What started off as a tightly contested week 3 matchup would eventually end in a blowout as the Cantaloupe crashed the Wave Birds party last Wednesday picking up a 72-48 win. Going into the second half with a slight lead, the Cantaloupe decided to put their foot on the gas as it became increasingly apparent the Wave Birds simply had no answers for them defensively. Merrill was getting whatever he wanted down low while Haad’s ability to run the offense continued to free up space for the Welsh Bros to get their shots off. The Cantaloupe even flashed some defensive prowess ripping away 9 steals as a team in what has been their most impressive game of the young Summer season.
Ryan led the way in scoring as he continues to thrive from the 2-guard spot finishing with 24 points, 3 assists, 4 rebounds, and a team-high 4 steals but he’s not the only Welsh Bro who has benefited from being able to play more off ball this year as Nick poured in 14 points, while grabbing 4 boards and 1 assist of his own. While the Welsh Bros were making it rain on the outside, Merrill was bringing the hurt down low owning the paint with 12 points and 13 rebounds, while notching a couple of steals and an assist to go with. He wasn’t alone though as first-year ‘loupe Ryan M continued to make his presence down low known with 9 points, 6 boards, and 1 assist. Chris had another well-rounded night making his only shot to finish with 2 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, and a steal. Meanwhile, Sean was the only player to not get a bucket, but that didn’t stop him from finding ways to contribute tallying a couple of rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal, which just leaves us with Haad. Fans were unsure about handing the keys to the offense to a rookie, but Haad has taken the reigns and not looked back since. He finished the night with 10 points on 83% shooting while dishing out 7 assists, grabbing 4 boards, and nabbing a steal to round things out.
Last week’s win positions the Cantaloupe nicely in the standings as one of only two teams with a chance to head into the first half break still undefeated as they’ll take on the 0-2 Munches in week 4. The Munches come into this off of back-to-back tight losses, dropping their week one matchup against Coulda Been Pro 54-57 followed by another heartbreaker against 3 and Deez last week dropping that one by a score of 31-35. Tonight’s matchup tips off @ 9:10 pm, Total Turf Court #1 and we look forward to seeing another packed Fruit Basket.
Written by: Jonathan Abbott