominant force, leading the team with 37 points and 18 rebounds, while adding six blocked shots for good measure. Alex has been what the team missed last year, a true superstar in the paint, and possibly making a case for being the MVP of the entire tournament. Mullen’s motivation? “I saw the fame we got before and I want that for myself,” he told us, “I want that for my team and for my country. This ain’t jus’ ‘bout da money even though y’all might think it is. I wanna win this bad!” So there you go, Secristan players can be motivated by more then money. Though we are sure that is a factor as well. Against Lovisa, Secristan led 53-44 at the break and never trailed in the game, other then a brief 4-2 deficit early.

Coming to the Elite Fieldhouse now will be Sarzonia, who shares the top spot in Group A with our Millionaires. The nations are the only ones in the International Basketball Championships still with an undefeated record, so there will be plenty on the line tonight despite the early nature of the contest. There should be no needing to persuade fans to attend this game, as the teams have had two highly entertaining and spirited games between each other in the World Lacrosse Championships, games that were split, and both teams went 7-1 in the group stage. Mullen says the team is well aware of the budding rivarly, “Yea man we feelin’ it. We seen the da tapes of them, they good and it should be a very good game. The lacrosse games were fun to watch. You all need to be buyin’ the pay-per-view!” Good job Alex, in showing off your product endorsement skills. While the Secristan Department of Sports probably could charge a higher price for the pay-per-view telecast of the game, they are keeping it at just 69R for now. Katie Simpson, our SDOS rep explains why, “It’s still a little early in the competition, and the fans who might just care about basketball and not know of the lacrosse battles between the two may not understand the added excitement intangible of the game, so we just decided to leave it as it is. When we play in Sarzonia later, I can’t promise we won’t raise it.” In other words, they’ll raise it.

Uh oh, I sense an RP cutoff! Despite all evidence to the contrary, I have, in fact, been applying the home team bonus correctly...

GROUP A
Sarzonia 102 @ 85 Secristan
Taeshan 104 @ 99 Newmanistan
Draistania 100 @ 99 Lovisa
Lurikastan 103 @ 97 Oiseaui

QUALIFYING GROUP A | W L PF PA PD
Sarzonia 5 0 487 435 +52
Secristan 4 1 480 442 +38
Draistania 3 2 475 468 +7
Taeshan 3 2 470 464 +6
Newmanistan 2 3 493 459 +34
Lovisa 2 3 447 472 -25
Lurikastan 1 4 444 486 -42
Oiseaui 0 5 451 505 -54

GROUP B
Tocrowkia 88 @ 82 Cafundeu
Dancougar 98 @ 93 Arroza
Colbourne 79 @ 83 Myedvedeya
Greal 82 @ 81 Midlauthia

QUALIFYING GROUP B | W L PF PA PD
Dancougar 4 1 481 447 +34
Tocrowkia 3 2 449 445 +4
Colbourne 3 2 425 433 -8
Myedvedeya 3 2 442 411 +31
Greal 3 2 422 454 -32
Cafundeu 2 3 419 434 -15
Midlauthia 1 4 430 420 +10
Arroza 1 4 454 478 -24

Draistanian Basketball League News

The guys on the Draistanian bench went wild at the final buzzer. This was their third win in a row. The little team that no one had never heard of was starting to look good. It was about time Draistania had something to cheer about.

This had been a close game all the way through. Jamal Nammerson played strong his entire time on the court, he made 10 of the 12 Draistanian baskets in the first quarter. The Lovisan offense didn't let that get them down though, and it was 24 to 24 at the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter both teams kept playing their all out on offense, but the defense was a little weak. Some substitutions on both sides were made and Fred Darser finally got to show his skills off. The score was Draistania, 52, Lovisa, 49, as they went into half time.

In the third quarter, the offense on both sides was wearing out a little, and there was little scoring. There was some booing from the fans as players from both sides took a few pointless outside shots. The score was 72 to 71 at the close of the third quarter.

Both teams were equally matched throughout much of the game, as they both played like they were all coming in fresh as they started the fourth quarter. Gregory Massenet put most of the starters back in and they were on fire, but Lovisa was doing even better. They hammered Draistania and had the game Draistania 94, Lovisa 97, with only 1 minute 20 seconds remaining. Joshua Nammerson almost regenerated his energy as he burst past the surprised defense and made another basket, and then another. With only 20 seconds remaining and the score 100 to 99, Draistania blocked a shot from Lovisa and managed to keep the ball in their own hands until the end of the game.

Thirty minutes after the final horn sounded and Sarzonia secured a 102-85 rout of Secristan at the Elite Fieldhouse in Homestead, the Sarzonian players still sat with stunned expressions on their faces in front of their lockers.

They expected the match to be a tough battle against the only other unbeaten team in the International Basketball Championships qualifying stage. They expected the one team so far to have comparable size to theirs to force them to the perimeter. They expected a battle of strategy between Sarzonia's Henry West and Secristan's Steve Bassett.

In short, they expected more from Secristan in front of a packed house and millions of pay-per-view customers. They didn't expect to start off the game with a 19-4 run that silenced a sold out crowd at the Elite Field House. They didn't expect to run up an 18-point halftime lead. They didn't expect to win the rebound battle 49-39.

But they did. West used all 11 of his players, giving significant minutes to players who'd seen little time in the closer contests. West's team led by 27 points at the end of the third quarter, causing him to empty the bench.

Small forward Will Christian led Sarzonia (5-0) with 18 points, hitting a perfect eight-for-eight from the field. He added a four-point play after being fouled whilst attempting a three-pointer that gave Sarzonia its biggest lead -- 29 points -- early in the fourth quarter. After he hit the foul shot, West took him out of the game to rest.

West thought about making another speech about concentration and adding an admonishment about not getting ahead of themselves. Until he looked out at his team. He knew he didn't need to say it. The expressions on the players' faces told him this team was already thinking about Matchday 6.

(OOC: I trust that you put in the home field advantage bonus properly. But what happened to the Newmanistan always beats Taeshan bonus?)

THE ROCKET REPORT

SOME LIFE SHOWN; MORE NEEDED

Tundra Falls, Newmanistan- This all started out so well didn’t? We were 2-0 and looked to be on our way to, at the very least, another strong group stage. Now the team has lost for the third consecutive time making some wonder if this team will even qualify out of the group stage. Well, they probably will, but they wanted to get in one of those three spots, and starting 2-3 when you play all seven home games before playing your seven road games isn’t ideal. Arroza, in the same situation as us as far as the schedule is concerned, is 1-4. Newmanistan and Arroza were supposed to be two of the teams to beat, not two of the teams to easily beat. The standings look weird, I mean, Dancougar, is 4-1. Dancougar? Those we can host games but we can’t hit a jump shot if our lives depended on it Black Wings are on the top of Group B! This has certainly been an unpredictable and wild competition so far, even though the Rockets would have settled for a more predictable 5-0 or 4-1 start.

It’s easy to try and look for other reasons on why this team is not performing well, but do not lose focus on what the main reason and only reason is. Inconsistency. Let’s just not sit here and pretend the inconsistency began against Secristan either, because it really started in the win over Lovisa that put us at 2-0. We survived there, but haven’t since. The reason why the Rockets enjoy shooting from behind the arc is that they are supposedly good at it. It is what separated them from the rest of the world. Newmanistanian basketball is known for sharpshooters, so much so that we have our coveted four point line. But there has been nothing special about our long range shooting since the win over Lurikastan. Why is this? Possibly, it is because teams are on to us more. We’ve always said that we aren’t predictable because we will shoot from distances that opponents aren’t used to defending, but word may be getting out. Secondly, is the team just getting too old? Alright, the core of the roster is in the younger 30's and should all still be in their prime, but maybe what this team really needed was an injection of youthful enthusiasm into the lineup. Connor Crawford has been struggling, and he did again today. Phil McDowell did bring one newcomer to the lineup this year, 20-year old shooting guard Matthew Lawlor of the Dover City Mountaineers. But he was added to be a reserve, and even just a 12th man, really. Replacing Crawford would put Lawlor at point guard instead, but we feel that he could adjust to this, or perhaps Kory Klassen could move over to that spot. Klassen has been inconsistent, but he did look pretty good in the losing effort against Taeshan, scoring 20 points. Newmanistan will next play Oiseaui and there is no excuse for the team to lose this game. It may be a spot that it tailor made for McDowell to experiment with Lawlor in the starting lineup over Crawford. There needs to be a shakeup. There’s plenty of time to fix the problem, but if you don’t try to fix it now, the problem will simply get bigger.

This game against Taeshan was a pretty entertaining contest, and we continue to think that the Spirits of the Proving Grounds like Taeshan for some reason. Ilychin Baker against Tank Nelson in the middle was a battle all game long, but Tank may have been outplayed a little bit, but not from lack of effort. Baker was strong, and a target for the team early. The threes fell a little bit early, from Klassen mainly, but Newmanistan did try to play more of an inside game tonight, and for a while they seemed to have success. While Baker was able to score on Nelson in the paint on one end, Nelson was returning the favor on the other, and the game started pretty quickly out of the gate, with both teams shooting over 50% from the floor, and the lead swapping hands back and forth several times. At halftime, Newmanistan was up by three, 56-53, and looking pretty damn good. Trust us, at halftime we didn’t feel that the focus of the Rocket Report was going to be on discussing the team not performing well. In fact, the third quarter started pretty well, too, with Garrett York hitting threes on three straight trips down the floor and it was looking like the Rockets were pulling away, extending their lead to 68-59 before Taeshan called a timeout. The fans were into it, with the traditional “You Can’t Beat Us!” chants beginning to be heard throughout the arena whenever Newmanistan plays Taeshan. After exchanging buckets briefly after the timeout to make the score 74-65, it is so difficult to put into words what happened next because it is just so frustrating. Here was a team shooting the ball so well, and now all of the sudden they can’t hit a thing. They would convert only one three-pointer for the rest of the game as Taeshan took control, at one point going on a 25-7 run to go up 90-81. You can’t just blame the missed shots for that, as ultimately you have to play a little defense as well, and Aaron Beliew and Alice Coopen were simply doing whatever they pleased whenever they desired. Tank Nelson hit some shots to help close the lead to 94-91, but once again the Rockets would be victimized by the other team hitting the free throws when they sent them to the line late in the game. So the team is 2-3 now. 2-3 and needing answers.

The Salo Times


Lurikastan gets first win, in a match vs. Oiseuai

by Jim Robertson



It was an inevitable event, but a delayed one as Lurikastan won their first match of the tournament in a nail biter 103-97 win in Oiseuai. The fightin Inugamis got off to a horrible start going 33% from the fiield in the first half. This was aided by Petkov being out with a minor injury for the second quarter. With the score at an impressive 97-20 at halftime, all chance of the Inugamis was winning was thrown out. Little did they know that Lurikastan aided by Petkov and Romez would make Oiseaui go scoreless in the second half. During this impressive run petkov Racked up 40 points 40 assists and a record 20 steals. Romez helped also with 30 points and 25 rebounds. Harvey got 5 points and 10 assists. When the Inugamis won in this fashion the crowd was stunned that it could be done, but it was and one of the greatest comebacks in sporting history unfolded.


Next the Inugamis take on Secristan, there we will see if our momentum can hold.



Tips for the bettin' man: 4,000 Bokken on Secristan


Tip-off: 1800 LST in Secristan

TV: 1800 LST on XSN or on the radio on SportRadio 1.

This is an RP cutoff. Hopefully it's followed by scores and not by an internet outage thanks to lovely Pittsburgh winter weather.

GROUP A
Lurikastan 101 @ 75 Secristan
Sarzonia 74 @ 96 Lovisa
Oiseaui 94 @ 101 Newmanistan
Draistania 97 @ 74 Taeshan

QUALIFYING GROUP A | W L PF PA PD
Sarzonia 5 1 561 531 +30
Secristan 4 2 555 543 +12
Draistania 4 2 572 542 +30
Newmanistan 3 3 594 553 +41
Taeshan 3 3 544 561 -17
Lovisa 3 3 543 546 -3
Lurikastan 2 4 545 561 -16
Oiseaui 0 6 545 606 -61

* Secristan over Draistania via first tiebreaker (1-0 H2H)
* Newmanistan, Taeshan, and Lovisa are in a three-cycle (each 1-1 H2H), so they are ordered by second tiebreaker (points scored against each other; 193 vs 186 vs 164)

GROUP B
Greal 75 @ 84 Cafundeu
Tocrowkia 84 @ 88 Myedvedeya
Midlauthia 95 @ 80 Arroza
Colbourne 90 @ 101 Dancougar

QUALIFYING GROUP B | W L PF PA PD
Dancougar 5 1 582 537 +45
Myedvedeya 4 2 530 495 +35
Tocrowkia 3 3 533 533 0
Colbourne 3 3 515 534 -19
Cafundeu 3 3 503 509 -6
Greal 3 3 497 538 -41
Midlauthia 2 4 525 500 +25
Arroza 1 5 534 573 -39

* All the 3-3 teams are ordered by head-to-head (Tocrowkia over everyone, Colbourne over Cafundeu, Cafundeu over Greal)

It seems that Python loves me, or maybe it's that shiny home bonus. Well, you'll have a few off-days to contemplate this madness, because the Dancougar Sports Ministry coaching seminar is being held in Baltimore over the long weekend! In between making fun of the Ravens for losing (though, now that I've said so, they won't), I'll have occasional internet access, so you're all off until Monday night, when I return with a late scorination.

The Sarzonian national basketball team sat next to their lockers in Lovisa after the hosts whipped them 96-74. They were the last unbeaten team in the International Basketball Championships. Were.

Everyone who donned a Sarzonia kit had a bad match. Even Coach Henry West said afterwards he had a bad match. When he walked into the locker room and saw all 11 players still in uniform, sitting dejectedly, he decided to do something he normally would never do.

He tried to lighten the mood.

"Hey, shit happens," he said. "Sometimes, you're going to play matches like this. The best thing we can do right now is forget about it and move on to the next match."

West looked around the room again, then continued.

"We're not even going to look at the film from this match. You can bet one thing, I'll throw that film into the recycling bin faster than you can say "Staryblaydians bugger their uncles."

A couple of chuckles escaped the lips of some of the players, who immediately flashed apologetic looks on their faces for daring to laugh after such an ugly defeat. West smiled.

