December 5, 2023

 

Scoop Wilson, (EPI): The Rookie League concluded its regular season Monday with three games that all had playoff implications attached.  We saw a tremendous defensive effort between the Swarm and Bandits as well as some hard fought games from the other teams.  Check out the recaps below, scroll down for playoff times and be sure to view the Evolution Sports Desk report for the final league standings!

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View MCE all-time stats here:  All-Time League Stats

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MONDAY DEC 4 - ROOKIE LEAGUE

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Wolves 21, Hawks 14: The Wolves (2-1-1) earned a playoff spot last night with a well- played win over the Hawks.  With the game tied at eight, Wolves forward Cade Zintsmaster caught fire and scored six of the Wolves next eight points.  Beckham Bush finished the game strong with a big "and-1" and a 12-foot jumper - the latter which put the Wolves up by eight.  Bush finished with seven points while Hudson Meyer added three assists and five rebounds in the win.  The Hawks were led by Alex Wallace (8pts) who was playing in his first game after injuring his ankle three weeks ago.  Eval Lamb played great for the Hawks with three rebounds while going 2-4 from the FT Line. 
The game started as a defensive battle with the score 0-0 after one quarter and 4-4 at halftime. 

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Bandits 9, Swarm 6:  In the lowest scoring game of the season, the Bandits were able to outlast the Swarm to earn a #1 seed entering next week's playoffs.  With no score after one quarter, Ben Paterson hit two jump shots to help give the Bandits a 6-0 lead by halftime.  Bandits forward McKenna Anspach went 3-4 from the free-throw line to help the Bandits earn the win. The Swarm entered the game with the best scoring offense in the league but just couldn't finish the shots as so many attempts went "in-and-out".  Emmett Theil played his best game of the season fro the Swarm (2-2) with five rebounds and two points while Oliver Schafer made some amazing passes to set up his Swarm teammates. These two teams will face off again next week in the #1v4 matchup.

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Crush 24, Sonics 18:  Five of the seven Crush players scored as the boys in Orange won a big game and earned a #2 seed in next week's playoffs.  William Kaufman played an outstanding game for the Crush (2-1-1) with six points and two assists.  Oscar Brown added four points in the win while Toby Drazin had his best passing day on the season.  The Sonics played with only four players and each one gave all they had.  Tristen Thiel led the Sonic offense with eight points while Dominic Bibashani added four points including 2-2 from the free throw line.  Drake Stevenson added two points and six rebounds while Evan Markle pitched in with two points and two assists.  The Sonics have had attendance issues all season but they never stopped fighting.  They will face the Hawks next week in the 5th v 6th place consolation game.

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MONDAY, DEC 11 - ROOKIE LEAGUE PLAYOFFS

6pm:  Consolation Game:  Sonics v Hawks
6:50:  Semi Final:  #1 Bandits v #4 Swarm

7:40:  Semi Final:  #2 Crush vs #3 Wolves

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MONDAY, DEC 18 - ROOKIE LEAGUE PLAYOFFS

6:30pm:  Championship Game

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