Somewhere in America

[Serafino74]

The next game was very important for us, we hosted the university of Alabama State which has a very strong team (based on dynamics is one of the top 3 teams in the conference, and indeed it was third in the standings with a record of 6-4, higher than us who are in 5-5). With a win we would be established on the top shelf of the conference. We studied the opponents as much as we could and we were lucky as one of the main gears of their machine Kenyan Williams, PF - 3.5 (3.5) was seriously injured.

They have very full and strong roster with Josh Jones first, SF - 3.5 (3.5) who in his position is first in points in the conference. We started with Simon Tarver on him who is our best defender (with a rating of 32 in defense) and in the offense we threw the weight deep into the paint, that was their weak point since on the one hand there was the loss due to injury and on the other hand their center committed 2 fouls too early and retired on the bench. Unfortunately for us, however, our front line was on an abnormally bad day and so we could not benefit from the plan.

Nevertheless, we were in front due to their failure in the three-pointers and especially their obsession with them, while we were walking with the great performance of Adrian Williams (SG---2.0(3.5)JR) who was there even when the game was on the razor's edge at the end. We won 69-64 after an unforgettable battle and it was the first time that a player showed us such leadership skills by making a superstar appearance. Andy finished the game with 26 points and 6-8 three-pointers (breaking the team's records for the most points and successful three-pointers in a match) and also wrote 5 assists. None of our other players escaped mediocrity, perhaps only Simon Tarver who played good defense on the opponent's star player and kept him at low offensive stats.

So now we share the second place of the conference (6-5) together with the defeated Alabama State and the Texas Southern by eating the dust of the absolute express train of the Southern Jaguars which is at 10-1 (and yes, only we managed to win them)

[Serafino74]

It's time for a short trip to Jackson State, Mississippi's most populous city, to meet our neighbour rivals from the local university. In a magical way we managed to beat them 83-75 at home in early January, and i say magical cause it's a team that should be in the first places and yet instead they have a negative record 4-7 while having 3 starters with over 4.0 overall that dominate the statistics categories in conference, their Point and Shooting guard but also their Center. Now that we are high in the standings we are the perfect victim to defeat us and change their psychology in the last part of the championship!

We started like dizzy chickens in a nervous game, we had no contact with the basket and the only one who seemed to have guts was the Reggie''Madman''Horvath who made 3 blocks to their top scorer in the first five minutes, but apart from the good defense neither he assisted in the offense. Adrian Williams looked like a clumsy tourist found on the court by accident. Probably the sports wear company that approached him after his orgy in the last game detuned him and his mind is elsewhere! In shallow waters again our front line, Aaron Bland already has 3 fouls and it won't be long before he does the fourth, a tactic he usually follows when he's not on a good day. We lose 25-36 at halftime and we do not have a hidden ace up our sleeve to change the situation.
Finally, we lost 55-59 and despite our bad performance we claimed the win until the end. Donnie Bond, who does not play much, took the place of the disaster Adrian Williams and calm our game without offering in scoring but also without turnovers, but in the last part of the game I once again recruited Adrian Williams and making 3 consecutive turnovers deprived us of any hope for win. Very good performance for Reggie''Madman''Horvath with 15 points but the main thing was that he made 6 blocks which for a shooting guard is a huge achievement, of course this is the record in the team, in the conference and in Top 20 in Entire Association!!

[Serafino74]

In the next game we needed an opponent not so strong as to make a win and get the psychology for the final straight, but unfortunately in front of us we had the Texas Southern, second in the standings and coming from a great victory over the vanguard Southern Tigers. We had managed to make it difficult for them when we played at their home and lost 75-77 and in the back of our minds we were dreaming of a miracle. Their main Center was missing due to injury, a fact that theoretically increased our hopes. In the game, however, things turned out differently and they were a much better team than us, they did not leave us room to claim the win at any point in the game, while their substitute Center was totally on fire and even with a double team did what he liked on the floor to end the game with 31 points, 9 rebounds and 3 steals.