"I want you guys to see the humour in this result," he said. "We've been getting strong results up to this point. We were bollocks in this match. Best thing to do is look ahead, not behind. We've got an important away match to Newmanistan. Their starting five's size is about comparable to ours.

"We're going to have to show some muscle down low and hit a few perimetre shots," West said. "And for God's sakes, we can't dwell on this. You're all much better than that!"

"Hopefully, we'll do well when we play the majority of our matches at the Palestra," center Cole Schooler said. "We've done rather well under the circumstances of having played the bulk of our matches away. Hopefully, we can hold serve in front of our home supporters."

They're going to have to. Otherwise, West will have to tell the lads to shower after loudly searching for air freshener 45 minutes after another result.

I see the Lovisa method is failing horribly.

THE ROCKET REPORT

ROCKETS SNAP LOSING SKID

Tundra Falls, Newmanistan- The three game losing streak by the Rockets is now history as they defeated a rather weak Oiseaui side by the score of 101-94. It is a victory in which our fans will rejoice in, hoping that it means that they are going to start playing much better basketball. However, what excitement should their be in a seven point victory over 0-6 Oiseaui? They won a game they had absolutely no excuse to even think about losing, but yet they never could really put their pesky visitor at the Proving Grounds away. The win resembles more the game over Lovisa, the came in which they played poorly but still good enough to win. So yes, the losing streak is over. The problems, meanwhile, are still not solved.

Phil McDowell did make a change to the starting lineup in an effort to change things up, but it wasn’t the change that we had recommend in a previous edition of the Rocket Report. Connor Crawford was out, but instead of being replaced by young 20-year old Matthew Lawlor, the only newcomer on the team, the start was given to Michael Lessard. We had suggested that the team start Lawlor as an influx of something new really seems to be what this team needs, but it may be possible that McDowell is simply thinking that in order for validate such a move for the veterans on the bench, that one of them needed to get an opportunity first. So Lessard it was, and on the team’s first possession, they want to Lessard for a three-point shot. The result was no different then what Crawford had been giving the team as the shot clanged off the rim. Fortunately, Reese Fraser was there for the rebound and had a easy lay-up. Oiseaui came into the game needing a victory, and they managed to play pretty well and opened up at 14-7 lead early in the game on 70% shooting from the floor. Such a great number cannot be maintained forever, and they would fail to score on their next seven possessions down the court. Had the Rockets been shooting better from behind the arc, they could have gone on a nice run here, but they only had mild success. Kory Klassen hit 2-of-5, which isn’t a terrible number as the team clawed away at the lead. With the game beginning to fall into a mid-half lull, the Rockets got a major scare when Tank Nelson went down from an offensive charge by an Oiseaui player. Nelson went down hard on his back, and left the game appearing to have sustained a shoulder injury. Nelson has been the team’s most consistent performer during this IBC, and he is a player that especially right now, cannot be lost. Pedro Oliveras was in, and tried to do what he could. Oiseaui took advantage of him in the paint, and re-took a lead at 30-29 and extended it out to 38-33 before, at last, Newmanistan could start hitting some three-point shots. Klassen hit three, and in fairness, his 5-for-11 first half statistic from downtown is pretty average number, and Garrett York hit two has the Rockets now pulled ahead by the score of 47-42. Michael Lessard had not really stepped up in this first half, but the big looming story was that Connor Crawford not only didn’t start, but would be benched for the entire half. Newmanistan led it 51-48 at halftime.

Concern over Tank Nelson’s shoulder set the tone for the halftime atmosphere in the locker room. The tank emerged from the trainer’s office where bad news was given to the team. Nelson had sustained a dislocated shoulder and would not only be out for the rest of the game, but miss the rest of the group stage. It would be a possibility for a later return in the competition if the Rockets actually started playing better to where they could get to later stages of the tournament. Pedro was told that he would be the man, and the team will hope that he picks up his offensive game. He’s been good defensively, so at least they will have that going for them. Crawford said nothing about his benching, but did seem to sulk through much of coach McDowell’s talk.

As the team hit the floor for the second half, fans were hoping to see the tank back out on the court, and there were a few groans when Oliveras took off his warm up jacket and Nelson was no where to be seen. Michael Lessard was given a seat on the bench, but it wouldn’t be Connor Crawford. Now Raphael Lachance was going to get his chance to see what he can do. Some might wonder if McDowell simply does not have enough confidence to put in Matthew Lawlor for an extended period of time, or if the coach is simply going through the other options first so that they cannot say they never had their chance. The early advantage of the second half went to winless Oiseaui, who like they did to start the first half, shot the ball extremely well, taking the lead and attempted to open up, going up 63-58 at one point. The team now began to hear the boos from the stands. The fans were getting fed up, the team had lost three in a row and now couldn’t even handle a weak opponent like Oiseaui. A steal by Lachance set up a thunderous dunk by Reese Fraser, and for a moment there was some hope that they could start turning this around. While the defense still couldn’t completely shut down the visitors, the offense was starting to get in sync, not because of the outside game, but instead because the team was taking the ball inside, getting the forwards more involved, especially Fraser who seemed to be in the zone in the second half. Reese has always been a streaky player, but here he was fending off challenges, facing physical contact head on to try and lift the team back into the game. He would score on five trips in a row down the court for the Rockets. Afterwards, the team moved the ball around very well and got an open look for Kory Klassen from downtown, and he would connect. This seven minute stretch may have been the best brief period for the team since the opener over Lurikastan. Newmanistan had taken an 86-75 lead, their biggest of the game, and looked as if they were going to run a way. Then, the infuriating points of this team came back. After that stretch, they got cold again, and Oiseaui came back all the way to 92-89. At least this time, they were the team in the lead, and they hit free throws down the stretch to secure a 101-94 win for themselves.

The win evens up the teams record at 3-3, but more work is needed if this team has any chance of making a long sustained run in the tournament. The next opponent, Sarzonia, had been 5-0 before they lost in a surprising fashion to Lovisa. That game will be tough, but what comes next is even more difficult. The Sarzonia game is the final home game for the Rockets, the last seven games will all be on the road.

Hey guys, remember me? Guess what, this is your RP cutoff for matchday seven!

GROUP A
Taeshan 104 @ 108 Secristan
Lurikastan 88 @ 79 Draistania
Oiseaui 81 @ 95 Lovisa
Sarzonia 106 @ 94 Newmanistan

QUALIFYING GROUP A | W L PF PA PD
Sarzonia 6 1 667 625 +42
Secristan 5 2 663 647 +16
Draistania 4 3 651 630 +21
Lovisa 4 3 638 627 +11
Taeshan 3 4 648 669 -21
Newmanistan 3 4 688 659 +29
Lurikastan 3 4 633 640 -7
Oiseaui 0 7 626 701 -75

* Draistania over Lovisa via first tiebreaker (head-to-head win)
* Taeshan over Newmanistan and Lurikastan via first tiebreaker (beat both)
* Newmanistan over Lurikastan via first tiebreaker (head-to-head win)

GROUP B
Dancougar 74 @ 83 Cafundeu
Greal 76 @ 87 Colbourne
Midlauthia 78 @ 90 Myedvedeya
Tocrowkia 90 @ 94 Arroza

QUALIFYING GROUP B | W L PF PA PD
Dancougar 5 2 656 620 +36
Myedvedeya 5 2 620 573 +47
Colbourne 4 3 602 610 -8
Cafundeu 4 3 586 583 +3
Tocrowkia 3 4 623 627 -4
Greal 3 4 573 625 -52
Midlauthia 2 5 603 590 +13
Arroza 2 5 628 663 -35

* All ties are broken by first tiebreakers (head-to-head victories)

Coach Henry West wanted to see how his team would respond after Lovisa flattened them for their first loss of the third International Basketball Championships.

They responded well. Sarzonia got 30 points and 11 rebounds from center Cole Schooler and held Newmanistan without a field goal over the final five minutes, seven seconds of the fourth quarter and defeated the world's number one ranked team the Rockets 106-94.

"We tried to just forget about the loss to Lovisa," West said. "Every once in a while, you're going to have a bad match. We hope that was our bad match for this tournament."

The Stars (6-1) kept pace with Secristan, which defeated Taeshan 108-104 and improved its record to 5-2. Draistania's 88-79 loss at Lurikastan means the Millionaires are alone in second place in Group A. However, Schooler said the team wasn't worried about the standings yet.

"It's still early enough in the tournament for this not to matter," he said. "We could go on a seven-match losing streak and end up in the consolation round. We have to concentrate on the next match and forget about everything else."

Before the game started, angry Rockets supporters booed the introductions of the Stars players and coaching staff and booed every time the name Sarzonia was mentioned. After interviewing several Rockets supporters, we learned that Rockets supporters were upset after Sarzonia defeated Newmanistan 14-11 in the final of the World Lacrosse Championships. West said the team simply used the boos as motivation.

"We can't control what the fans do," he said. "We can just control ourselves. We decided to use [the reaction] to fuel what we do. I think it worked."

And how.

Sarzonia open the second half of qualifying with today's match away to Draistania, whom the Stars defeated 92-86 at the Palestra in Woodstock. Schooler said the Stars would be ready for the rematch.

"We've been playing to better form in every match since then except for Lovisa," he said. "Draistania will be a challenge away, but after returning from that match, the Stars have four of their final six matches at home.

"It'll be nice to play in front of our supporters," West said. "It doesn't mean we can't win away from the Palestra, but we like spending time in our own beds."

Kevin Collins’ Mailbag

Sometimes controversial Newmanistanian columnist Kevin Collins digs into his mailbag, pulling out IBC related questions.

“Kevin, shouldn’t the Empress have come out against the basketball team instead? What the hell is wrong here?” Justin, Dover City

I wish I had the answer. We keep talking about inconsistency, and yes this is a lot to do with it. But maybe they are not really being inconsistent. Maybe they are just not very good anymore. I do believe they can turn it around, this is a very long tournament, remember.

“Connor Crawford benched? Maybe McDowell should be canned!” Darnell, Southport

If Connor is not hitting the three, he is worthless. He has been terrible for much of this tournament, and McDowell is doing the right thing by sitting him. Connor will get a chance to redeem himself, just not yet. As for the second part of the question, well I will let Amanda have the floor.

“McDowell is the problem. We keep bringing back the same people and we do the same thing. We are predictable and too one dimensional. He must be fired and we must hire another coach who can assemble a much more balanced team.” Amanda, Pocono City.

Yes let’s blame the coach for everything. Newmanistan made the finals of the first IBC, and were the #1 seed going into knockouts of the 2nd IBC before they got stunned in the first round, and some will say, still have never recovered. McDowell has gotten results, and so have these players. After this tournament, it’s fair to re-evaluate things. But to have wanted that to have been done beforehand is quite simply, not fair.

“How much is Tank’s injury going to make matters worse for the team?” Wendell, Wrentham

The Stars were all over the boards. Fraser did a decent job, but what makes matters worse is a team that can’t hit a single field goal in the final five minutes.

“What’s with Sarzonia and late comebacks. Lacrosse and now this?” Stuart, North Charlotte

At least when we lost to Dancougar in the final of World Bowl IV, we played them in the Oxen Cup the same day and beat them. Krytenian football sources have been discouraged by the return of Sarzonia to the world scene. While we don’t really know much about their history with one another, Krytenia is a proud sky blue and white nation. Just like we are. Something about these colors bring about the best in Sarzonia. Stars don’t come out when the sky is blue, maybe? All kidding aside, I like what I see out of Sarzonia and wouldn’t rule out a Newmanistan-Sarzonia rivalry developing in years to come if they stick around, which I hope they do.

“Should the Rockets dump the three pointing persistence and play more inside?” Chris, South Tier

I know a lot of people want to see this. If there was any hope of this happening, it went out the window when Tank Nelson got hurt. This team is built around the outside game, and even though it hasn’t worked out well, I can’t see how it would be beneficial to tell a group of players to stay away from their strengths.

“All our games are on the road now. Could this be a good thing?” Jarrell, Olympia

Home court advantage is always a special thing, I really can’t think of why it would be a good thing. Unless the team can come together and feel that they are playing at peace on the road. We saw this with the football team in the second half of World Cup 44 qualifying. They just seemed so much more relaxed to be on the road and to be away from the drama that has occurred since the Empress attempted to withdraw the team from that sport. I don’t know if this team here has that same kind of spark, but we shall see.


“The team, while inconsistent, has been in all of these games. Remember the World Cup team went 5-2-0 in the second half. These guys will go 5-2 or 6-1 in the second half. Everything’s fine, I’m not worried. We’re going to finish in that top three.” Steve, Putnam Lake

Well Steve, using the World Cup team as your example, that 5-2-0 run only got the team to 4th, didn’t it? I applaud your optimism, and you are right in saying that the team has been competitive in all of the games, so that we could be closer to improvement then it might seem to be at this point. But we’ve won just one of our last five games, so you cannot expect everyone to be so excited. Yes, it could happen, because inconsistent teams have their hot moments too.

Does this RP cutoff make me look fat? Well, here it is either way.

GROUP A
Secristan 91 @ 70 Oiseaui
Lovisa 99 @ 89 Taeshan
Newmanistan 92 @ 81 Lurikastan
Sarzonia 73 @ 84 Draistania

QUALIFYING GROUP A | W L PF PA PD
Sarzonia 6 2 740 709 +31
Secristan 6 2 754 717 +37
Draistania 5 3 735 703 +32
Lovisa 5 3 737 716 +21
Newmanistan 4 4 780 740 +40
Taeshan 3 5 726 767 -41
Lurikastan 3 5 714 732 -18
Oiseaui 0 8 696 792 -96

GROUP B
Cafundeu 66 @ 82 Midlauthia
Myedvedeya 110 @ 95 Dancougar
Arroza 77 @ 90 Greal
Tocrowkia 88 @ 83 Colbourne

QUALIFYING GROUP B | W L PF PA PD
Myedvedeya 6 2 730 668 +62
Dancougar 5 3 751 730 +21
Tocrowkia 4 4 711 710 +1
Colbourne 4 4 685 698 -13
Cafundeu 4 4 652 665 -13
Greal 4 4 663 702 -39
Midlauthia 3 5 685 656 +29
Arroza 2 6 705 753 -48

It was another win for Draistania. "Great job everybody!" Gregory Massenet yelled as they walked away from the game.

