Week #25 - Varsity Boys Advance to Finals

RMA drove down the middle on the other end. While Derion is known more for his smooth handle and automatic three pointer, he played incredible defense down the stretch, locking up his man down the stretch. Sean took down the rebound, and threw an outlet pass to Tre. After a quick pass to Isaac on the wing, the Badgers spaced the floor and Isaac took it to the rim. The clock was ticking, and Tandem was still down by 3 with under 3:00 to go.

 

RMA was not done, getting all the way to the basket. The deficit was back to five and was time running out. For many, this would revisit that earlier question... but not Playoff Sin. From the opening tip of his Tandem career, it has been crystal clear that he will do absolutely anything to help his team win - and on this next possession, it was getting to the rim and finding Sean (who finished with 15 points, 13 of which came in the second half), and getting that deficit back to 3.

 

That's when Isaac took over. He gave his defender a jab-step and created space. Isaac set up his opponent by taking a dribble towards the middle, and then spinning back to the outside. Isaac created space, and then faded away Dirk Nowitzki style off of one foot - drawing the contact and hitting the shot off of the glass! Isaac would go on to make the foul shot, and the game was tied at 57-57. 

 

RMA called timeout and got the ball to their leading scorer who shot just over the outstretched arms of Tre. The ball hit the back of the iron, and ended up in Isaac's hands, who remained in attack mode. He patiently got to his spot in the mid-range, drew the contact, and made two massive foul shots. Tandem, all of the sudden, was up by 2.

 

After another impressive defensive stop, Sin went to the line and extended the lead to four. RMA scored quickly on the other end, but the ball found its way back to Isaac and he sealed the deal with a trip to the line! Isaac scored 27 this evening, and he did it old school -  the way Wilt Chamberlain used to - with no threes. That's a heck of a bag - with elite footwork, balance and an ability to finish around the rim. What an incredible performance on the biggest stage!  

 

There were highlights from the very beginning. Kemaan found Quis early in the game, and he split the defense and hung in the air for a super difficult layup! Sin used his body to shield a much taller defender and scored a tough left handed layup. Moments later, he showed off his vision with a beautiful full court bounce pass in transition to Isaac. Playoff Sin finished with 15 points, 6 assists and 6 rebounds, simply wanting the ball more among the trees.

 

The Badgers rallied from an enormous deficit tonight. With their backs against the wall, Tandem stepped up - taking the ball to the basket, playing great defense without fouling, and earning a massive win on their home court. Once down nine, the Badgers outscored RMA by 14 in the last five minutes, earning a tightly contested 64-59 victory on their home floor and advancing to the final on Friday!

Congratulations to the Badgers on an exciting win tonight - setting the stage for a rematch at Wakefield on Friday at 4:00.  We hope to see you there!

 

Special thanks to Jocelyn for working the scoreboard at EVERY SINGLE HOME GAME and to Dev, who keeps the book, with precision, for four different teams. Enormous thanks to our incredible home crowd -  the student section was rocking - and you brought it - making a huge difference tonight! Thank you!!