Valentine’s Day massacre! What's up NCBL family hearts were broken last week as teams surprised their opponents from the jump. Although I went 3 - 4 last week I felt my picks were right on if not for some teams miss fortunes.

We had the eliminators of Ephesus eliminate the vipers of Mt Vernon blow out style by 33; Horeb hustled passed the kingsmen of Kingsboro by 12; the tigers of Mt Sinai bit the crusaders of Corona by 15; Cornerstone crushed the life out of New Life by 9; Bethany balled their way pass GNYC by 20; ROL sustained upset style against the undefeated hawks of Fellowship by 3; and of course the game of the week and what a game. The Bronx hawks played a complete game against the defending champs and took it to them in a quality win by 7 proving they belong. I must admit most of the games were excited and teams are playing better team ball. This week we have 8 games with lots of implications for divisional and cross town rivals. Who would come out and play competitive ball and be calm under pressure only time would tell, but let's see what Milo thinks about this week’s games which would be very interesting for top teams and an opportunity to play spoiler for others. Let's go.

Bronx Hawks Express vs Ephesus Eliminators:
Battle in the northeast as divisional rival clash for 1st place in Milo's first “Game of the Week ". Both teams came off impressive wins last week and both teams deserve the praise. Ephesus played a solid game and defeated a Mt Vernon team that is spiraling downward recently. Now they face a tough opponent in the hawks who is standing in their way to the top spot. Bronx however is confident in their play and they proved it last week against the champs. They led for the entire game and had the champs down by as much as 15 points at one point. The familiarity of the gym, the buckets they hit from the three point line and their tenacious defense was the reason they won. Not to forget they have a witty coach who is well seasoned and his players follow his game plan. The only thing is sometimes players either misinterpret instructions of their coaches or blatantly disregard the underlining code of gamesmanship that is vital in competition. You see sometimes coaches and players are so focused on winning that they do it at any cost and the end result sometimes could result in a severe injury to a player or future altercations during or after the games. We have to remember why we play in this wonderful league and it is an avenue to witness and strengthen our younger generations. Ok enough sermons for now where was I? Both teams know the importance of this game a win and you control your destiny, a loss and it's an uphill battle. What are the keys to victory for both teams? Bronx must play that solid defense they showed last week, minimize the turnovers, continue their hot shooting, and run express. Ephesus on the other hand must out rebound their opponent, get in the paint scoring, get stops on the defensive end, and shoot well from the line. This game would be very close because both teams are good but play different styles. Look for a close game but in the end I feel that Bronx would continue their hot shooting and for that reason I'm picking them to win this match by 4 points as they hold on to the top spot.

Mt Vernon Vipers vs Spring Valley Volunteers:
Battle in the northeast as the bottom teams in the division battle to stay out the basement. Mt Vernon was blown out last week by Ephesus and need to come out strong this week. They play a Spring Valley team that is struggling to find a win and could come out loose and surprise a team. What are the keys to victory for both teams? Mt Vernon must play solid defense, shoot well from the line, get bench contributions, and minimize the turnovers. Spring Valley on the other hand must attack the rim, play smart but confident, shoot well from the field, and minimize the turnovers. Look for a close game but in the end I feel the vipers would sting the volunteers and beat them by at least 10 points.

Mt Sinai Tigers vs Queensboro Prophets:
East meets west as the prophets try and tame the tigers as both teams fight to stay in second place. The tiger defeated division rival Corona last week and did so convincingly. Now they face a QB team that needs a win in the worst way in order to stay in the conversation. What are the keys to victory for both teams? Mt Sinai must play solid defense, shoot well from the field, get hustle points, and minimize the turnovers. QB on the other hand must out rebound their opponent, shoot well from the line, minimize the turnovers, and get bench contributions. Look for a close game but in the end I feel the tigers bite would be stronger than the prophets punch and for that reason I'm picking them to win this game by at least 6 points.

Kingsboro Kingsmen vs Christian Fellowship Hawks:
West meets southwest as the kingsmen try and knock the hawks back to reality. Kingsboro lost last week by 12 points to Horeb and need to show a better outing this week. Fellowship on the other hand went into last week's game with all the cards in their deck. They were undefeated at the time, were playing a team with only one win at the time, and with a win would have had the top spot in the southwest over T&T but with one more game played. Now they have to regroup and show what a little adversity would bring out of their team. What are the keys to victory for both teams? Kingsboro must play smart and attack the paint, shoot well from the field, get bench contributions, and out rebound their opponent. Fellowship on the other hand must minimize the turnovers, shoot well from the field, out rebound their opponent, and play solid defense. Look for a close game but in the end I feel Fellowship would bounce back and prove why this year is different from last year. Fellowship wins by 6 points.