The whole team was in celebration, except for Charles Porfic. He had done his job well so far, but wanted his opinion to count for more. He had disagreed with the Coach as often as possible.

"We could have done a lot better on defense!" Charles yelled. "It's a good thing they had an off game or our lousy game play would have shown through more!"

Gregory sighed, he didn't enjoy having to deal with his less than charismatic assistant coach. "We had a good game out there. We played like a team and you all should be proud of that. Charles, I don't want to hear another useless complaint like that out of you or you're out of here."

This was the first time that Gregory had confronted Charles in front of the whole team like this. Both of their faces turned red, the rest of the team started to settle down and start paying attention to the unfolding situation. "I've done all the real training around here, you wouldn't be winning anything without me!"

"Maybe not, but you are ruining team moral. A little conflict may be necessary, but not this much."

"We'll see about that." With that, Charles walked off.

"Don't worry boys. Everyone relax tonight, tomorrow we'll practice and review game tapes as always."

[OOC: Don't mind my characters; they're hyper-competitive. I am a little bit perplexed about how the formulae work in this tournament. Things seem a bit more random than I've seen in other events. Maybe it's just me.]

The first loss could be attributed to simply a bad performance.

This one couldn't.

Even though Coach Henry West filed a formal protest with the International Basketball Championships governing body over what he described to a Portland Press-Herald reporter as "slipshod officiating," he knew that his team didn't give the effort he wanted in Sarzonia's 84-73 loss to Draistania.

"We CAN NOT be outhustled for every loose ball out there," West shouted in the locker room after the game. He didn't shake the hand of Draistania coach Gregory Massenet, but said he didn't deliberately intend to snub Massenet.

"I was busy looking for the referees to let them know what I thought of their performance," West said. "And I was busy trying to contact the sport's governing body to launch a formal protest. I should have shaken [Massenet's] hand before I did all that. I apologise."

West may be seeking an apology from his team for its lack of effort. Trailing by 19 at halftime to a team they beat by six to start the tournament wouldn't sit well with any coach, especially not one who pushes his team to the extent that West does.

"We'll be back practice tomorrow morning at 6," West said. "We weren't tired. We came off a three-day layoff while the sports organisers were doing God knows what. We should have been ready to play this match. I guarantee you we'll be ready for the Oiseaui match.

And if they aren't?

"We will be ready," center Cole Schooler said. "If we're not, I don't know what to tell you."

[OOC: Don't mind my characters; they're hyper-competitive. I am a little bit perplexed about how the formulae work in this tournament. Things seem a bit more random than I've seen in other events. Maybe it's just me.]

(OOC: So, I didn't put the full disclosure in this thread as I did in the past ones, but the scorinator I'm using simulates a game by generating events such as shots and fouls according to some probabilities calculated based on data from the 2007/08 NBA season. RP bonus increases your shooting accuracy up to 10% over the base, and you'll notice the average points scored in RP-heavy group A is indeed higher than in group B. Of course, since EVERYTHING is generated probabilistically, the variance from game to game can be high.

I'm planning on adding world ranks as additional probability modifiers before the next IBC so people actually have something to play for and to add a little more stability. On average. Ish.)

And with that, RP cutoff.

GROUP A
Newmanistan 75 @ 81 Lovisa
Secristan 73 @ 82 Draistania
Taeshan 86 @ 83 Lurikastan
Oiseaui 96 @ 85 Sarzonia

QUALIFYING GROUP A | W L PF PA PD
Draistania 6 3 817 776 +41
Sarzonia 6 3 825 805 +20
Secristan 6 3 825 799 +26
Lovisa 6 3 818 791 +27
Taeshan 4 5 812 850 -38
Newmanistan 4 5 855 821 +34
Lurikastan 3 6 797 818 -21
Oiseaui 1 8 792 877 -85

* Draistania is 3-2 against the other 6-3 teams, which is the best of the bunch.
* Sarzonia and Secristan are 2-2 against the 6-3 teams; Sarzonia has a head-to-head win over Secristan.
* Lovisa is 1-2 against the 6-3 teams.
* Taeshan has a head-to-head win over Newmanistan.

GROUP B
Arroza 86 @ 88 Myedvedeya
Cafundeu 70 @ 88 Colbourne
Dancougar 98 @ 97 Greal
Midlauthia 62 @ 75 Tocrowkia

QUALIFYING GROUP B | W L PF PA PD
Myedvedeya 7 2 818 754 +64
Dancougar 6 3 849 827 +22
Tocrowkia 5 4 786 772 +14
Colbourne 5 4 773 768 +5
Cafundeu 4 5 722 753 -31
Greal 4 5 760 800 -40
Midlauthia 3 6 747 731 +16
Arroza 2 7 791 841 -50

* Tocrowkia is 2-0 against Colbourne.
* Cafundeu is 1-0 against Greal.

Draistanian Basketball League News

Draistania wins again with a 73-82 game against Secristan! Draistania is now at the top of its' division! Before returning to the locker room after the game, Coach Gregory Massenet said, "I'm not surprised. Draistania has always had a good basketball team and it is about time that the world found that out. I think that if we keep working hard, we can win."

It was a team effort today, nearly everyone got in on the game. Cashvaw had one of his best games today, there were very few interceptions and the team seemed to be well organized.

Robert Vladamir also showed us his best game so far with 19 baskets. "I've been practicing hard and it's showing," he said after the game. "I hope that I can keep showing Draistania and the world my skills, and this team's skills."

The team appeared to be unaffected by the unsportsmanlike conduct of Sarzonia the previous game. Coach Massenet finally gave us a quote on his feelings, "They were upset, it is understandable. I don't agree with his reactions, but I hope that we will have another game to settle this matter."

That is all for now, keep an eye out for our next report!

WOODSTOCK -- Sarzonia national basketball team coach Henry West promised his team would be ready. Well, he was right. Trouble was, they were too ready.

Sarzonia missed 11 of their first 14 shots to start their game against Oiseaui and lost 96-85, dropping the Stars (6-3) into a three-way tie for first place in Group A of the International Basketball Championships in front of a crowd of 17,825 at the Palestra.

"We started out fired up," West said. "I think we were too tense heading into this match up. We need to strike the right balance between being motivated and being too motivated.

Oiseaui picked up its first victory of the tournament, improving to 1-8. Center Cole Schooler called that an "embarrassment."

"We should have beaten those guys," he fumed. "We should have run them off the court. Instead, we start off missing 11 of our first 14 shots and we never recovered."

All of a sudden, Sarzonia's match against Taeshan (4-5) at the Palestra takes on much more importance. The Stars say to a man that they aren't going to take Taeshan lightly after losing their second consecutive match and third of their last four.

"We can't afford to give anything less than our best effort against anyone," said shooting guard Chris Draden, who scored 11 points on four-for-13 shooting. After scoring 27 points in his first game, Draden has hit a massive shooting slump, hitting only 37-for-104 from the field during the last eight matches.

"Chris has got to get back on track," Schooler said. "If we can get him going, it takes some of the pressure off the bigs. Right now, I and [power forward George] Tblik are getting pounded down there."

West said he hoped Stars supporters would come out in droves for the match against Taeshan.

"We need the crowd behind us," West said. "Having said that, if we don't give them their money's worth, they're going to show their disapproval. We don't expect anything less than that."

Mmm, a Chinese buffet had to happen instead of the usual scorination time. So here's your late RP cutoff.

GROUP A
Newmanistan 86 @ 96 Secristan
Oiseaui 85 @ 83 Draistania
Taeshan 85 @ 86 Sarzonia
Lovisa 102 @ 111 Lurikastan

QUALIFYING GROUP A | W L PF PA PD
Sarzonia 7 3 911 890 +21
Secristan 7 3 921 885 +36
Draistania 6 4 900 861 +39
Lovisa 6 4 920 902 +18
Taeshan 4 6 897 936 -39
Newmanistan 4 6 941 917 +24
Lurikastan 4 6 908 920 -12
Oiseaui 2 8 877 960 -83

* Sarzonia is 1-0 vs. Secristan.
* Draistania is 1-0 vs. Lovisa.
* Taeshan is 1-0 vs. Newmanistan and 2-0 vs. Lurikastan.
* Newmanistan is 2-0 vs. Lurikastan.

GROUP B
Arroza 64 @ 82 Cafundeu
Midlauthia 70 @ 90 Colbourne
Dancougar 85 @ 109 Tocrowkia
Myedvedeya 83 @ 89 Greal

QUALIFYING GROUP B | W L PF PA PD
Myedvedeya 7 3 901 843 +58
Tocrowkia 6 4 895 857 +38
Dancougar 6 4 934 936 -4
Colbourne 6 4 863 838 +25
Cafundeu 5 5 804 817 -13
Greal 5 5 849 883 -34
Midlauthia 3 7 817 821 -4
Arroza 2 8 855 923 -68

* Cafundeu is 1-0 vs. Greal.
* Tocrowkia is 2-1 vs. Dancougar and Colbourne.
* Dancougar is 1-1 vs. Tocrowkia and Colbourne.
* Colbourne is 0-3 vs. Tocrowkia and Dancougar.

As we approach the final tournament, the overall rankings are going to matter. As a reminder:
- The top three teams from each group are combined and ranked 1-6.
- The remaining teams are ranked 7-16.
- The top ten advance to the tournament's group stage, the rest go to the consolation tournament.

OVERALL STANDINGS | W L PF PA PD
Myedvedeya 7 3 901 843 +58
Sarzonia 7 3 911 890 +21
Secristan 7 3 921 885 +36
Draistania 6 4 900 861 +39
Tocrowkia 6 4 895 857 +38
Dancougar 6 4 934 936 -4
------------------------------------------
Colbourne 6 4 863 838 +25
Lovisa 6 4 920 902 +18
Cafundeu 5 5 804 817 -13
Greal 5 5 849 883 -34
------------------------------------------ ^ Qualification
Lurikastan 4 6 908 920 -12
Taeshan 4 6 897 936 -39
Newmanistan 4 6 941 917 +24
Midlauthia 3 7 817 821 -4
Arroza 2 8 855 923 -68
Oiseaui 2 8 877 960 -83

What goes through the mind of a player mired in an extended shooting slump? If you're Sarzonian national basketball team shooting guard Chris Draden, you keep firing until you shoot your way out of it.

Draden finally broke out of a nearly tournament-long shooting slump to hit a 3-pointer with four tenths of a second left to lead the Stars to an 86-85 win over Taeshan in front of 17,820 at The Palestra in Woodstock.

Draden finished the game with 20 points, including 18 in the second half, on nine-for-21 shooting. He missed eight of his nine first half shots before heating up in the second half.

"That was the difference," said Stars coach Henry West. "Draden got hot in the second half and he was the perfect complement to our inside game."

Draden's second half shooting performance gave Sarzonia (7-3) room to work its inside game, according to center Cole Schooler (17 points, nine rebounds).

"When Chris started hitting shots, it opened things up for myself and [power forward George Tblik]," Schooler said. Tblik finished with nine points and 12 rebounds.

The Stars rallied from a nine-point fourth quarter deficit as Draden hit four consecutive shots down the stretch and Tblik blocked two shots. Draden also forced three of Taeshan's 21 turnovers in the game.

"We just wanted it more," West said. "We showed a lot of fire out there."

Sarzonia face Lurikastan (4-6) in its final away match of the group stage before closing out with three consecutive matches at The Palestra. Sarzonia face Secristan (7-3), Lovisa (6-4) and Newmanistan (4-6) to close out the stage. West said he warned his team not to look past Lurikastan.

"You saw what happened when we faced Lovisa away," West said, referring to the Stars 96-74 defeat. "That's what can happen when you look past a team in this tournament. We can't afford to let up."

They also can't afford not to have Draden's outside shot.

"Hopefully, that slump will be over," West said. "If it isn't, he'll keep working at it until it is over."

It was a disappointing loss for Draistania. They went into the game as the best team in their division against the worse. Many had even joked around about how they were finishing off the round with a "cake walk".

In the first quarter of play their predictions were true. They were winning 28-20. Perhaps the winning made them over-confident. Oiseaui started to make a come-back in the 2nd quarter. At half time, Draistania was still winning 45-42.

Coach Massenet just couldn't get his players rallied for the second half, Oiseaui took the lead in the third quarter and no one on the Draistanian team was playing defense, Donovan Zarrian looked like a rookie this game. The quarter ended with Draistania loosing 65-69.

Somehow, Jamal Nammerson managed to put a whole new spin on things in the last quarter. He made most of the scoring in this quarter, and tied it up right at the end. Draistania was going to go for the tie, but Oiseaui denied them this by making a final basket with just seconds left on the game clock. Final Score: Oiseaui 85, Draistania 83.

It was a sad note for Draistania, losing their last game of the round, but it also made them realize that they are the underdogs and they need to work harder if they want to win.

"Good game everyone," Coach Massenet said to his team as they were getting ready to leave. "We lost this match, I think that everyone knows this means that we are going to train harder until our next game. But that doesn't change the fact that we were still 3rd best in our division! Forget worrying about qualifying we are there!"

A cheer lit up the room. Charles Porfic scoffed at this, but no one was surprised about that. There was contentment among the team, they were afraid of losing their newly earned position in the finals, but they were more ready now than ever before and weren't going to take their position for granted.

http://www.biezanow.net/~dominik/TVLovun/tvlovunsport-basketball.gif
Horrible accident

Lovisa lost with poor Lurikastan 102 - 111 at home in 10th match.

Everything was going wrong and if we thinking to success we must changing everything. I hope in next match we see different team who win easy - said Andy Griffin a Lovisan coach.

Welcome the weekend with this, your matchday 11 cutoff!

