It was another blowout victory for the Fighting Cantaloupe last Wednesday as they took down the vastly undersized Munches 68-50 for their fourth consecutive win of the Summer. Merrill had a monster game down low as The Munches simply didn't have the size to deal with him while Haad, the point god that was promised set a franchise record with 13 assists. There's not much more to recap as this one was well in hand less than 10 minutes in so let's jump right into the stats.
If you don't think Ryan is loving life at the 2-guard spot, just take a look at the 23 shots he put up last week as he finished with a team-high 25 points while notching 3 boards, a block, and one assist to go with. Merrill flirted with a double-double going for 17 points, 8 boards, 2 steals, and an assist, but the scoring was somewhat mild after that. Ryan M also capitalized on the undersized Munches with an easy 8 points, 4 boards, 2 assists, and a steal while Nick finished just behind with 7 points of his own to go with 5 assists, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals for one of his most well-rounded performances of the year. Sean got off the snide a bit knocking down two of his four shots to finish with 4 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, and a block for good measure. Chris continued to show his versatility on both ends with 2 points, 2 assists, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal. Last but certainly not least we have Haad who as mentioned, set a new franchise record with 13 assists. Leaving the scoring to his teammates, Haad knocked down the only three he took bringing his total to 3 points, along with 2 boards, and a steal.
With the season halfway over, let's take a look at how things are shaping up for the Cantaloupe to this point. As far as standings go, the Cantaloupe have sole possession of the 1 seed at the time I'm writing this. They sit alone as the only 4-0 team but the field is not far behind as the 'loupe are followed closely by Pushin 3's and Phantom Troupe who are both currently at 3-0 on account of the July 4th holiday and three other teams who all sit at 3-1 including the always present, long time division foe Pippen Ain't Eazy. Luckily, the Cantaloupe's second-half strength of schedule is abysmal as the next real challenge looks to be their week 8 matchup against 3 and Deez (3-1). Before that, they'll take on Redemption SZN, Ja Wick, and the Blueberry Capitals who have a combined record of 1-10. Meanwhile, the other top seeds will all be duking it out in the second half as Pusin 3's still has to square off against Pippen Ain't Eazy (3-1), High Hill Alumni (3-1), and Phantom Troupe (3-0) while Phantom Troupe still has the Misfits (3-2), High Hill Alumni (3-1), and of course the highly anticipated week 8 matchup against Pushin 3's (3-0). As it stands currently, the standings are as follows:
1. The Fighting Cantaloupe 4-0
2. Pushin 3's 3-0
3. Phantom Troupe 3-0
4. 3 and DEEZ 3-1
5. Pippin Ain't Eazy 3-1
6. High Hill Alumni 3-1
7. Misfits 3-2
8. All Effort No Skills 2-2
9. Coulda Been Pro 2-1
10. Bad Behaviour 1-2
11. Redemption SZN 1-3
12. Wave Birds 1-2
13. The Munches 0-3
14. Ja Wick 0-3
15. Blueberry Capitals 0-4
16. Camp Clamp 0-4
Enough about the standings though, let's take a look at the Cantaloupe as a whole and what they've been able to accomplish thus far. I would be remiss if I did not lead things off with the off-season addition of Haad. His ability to penetrate the defense and facilitate open looks for his teammates has taken the Cantaloupe offense to a new level. That may sound biased, but the proof is in the pudding. Looking past the unblemished record, the Cantaloupe are averaging an impressive 64 points per game, unsurprisingly led by Ryan Welsh who seems to be the biggest benefactor of Haad's court vision. The younger half of the Welsh Bros has thrived playing off the ball this season far and away leading the team in total points with 74 (Haad would be the next closest with 24). Even more impressive though, now that the ball is not in his hands, Ryan's shot selection has been exceptional as he's currently shooting 50% from the floor. In fact, the only players with field goal percentages below 50% are Sean and Nick, so really just about everyone is shooting at an effective clip this season. Before we move on to the team leaders, I do want to recognize the Cantaloupe's other offseason signing Ryan M who has done a great job stepping up in the absence of one of the franchise's all-time rebound leaders in Kev this season. Ryan has solidified the painted area alongside Merrill playing great defense and showing serious tenacity in the rebounding department.
Don't let your heads get too big just yet though fellas, there are still four more games to win. We already touched on Ryan leading the team in points with 74, but let's take a look at some of the other categories. Haad unsurprisingly leads the team with 25 assists, which is great considering nobody else has reached double digits yet in that department. Merrill is another player who seems to have elevated his play this year, leading the way with 27 rebounds while Ryan M is the next closest with 17. Astoundingly, Ryan W has shown the most active hands on defense, leading the team with 5 steals though Merrill, Nick, Chris, and Haad are all close behind. Chris technically leads the team in FG% at 75% but looking at players with at least 10 shot attempts, that award goes to Merrill who comes in at 60.9%. This finally brings us to everyone's favorite player/coach/gm Sean who leads the team with a whopping 2 blocks this year. You're a regular Ben Wallace coach.
The Cantaloupe kick off the second half tonight as their quest for another championship continues against the 1-3 Redemption SZN. You can catch tonight's tip-off @ 8:30 pm Total Turf, Court #1. Let's finish strong gentleman, and remember, after last week's debacle, let's keep it composed as it seems the league has no choice but to bring the hammer down. You can expect lofty suspensions or even expulsions if necessary for player altercations be it with the other team or the refs so yes, we're looking at you, Chris.
Written by: Jonathan Abbott