Corona Crusaders vs Cornerstone Crushers:
East meets west as the crusaders try and stop the crushers and knock them out of first place. Corona lost last week and is in the basement looking up. Now they face a Cornerstone team that won last week against New Life and is looking to hold on to the top spot in the west. What are the keys to victory for both teams? Corona must play solid defense, shoot well from the field, get bench contributions, and minimize the turnovers. Cornerstone on the other hand must play solid defense, shoot well from the line, attack the paint, and minimize the turnovers. Look for a close game the first half but by second half I expect to see Cornerstone crush the crusaders and send them on their way by 8 points.

GNYC Ebenezer vs New Jerusalem Juggernauts:
Last in the west meets second to last in the east as the juggernauts try and keep GNYC in the dungeon in the west. GNYC was blown out last week by the ballers of Bethany and now they face another tough opponent in the juggernauts who also lost last week against the sharp shooters of Ebenezer. Both teams need a win and both for different reasons. GNYC just need a win to feel good about them and NJ needs a win to stay in the hunt for a playoff spot. What are the keys to victory for both teams? GNYC must play smart, shoot well from the field and line, get bench contributions, and minimize the turnovers. NJ on the other hand must play solid defense, out rebound their opponent, get all loose balls, and attack the paint. Look for a close game but in the end I feel the juggernauts would be too much for GNYC and for that reason I'm picking them to win this matchup by at least 10 points.

River of Life Sustainers vs New Life Rejuvenators:
Southwest meet west as the sustainers try and mimic their excellent play last week and stop the rejuvenators in their tracks. ROL played a complete game last week and stunned Fellowship winning by 3 points. New Life plays a good game last week also but bad execution hurt them down the stretch. What are the keys to victory for both teams? ROL must play solid defense for forty minutes, shoot well from the field, get bench contributions, and play smart. New Life on the other hand must push the rock, shoot well from the field, get rebounds, and minimize the turnovers. Look for a close game but in the end I feel the sustainers would have enough fire power to subdue the rejuvenators and for that reason I'm picking them to win by 4 points.

Triumphant Tabernacle Kings vs White Plains Professors:
Well I had this game circled on my calendar. You can hear the whispers getting louder and louder and they are saying, “The Kings are coming, The Kings are coming, The Kings are coming". T&T is the last undefeated team standing and if the playoffs were to start now they would be the top dog. This team I've been keeping a close eye on because they not only have a excellent coach, but they have players that excite you all day. They face the defending champs who lost a tough game against the Bronx and had their chances but miss free throws and poor execution did them in. Now two giants collide and if one falls it would be heard for miles. This is Milo's second “Game of the Week ". T&T is ready to take over as the top team in the league, they play smart ball and execute at a high rate. They have a coach that studies opponents and game plan so this game would be interesting. WP on the other hand lost a tough game and didn't look good at times. They played uninspired in the first half and allowed their opponent to dictate the pace and attitude of the game. Now they face in my mind the toughest opponent they would meet this year and it would be very interesting to see the outcome of this game. What are the keys to victory for both teams? T&T must out rebound their opponent, shoot well from the line, play solid defense, and minimize the turnovers. WP on the other hand must minimize the turnovers, shoot well from the field, hit their foul shots, and attack the rim. Both teams are solid defensively and offensively, but I feel that T&T have been waiting for this big stage all year and against the defending champs makes it that much more important. Game would be close but in the end I feel T&T would explode and hand the champs their second loss in two week for the first time in a while.

Well, that's all for Milo's Week 8 Picks. Players come out and give the fans a show, fans come out and support your teams, and lets fellowship together. Black history month should be every month not just one month a year. We have to teach our children and future generations to appreciate their heritage and cultures. If we don't continue to strive and teach our youth then we are as guilty as those we accuse of the consistent abuse and slighting's. Stand up for what you believe in even though it's not the popular thing to do. Those that struggled before us to make a better place for our generation expect us to do the same for future generations. There are future presidents, doctors, lawyers, nurses, journalists, preachers, athletes, and leaders that are looking for mentors, leaders to guide them and it's our burden and duty to do our part. God expects his people to be leaders in all aspects of life and if we can't accept our culture and heritage we have failed not only our future generations and young people but ultimately God himself. Until next time this is Milo signing out. God Bless.