GROUP A
Taeshan 82 @ 90 Oiseaui
Sarzonia 88 @ 92 Lurikastan
Lovisa 68 @ 87 Secristan
Newmanistan 96 @ 89 Draistania

QUALIFYING GROUP A | W L PF PA PD
Secristan 8 3 1008 953 +55
Sarzonia 7 4 999 982 +17
Draistania 6 5 989 957 +32
Lovisa 6 5 988 989 -1
Newmanistan 5 6 1037 1006 +31
Lurikastan 5 6 1000 1008 -8
Taeshan 4 7 979 1026 -47
Oiseaui 3 8 967 1042 -75

* Newmanistan over Lurikastan on first tiebreaker (2-0 H2H)
* Draistania over Lovisa on first tiebreaker (1-0 H2H)

GROUP B
Dancougar 88 @ 81 Midlauthia
Tocrowkia 76 @ 81 Greal
Myedvedeya 89 @ 80 Cafundeu
Arroza 74 @ 83 Colbourne

QUALIFYING GROUP B | W L PF PA PD
Myedvedeya 8 3 990 923 +67
Dancougar 7 4 1022 1017 +5
Colbourne 7 4 946 912 +34
Tocrowkia 6 5 971 938 +33
Greal 6 5 930 959 -29
Cafundeu 5 6 884 906 -22
Midlauthia 3 8 898 909 -11
Arroza 2 9 929 1006 -77

* Dancougar over Colbourne on first tiebreaker (1-0 H2H)
* Tocrowkia over Greal on second tiebreaker (175-163 H2H points)

Three games remain in qualification, and we remain on course to start the final tournament next week. Tomorrow is Saturday so scorination will be late. Sunday should be on schedule, and Monday might work out, as well, now that my RL soccer slot has moved back. That means tournament qualifiers get their day off on Tuesday while everyone else begins the Best of the Rest competition.

OVERALL STANDINGS | W L PF PA PD
Myedvedeya 8 3 990 923 +67
Secristan 8 3 1008 953 +55
Sarzonia 7 4 999 982 +17
Dancougar 7 4 1022 1017 +5
Colbourne 7 4 946 912 +34
Draistania 6 5 989 957 +32
------------------------------------------
Tocrowkia 6 5 971 938 +33
Lovisa 6 5 988 989 -1
Greal 6 5 930 959 -29
Newmanistan 5 6 1037 1006 +31
------------------------------------------ ^ Qualification
Lurikastan 5 6 1000 1008 -8
Cafundeu 5 6 884 906 -22
Taeshan 4 7 979 1026 -47
Midlauthia 3 8 898 909 -11
Oiseaui 3 8 967 1042 -75
Arroza 2 9 929 1006 -77

Um Dan, 4-7 Us over two 5-6 nations????

Lalala funny how that works isn't it lalala fixing the standings...

The Salo Times


Well its been a while thanks to the vandalizing of our presses, but were back up.



Sirius. That is what plays when Lurikastan goes on to play home games. And the question now is whether or not it will be heard much after this as far as IBC goes.

Lurikastan is One off from qualifying for the tournament and is in desperate need of another win and a loss by Newmanistan. They stand at 5-6 after va close win against Sarzonia.

The game went pretty good for Lurikastan until right before half time. All of a sudden Lurikastan couldn't drain anything. At the half the Fightin' Inugamis were down 48-55.

After the half a Afolabi/Petkov led run put Lurikastan in the lead to close the game. 92-88.

OOC: Oops, I got confused. Last time I thought that it was the last game of the qualifiers for some reason. Now there is a chance that I'll be eliminated!

"That is it!" Charles Porfic yelled as he banged his fists down on the desk and his face began to turn red. "We need to reprimand this team! Make them run for a week straight! You treat this like it's a childrens game!"

"I did reprimand the team after our loss yesterday," Coach Massenet responded calmly. "And you know that they have a vigorous work out scheduled for today."

"It's not enough! These boys need to hate you if you ever want to make any progress!"

"I am the coach here!" Massenet said changing from his usual calm tone to a rather angry tone. "If you don't like that then get out!"

Porfic glared at him for a few seconds, and then stood up and walked out.
______________________________________

Justin Valls walked quickly through the front doors of the stadium. He had been the assistant coach to Massenet for 2 seasons now on the Mountain Lions, but now he was going to be working with him on the Mountain Lions too.

He walked into the main auditorium to see the coach and the whole team there, running laps.

"Glad you could make it," the Coach said as he turned away from the players.

"Well, it was rather short notice, but I'm glad that the board approved my replacing Porfic."

"And you have no idea how glad I am!" Massenet laughed.

"Hey, Justin, do a good job man!" Jamal yelled with a little smile on his face.

"You too! Work on driving it into the basket!"

Jamal and Justin had always gotten along aside from a difference in race and almost a foot in height. Jamal's performance had been slipping a little in this championship. Justin had observed that they all could have done better. The last game was lost in large part because no one was getting close to the basket. He hoped to get the team to be more aggressive all around on offense and get more rebounds on defense.

This is going to be one of those nights where I don't sleep... bah. Here's the cutoff!

GROUP A
Secristan 81 @ 94 Sarzonia
Newmanistan 99 @ 86 Taeshan
Lovisa 79 @ 99 Draistania
Oiseaui 76 @ 94 Lurikastan

QUALIFYING GROUP A | W L PF PA PD
Sarzonia 8 4 1093 1063 +30
Secristan 8 4 1089 1047 +42
Draistania 7 5 1088 1036 +52
Newmanistan 6 6 1136 1092 +44
Lovisa 6 6 1067 1088 -21
Lurikastan 6 6 1094 1084 +10
Taeshan 4 8 1065 1125 -60
Oiseaui 3 9 1043 1136 -93

* Sarzonia over Secristan on first tiebreaker (2-0 H2H)
* The 6-6 records are broken via H2H: Newmanistan (3-1), Lovisa (2-2), Lurikastan (1-3)

GROUP B
Cafundeu 79 @ 88 Tocrowkia
Arroza 87 @ 77 Dancougar
Myedvedeya 70 @ 68 Colbourne
Midlauthia 74 @ 82 Greal

QUALIFYING GROUP B | W L PF PA PD
Myedvedeya 9 3 1060 991 +69
Tocrowkia 7 5 1059 1017 +42
Dancougar 7 5 1099 1104 -5
Greal 7 5 1012 1033 -21
Colbourne 7 5 1014 982 +32
Cafundeu 5 7 963 994 -31
Midlauthia 3 9 972 991 -19
Arroza 3 9 1016 1083 -67

* The 7-5 teams are separated by head to head: Tocrowkia (4-2), Dancougar (3-2), Greal (2-3), Colbourne (1-3)
* Midlauthia over Arroza via first tiebreaker (1-0 H2H)

A look at the overall standings, now, with two games remaining.

OVERALL STANDINGS | W L PF PA PD
Myedvedeya 9 3 1060 991 +69
Sarzonia 8 4 1093 1063 +30
Secristan 8 4 1089 1047 +42
Draistania 7 5 1088 1036 +52
Tocrowkia 7 5 1059 1017 +42
Dancougar 7 5 1099 1104 -5
------------------------------------------
Greal 7 5 1012 1033 -21
Colbourne 7 5 1014 982 +32
Newmanistan 6 6 1136 1092 +44
Lovisa 6 6 1067 1088 -21
------------------------------------------ ^ Qualification
Lurikastan 6 6 1094 1084 +10
Cafundeu 5 7 963 994 -31
Taeshan 4 8 1065 1125 -60
Midlauthia 3 9 972 991 -19
Arroza 3 9 1016 1083 -67
Oiseaui 3 9 1043 1136 -93

The assistant coach of the Arrozan Basketball team looked on at the new results, with Oiseaui now at the bottom of the table on point differential, snarling at the printed words.

"This is not good. We must be at the bottom of the standing for our plan to work!"

With the plan threatening to fall apart, Moya goes off to buy a massive amount of illicit substances to give to the players before their next game.

Revenge on Stars minds

WOODSTOCK (ASP) -- The last time Sarzonia's national men's basketball team faced Lovisa, the team was riding high, winning its first five matches and leading dreamers to envision a basketball world title to go with football and lacrosse championships.

However, Lovisa routed Sarzonia 96-74, leaving the Stars still one match away from clinching a spot in the final 10 of the International Basketball Championships. Currently the Stars have a record of 8-4, level with Secristan for second place in the overall standings. The Stars have the tiebreaker of two wins against the Millionaires.

For Stars coach Henry West, the home match to Lovisa at The Palestra will be critical for the team as it faces its final three matches.

"We absolutely need to show that loss was an aberration for our own psychology," West said. "We lost four of six after that loss. We've got to do a better job of bouncing back from adversity."

For that to happen, they're going to need consistent effort from shooting guard Chris Draden. He scored 27 points, including 21 in the first half against Secristan to lead the way in Sarzonia's 94-81 win at The Palestra. He broke an extended slump with a 3-pointer at the buzzer to lead Sarzonia to an 86-85 win over Taeshan.

"I'm starting to feel pretty good about my shot now," Draden said. "Combine that with strong inside play from [center] Cole [Schooler] and [power forward] George [Tblik] and it gives me room to shoot. I just gotta hit 'em."

For his part, West isn't too worried about Draden, even though he only hit three shots in the second half. He pointed out that Draden only played eight minutes in the second half.

"We were up 19 at halftime and led by as many as 27 in the third. There really was no need to burn Chris out," he said. "We're going to need all 11 guys on our squad if we're going to do anything after the qualifying stage."

Schooler said the team was thinking less about revenge and more about playing better than they did in Lovisa.

"We have to take each match one at a time," he said. "There's no sense in dwelling on the past. We can only look ahead at this point."

However, Tblik said the team wouldn't look too far ahead.

"We can't worry about how we match up with a team like Myedvedeya," Tblik said. "We're not facing them in this stage. We can only worry about the match that's right in front of us, and that's against Lovisa. Thankfully, we're at home."

It's RP cutoff for MD13!

GROUP A
Secristan 78 @ 85 Lurikastan
Lovisa 98 @ 106 Sarzonia
Newmanistan 72 @ 74 Oiseaui
Taeshan 82 @ 96 Draistania

QUALIFYING GROUP A | W L PF PA PD
Sarzonia 9 4 1199 1161 +38 (* Clinches a top-6 seed)
Secristan 8 5 1167 1132 +35
Draistania 8 5 1184 1118 +66
Lurikastan 7 6 1179 1162 +17
Newmanistan 6 7 1208 1166 +42
Lovisa 6 7 1165 1194 -29
Oiseaui 4 9 1117 1208 -91
Taeshan 4 9 1147 1221 -74

* Secristan over Draistania on second tiebreaker (168-159 H2H)
* Newmanistan over Lovisa on second tiebreaker (169-162 H2H)
* Oiseaui over Teaeshan on second tiebreaker (185-181 H2H)

GROUP B
Cafundeu 73 @ 86 Greal
Myedvedeya 73 @ 79 Tocrowkia
Arroza 80 @ 81 Midlauthia
Dancougar 88 @ 81 Colbourne

QUALIFYING GROUP B | W L PF PA PD
Myedvedeya 9 4 1133 1070 +63
Dancougar 8 5 1187 1185 +2
Tocrowkia 8 5 1138 1090 +48
Greal 8 5 1098 1106 -8
Colbourne 7 6 1095 1070 +25
Cafundeu 5 8 1036 1080 -44
Midlauthia 4 9 1053 1071 -18
Arroza 3 10 1096 1164 -68

* The 8-5 teams are ordered based on second tiebreaker (384-377-356).

Only one day remains, and it looks to be a fight to the finish in the middle of the pack.

OVERALL STANDINGS | W L PF PA PD
Myedvedeya 9 4 1133 1070 +63
Sarzonia 9 4 1199 1161 +38
Secristan 8 5 1167 1132 +35
Draistania 8 5 1184 1118 +66
Dancougar 8 5 1187 1185 +2
Tocrowkia 8 5 1138 1090 +48
------------------------------------------
Greal 8 5 1098 1106 -8
Colbourne 7 6 1095 1070 +25
Lurikastan 7 6 1179 1162 +17
Newmanistan 6 7 1208 1166 +42
------------------------------------------ ^ Qualification
Lovisa 6 7 1165 1194 -29
Cafundeu 5 8 1036 1080 -44
Midlauthia 4 9 1053 1071 -18
Oiseaui 4 9 1117 1208 -91
Taeshan 4 9 1147 1221 -74
Arroza 3 10 1096 1164 -68

This just in, the RP cutoff is going to be delayed so that the Cup of Harmony can be scorinated before I run off to fail at soccer. Expect the final group stage match and tournament draw around 0500 GMT.

Portland Press-Herald

REVENGE

By Matt Conway
Special to the Press-Herald

WOODSTOCK -- With their 96-74 loss to Lovisa still fresh on the minds of the Sarzonian men's basketball team, they started the home match against Lovisa motivated for revenge.

Behind a tournament high 35 points from shooting guard Greg Dannen, they got it in their 106-98 win in front of 18,120 at The Palestra. The win clinched a spot in the International Basketball Championships finals stage as one of the final 10 squads with a 9-4 record.

"We're not worried about the won-loss record right now. We still have to play well in our final match up of this stage and then in the next phase of the tournament," said coach Henry West. "That said, we showed a lot of poise after falling behind early."

Sarzonia hit only six-of-19 shots in the first quarter and trailed 29-14 at the end of the frame, but that's when Dannen got hot. He hit three consecutive 3-pointers shortly after two Cole Schooler put backs to finish off a 13-0 run that brought the Stars within two. From there, the Stars dominated the paint behind 29 points and 14 rebounds from Schooler.

"We were able to get both our outside game and our inside game going," Schooler said. "If we can do that, we'll be hard to beat offensively."

"I think the only thing I'd be concerned with is our defence," said Dannen. "Offensively, we're starting to get into a good rhythm right now."

The final group stage match might be an opportunity for many coaches to see how their young players handle themselves if they're in Sarzonia's position, but not West. He said he would treat the match as if they needed the win to advance to the final 10.

"We have to play with some sense of urgency," West said. "We don't believe you can turn off and turn on the intensity."

THE ROCKET REPORT

PUT IT TO BED

Woodstock, Sarzonia- A disasterous International Basketball Championships for Newmanistan completes its group stage this evening. After the successes in the first two championships, the team has struggled considerably, both with inconsistent scoring and horrible defense. Despite scoring more points then anyone in the tournament, 1208, the Rockets have a miserable record of 6-7 due to the fact that the defense has not been up to snuff. The injury sustained by Tank Nelson, making him out since the first Oiseaui game has played a big role in that. The Rockets do expect to have the tank back in the lineup against 9-4 Sarzonia tonight, but it is probably a case of too little too late.

