Cantaloupe Picking Up Steam

The Fighting Cantaloupe picked up their second straight win Wednesday night, taking down Washed CYB Athletes 53-43 in what was truly a tale of two halves. The Cantaloupe came out a bit flat as usual to start but CYB wasn’t waiting for them to get warmed up as they immediately started raining in shots from beyond the arc. The three point barrage was primarily led by #8 for CYB who was just un-guardable in the first half, pulling up from well behind the line and splashing three’s in defenders faces. Coach O’Neill was visibly pleading with guard Ryan Welsh to step up once he crossed half court but in shades of the 2019 NBA playoffs, Welsh was adamant “that was a bad shot.”

While Welsh and PG13 for that matter may have had a point, nobody cares when the shots go in, and go in they did as the Cantaloupe found themselves down 11 at one point early in the first half. Luckily some turnovers along with a few big shots drew them back within three to close out the half- that was until #8 befittingly banked in a buzzer beating three in transition to stretch CYB’s lead back to 6.

After watching the first half unfold as it did, O’Neill was done leaving this to chance. It was time to call in the dogs, assigning Chris, Torney and Tim the task of picking up #8 the second he crossed half court, doubling on every screen, and forcing the ball out of his hands. With nobody else making shots, the Cantaloupe clamped down in the second half easily coming back in this one as Tim had his first big game back from injury pacing the way for the offense down the stretch, finishing with a team high 14 points while also hauling in 6 boards and coming up with 3 big steals.

Nick Welsh also caught fire late in the second half helping to retake the lead, and finishing with 12 points, 4 boards and 2 assists. Fellow Welsh bro Ryan did most of his damage from the free throw line making 5/6 attempts also finishing with 12 points, while notching 3 boards, 3 steals and a pair of assists. The Cantaloupe dominated the boards all night, Kevin, Tim, and Pondo all coming down with 6 rebounds a piece followed closely by Torney with 5, then Nick and Lou with 4. Lou, typically known for his smooth handles and finesse around the rim saw his stretch of double digit scoring performances come to an end, but not without one last highlight, converting on a grown man take to the hoop followed by some flexing directed at the other teams bench. Chris and Tim also had some top play worthy finishes at the rim, but unfortunately our camera man on scene seemingly forgot his camera….go figure.

Anywho, we caught up with Coach O’Neill after the game to hear his thoughts on the back and forth matchup with CYB. While he was quick to express his frustration with the teams continued slow starts, he was just as quick to give his guys credit for making the adjustments, offering particular praise to Chris and Torney for their stellar defensive performances. When asked about the takeaways from the game, O’Neill was happy to see Tim coming out aggressive on offense in this one after a bit of a slow start in week one, and is excited to see how he follows up in week three when The Barndogs come to town. The Barndogs, led (at least verbally) by Eric Pendry have been quick to try and ignite this new rivalry though history has not been on their side thus far. The Cantaloupe soundly defeated The Barndogs in their only matchup last Spring, but Pendry is adamant that the roster changes since then can be enough to turn the tides back in their favor. The gauntlet has been thrown down, but can The Barndogs really back it up? We’ll find out Wednesday as the two are set to square off in front of a packed Fruit Basket for this West-Coast prime time matchup. First tip is set for 9:30 pm.

Written by: Jonathan Abbott

October 9th, 2021