The tournament got under way at Central Park today. As expected, it did not go without a hitch. As soon as I arrived word broke that Paul Park had to drop out because of a last-minute call to work. Luckily though, he was able to find us an adequate replacement in Andrew Jeong. Aside from that, pretty much everyone showed up late (yeah, me too a little bit) and it was about 7:00 before the first game got underway.
Highlights
The inaugural battle featured the defending champ Taco Truck Trio vs. The Chois. After getting out to a fast lead, Sachin Shah took over and carried the Chois to a hard fought 13-10 victory. Cal State Fahmy took the court next against Your Fantasy and Kevin Mendoza proceeded to take the most difficult shots he could, including the game-winning left-handed three pointer in the face of a stunned Josh Kim. Mendoza wasted no time in declaring the tournament "over". But not so fast. The Purple Cindys were up next against Team Eric Ancajas, a titanic battle that went down to the wire. In fact, the next game tipped off in the middle of that one and still finished before it. That other game saw the Taco Truck Trio make quick work of Cal State Fahmy 13-5. Mendoza decided to let Ehran Khan shoot uncontested threes, and it led to a quick 10-1 advantage for the Trio. CSF also had no answer for Kevin Han down low and both teams' records evened out at 1-1. Just after that game ended, the Purple Cindys just edged TEA by a score of 13-12. Things got a little confusing after that, as Mendoza was right back on the court to finish off TEA and The Chois knocked off Your Fantasy. Then the Trio battled PC in a tight game that saw Scott Kwon emerge to knock down 3 three pointers. After being knotted at 8 for a while, Kevin Han sprained his ankle. It looked bad for the trio but Han valiantly played on swatting a Jae Han shot and getting himself going with 3 quick baskets. A Ehran Khan three finished it off. At that point, Mendoza and Fahmy had to jet, giving The Chois and PC free wins. The other teams battled on, with another tight game that saw TEA get their first victory over the winless Fantasy, the Trio going on a 13-0 run to run the Fantasy off the court, and another great comeback win for the Chois over PC to clinch the #1 seed. In the final game of the night, Kevin Han's ankle woes caught up to him and the Trio stumbled to a resurgent TEA led by JJ Min and a special outburst from Thomas Oh. Here are the official standings heading into tomorrow's playoffs:
1. The Chois 5-0
2. Taco Truck Trio 3-2
3. Purple Cindys 3-2
4. Cal State Fahmy 2-3
5. Team Eric Ancajas 2-3
6. Your Fantasy 0-5
The playoffs will commence with a single elimination round pitting the Purple Cindys against Your Fantasy and Cal State Fahmy against Team Eric Ancajas. The Chois and Taco Truck Trio await in the semifinals. The fate of this tournament could rest on the sprained ankle of Kevin Han. A healthy Kevin Han had the Trio absolutely rolling in their 3 wins, but at the moment his status is doubtful for the postseason. A replacement player may be the only option. At any rate, Ehran Khan and Martyn Artizada need to step their games up big time. As it stands right now, The Chois look to be the favorites going in, especially if Sachin Shah continues his torrid play that has him as the leader in the clubhouse for Tournament MVP, but don't count out Cal State Fahmy, who only lost one real game (to a healthy Trio) and they boast the ultra-explosive Kevin Mendoza. JJ Min will look to carry TEA past them in what will be a great first round matchup of two superstars. Your Fantasy faces a tough road through the playoffs. Despite a stellar effort from Josh Kim, Nathaniel Ku could not convert enough layups to earn them a victory and they will have to start their cinderella run against the Purple Cindys, who may have the best team chemistry in the tournament. The battle for the ultimate prize (STRAIGHT CASH HOMIE!!!) begins tonight at 6:45 at Central Park.
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