We have tried, on several occasions to try and diagnose the problems that the team has had this time around, but it seemed as soon as the team was able to solve on deficiency, they picked up another somewhere else. The group stage comes to an end and the Rockets will actually still advance and have hope if they find a way to beat Sarzonia. In fact, as long as Lovisa loses, Newmanistan will be in. In to a round that we thought was a lock coming into this tournament. Make no mistake about it, the IBC has been very unpredictable. Arroza is the worst team in the competition at 3-10? If Newmanistan and Arroza both should not qualify, the organizers are going to have answer questions (OOC: in-characterly, not out of character) concerning the schedule in which but the Rockets and the Tar Hornets were forced to play all their home games first before playing all of their road games to finish off the tournament. Jet lag coming down stretch can be a big issue, and it didn’t help that home court advantage seemed to be non-existent in the first half. Newmanistanian reporters have also found their covering of the tournament to be a little tiresome, as one reporter put it, “if you look at the standings, there’s really no correlation to the amount or quality of press releases and your success. Future bonuses need to be turned up more to get us more in the mood to cover it”. I have absolutely no idea, at all, what was meant by that statement, but perhaps we need to read between the lines for some hidden message.

Anyway, does the International Basketball Championships go on for Newmanistan, or does it come to an end. The bigger question may be, with the Cup of Harmony started and World Bowl on the horizon, do Newmanistanians care anymore?

Boom, the qualification round is oh~vah! Who's rolling screen reigns supreme?

GROUP A
Secristan 93 @ 101 Taeshan
Draistania 96 @ 85 Lurikastan
Lovisa 84 @ 87 Oiseaui
Newmanistan 85 @ 98 Sarzonia

QUALIFYING GROUP A | W L PF PA PD
Sarzonia 10 4 1297 1246 +51
Draistania 9 5 1280 1203 +77
Secristan 8 6 1260 1233 +27
Lurikastan 7 7 1264 1258 +6
Newmanistan 6 8 1293 1264 +29
Lovisa 6 8 1249 1281 -32
Oiseaui 5 9 1204 1292 -88
Taeshan 5 9 1248 1314 -66

GROUP B
Cafundeu 88 @ 95 Dancougar
Colbourne 79 @ 86 Greal
Myedvedeya 97 @ 75 Midlauthia
Arroza 97 @ 98 Tocrowkia

QUALIFYING GROUP B | W L PF PA PD
Myedvedeya 10 4 1230 1145 +85
Dancougar 9 5 1282 1273 +9
Tocrowkia 9 5 1236 1187 +49
Greal 9 5 1184 1185 -1
Colbourne 7 7 1174 1156 +18
Cafundeu 5 9 1124 1175 -51
Midlauthia 4 10 1128 1168 -40
Arroza 3 11 1193 1262 -69

The final standings, top ten move on...

OVERALL STANDINGS | W L PF PA PD
Myedvedeya 10 4 1230 1145 +85
Sarzonia 10 4 1297 1246 +51
Draistania 9 5 1280 1203 +77
Dancougar 9 5 1282 1273 +9
Tocrowkia 9 5 1236 1187 +49
Secristan 8 6 1260 1233 +27
------------------------------------------
Greal 9 5 1184 1185 -1
Colbourne 7 7 1174 1156 +18
Lurikastan 7 7 1264 1258 +6
Newmanistan 6 8 1293 1264 +29
==========================================
Lovisa 6 8 1249 1281 -32
Cafundeu 5 9 1124 1175 -51
Oiseaui 5 9 1204 1292 -88
Taeshan 5 9 1248 1314 -66
Midlauthia 4 10 1128 1168 -40
Arroza 3 11 1193 1262 -69

The group draw has been made for the final tournament. Five pots, two groups:

GROUP A
Myedvedeya
Dancougar
Secristan
Colbourne
Newmanistan

GROUP B
Sarzonia
Draistania
Tocrowkia
Greal
Lurikastan

MD16 (Wed 1/28): 1v2, 3v4 (5 off)
MD17 (Thu 1/29): 3v5, 2v4 (1 off)
MD18 (Sun 2/01): 1v3, 4v5 (2 off)
MD19 (Mon 2/02): 2v5, 1v4 (3 off)
MD20 (Tue 2/03): 1v5, 2v3 (4 off)

The remaining teams will play in the Best of the Rest tournament, held concurrently with the finals:

BEST OF THE REST
Lovisa
Cafundeu
Oiseaui
Taeshan
Midlauthia
Arroza

MD15 (Tue 1/27): 2v4, 1v3, 5v6
MD16 (Wed 1/28): 2v3, 4v5, 1v6
MD17 (Thu 1/29): 1v4, 3v6, 2v5
MD18 (Sun 2/01): 3v5, 4v6, 1v2
MD19 (Mon 2/02): 3v4, 2v6, 1v5

Tournament organizers expressed disappointment that several fan-favorites struggled throughout the qualification phase, with Arroza finishing at the bottom of the heap and Newmanistan barely squeaking into the final round by virtue of a second tiebreaker. But they added that there was excitement being generated by other stories - the return of Secristan, Myedvedeya's title defense, and the sudden rise of Sarzonia in its return to the international scene among them. And the home fans will finally see the Dancougar national team make the main event.

"We admit that the lack of continuity between tournaments has hurt its ability to attract and retain competitors," said chairman William Kleene. "This is something we are looking into. At the same time, while the media's participation is a great way to spark their team to victory, sometimes the ball just bounces wherever it wants. We are constantly looking at how we handle our relations with the media and obviously have a lot of work to do as we try to grow this tournament." He also attributed some quirks to the sudden change in the tournament's primary sponsor, from Sun Microsystems to the Python Foundation.

The schedule was also a cause for contention, with many teams going through several streaks of home and away without any real balance. "We blame the interns who simply adapted the Baptism of Fire scheduler without realizing the effect of just mirroring the output in the same order," said Kleene. "I remember back in the day when we did it by hand. It took longer to do, but it worked, damn it!" He later mentioned that the interns had been fired and a proper scheduler would be developed.

Because the Cup of Harmony is also being co-hosted in Dancougar, the usual venues are being avoided because hotel space is all but unavailable in those cities. The basketball tournament has been moved farther west. Group A is to be based in Stoneridge and Chuuoushi, Group B in Grandborough and Lakeport, and the Best of the Rest will be scattered among smaller cities between them - Ochoa City, Buhlsborough, and Kimstown.

MD16 (Wed 1/28): 1v2, 3v4 (5 off)
MD17 (Thu 1/29): 3v5, 2v4 (1 off)
MD18 (Sun 2/01): 3v5, 2v4 (1 off)
MD19 (Mon 2/02): 2v5, 1v4 (3 off)
MD20 (Tue 2/03): 1v5, 2v3 (4 off)

*Ahem*

*Ahem*

Good call on the copy-paste error. An intern has just been sacked.
And while I'm at it, RP cutoff.

BEST OF THE REST
Cafundeu 82 v 83 Taeshan
Lovisa 95 v 80 Oiseaui
Midlauthia 70 v 83 Arroza

BEST/REST W L PF PA PD
Lovisa 1 0 95 80 +15
Arroza 1 0 83 70 +13
Taeshan 1 0 83 82 +1
Cafundeu 0 1 82 83 -1
Midlauthia 0 1 70 83 -13
Oiseaui 0 1 80 95 -15

Groups A and B kick off tomorrow.

Draistanian Basketball League News

Draistania has won 96-85 against Lurikastan in its final game before advancing to the next stage! Many had predicted Lurikastan would walk away with the victory in their home court, but they were wrong! Draistania is now moving on with a positive note.

Lurikastan dominated the first quarter 38-32. Draistania just wasn't playing good defense and they almost weren't rebounding at all. Coach Massenet put in Fred Darser and Daniel Trevors in at the beginning of the second quarter.

Just about a minute in, Lukristanian center Abraham Romez was injured on the hip by a definite foul from Karl Tabercan. Tabercan was ejected from the game, but officials say that he can play in his next game as Romez also did not suffer any long term damage and will be playing in his next game. But with the loss of Romez, Lukristan suffered. The quarter ended with Draistania winning 59-56.

Both teams were a little weak in the third quarter, and little progress was made. Both teams took a lot of bad shots and there were a lot of misses and sloppy plays. The quarter ended Draistania still winning 70-67.

In the 4th quarter, Draistania put many of their starters back in and they took off playing hard. Lukristan didn't ever fall very far behind, but couldn't catch up either. The last play of the game was a lay up by Clyde Smith with 4 seconds left on the clock.

When Coach Massenet was interviewed after the game he said, "I'm glad that Draistania is finally being viewed as one of the great teams. Many suspected that we weren't a very athletic country, but we proved them wrong. Many suspected our team was too controversial, but they were wrong. Never doubt, but never stop cheering us on. I believe that we have a real shot to win this thing, and I haven't heard anyone of consequence say otherwise in weeks."

Woodstock Daily Mail

The rubber match: Sarzonia-Draistania

By Chris Lleyton
Daily Mail Staff Writer

Sarzonia and Draistania have already played two matches during the qualifying stage of the third International Basketball Championships, splitting the two fixtures. With both teams in the same groups during the IBC finals stage, they will face off once again to kick off the finals.

For Sarzonia coach Henry West, the rematch will pit two teams familiar with each other who have developed into basketball powers.

"We think this is going to be a great match," West said. "The two of us have played each other twice and we're getting ready for the stakes to be much higher."

Sarzonia (10-4 during groups stage play) finished level with Myedvedeya for the best record in the qualifying phase, but center Cole Schooler said that no longer matters.

"Throw out those records," Schooler said. "We're back to 0-0. We've got to approach every match like it could be our last."

West said the team would count on shooting guard Chris Draden to again provide outside scoring touch to complement Schooler's play inside. He said that was key to Sarzonia's qualifying stage success.

"Having the inside presence and the outside threat, even when Chris was struggling, really helped us against most of the teams we faced," West said. "Having said that, we're going to have to make sure we play consistent basketball now that each match is so much more important."

Sarzonia wrapped up its qualifying schedule with a 98-85 win over Newmanistan, who advanced to the final 10 despite a 6-8 record. West kept his starters in the match until the team had built an 18-point fourth quarter lead, saying he wanted to ensure they kept their edge for the groups stage.

"We wanted to maintain our intensity," West said. "[The Rockets] needed to win to get in and we wanted to play with that same sense of urgency."

Now they'll need to play with that urgency against Draistania.

Wham, bam, RP cutoff!

GROUP A
Myedvedeya 76 v 87 Dancougar
Secristan 88 v 71 Colbourne

GROUP A W L PF PA PD
Secristan 1 0 88 71 +17
Dancougar 1 0 87 76 +11
Newmanistan 0 0 0 0 0
Myedvedeya 0 1 76 87 -11
Colbourne 0 1 71 88 -17

GROUP B
Sarzonia 93 v 86 Draistania
Tocrowkia 98 v 90 Greal

GROUP B W L PF PA PD
Tocrowkia 1 0 98 90 +8
Sarzonia 1 0 93 86 +7
Lurikastan 0 0 0 0 0
Draistania 0 1 86 93 -7
Greal 0 1 90 98 -8

BEST OF THE REST
Cafundeu 83 v 94 Oiseaui
Taeshan 84 v 87 Midlauthia
Lovisa 99 v 84 Arroza

BEST/REST W L PF PA PD
Lovisa 2 0 194 164 +30
Arroza 1 1 167 169 -2
Midlauthia 1 1 157 167 -10
Taeshan 1 1 167 169 -2
Oiseaui 1 1 174 178 -4
Cafundeu 0 2 165 177 -12

Now that the CoH is out of the way, time for basketball.

GROUP A
Secristan 108 v 114 Newmanistan
Dancougar 89 v 91 Colbourne

GROUP A W L PF PA PD
Newmanistan 1 0 114 108 +6
Secristan 1 1 196 185 +11
Colbourne 1 1 162 177 -15
Dancougar 1 1 176 167 +9
Myedvedeya 0 1 76 87 -11

GROUP B
Tocrowkia 84 v 94 Lurikastan
Draistania 86 v 91 Greal

GROUP B W L PF PA PD
Lurikastan 1 0 94 84 +10
Sarzonia 1 0 93 86 +7
Tocrowkia 1 1 182 184 -2
Greal 1 1 181 184 -3
Draistania 0 2 172 184 -12

BEST OF THE REST
Lovisa 90 v 85 Taeshan
Oiseaui 104 v 92 Arroza
Cafundeu 84 v 80 Midlauthia

BEST/REST W L PF PA PD
Lovisa 3 0 284 249 +35
Oiseaui 2 1 278 270 +8
Taeshan 1 2 252 259 -7
Cafundeu 1 2 249 257 -8
Arroza 1 2 259 273 -14
Midlauthia 1 2 237 251 -14

As a reminder, I'm AWOL starting tomorrow and the next matchday is Super Bowl Sunday.

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/4798/palmtreeiw7.jpg

In this special edition of the hot seat, we have National Basketball Team announcer and Coach, Christopher Querrey to explain the Tar Hornets' failure to compete in the IBC. Chris, nice to see you.

CQ: A pleasure to be here.

PTJ: So could you explain what's been going on with the Team lately? We did pretty bad in the IBC's Group Stage.

CQ: Well, we had some definite logistical problems as this was the first time that the IBC wasn't completely held in Newmanistan.

PTJ: You mean Dancougar.

CQ: Huh? Yeah, Dancougar...Sorry. Anyways we had the issue of that, and having to secure an arena at the last second. Then unlike other teams we play worse at home, not better. Our players are athletically talented, but there's a lot of temptations out there when you're young, in great shape and on the Network very night. So we pulled out the big gambit.

PTJ: So you mean you deliberately sabotaged the team to pull off a WTF run?

CQ: Look at the way we played the first three games. We weren't in contention to win a free sundae from Ice Queen. So yes, if you're going to lose, then lose in a fashion that at least guarantees that you'll be back for the next run, and that gives us the best chance to win in the future.

PTJ: More on the WTF gambit later for our readers. So, does this mean that the rumors about you and Moya giving the players drugs and alcohol are true?

CQ: We didn't supply anything that isn't legal and already available to them. Most of them were already blowing trees before during and after every game they've played. So no, that's patently untrue.

PTJ: But you did lower your standards for responsibility.

