The Cantaloupe Are In!

"Playoffs?!"

Incredible. Yes ladies and gentlemen, playoffs. Despite a tumultuous second half of the season, the stars have aligned, and the Fighting Cantaloupe go out on a high note as they take down Rimshots 59-49 to clinch their third straight playoff birth. Coming in off three straight devastating losses, the team needed a W if they not only wanted to try to ensure a playoff birth, but if they wanted to have any momentum whatsoever heading into playoffs. The players knew it and so did the fans who packed the Fruit Basket Wednesday night as the regular season came to a close with huge playoff implications on the line. Typical of almost every other game this season though, the boys got off to a bit of a slow start which kept the game close as Rimshots were knocking down 3’s left and right. That soon changed once Ryan Welsh got hot and the Cantaloupe never looked back.

The younger half of the Welsh bro’s lit it up Wednesday as the Rimshots really had no answer for him on defense, Welsh exploding for 27 points. With Ryan drawing the focus of the defense, older brother Nick also splashed in 11 points while notching 2 assists and 5 rebounds. Lou flirted with a double-double but fell just short as his final line was 9 points, 5 assists, and 9 boards. Fan favorite Kevin Broecker was back in action Wednesday night setting the tone on defense as always and finishing with 7 points and 8 rebounds. With the game in hand late down the stretch, Pendry was thrusted into the spotlight as he became the focal point of the offense but unfortunately failed to record his first points of the season, but hey what better time than playoffs to do it right?

With the regular season in the books, let’s take a look at the team leaders. Ryan Welsh led the team in points with 110 followed by Nick at 89 and Lou with 81. Lemon Pepper Lou was also dishing the rock plenty as he led the team with 16 assists while the Welsh Bro’s tied for second with 14 apiece. Anthony Butler had a big year in the paint as he led the team with 29 boards followed by Nick with 28 and Ryan with 27. Kevin and Lou were beacons of efficiency as they finished one and two in FG% and 3PT%, Kevin shooting 61% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc while Lou shot 55% from the field and 60% from 3-point range.

Back to the playoff picture though, it’s not going to be a cake walk thanks to former Cantaloupe Jeff and Coffee Us Up failing to complete their undefeated season as they fell to Lou Sassel 47-52 in Wednesday’s West Coast primetime matchup. The Cantaloupe will now face off with the 3 seeded We Never Practice on Monday, which if they win would then follow up by squaring off against the defending champion Team TBD that Wednesday. Playoff action is set for Monday August 23rd @ 7:30pm and we expect to have a full Fruit Basket to bring the noise.

Written by: Jonathan Abbott

Friday, August 20th 2021