Despite entering the week with just a 1-3 record, Redemption SZN proved to be a worthy adversary as they brought it down to the wire in a back-and-forth game against the still-undefeated Fighting Cantaloupe last Wednesday. The 'loupe came out looking like the early 00s Spurs moving the ball every possession and getting open shots as they tore apart Redemption SZN's zone defense. Joey B made his presence immediately felt in his season debut hitting back-to-back three's off the bench, helping the Cantaloupe jump out to an early 10-point lead. The lead would last for the rest of the half, but the momentum started to shift late in the first when Redemption SZN switched to man defense, effectively slowing the Cantaloupe offense, and allowing them to cut it to single digits at the break. Murmurs filled the gym about whether or not the Cantaloupe should match their man defense in the second half, but player-coach O'Neill opted to stay the course. Naturally, Redemption SZN came out on fire in the second half, raining in threes to abruptly take the lead, ultimately forcing Sean's hand to adjust.
A bit of back and forth later, the Cantaloupe managed to retake the lead, and after a massive offensive rebound and three-pointer from Ryan M, it seemed the momentum was firmly back on our side as the lead began to near double digits once more. Alas, even with time winding down, Redemption SZN had enough left for one last gasp as a late barrage of threes brought them within striking distance down the stretch. After a clutch bucket from Merrill off of a beautiful assist from Chris it looked like the Cantaloupe would be icing this one with free throws as Redemption SZN was forced to foul. In dramatic fashion though, the Cantaloupe would miss their free throw's giving Merill and Chris one last chance to shine in the paint as they secured the offensive rebound, once again forcing Redemption SZN to foul Ryan who would secure the Cantaloupe's 5th consecutive victory at the line as they won this one 57-55.
Ryan had another strong performance, and despite a fairly quiet second half, still led the team with 27 points on 10-18 shooting. Merrill was the next highest scorer with 11 and also had a highly efficient night, going 5-8 from the floor while adding in 6 rebounds and an assist to go with. Joey only managed a rebound and a steal after his back-to-back threes, but his 6 points were still tied with Haad for third-best on the night. Haad struggled with his shot a bit, going 0-3 from beyond the arc, but still finished with a solid line of 6 points, 6 assists, 2 boards, and a steal. Ryan M had a smooth 5 points and 3 boards, while Sean finally hit a three for his only points of the game. Chis rounded things out with a modest 2 points, and 2 assists, but shined on the glass bringing down a season-high 5 rebounds.
The Cantaloupe look to continue their undefeated season tonight as they take on the now 1-4 Ja Wick who come in fresh off of their first win of the season, after taking down Camp Clamp 53-47 last week. Week 6 action tips off tonight @ 8:30 pm Total Turf Court #2.
Written by: Jonathan Abbott