CQ: Sure. But you know what, so has Al Valente, and he made up for it by winning soccer games for the first time this decade, and to be one win away from making it into the knockout stages of a real cup. You can definitely say that the relaxed approach can work wonders, given our nation's collective psychology.

PTJ: So what happens if you fail at pulling off the WTF gambit?

CQ: Pretty simple. We get fired and disappear into the abyss of players and coaches that almost made it. But in the three times that we've been to the IBC we've made basketball into a sport that is probably the second or third most followed sport in Arroza. We might never be seen again, but the sport will be here for decades to come.

PTJ: Last Question. Would you like to try to explain the WTF gambit to our foreign readers?

CQ: Sure. Arroza has a history of being the leftovers, the people that no one else wanted. So to be able to come back from humble beginnings to be a champion in something incredible. In fact being able to go WTF (Worst-To-First) is probably at least twice as good as just winning when you look at it from the fans' perspective. Look at the Football Team. We were still trying to form a country when the GridIron Championships were being held. So when we signed up for World Bowl I, no one even noticed, we were just another new victim, there to fill out the numbers.

So what happened, we didn't just show up, we won the group handily, and got to the finals game. It was a worst to first, or in this case, a Nothing-To-First so epic that now, eight years later the nation's still football obsessed. I saw Frank Chavez the other day on the Milan Peninsula, he hasn't bought a drink in eight years. It's that powerful. I want a little of that love for Basketball, can you blame me?

PTJ: Well for your sake, we certainly hope that you succeed.

THE SALO TIMES


What no one thought would happen did as the Inugamis made it to the final tournament and while at it, won their first game against Tokrowkia. The fans were at the game in droves as many Lurikasani Fans had to stand in the aisles to watch the game.

The game started pretty smoothly with Lurikastan jumping out to an early 34-28 lead by the End of the first. This lead was attributed to Petkov's assists, which kept the defense guessing. The second quarter went much the same, with Petkov racking up more assists. Most of them to Romez, who capped them off with his signature Dunkalicious Dunkalocity Dunk. (Where he jams it in and has the rim in his elbow and his fore arm in the basket). At the half the score was a tight 60-58. The third quarter got only tighter ending at a even 80-80. However, Harvey proved invaluable in the fourth as his three point marksmanship proved invaluable. Leading the Inugamis to an 84-94 win.

Draistanian Basketball League News

One loss against Sarzonia may be discounted as bad luck, but a second loss against Greal at this stage in the tournament is worrying many Draistanian fans. Greal won the game 86-91.

The game was kept close up until the fourth quarter, with both teams matching up rather equally.

Robert Vladamir managed to show us a little of his skills in the 2nd and 3rd quarters, but other than that Draistania was a little sloppy. There were 10 interceptions and 17 blocks that destroyed Draistania, especially in the 4th quarter.

Coach Massenet was interviewed right after the game where he said, "The fans have all the right in the world to question our performance after these last two games. It is our duty to drastically improve our performance and I believe that we can. Support from our fans is always important in these games, and we intend to earn it."

Mmmmm, interception. This calls for the kind of touchdown celebration that cuts off your RPs (and wins you a $10K fine)!

GROUP A
Myedvedeya 73 v 76 Secristan
Colbourne 85 v 92 Newmanistan

GROUP A W L PF PA PD
Newmanistan 2 0 206 193 +13
Secristan 2 1 272 258 +14
Dancougar 1 1 176 167 +9
Colbourne 1 2 247 269 -22
Myedvedeya 0 2 149 163 -14

GROUP B
Sarzonia 103 v 90 Tocrowkia
Greal 80 v 85 Lurikastan

GROUP B W L PF PA PD
Sarzonia 2 0 196 176 +20
Lurikastan 2 0 179 164 +15
Tocrowkia 1 2 272 287 -15
Greal 1 2 261 269 -8
Draistania 0 2 172 184 -12

BEST OF THE REST
Oiseaui 79 v 68 Midlauthia
Taeshan 83 v 85 Arroza
Lovisa 70 v 94 Cafundeu

BEST/REST W L PF PA PD
Lovisa 3 1 354 343 +11
Oiseaui 3 1 357 338 +19
Cafundeu 2 2 343 327 +16
Arroza 2 2 344 356 -12
Midlauthia 1 3 305 330 -25
Taeshan 1 3 335 344 -9

I see what you did there. Cut off all the threads before it's drinking/celebrating/car burning (if you're in Morgantown) time.

Woodstock Daily Mail

Stars outshine the Reich 103-90

By Chris Lleyton
Daily Mail Staff Writer

Sarzonian national basketball team coach Henry West said getting a bye after one match of the International Basketball Championships final tournament stage isn't ideal. However, shooting guard Chris Draden certainly looked like he enjoyed having the time off.

He scored a game high 35 points to lead the Stars to a 103-90 victory over Tocrowkia, giving the team a 2-0 record in this stage.

"We wanted to maintain momentum from our opening win over Draistania," West said. "I would have preferred not having a bye on matchday two."

However, the Stars played like a team that benefitted from the rest. They jumped out to a 30-12 lead in the first quarter as center Cole Schooler scored 10 of his 22 points in the frame. He also grabbed a team-high 15 rebounds, including six offensive boards.

"That really opened things up for me and for the rest of the team," Draden said. "His play forced Tocrowkia to collapse inside, which gave me some wide open looks." Draden finished the day hitting 13 of 20 from the field including five of six from 3-point range. He was also four for four from the free throw line.

The top two teams from each group in this stage advance to the IBC semifinals series, a best of three series against the second place team in the other group. Sarzonia and Lurikastan currently have 2-0 records and are level in won-loss records in Group B. West warned his team that they haven't clinched anything yet.

"We still have two matches to go," West said. "We've only won two matches. We still have to face Greal and Lurikastan." A win in either match likely clinches a spot in the semifinals for the Stars, but West said anything was still possible.

"Until the final whistle sounds or the fat lady sings, we still haven't accomplished anything," he said. "We can't afford to rest on our laurels."

Greal (1-2) lost to Lurikastan 85-80 in the other Group B match, and Schooler said the Greali would be "fired up" to face the Stars in the first international match in any sport between the two countries.

"They're going to be desperate. They're still looking for a chance to qualify for the semifinals, and if they're eliminated before the match tips off, they'd like nothing better than to play spoilers," Draden said. "It's going to be up to us to ensure that doesn't happen."

And here is the late RP cutoff!

GROUP A
Dancougar 72 v 90 Newmanistan
Myedvedeya 78 v 91 Colbourne

GROUP A W L PF PA PD
Newmanistan 3 0 296 265 +31
Secristan 2 1 272 258 +14
Colbourne 2 2 338 347 -9
Dancougar 1 2 248 257 -9
Myedvedeya 0 3 227 254 -27

* Newmanistan will finish as A1 regardless of its final match result.
* If Dancougar beats Secristan on MD20, it will pull those two into a three-way tie with Colbourne at 2-2 and it will be decided on the second tiebreaker, points scored against each other. Secristan is straight through with a win.

GROUP B
Draistania 105 v 93 Lurikastan
Sarzonia 98 v 84 Greal

GROUP B W L PF PA PD
Sarzonia 3 0 294 260 +34
Lurikastan 2 1 272 269 +3
Draistania 1 2 277 277 0
Tocrowkia 1 2 272 287 -15
Greal 1 3 345 367 -22

* The loser of Draistania v Tocrowkia on MD20 is eliminated. If Draistania wins, they qualify as B2 if Lurikastan loses against Sarzonia. If Tocrowkia wins, Lurikastan automatically qualifies..
* Lurikastan and Sarzonia will finish as B1 and B2, respectively, if Lurikastan wins their match.

BEST OF THE REST
Oiseaui 81 v 83 Taeshan
Cafundeu 94 v 72 Arroza
Lovisa 74 v 89 Midlauthia

BEST/REST W L PF PA PD
Cafundeu 3 2 437 399 +38
Oiseaui 3 2 438 421 +17
Lovisa 3 2 428 432 -4
Arroza 2 3 416 450 -34
Midlauthia 2 3 394 404 -10
Taeshan 2 3 418 425 -7

Congratulations to Cafundeu, you are the king of the hill! The one next to the other one. But a hill's a hill. The group stage will end tomorrow, albeit late because a karaoke party decided it had to happen...

Strategy session comes as Stars win

WOODSTOCK (ASP) -- Now the strategy begins.

Sarzonia held on to defeat Greal 98-84 after building a 31-point lead early in the third quarter, but coach Henry West was asked if he would consider playing his bench players significant minutes in the tournament group stage final against Lurikastan with a berth in the semifinals clinched.

"No way," West said. "We're going to approach each game as a must-win situation. We don't believe in letting up the throttle at this stage of the tournament."

Sarzonia (13-4, 3-0 in tournament play) defeated both Newmanistan and Secristan twice in qualifying group play. The other team in contention for a spot in the semifinals, Dancougar, played in qualifying Group B while the Stars played in Qualifying Group A. The Stars split with final tournament pool opponent Lurikastan, losing the most recent encounter 92-88 at The Palestra while winning 94-86 away. West said his team knows better than to take any opponent lightly in spite of their qualifying records.

"The qualifying records don't mean anything right now," he said. "All they did was decide who's here [in Dancougar]. Look at Myedvedeya. They had the same record we did in qualifying (10-4), but they're already eliminated."

Newmanistan finished qualifying with a 6-8 record, but are currently 3-0 in the tournament phase. Meanwhile, Lurikastan finished 7-7.

Against Greal (10-8, 1-3), Chris Draden scored a game-high 27 points on 11-of-14 shooting from the field. He hit three-of-four 3-pointers and was a perfect two for two from the foul line. Center Cole Schooler scored 19 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. With the 35-point lead, West sent in the substitutes to finish the match.

"We needed an opportunity to get our younger players some time," Draden said. "[The starters are] probably going to get a lot of minutes in the semis and, if we make it, the finals, so we need to conserve ourselves whenever we can."

While some teams may be searching for motivation in a final match with a trip to the semifinals already secured, the Stars say they'll have no trouble getting motivated to play Lurikastan.

"They beat us at The Palestera," Schooler said. "We aren't going to forget about that match."

THE ROCKET REPORT

BALLERS HITTING STRIDE LATE

Dancougar- Newmanistan closes out their second phase of group play tonight with a meaningless game against the defending World Champions from Myedvedeya. During the first phase of group play, it was the KGB that looked strong, and the Rockets were anything but. Myedvedeya should have had the momentum, and if you would have said that this game would be meaningless at the start of this phase because one team would have already clinched the group and then I told you that team would be Newmanistan, you would have thought I was crazy. Cliché’s aside, this is not the situation we thought the Rockets would be in. Or Myedvedeya, who is winless at the stage. In World Cup qualifying, Newmanistanian teams are known for slow starts and then making the frantic last minute charge. Has that been what has happened in the International Bsaketball Championships? How, all of the sudden, has Newmanistan changed their inconsistent ways?

The return of Tank Nelson is a big part of this, but the inconsistency woes had already begun before he went down against Oiseaui. Improved defense is a big reason. This is where the team really struggled, and things have turned around as they have held their last two opponents to 85 and 72 points. In this most recent win over Dancougar, Newmanistan held the hometown side to just 30% shooting from the floor. Other then the game against Secristan, we have not seen a sudden rise in Newmanistan’s three-point shooting average, but the team has been smart and gone away from that a little bit. Phil McDowell believes that the confidence that his team has now that they can win games physically in the paint and not relying on the run and gun from the outside is the answer, as he told us, “You always have to make adjustments. Our adjustment has been using the shot clock more, not thinking that we have to take the first good look that we get from behind the arc. Ultimately, this helps you on defense as well. We’re playing smart and once you get on a roll, confidence will grow. We are peaking at the right time.”

And peaking at the right time is always a good thing. It is something that we have gotten used to out of our international teams. The semifinals are right around the corner, and even though this game against Myedvedeya has no significance since we have already clinched the group, coach McDowell will be sure to do his best to keep this roll going.

Riiiight... MD20. Um... so, that didn't happen. So here's what I'm gonna do. Let's keep the RP deadline open and tonight will be an ever-popular DOUBLE MATCHDAY! The final group stage game and the first semifinal matches will be scorinated so we stay on schedule. I apologize for any inconvenience.

Aaaand RP cutoff.

GROUP A
Newmanistan 83 v 81 Myedvedeya
Secristan 108 v 88 Dancougar

GROUP A W L PF PA PD
Newmanistan 4 0 379 346 +33
Secristan 3 1 380 346 +34
Colbourne 2 2 338 347 -9
Dancougar 1 3 336 365 -29
Myedvedeya 0 4 308 337 -29

GROUP B
Sarzonia 92 v 75 Lurikastan
Draistania 81 v 77 Tocrowkia

GROUP B W L PF PA PD
Sarzonia 4 0 386 335 +51
Draistania 2 2 358 354 +4
Lurikastan 2 2 347 361 -15
Tocrowkia 1 3 349 368 -19
Greal 1 3 345 367 -22

And so... your semifinal matchups:
Sarzonia v Secristan
Newmanistan v Draistania

As promised, this is a double matchday, so game one in a best of three:
Sarzonia 95 v 71 Secristan
Newmanistan 91 v 101 Draistania

Game two tomorrow night!

Stars in cruise control

By Noelle Langham

Sarzonia's first foray into international basketball since the current International Basketball Championships began was viewed by many Sarzonians as a referendum on the sport itself.

After all, basketball was considered by some cynical Stars supporters as a leftover from the country's days as a colony of the former United States. Sarzonians are more passionate about football and maritime interests. Basketball was one of the things they left behind when they left the United States.

Try telling that to the Stars. This team has played with the sort of determination and poise characteristic of the best Sarzonian football teams. They've played with intensity and fire and have shared the basketball the way Sarzonia's championship football sides distributed the ball in the national sport.

That distribution was on display again the past two games, including the final match of the groups stage, in which Sarzonia routed Lurikastan 92-75 behind 22 points from shooting guard Chris Draden and 11 assists from point guard Brandon Collins. Facing Secristan for the third time in the tournament, Collins struck with a rare scoring outburst, pouring in 21 points to go with nine assists and seven rebounds to lead the Stars to a 95-71 win over the Millionaires.

"Just strong, strong play from everyone on the court," said Stars coach Henry West. His team is now one match away from advancing to the IBC championship finals, leading the Millionaires one game to none in the best-of-three semifinal series. "I'm just really, really pleased with what we did out there these last two matches. We need to have that continue."

