Well we have come to the end of the season and for the teams that made it in congrats on a tough hard core year. To White Plains, New Dimension, Bethany and Triumphant Tabernacle congrats on winning your division and as a result you get to relax for one week. All the hard work and practice has paid off and now the real season begins. To the teams that were eliminated from the post season better luck next season. Take the time to reflect on what could have been and try and come back prepared. Basketball in many ways represents life struggles, we have highs and lows and if we get overwhelmed it could cause our demise or in other cases bring fulfillment. So to Corona crusaders, New Jerusalem juggernauts, Mt Sinai tigers, Mt Vernon vipers and new kids on the block Sharon shockers better luck next year. Learn from this year experiences and use it as motivation. You played hard and tried your best but it just wasn’t good enough. Practice makes perfect and for next year get in the gym and try and get some consistency with your team mates so your play would be more consistent. With that said we have 4 games this week to kick off the playoff and for some teams it’s a rematch from earlier in the season. We have the hawks of Fellowship battling the Bronx express; the eliminators of Ephesus battles the rejuvenators of New Life; the crushers of Cornerstone battles the hustlers of Horeb, and the sharp shooters of Ebenezer battles the sustainers of River of Life. Who would come prepared and who will wilt under the pressure only time would tell, but let’s see what Milo thinks about this week games which you win you continue and you lose you snooze. Let’s go.
Christian Fellowship Hawks vs. Bronx Hawks Express
Southwest meets northeast as the hawks of Fellowship try and slow down and possibly derail the Bronx from running express. Both teams knows what is at stake and both teams will have to play better ball if they are to continue in the dance. I did some investigating with all the teams in the dance and found some very interesting side plots. Fellowship started off the season with a bang winning their first 4 games but sputtered down the stretch and lost an opportunity to win their division. Also interesting is their only game at Hooperstown was a blowout loss to White Plains in which they scored 72 points. Bronx on the other hand played 7 games at Hooperstown and won 5 of those games and averaged about 79 points per game. Also both teams have a pattern that could impact their overall success in the playoffs. Fellowship tends to win after a long losing streak while Bronx seem to match wins and losses. Fellowship is on a three game losing streak and from their play during the year is on schedule for a win. Bronx on the other hand in their last 6 games won the first 2 then lost 2 and ended the season winning 2. So if this pattern continues then Bronx should lose this game. What are the keys to victory for both teams. Fellowship must come prepared and play solid defense, limit the turnovers, shoot well from the field, and out rebound their opponent. Bronx on the other hand must play solid defense, shoot well from the field, get bench contributions and attack the rim. Look for a close game throughout because it’s the playoffs, but in the end I feel the matrix would prove me right. Bronx who is averaging more points per game 80 for the season compared to Fellowship 70 points per game would factor in and the fact that Bronx had more success playing at Hooperstown I give Bronx the edge. Bronx wins this match up by 6 points as they move on to the next round.
Ephesus Eliminators vs. New Life Rejuvenators
Northeast meets west as the eliminators of Ephesus try and stop the rejuvenators of New Life and knock them out of their first ever playoff appearance as a favorite. Ephesus played 500 ball all year and had an opportunity to move up in the standings only to lose the last game of the season. New Life on the other hand had one of their best seasons and ended up second in their division. What is interesting is both teams played at Hooperstown, Ephesus going 3-2 in their games while New Life was 1-2. What would be key this game is which team reaches their season average. Ephesus is averaging 75 points per game while New Life is averaging 82 points per game. What are the keys to victory for both teams? Ephesus must play solid defense, out rebound their opponent, shoot well from the field, and minimize the turnovers. New Life on the other hand must push the rock, make stops, shoot well from the line, and get bench contributions. Look for a close game because both teams didn’t face each other this year. However, I feel New Life would have the edge inside and Ephesus would have to score at a higher rate to keep it close. New Life wins this match up by 8 points as they move on to the next round.
Cornerstone Crushers vs Horeb Hustlers
Rematch in the west as the crushers of Cornerstone tries and pays back the hustlers for out hustling them earlier in the season. Cornerstone lost to Horeb early in the season by 12 points and the bitter taste is still in their mouths. Horeb played good ball all year and is one of the hottest teams coming into the dance. They are on a 7 game winning streak and what is even more impressive is they are doing it with defense. Cornerstone on the other hand played below their level all year but seemed to finally be playing strong down the stretch. Cornerstone is averaging 75 points per game while Horeb is averaging 67 points per game. Horeb hasn’t played at Hooperstown all year while Cornerstone played 4 games going 0-4. What are the keys to victory for both teams? Cornerstone must play solid defense, out rebound their opponent, shoot well from the field, and minimize the turnovers. Horeb on the other hand must out hustle their opponent, minimize the turnovers, get bench contributions, and attack the paint. Look for a close game this time round but I feel Horeb has the edge with their team chemistry. In the end however, I feel Horeb would find a way to win this match up in the closing seconds and win this match up by 3 points as they move on to the next round.
Ebenezer Sharp Shooters vs. River of Life Sustainers
East meets southwest as the sharp shooters try and get revenge against the sustainers of ROL and send them packing. Ebenezer is coming off a sub-par season going 500. They play to the level of their competition at times and it cost them some wins. Now the stage is set and to the victor goes the spoils. River of Life played very well this season and was one of my surprise teams all year. They defeated the sharp shooters by 7 points earlier and is averaging 84 points per game compared to Ebenezer 71 points per game. What is even more interesting is Ebenezer played one game at Hooperstown and lost that game while River of Life played 3 games going 3-0. What are the keys to victory for both teams. Ebenezer must come out the gate strong, shoot well from the field, get bench contributions and out rebound their opponent. River of Life on the other hand must play solid defense, shoot well from the line, minimize the turnovers, and push the rock. Look for a close game but I feel River of Life have more fire power and is hungry for a win. ROL rolls on to the next round defeating the sharp shooters by 4 points as they prove their worth.
Well that’s all for Milo’s Playoff Picks, players come out and give the fans a show, fans come out and support your teams, and lets fellowship together. Remember God promised all his children eternal life all we have to do is trust him. In the last days the devil will try and block our view and confuse us with all types of distractions. Distractions could come in the form of family, friends, and peers, church, significant others, and us. Don’t let life struggles keep us from the truth, and affect us in a negative way. God gave us the blue print to succeed and all we have to do is open up and allow the Holy Spirit to take charge of our lives. Don’t think you’re too special to witness for Christ because in the last days when all is said and done each of us would have to answer for all we’ve done in the past, present, and future. So keep praying for guidance and let God take charge of your life. Until next time this is Milo signing out. God Bless.
