Well the New Year has started off with a bang for some teams and I have to admit I was surprised at the results from a few games. I did go 4-4 in my picks and didn't see all the teams play yet, however, I will say I was impressed with how some of the teams I picked to lose won and did so with bravado. We had New Life squeeze the life out of the Kingsmen of Kingsboro in a close victory. We had River of Life show they are a competitive team losing to Bronx express in a closer game than the final score indicated. We had one of last year's top team in the ballers of Bethany lose to arch rival Corona crusaders in what I considered a blowout loss for them. We had the hawks of Fellowship start off the year with a solid win over a quality team in the hustlers of Horeb. We had Ephesus destroyed Spring Valley sending them to Death Valley, NJ Juggernauts battled hard but lost to the tigers of Mt Sinai, Cornerstone crushers defeated the prophets of QB in a close match, and of course the defending champs WP professors swatted away the vipers of Mt Vernon like flies. What last week taught me is that last year success doesn't guarantee success this season and teams who experienced success last year must elevate their play in order to have continued success. This week we have 6 games scheduled and for some teams it's a chance to set the bar. Who would come out to play this week, and which team would catch lightning in a bottle and prove their worth. Only time would tell but lets see what Milo thinks about this week's games which would be a building block for some and diaster for others. Let's Go.

Kingsboro Kingsmen vs Corona Crusaders
East meets west as the crusaders of Corona try to knock out the Kingsmen of Kingsboro and keep them in the winless column. Corona showed me something last week by defeating their division rival Bethany. They played a complete game and took it to the ballers winning in convincing fashion. Now they face the Kingsmen of Kingsboro who lost a close game and would like to right their ship. What are the keys to victory for both teams. Corona must continue to play smart, shoot well from the field, play solid defense, and finish at the rim. Kingsboro on the other hand must minimize the turnovers, shoot well from the line, get bench contributions, and out rebound their opponent. This game would be close throughout but in the end I feel Kingsboro would bounce back and right their ship. Kingsboro wins this battle by 4 points as they move to 500.

Cornerstone Crushers vs Ebenezer Sharp Shooters
East meets west as the crushers of Cornerstone square off against the sharp shooters of Ebenezer in their first game of the season. Cornerstone showed why they are going to be problems this year for some teams. They played a tough team in QB last week and played a complete game. Now they face a team in the sharp shooters who have fire power and the fact that this team has been together for some time would be critical to their success. What are the keys to victory for both teams? Cornerstone must out rebound their opponent, shoot well from the line, play solid defense, and get inside scoring. Ebenezer on the other hand must play their style and attack the rim, shoot well from the field, get bench contributions, and minimize the turnovers. Look for a close game throughout but I feel that Cornerstone already have a win under their belt and would feed off last week success. Cornerstone wins this matchup by 4 points as they continue to claim the top spot in the west.

Mt Sinai Tigers vs GNYC Ebenezer
East meets west again as the Tigers of Mt Sinai battle the grinders of GNYC Ebenezer in their first game of the season. Greater New York Conference usually battles the North Eastern Conference for bragging rights but now one of their own has joined our ranks to wreak havoc on this league. Let's see how they fend against the tigers of Mt Sinai who won their first battle last week against New Jerusalem. What are the keys to victory for both teams? Mt Sinai must minimize the turnovers, shoot well from the field, out rebound their opponent, and get bench contributions. Ebenezer on the other hand must play solid defense, shoot well from the field, minimize the turnovers and win the hustle battle. I really don't know what to expect from GNYC until I see them play, but being that I saw the tigers play and they played well I'm picking them to win this battle and out grind the grinders of GNYC proving that NEC teams and league are the best no pun intended.

Bronx Hawks vs Bethany Ballers
East meets northeast as the ballers of Bethany square off against the Bronx express in what should be a battle “royale”. Last year the Ballers of Bethany was balling all the way into the playoffs and had one of the more exciting teams. They had a lot of followers and fans who like the way they hustled and played. They started off the year with a crushing loss to divisional rival and now need a win in the worst way to keep up in their division. Bronx hawks ran express last week in their victory over River of Life. What are the keys to victory for both teams? Bronx must play their style and attack the paint, shoot well from the field, get offensive rebounds, and out hustle their opponent. Bethany on the other hand must play smart and limit the turnovers, shoot well from the line, get bench contributions, and play solid defense. Both teams are familiar with each other from last year, however, Bronx have the edge in experience and grit. It's going to be a close match but in the end I feel Bronx would simply make more plays that Bethany and for that reason I'm picking them to win this game by 3 points.

Spring Valley vs New Jerusalem Juggernauts
East meets northeast as the NJ juggernauts travel north into the valley to battle Spring Valley Volunteers in what would be a first win for either team. Both teams lost last week and would like to right their ship and get into the win column. What are the keys to victory for both teams. SP must play hard nose defense, shoot well period, get offensive rebounds, and minimize the turnovers. NJ on the other hand must play smart and capitalize on their opponent mistakes, shoot well from the line, play solid defense, and attack the paint. Look for a close game but in the end I feel the juggernauts of NJ would be too much for the volunteers of SV and for that reason I'm picking them to win this battle by at least 6 points as they win their first game of the season.

Triumphant Tabernacle vs Queensboro Prophets
West meets southwest as the prophets of QB face off against the “tusslers” of T&T in their first game of the season. QB lost last week to the crushers of Cornerstone in a close battle. Now they face a new team on the block in the “tusslers” and hope to bring it this game. What are the keys to victory for both teams. T&T must come out the gate strong and play solid defense. They must shoot well from the field, out rebound their opponent, and minimize the turnovers. QB on the other hand must play their style and attack the rim, shoot well from the field, get bench contributions, and play solid defense. QB will be fuming over their loss last week and should come out with a renewed sense of urgency. Look for a close game in the first half but by second half I expect to see the prophets bounce back and blow up T&T as they try and tussle their way to a victory. QB wins this matchup in blowout style as they regain their swagger.

Well that's all for Milo's Week 2 picks. Players come out and give the fans a show, fans come out and support your teams and lets fellowship together. Remember to pray for those less fortunate than ourselves because times are getting tougher and folks are getting more desperate. The devil never stops his attacks and we should never stop praying because life isn't promised or guaranteed to anyone. Keep your head up because if you are looking down you can't see what's ahead. Keep God first and foremost because in the end he will return with a vengeance. Until next time this is Milo signing out. God Bless.