Sarzonia finished group play with a 4-0 record after tying defending champions Myedvedeya for the best record in qualifying at 10-4. The Stars are currently riding an eight match winning streak, but Draden said the team isn't looking past the next match against Secristan.

"They're a quality side," he said. "They finished 3-1 in their group and are 11-7 overall. You don't get to a record like that without being a quality basketball team."

Center Cole Schooler had two poor shooting efforts, scoring only six points on two-for-11 shooting against Lurikastan and nine points on four-for-15 shooting against the Millionaires, but he grabbed 27 rebounds combined in the two matches. He also said he was able to find Draden for open looks.

"Both Lurikastan and Secristan keyed on me, which meant it left Chris open," he said. "Even when they were trying to shut the outside down, it left [power forward] George [Tblik] open inside. We made it into a case of pick your poison."

Sarzonian basketball officials said ratings for the International Basketball Championships have been picking up steadily, even surpassing the ratings for Sarzonia's final Cup of Harmony match against Prux.

"It's no secret Sarzonians love winners," said Clancy Wooden, a high school algebra teacher and the coach of the Woodstock High School boys basketball team. "If you win something, even an obscure sport, in Sarzonia, you're going to gain more support."

West cautioned his team against taking the Millionaires lightly in Game 2 against Secristan.

"They're going to play with urgency. If they don't win, this is it for them," West said. "We have to be ready to take their best shot and match their intensity."

If they do that, they'll definitely play like Stars.

THE ROCKET REPORT

ROCKETS FADE LATE

Dancougar- The opening contest of the three-game semifinal series between Newmanistan and Draistania was an entertaining affair as the resurgent Rockets look to salvage something in this third International Basketball Championships. Unfortunately, they could not hold off a determined Draistania side that looks to carry on that IBC tradition of being the first major championship for a nation.

The beginning of the game saw both teams seeking to do damage from behind the arc early. Of course, this is never a surprise from the Rockets, but they were hoping to exploit their size advantage to the max. Overall, the team shot alright from downtown, but certainly not numbers that would break a game open. Kory Klassen was 3-for-6 and Connor Crawford 2-for-5 in the early stages of the contest. Over the same frame of time, Draistania opted to not really take on Tank Nelson or Reese Fraser in the paint, and had their point guard Philip Cashvaw gunning up the outside shot with frequency. This may have been the strategy, but it may also have been the result of some pretty shoddy defense, which had been plaguing the team until very recently. Cashvaw hit five-of-eight from outside as the teams were trading punches early, neither side opening up more then a five point lead over the other until a late first half 8-2 run by Draistania which made the halftime score 48-40. Newmanistan was saved by the halftime buzzer here, for sure.

During the halftime talk, coach McDowell laid it on his team for their poor containment of Cashvaw, who already had 21 points and 8 assists, almost being their entire offense. That could not continue. Nor could the team put too much heat on him to allow other players, such as the highly skilled Donovan Zarrian or Jamal Nammerson to get into the game. As the second half got underway, the Rockets quickly erased that eight point deficit with three consecutive three pointers, all nailed by Klassen, to put the team up 49-48. It had the makings of a run if it could be sustained, but it would not. Draistania answered with six straight points of their own, led by Zarrian. Such was the way the second half went. A see saw battle between two nations looking to get the upper hand over the other and head to that final series. The crowd was certainly into it. With 3:48 to play, Newmanistan led it 87-85, and then a lid seemed to be placed on top of the rim. Nothing was falling, and Draistania was doing just enough to take and build on a lead, getting it to 93-87 before the Rockets started fouling people. Unfortunately, Draistania never missed a free throw in the remaining time, and Newmanistan could not keep pace, losing 101-91. The score doesn’t show how close this game was for most of it, but it doesn’t matter. Newmanistan choked while their opponent rose up. The Rockets backs are against the wall, but if we know anything about this team, it’s to never quite count them out.

Semifinals game two, RP cutoff!

SEMIFINALS (Game 2)
Sarzonia 78 v 77 Secristan
Newmanistan 109 v 122 Draistania

Both teams have won their series 2-0. The final will be Sarzonia v Draistania, and tomorrow turns into a day off since no game 3 is needed.

Woodstock Daily Mail

Stars advance to finals

By Tim Cavanaugh
Special to The Daily Mail

The Sarzonian national basketball team once again lived up to its forefathers.

Sarzonia advanced to the finals of the International Basketball Championships with a 78-77 win over Secristan that wasn't secured until Millionaires shooting guard Emerson Hyatt's off balance 18-footer hit off the back of the rim at the buzzer.

"We'll take it any way we can get it," said Sarzonia coach Henry West. "It was definitely a close match, like we expected each of the previous meetings to be."

The win was the fourth in four meetings with Secristan for the Stars, who improved to 16-4 overall (10-4 in qualifying; 4-0 in group play, 2-0 in the semifinals) and face Draistania. The Stars won two out of three meetings with Draistania, including a split in qualifying and a win in the group stage.

Sarzonia's Chris Draden led all scorers with 23 points on seven-for-15 shooting, including three 3-pointers. West had him match up directly with Hyatt, and he held his counterpart at the two guard to 16 points (six-for-13 shooting, one-for-five from 3-point range). He said trying to slow Hyatt hurt his offence, but he was willing to make the sacrifice.

"You try to do what's best for the team," Draden said. "Coach West said he needed me to man up on Hyatt, so I agreed to do it."

Sarzonia also took advantage of Millionaires center Eric Mercier's struggles at the foul line and sent him to the charity stripe 27 times. He hit just seven free throws in 27 attempts and told Sarzonian media outlets he was to blame for Secristan's defeat.

"I can't hit a [expletive] free throw," a dejected Mercier said. "That's the difference in the game. No disrespect to you guys, but if I hit even a third of my free throws, we win this game."

Center Cole Schooler said he was aware of Mercier's struggles at the foul line, but didn't want to get into a game of 'hack a Shaq' with Mercier.

"We don't have enough depth for me to do that," he said. "Otherwise, we'd have to go small and have [power forward George Tblik] playing center."

The Stars say they're not going to take Draistania lightly. After all, they're guaranteed to play them at least three more times after having played three matches already. West said he "fully expects" the series to go five games.

"They're a strong team," he said of Draistania. "They dominated a Newmanistan side that really dominated Group A after qualifying. We split our two qualifying matches with them and had to fight to get the win in Group B. It's not going to be an easy series."

Schooler said he thought the fact Sarzonia could face Draistania as many as eight times if the series goes the full five games would create a "fierce" rivalry between the teams.

"Absolutely," he said. "We played them twice in qualifying and once in the groups stage. Now we could end up playing them five more times. If you face anybody eight times out of 21 matches, you're going to develop a rivalry."

"What do you mean we've got a film session today? We've already played these guys twice?"

Cole Schooler rolled his eyes after hearing that grumbling complaint from reserve forward Gabe Loretta. If he wondered why Loretta never caught on with a Sarzonian professional team after graduating from Somerset University, he had his answer.

"Look, dude, we're in the finals," Schooler said. "We need to be ready to face these guys. Besides, they're likely going to be out for revenge after we beat them last time."

It was a strong likelihood. After all, the Stars faced Draistania three times so far in 20 matches. Draistania were in the same group as the Stars during qualifying and were in the same group in the final tournament. With Draistania sweeping Newmanistan and Sarzonia sweeping Secristan, they were getting set to face each other at least three more times.

"Get your notebook," Schooler yelled back at Loretta as he saw Loretta get ready to close the door to his hotel room without notebook in hand. "You know we're all gonna have to do up-downs if you don't." He saw Loretta stop, arch his head up with his eyes closed and a pained expression on his face and slowly turn back into the hotel room to grab his notebook.

Meanwhile, shooting guard Chris Draden and point guard Brandon Collins were already on the way to the practice facility. They were determined to be the first Stars to arrive for the session. Both Draden's and Collins's work rates were widely considered the best on the team. Sarzonia coach Henry West half expected to see Draden's car already in the parking lot since the two men drove together. When he started circling around looking for a parking space, he saw the car and smiled slightly.

West spent a lot of time looking at match tapes of the Draistania City Mountain Lions in addition to the Draistania tapes. He wanted to get some edge over Gregory Massenet, especially since the teams were facing each other for the fourth time in the tournament on Saturday night in Game 1 of the best of five series.

West decided he needed a shower. He went into the private restroom in his office, showered, then got dressed in sweat pants, a T-shirt and sneakers.

When he walked in and saw all 11 Stars sitting and waiting for him to begin, he grabbed a marker for the dry erase board.

"Men, since we're in the finals, we're not going to draw up too many new plays besides those related to what we've already done," West said. "Now isn't the time to reinvent the wheel. What we're going to do right now is re-examine their tendencies.

"Remember," West said. "Their tallest player is 6-foot-6. We must establish our inside presence and we must win the rebounding battle. I can't emphasise that enough."

"Coach," Draden asked. "Are you thinking about using a four-guard lineup? I mean, we can play with Will at center against these guys."

West thought for a moment. Small forward Will Christian hadn't played center since two years before his A-levels. At that time, he was an undersized 6-foot-5 playing against guys who were at least 6-foot-8. This time, however, he was the one who was taller than the opposing center.

"Wanna give it a shot, Will?"

Christian smiled. He knew he could play center in a dire emergency, but never thought he'd have the opportunity to bang inside with the bigs. In this series, at least, he'd be one of the bigs.

"Sure, coach."

THE ROCKET REPORT

ROCKETS RETURN HOME

Pocono City, Newmanistan- The Rockets returned home this morning from Dancougar after advancing to the semifinals before ultimately being ousted by Draistainia. There were mixed emotions amongst those waiting at the airport as some felt that team had greatly underachieved while others came to applaud the team's effort while they were in Dancougar after just sneaking into the second group stage. For the players, many of them have not slept in their own bed for months. The schedule that saw them have to play their final seven games of qualifying on the road and then go to Dancougar after that meant that many had not been in Newmanistan for quite some time. Even though we are disappointed that they will not play for the title, you have the feeling that the wives and families of the players and coaching staff may be secretly happy that they did lose.

Empress Jessica was not there to greet them off the flight, and some have wondered about the future of the basketball team given the fact that the Empress got funding for the world football team. However her Highness later would state that the Rockets would continue to send a team. Who is on that team, may change dramatically. Many of these players (and coach McDowell) got their third chance, and may have just struck out.


McDowell Requests 3rd Place Match: No third place match was scheduled or planned, but Rockets coach Phil McDowell requested Dancougaran organizers to "sponsor" a third place showdown between Newmanistan and Secristan. The game could be played in Dancougar if wanted, or a home-away "World Cup" like format where aggregate score prevails. The regional rivalry that exists between the Rockets and Millionaires is said to be the motivation for this, and we are sure Secristan would not disapprove of another opportunity to make money.

Finals game 1 RP cutoff!

Sarzonia 85 v 81 Draistania
Sarzonia leads 1-0 (best of 5)

Woodstock Daily Mail

Stars take Game 1 with late rally

By Tim Cavanaugh
Special to The Daily Mail

Sarzonia and Draistania already met three times before the opening tip of the International Basketball Championship finals. The teams could potentially meet as many as eight times by the time the championships end if the best of five series goes the full length.

With five minutes left in the fourth quarter and Draistania ahead by 11, it looked bleak for the Stars, but Sarzonia rallied to post a 85-81 victory. The Stars lead the series one game to none and play Game 2 tonight.

"We needed a lot of defensive stops and hot shooting," said Stars coach Henry West. "Fortunately, we got both."

The Stars got a game-high 24 points on 11-of-18 shooting from center Cole Schooler, who also grabbed 19 rebounds and blocked four shots. Shooting guard Chris Draden scored 18 points, including three 3-pointers. His 3-pointer with 11.3 seconds left gave the Stars (17-4) a 85-78 lead.

"I needed to hit that shot," Draden said. "It was still a two possession game at that point, and they were pressing us hard. That shot gave us a little breathing room."

Sarzonia stumbled out of the gates early as Draistania built an eight point halftime lead behind Donovan Zarrian. The Draistanian shooting guard hit four 3-pointers in the half and finished the game with 21 points. Stars point guard Brandon Collins asked West to guard Zarrian at halftime.

"He was killing us," Collins said. "I wanted to take it upon myself to try to slow him down." Collins did just that, forcing Zarrian into a two-for-11 second half. Zarrian scored just five points in the second half and committed three turnovers.

Meanwhile, Sarzonia dominated the board battle against the much smaller Draistanians, corralling 54 rebounds to Draistania's 31. Power forward George Tblik grabbed nine in just 20 minutes when he went out with a twisted ankle. He said after the match the ankle was fine.

"The trainers just took me out as a precaution," he said. "They were afraid the ankle would swell up." After Tblik went out, Sarzonia went to a smaller line up in an effort to negate Draistania's speed. Small forward Will Christian played center for the first time since high school and grabbed seven rebounds.

"It felt good to get in there and do some banging," Christian said. "I know the coaches count on me for my outside shot, but it felt good to establish myself in the paint."

Finals game 2 RP cutoff!

FINALS
Sarzonia 119 v 98 Draistania
(Sarzonia leads series 2-0; Best of 5)

Woodstock Daily Mail

Stars one step closer to title

By Tim Cavanaugh
Special to The Daily Mail

In each of the first four International Basketball Championships meetings between Sarzonia and Draistania, only Draistania won a match by more than seven points. Sarzonia's three victories came by six, seven and four points respectively.

However, Sarzonia was able to establish its inside game and its outside game to perfection and routed Draistania 119-98 behind a career-high 45 points and 12 rebounds from shooting guard Chris Draden. The Stars took a two games to none lead in the best of five series.

Coach Henry West pulled his starters out early in the fourth quarter after building a 27 point lead and the reserves largely held up. West said he expected the Stars to play as hard in Game 3 tomorrow night.

"We can't afford to let up," West said. "Each of the other four matches was a lot closer than tonight's was. It seemed as though tonight's [match] came out of nowhere."

Not quite. The Stars dominated the rebounding battle, grabbing 58 rebounds to 27 for Draistania. Sarzonia used Draden on the inside much more than it had previously, and he said that made a difference on his outside shot.

