After a dramatic win against Ja Wick, and the Blueberry Capitals forfeiting last week, that means, asterisk or no asterisk, the Fighting Cantaloupe enter week 8 with a chance for an undefeated regular season. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves though. Entering the week at just 1-3, Ja Wick gave the Cantaloupe all they could handle in their week 6 matchup.
The offense came out hot but the same simply could not be said for the Cantaloupe defense who seemingly underestimated their opponents in the first half as they let up three after three. The back and forth continued throughout the game as Ja Wick’s far undersized guard absolutely torched the ‘loupe for damn near 40 points, truly an all-time showing. Even after the Cantaloupe switched to man, it didn’t seem to matter who they threw at him as the man could not miss. The timing of this defensive lapse couldn’t have been worse as Nick continued to struggle to find his shot as he worked his way back from a back injury. Some fans speculate that O’Neill rushed him back too soon, but with the extra week off, there shouldn’t be any excuses for him to come into week 8 fresh and ready to go. Despite Welsh’s struggles, he managed to sink a late layup and a free throw that would ultimately put the team up 2 for the deciding deficit.
Ryan led the way in scoring after a hot start from beyond the arc in the first half finishing with 25 points, a couple of assists, and one rebound on 5-9 shooting from three. Sean and Joey both had nice nights as the next highest scorers with 9 a piece. Joey added in 1 rebound and 1 assist on 4-6 shooting, Sean with 2 boards and 2 assists, and all of his points coming by way of the three. Merrill stuffed the stat sheet with 7 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks, and 2 steals while Nick managed 6 points despite going 2-11 from the field along with 2 rebounds, and 1 assist, steal, and block. Point god Haad came back to earth a bit but still finished with a strong line of 4 points, 5 assists, 3 boards, 2 blocks, and a steal. Chris sank his only shot of the game for 2 points, 4 boards, and an assist while Ryan M rounded things out with 2 points and 3 rebounds of his own.
Add in the week 7 forfeit from Blueberry Capitals, and that brings us to tonight’s regular-season finale against 3 and Deez. Coming in at 5-2 they look to far and away be one of the tougher tests for the Cantaloupe this season, but what better way to overshadow a massive asterisk than to beat a legitimate contender to finish off an undefeated regular season?
We caught up with Coach O'Neill earlier this week who was eager to mirror that sentiment, stating that the team was "Ready to prove the doubters wrong and take down a team with some wins to their name." Before we could even get a question out regarding the team's recent playoff shortcomings, O'Neill was quick to cut us off and with the utmost confidence in his squad, went so far as to guarantee a playoff win. We love the confidence coach, but let's worry about one thing at a time as the week 8 regular season finale tips off tonight @ 8:30 pm Total Turf Court #2.
Written by: Jonathan Abbott