Statement Win For Cantaloupe As Team Looks To Keep Playoff Hopes Alive

After arguably the worst performance we’ve ever seen from the Fighting Cantaloupe, Coach O’Neill and his squad bounced back in a huge way winning in dominant fashion against the cross-town rival and previously undefeated Hunt Club Ballers. The win didn’t come without a cost though as Mikey G was forced to leave the game after rolling his ankle trying to haul in an errant pass. The standout forward who was in the midst of a breakout season has already been ruled out for tonight’s game, but more on what that injury means for the Cantaloupe later. For now, let’s enjoy what Coach O’Neill called “one of the team's best-played games all year.”

Now, look. Some people have gone on record saying that last week's article may have saved the season, but I personally am just a humble beat writer. So, while I cannot accept the praise, however, deserved it may be (you said it, not me), last week's win has reinforced my belief that bullying does in fact work. After an abominable 6-point performance in game 5, the fans, myself, and other members of the media had plenty to say on not only Nick's inefficiency but that of the team as a whole. To his credit, Nick took the hate (and trust me, there was plenty) in stride and owned up to his shortcomings, vowing that both he and the team would be better. Thankfully, the Cantaloupe did not disappoint. Ryan led the way with 18 points on 3/6 shooting from behind the arc, while fellow Welsh bro Nick put on an absolute display going 4/6 from three, and 6/12 from the field for 17 points of his own. Lou also had a massive bounce-back game with 14 points, 2 assists, 3 rebounds, and a couple of steals while shooting 4/6 from the field and 100% from beyond the arc. The rest of the totals were fairly modest with Kevin having the next highest point total at 7 to go along with team-highs in both rebounds and assists with 5 and 3 respectively.

Mikey G appeared to be on pace for another huge game, that is until his night was cut short. After a massive block on the defensive end sent the ball into Anthony’s hands, Mike was quick to fill the lane in transition. Anthony did his best Kevin Love impersonation and launched an outlet pass that sailed just over the outstretched arms of Mikey G and into the lap of two defenders as Mikey G went crashing to the floor. The injury was clear right away as O’Neill was forced to sub him out for the remainder of the game leaving his final stat line at 4 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Now I know the fans have been asking ‘Anthony, why in the hell didn’t you just give the ball to one of the guards?’ And to be fair, it’s a valid question, but to be honest, the answer is obvious. With his 3 rebounds last Thursday, Anthony eclipsed the 100 career rebound mark. Pair that with a potentially season-saving win against longtime rivals, and Anthony was on cloud 9. At that moment, why couldn’t he run the floor? Why couldn’t he thread a half-court pass between two defenders? Why couldn’t he knock down a quick three to finish with a better point total than his brother Chris? Well, we all have to come back down to earth sometime and nothing will do that faster than the deafening silence of a gym that just watched one of its star players go down.

Losing arguably the team's most efficient scorer is one thing, but the loss of Mikey G’s help in the paint could be devastating for the Cantaloupe. With Mike on the sidelines, Nick probably more so than anyone is going to be looked at to help fill the void and step up down low. Now Nick is a great team player but anyone who has seen the Cantaloupe play knows that the focus of his game is not his post presence. Alas, we play the hand we’re dealt, and by Nick moving down low, it opens up the chance for Ryan and Lou to notch a couple of milestones of their own tonight. Ryan comes in tonight just 10 points shy of 500 career points while Lou finds himself the same number away from his 200th career point.

A couple of career nights could be just what the doctor ordered as the Cantaloupe still find themselves in the bottom half of the standings heading into week 6. With a record of 3-2, the Cantaloupe currently sit at the 8th spot in the power rankings. The Winded Warriors still have a chokehold on the #1 spot with an undefeated 5-0 record while the Hunt Club now has some company at the 2 spot. After last week's loss, the Hunt Club and Too Tuff are tied each with records of 4-1. From there, the earlier week 6 matchups come into play as the Ballers and the Hornets both sit at 4-2 while the Hold’Em Hillbillies and Big Al’s Ballers are just ahead of the Cantaloupe, both at 3-3. With only a few games left, the playoff race is still tight and the window for teams on the bubble is closing. The Cantaloupe get a bit of a tune-up game tonight as they take on the 0-5 Free Agent team, but the same cannot be said for their week 7 and 8 matchups in the Hornets and the Ballers.

Unfortunately, for personal reasons, there will be no article next week so be sure to tune in tonight @ 7:30 as the Cantaloupe take center stage on Total Turf Court #1 looking to stay hot down the stretch and hopefully lock in a spot in the playoffs. Scores and any team news will be posted after the game, and as always we look forward to seeing a packed Fruit Basket.

Written by: Jonathan Abbott

May 12th, 2022