"They were respecting the penetration to the hoop a lot more," Draden said. "When they started backing off a little bit, I was able to shoot the J."

The Stars can wrap up the International Basketball Championships with a victory tomorrow night, which would mark the third sport in which Sarzonia has won a world title. Still, West cautioned against taking Draistania lightly.

"Their record speaks for itself," West said of Draistania's 13-7 record coming into the finals. "We're not going to let up our concentration. I'm not going to let it happen."

Finals game 3 RP cutoff!

FINALS
Sarzonia 98 v 78 Draistania

Congratulations to SARZONIA, winners the third IBC!

=======================================================

And wow, that went way too long. Well, it's going to be awhile until the next one, so there's time to work out the kinks. I will be working the world rankings into the scorinator somehow, so these numbers are going to matter. The rank is a weighted sum based on winning percentage in qualifying, the finals, and Best of the Rest, similar to what's used in the World Cup.

World Rankings MAX: 9.63
---------------------------
1) Newmanistan 5.63
2) Sarzonia 5.21
3) Secristan 4.89
4) Myedvedeya 4.46
5) Lovisa 3.45
6) Draistania 3.43
7) Dancougar 3.31
8) Arroza 3.04
9) Cafundeu 2.97
10) Taeshan 2.59
11) Colbourne 2.57
Lurikastan
13) Tocrowkia 2.43
Greal
15) Magnus Valerius 2.06
16) Oiseaui 1.26
17) Jeruselem 1.13
18) Midlauthia 0.89
19) Kenavt 0.88
20) Kose/Turkomans 0.76
21) Frontenax 0.73
22) Corivia 0.56
23) Xaristan 0.52
24) Miroxia 0.50
Rennidan
Swilatia
27) Kura-Pelland 0.23
28) Gerainia 0.16

Thanks to everyone who participated!

Woodstock Daily Mail

Sarzonia take hoops title

By Tim Cavanaugh
Special to The Daily Mail

Few people would have picked the Sarzonian national men's basketball team as a team of destiny. The team hadn't competed in a basketball championship of any kind in years. The sport had only intermittent support in a country that was still trying to find its own way after declaring independence from the United States.

However, the Stars found their rhythm behind an offence that featured strong inside play from center Cole Schooler and deadly accuracy from shooting guard Chris Draden and won the championship in the third International Basketball Championship title, defeating Draistania 98-78 to sweep the best-of-five series three games to none.

"We saved our best basketball for last," said Stars coach Henry West, still sopping wet after an ice water shower in the locker room. "I don't think I can say it any better than that."

Sarzonia finished the championships with a 19-4 record overall, including a 12-game winning streak that began after the Stars lost to Lurikastan 92-88 in the 11th match of qualification. West credited Draden's hot hand and the inside play of Schooler and power forward George Tblik for the team's rise.

"Once Draden got hot, teams couldn't focus on our inside game," West said. "We became a case of pick your poison."

In the last two matches of the championship series, it looked as if Draistania didn't even bother. Draden scored 31 points while Schooler scored 24 and added 11 rebounds. Tblik added 17 points and 13 rebounds. The Stars outrebounded Draistania (13-10 overall) 55 to 36.

"Once we were able to establish the inside and the outside, we were able to turn it on," Draden said. "Everything just gelled."

Including a defence that West chided after conceding "far too many points" during qualifying. They held Draistania to below 85 points in two of the three finals matches. The one time Draistania scored over 90 points, Sarzonia scored 119.

"I don't think our defence was as bad as coach was saying," Schooler said. "We faced a lot of good offences out there."

But few would be as good as the Stars, who now add a basketball title to a lacrosse championship and nine gold medals at the Qazoxian Winter Sports Festival to their sporting honours. Sarzonia's football team has won one World Cup, a Cup of Harmony, a Baptism of Fire Cup and two Dragon Invitationals.

Basketball may or may not have a dominant future in Sarzonia, but one thing is clear. Sarzonians will celebrate because they love winners.

"It'll be huge. It's a way our nation is showing the world that we've emerged from the Great Isolation," Draden said of the lengthy period of national soul searching and a "recession of confidence."

"[President Jay Tyler] said 'the long period of national uncertainty is over'," West said. "This championship is an example of that."

Woodstock Daily Mail

Ryan Calvin

West's calm helps Stars through storm

Sarzonia can point to a number of factors in its victory in the International Basketball Championships last night. For starters, the team showed it could play both inside and outside equally well, often forcing coaches such as Draistania's Gregory Massenet to choose which facet to shut down.

It can also point to a disappointing groups stage by defending champion Myedvedeya, a team that equalled Sarzonia's IBC-best 10-4 qualifying record. Myedvedeya finished 0-4 in the stage while the Stars went 4-0 as part of a 12-match winning streak to close out the IBC.

But ask any Stars player and you'll get one answer explaining the team's success: Coach Henry West. West didn't come into the tournament with a reputation for being a players coach, but he said three years away from the game gave him an opportunity to mellow somewhat.

"I spent three years as an analyst and three years enjoying my time with my granddaughter," West said. "Honestly, my last season in Portland wore me down. I think I yelled at my wife three times in one day because she didn't make my coffee the way I like it. That's when I knew I had to retire."

Try telling that to the Stars. West showed an "incredibly even demeanor," according to shooting guard Chris Draden.

"He didn't get too high when we won and he didn't get down on us when we lost," said Draden. "I think he yelled at us once the entire time we were in this tournament."

"The lads were working really hard. I didn't have to get on them to play hard," West said. "I don't even remember raising my voice except to be heard over the crowd."

Assistant coach Matt Walton said West's calm demeanor made a difference when the team struggled through a stretch where it lost three of four games.

"Henry seemed to know we'd go through a period where nothing would go right," Walton said. "He suggested throwing out the tapes of the Lovisa match [a 96-74 defeat to Lovisa that was the first loss of the tournament for Sarzonia]. He also told the team they were trying too hard after their 96-85 loss to Oiseaui. Not many coaches will say that after losing to a winless side."

West continued to stay with the same starting lineup even when Draden "couldn't hit the broad side of a barn," Draden said.

"Most coaches would have benched me. Hell, I would have benched me. But Coach West wouldn't hear of it."

"I knew the way a shooter works out of a slump is by shooting the ball," West said. "He hit a huge shot against Taeshan [a buzzer-beater in Sarzonia's 86-85 win on Matchday 10]. I figured that would be what got him back on track, and it was."

Center Cole Schooler said West's patience rubbed off on the rest of the team.

"When you have someone who isn't going to freak out over every little thing, it relaxes you," he said. "We won some close matches in the later stages of this tournament [a 78-77 win in Game 2 of the semifinals against Secristan and a 85-81 win over Draistania in Game 1 of the finals]. You could tell Coach West was confident he'd make the right moves."

"That comes from having a team that makes almost every move the right one," West said, deflecting the credit to the players. "We had a huge size advantage over Draistania. You'd have to be a fool to not take advantage of it."

And that Sarzonia did, winning the rebounding battle in every match of the finals. Schooler was named the finals most outstanding player, while Draden took MVP honours for the entire tournament. As for West, he was non-committal about returning to coach the Stars (19-4) in the fourth IBC.

"I'm going to make that decision when the time comes, if I'm allowed to make that decision," he said. "It's up to the SIBF [Sarzonian International Basketball Federation] to decide whether they want me back." A source with the SIBF said the job was West's if he wanted it.

"I think we'd be insane to not want Henry West to coach this team for IBC IV," said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because negotiations hadn't begun. "Technically, the offer would have to come from the Department of Health and Athletics and vice president Carter Marshall, but I'm sure they'd be on board with [West] coming back."

A spokeswoman for Marshall said the office would conduct an evaluation of West's performance along with the team's, but added she'd be "shocked" if the department didn't follow the SIBF's recommendation.

"It's hard to argue with a 19-4 record or a championship," she said. "We're all estatic about it here."

So anyone ready for the next one, and i was thinking of starting a basketball newswires thread and wondered if anyone was interested and i was also wondering if (for specific people) it was time for another WLC.

I'm not planning on having one until after the World Cup because I'm going to be away from home for a big chunk of March, and also I haven't made the promised changes to the simulator yet ^_^;

... I'm going to be away from home for a big chunk of March...

WHy not? Gonna follow the Panthers to the Final Four? LOL ;)

This morning I had a crazy idea pop in my head, don't know if it work or not. And Dancougar would have to send me (or someone else if they liked the idea too) the basketball scorinator, for an NCAA style tournament.

The idea...
Depending on the number of people who were interested, each person would send X number of schools within their country to the "selection committee". For each school a record should be posted (28-32 game season) and anything else the "selection committee" should know. The host (who is the "selection committee") then picks 64 schools and seeds them and voila, we have ourselves and NCAA tournament, NS-style.

I would find the time to do it, Fridays-Sundays as long as Dancougar gave me the scorinator. So is this a silly idea or would people be interested in this?

I don't think it's so crazy.

Perhaps a series of one-off matches based in part on RP until we get to a point where the established collegiate leagues are known the way conferences are now.

"That Joe Gibbs University looks good. They went 27-3 last year.

"Yeah, but they play in Sarzonia. They haven't played anyone as good as the teams in Newmanistan yet."

That's assuming that Sarzonia would be the NS equivalent of the Sun Belt. :tongue:

Qazox' teams would be the equivalent of the SWAC or MEAC. one-and done.

But an NCAA style basketball competition I would be interested in. (I think you should limit the total # of teams per nation based on IBC rankings: Ie: the top 4 get x teams, the next 8 ranked teams get x-1, the remainder of the ranked set x-2, etc; the UNR teams get 1 teams each.)

This morning I had a crazy idea pop in my head, don't know if it work or not. And Dancougar would have to send me (or someone else if they liked the idea too) the basketball scorinator, for an NCAA style tournament.... I would find the time to do it, Fridays-Sundays as long as Dancougar gave me the scorinator. So is this a silly idea or would people be interested in this?

No objections from me. Hell, the NCAA tournament was one of the inspirations for writing this thing in the first place. I'm not sure if I like the potential for "OMG your EWCC - I mean, selection committee is abusing its powers!!!!11" debates, but as a straight-up tournament, I'd do it.

As for the scorinator, it won't handle that easily with a lot of cleanup. As it is right now, it's a Python script. From the DOS command line, you'd do something like

basketsim.py --name1 Dancougar --rp1 0 --name2 Newmanistan --rp2 89

The feature I need to add before the next IBC is something equivalent to sequential/point rankings in NSFS, and then I need to address this cumbersome necessity to enter each game on the command line manually and build tables yourself.

I'm happy to send it out as it is to whoever wants it. And if there's enough interest, I'll stop putting the work off to watch 80s robot anime.

I think you should limit the total # of teams per nation based on IBC rankings: Ie: the top 4 get x teams, the next 8 ranked teams get x-1, the remainder of the ranked set x-2, etc; the UNR teams get 1 teams each.

That's one option. We could also maintain some wiggle room and give each nation X automatic spots and the rest get filled at-large by whatever metrics work. "Since Qazox put three teams in the sweet sixteen last time, we should give more weight to Pika City at 28-5 than to Dancougar's Kishin Academy at 32-2."

WHy not? Gonna follow the Panthers to the Final Four? LOL ;)

Psssh, I went to that nerd school two blocks away, the one with the band in kilts. They're not going to make it that far, anyway.

Psssh, I went to that nerd school two blocks away, the one with the band in kilts. They're not going to make it that far, anyway.

Duquesne or Pitt? LOL
(suprised I know how to spell Duquesne, with out looking it up??? I did live in PA until i was 12...)

Duquesne or Pitt? LOL
(suprised I know how to spell Duquesne, with out looking it up??? I did live in PA until i was 12...)

Nice. There we go, get Duquesne to win the A-10 and Robert Morris to win the Northeast, then we have three teams at the dance.

Of course, I went to Carnegie-Mellon, because Division III is superior. We did beat Princeton in 2005. We were in the D3 Top 25 that year and it was awesome. We also beat Notre Dame in football in 1926. (Which was much more impressive than, say, beating Notre Dame today.)

Nice. There we go, get Duquesne to win the A-10 and Robert Morris to win the Northeast, then we have three teams at the dance.

Of course, I went to Carnegie-Mellon, because D-III is superior.

Carnegie-Mellon? I thought that was some kind of breakfast fruit? LOL j/k.

Stranger things have happened.

Do not support this companies decision to advertise on the message board by clicking their link now or in the future ---->

No objections from me. Hell, the NCAA tournament was one of the inspirations for writing this thing in the first place. I'm not sure if I like the potential for "OMG your EWCC - I mean, selection committee is abusing its powers!!!!11" debates, but as a straight-up tournament, I'd do it.

True. What I was trying to add was that extra dimension of seeing who's going to get the invitations and who's gonna be disappointed as really happens. But I like Qazox's idea better then what I proposed. The amount of schools is dependent on the IBC rankings. But to add the dimension I want, each nation proposes more schools then the number of actual selections they get.

As for the scorinator, it won't handle that easily with a lot of cleanup. As it is right now, it's a Python script. From the DOS command line, you'd do something like

basketsim.py --name1 Dancougar --rp1 0 --name2 Newmanistan --rp2 89

The feature I need to add before the next IBC is something equivalent to sequential/point rankings in NSFS, and then I need to address this cumbersome necessity to enter each game on the command line manually and build tables yourself.

I'm happy to send it out as it is to whoever wants it. And if there's enough interest, I'll stop putting the work off to watch 80s robot anime.

I'll take a look at it and can probably work it out. Send it over, if you would. email address (for NS purposes) is my nations name at rocketmail (dot) com.

If someone else wishes to host this, they can feel free.


That's one option. We could also maintain some wiggle room and give each nation X automatic spots and the rest get filled at-large by whatever metrics work. "Since Qazox put three teams in the sweet sixteen last time, we should give more weight to Pika City at 28-5 than to Dancougar's Kishin Academy at 32-2."


Not a bad idea either!

Yeah that was really my main point in starting a thread such as that because i dont like the NBA that much cause you usually knw that the Lakers and Celticcs or whoever is good that year at school. But as Basketball is my favorite sport i love the NCCC cause it is way more exciting. And if we did something like that we could have a competition to predict thre tournament every year at that time and point.

And i would prefer to be something like the ACC in our country as like Duke, Air Force practically always wins it