Ocho powered Demolition to the Final Four
Then there is four!!! Both Demolition and Shogunz advanced last night to the Final
Four of 2007 BasketballCity Winter League. Shogunz essentially got a bye this
week as Giants violated the league rules and forfeited the game. On the other
hand, Demolition defeated The Grove and advanced to the next round.
In Demolition's game, Chi Lai and Ocho came out early and paced Demolition's
offense as Demolition jumped on The Grove from the very beginning. Towards the
end of first half, The Grove fought back due largely to their size and Demolition's
turnovers. However, Demolition, after calling a timeout, quickly regained the double
digit lead behind Kevin Woo, who had a team high 16 points. Demolition were able
to maintain the lead from then on, and at one point, led by as many as 17 points. It
is an impressive win because Demolition received contribution from everyone.
With that said, let's look ahead to next week's match-ups (Tues Mar 6th).
#5 Shogunz vs #1 MJ Remodel (7PM) -- Shogunz will have its hands full as it
squares off against the defending champ, MJ Remodel, who is 10-1 this season.
The secret to MJ Remodel's success starts with its top big men, #33 Polansky (19.4
ppg), and ends with his strong supporting casts and the balance lineup. With four
players averaging in double figures, it is difficult to trap MJ Remodel. Without
trapping their post player, Polansky will have a field day in the paint.
In the two games between Shogunz and MJ Remodel this season, Shogunz
struggled to score against MJ's 2-3 zone. Johnson Lam and Christian Tran,
Shogunz's top two scorers, both only averaged 11 points against MJ. Meanwhile,
Shogunz's shooters aren't able to gain MJ's respect, and consequently, MJ packed
in their zone, which limited Shi and Al's effectiveness in the paint.
Past Matchup
12/19/06 - 44 to 33 MJ Remodel
2/13/07 - 71 to 49 MJ Remodel
Key to Victory
Shogunz's scoring duo, Johnson Lam and
Christian Tran must be able to score
against MJ's zone. By extending MJ's zone,
it will allow Shogunz's big men to have more
breathing room in the paint. Shogunz's
offense needs to be flowing in order to have
any chance of advancing to the final.
#3 Demolition vs #2 Year Up (8PM) -- Demolition also has an extremely difficult
game against the super-athletic Year Up. Year Up relies on its two wing players
who can pull-up and get to the paint at will. Though inconsistent, when this duo's
shots are dropping, there is very little that a defense can do to stop them.
However, Year Up does have some weaknesses. It often goes through offensive
drought and loses energy on defense. If Demolition can zone up against Year Up
and if Demolition replicate its offensive performance against The Grove, Demolition
has a good shot of advancing to the championship game.
Past Matchup
12/19/06 - 53 to 38 Year Up
2/13/07 - 59 to 48 Year Up
Key to Victory
In the previous games against Year
up, Kevin and Ocho came out strong
and averaged 16 and 13 points in
those two games, respectively.
However, their supporting cast did
not provide much support. In order
to sneak out with an upset, the rest
of the guys need to hit some shots
and play excellent defense.