Our players were very scared and so well covered by their defense that I do not remember attempting an open shot while Adrian Williams tried just one three-point shot (and missed). Fair defeat 73-92 .... We are in the fourth place now with a record of 6-7 but with the same record there are 4 other teams and with one turn we can be down to the eighth place, which is very disappointing if we see our overall presence in the conference.

[Serafino74]

The next game we had to win at all costs so as not to fall behind in the standings. The opponent was the Mississippi Delta Devils who in terms of strength suits us and are in the last position of the standings, but there is the factor that it is one of the two teams in the conference that has a strong rivalry with us. Ιn fact the rivalry here is much bigger than with Jackson State. Proof is that in the match we played at their home the atmosphere was terribly hostile and we lost 51-59 in a game with blood, sweat and tears. Generally we do not get along well with devils .......

We started nervously (as expected) and were very close to the score throughout the first half as in the first 14 minutes of the second half. Everything showed that the end would be dramatic but about 6 minutes before the end we started to play very well and we got a nice lead that finally gave us the victory with 89-73. The result is not reflects the picture and the difficulty of the game. Our Freshman Center Aaron Bland played a very good game after a long time and scored 17 points (breaking his individual record of 16) and 7 rebounds. The playmaker (also Freshman) Donnie Bond who spends his best time of the season had 12 points (also breaking his individual record) without turnovers. Andrian Williams had 11 points but his performance was again mediocre.

There are 4 games left, two of which are very difficult, starting from the next game away at Prairie View Panthers where the predictions give us only a 29% chance of winning, this is a team that has a 10-2 record at home.

[Serafino74]

We knew very well that at Prairie View Panthers we had no hope, as this very strong team had a negative record so far (6-8) and was looking for wins in the final to save as much as possible the season. They easily beat us 66-85, our players with double-digit points (Aaron Blunt, Simon Tarver and Adrian Williams) scored all their points in the garbage time.

3 games left for the end of the season, we are at 7-8 and we have in front of us the Grambling Tigers (6-9), the champions Southern Tigers (13-2) and the Alabama A&M (7-8). Three opponents of different strengths, and if we want this trio to be successful we have to beat the Grambling Tigers and claim the win with the Alabama A&M, leaving aside the intermediate game with the Southern Tigers where expectations are very low. The Grambling Tigers are the first in a row and we host them in our home. In the first game between us we lost 61-73 after a total blackout (from 61-61) at the end of the game and it was the most painful defeat of the season because before and during the game we thought we would win. Now the criticality of the fight is great and there is anxiety that can be seen on everyone's faces. I try to calm the team but in vain because I can not hide my anxiety either!

Studying the opponent we see that they are probably the only team in the conference that has a weaker roster than us, especially their bench definitely has a problem. In the starters, PG, SF and PF have 3.5 and 4.0 overall and that is where we have to focus defensively. If we manage to load one of these three players early with a foul problem our task will be much easier. But we have to play well, at home we are strong (8-2) and we have bent stronger opponents and it is time to confirm it!

[Serafino74]

At half time we lose 26-27, we are very nervous in the offense with miserable percentages, Simon Tarver keeps us standing with 13 points in the penultimate appearance in front of the team's fans cause as a senior the next season he will spread his wings elsewhere .....Adrian Williams made a very bad half with 2 points and 3 turnovers.

In the end we lost the game 52-59 and it is logical as there was no way to win with this performance of our starters. The so-called leader Adrian Williams had 4 points with 2/9 shots (0/4 3-pointers) and 4 turnovers, Reggie '' madman '' Howarth had 2 points with 1/7 shots and Aaron Blunt 4 points with 2/7 shots . In total, we shot 22/61 shots with 3/17 three-pointers while we also lost the rebound battle (34-45). Of course I am not unlucky too, I made a big mistake and I should have used the second unit more but with the great intensity that was there we went play by play and I did not have a clear mind! Simon Tarver was saved from the wreck with 19 points (breaking his individual record) but he was desperately alone. It turned out that we are a team for the last places of the conference and we have to learn to live with it, last month we reached the second place, but it's clear that this was fictitious!