What's good NCBL family with two weeks remaining in the regular season teams are battling to make it into the dance. Some teams are on the bubble while others need to win out in order to assure themselves a fighting chance. Last week I went 7-1 in my picks and this week we have some interesting games. We had the sustainers of ROL defeat the sharp shooters by 4 points; the hawks of Fellowship dismantled GNYC by 45; the professors of WP out hustled the hustlers of Horeb by 17; the eliminators of Ephesus out balled the ballers of Bethany by 6; the juggernauts of NJ stung the vipers of Mt Vernon by 12; the kings of T&T blew out the rejuvenators of New Life by 13; the prophets of QB out lasted the crusaders of Corona by 8; and in the game of the week Bronx ran express and defeated the crushers of Cornerstone by 9. Now the stage is set as the finish line is in sight. Who would come out the gate strong and claim their prize only time would tell but lets see what Milo thinks about this week games which would be do or die for some teams. Let's go.
Mt Sinai Tigers vs Christian Fellowship Hawks:
Battle between second place teams as the hawks of Fellowship try and tame the tigers of Mt Sinai and drop them in the standings. Fellowship won last week and would like to continue their winning ways. They face a Mt Sinai team that knows what at stake and a loss would cripple their chances of staying in second. Fellowship knows they can't afford to slip any further because their division leader T&T is on a roll. What are the keys to victory for both teams? Mt Sinai must play solid defense, shoot well from the field, get bench contributions, and minimize the turnovers. Fellowship on the other hand must make stops, shoot well from the line, out rebound their opponent, and play to their strengths. I expect to see a close game because both teams would compete. However, I feel that the tigers would have the last bite and for that reason I'm picking them to win this match up by 4 points as they stay with the pack.
Corona Crusaders vs River of Life Sustainers:
Last in the east battles third in the south west as the sustainers of ROL try and continue their winning ways and move above 500 against the crusaders. Corona lost a tough game last week against QB and now find themselves facing another hot team in the sustainers who showed me something with a impressive win against the sharp shooters of Ebenezer. What are the keys to victory for both teams? Corona must play smart and pick their spots to run, shoot well from the field, minimize the turnovers, and get bench contributions. ROL on the other hand must play their style and attack the paint, shoot well from the field, get bench contributions, and minimize the turnovers. Look for a close game the first half but by second half I expect to see the sustainers roll over the crusaders and win this match up by at least 8 points as they finally move above 500.
Spring Valley Volunteers vs New Life Rejuvenators:
West meets northeast as the rejuvenators of New Life try and finish out the season on a high note and keep the volunteers winless. New Life lost last week against the kings of T&T and now they have a lesser opponent that they should beat. The only problem is the volunteers play hard and would not concede the win without a fight. Both teams playoff chances are slim but playing at a high level every game is important as both teams move forward. What are the keys to victory for both teams? Spring Valley must play smart and loose, shoot well from the field, out rebound their opponent, and minimize the turnovers. New Life on the other hand must make stops, shoot well from the field, get bench contributions, and attack the paint. Look for a close game the first half but by second half I expect to see the rejuvenators get rejuvenated and blow out the volunteers and keep them win less.
GNYC Ebenezer vs Ephesus Eliminators:
West meets northeast as the eliminators of Ephesus look to keep GNYC out of the winning column. GNYC is having a rough year and they need to try and end the season on a positive note. They face a tough team in the eliminators who is fighting for position in their division. They took care of business last week against the ballers of Bethany and did so in style. What are the keys to victory for both teams? GNYC must play loose and push the rock, take chances on the defensive end, get bench contributions, and minimize the turnovers. Ephesus on the other hand must play their style and attack the paint, shoot well from the line, out rebound their opponent, and play solid defense. Look for a close game the first couple of minutes but in all honesty I can't see GNYC doing anything with this team and their size. Ephesus wins this match up blow out style as they keep up in their division.
Triumphant Tabernacle Kings vs Bronx Hawks Express:
Battle for the best record and also for first place as the kings of T&T look to derail the Bronx from running express in Milo's “Game of the Week ". Both teams are in first place in their respective division, both teams won last week, and both teams will be problems come playoff time. T&T proved why they are considered a top team because when they come to play they show good balance on both ends of the floor. They face a Bronx team that is hungry and ready to take it to the next level. What are the keys to victory for both teams? T&T must play solid defense, shoot well from the field, out rebound their opponent, and minimize the turnovers. Bronx on the other hand must push the rock, shoot well from the field, get bench contributions, and attack the rim. Look for a close game throughout because both teams are good. What I'm looking for is the way each coach makes adjustments during the game. I like how the Bronx team plays together but they are facing a different animal in the kings. Look for a close game but in the end I feel the kings would make the necessary stops and for that reason I'm picking them to win this match up by 3 points as they prepare for the dance.
Cornerstone Crushers vs White Plains Professors:
Best in the west meets first in the northeast as the crushers try and stop the defending champs and control their own destiny. Cornerstone lost last week against Bronx and is licking their wounds this week. They face a WP team that last week played with a short crew and still blew out the hustlers by 17. White Plains know if they win and Bronx losses they would be the top dog in their division with one more win. Both teams know what is at stake because a loss could drop both teams out of first. What are the keys to victory for both teams? Cornerstone must out rebound their opponent, shoot well from the field, minimize the turnovers, and make foul shots. WP on the other hand must play their style and attack the paint, shoot well from the line, minimize the turnovers, and play solid defense. Look for a close game the first half but by second half I expect to see the professors school the crushers with their team play and win this match up by at least 8 points as they hold on to first.
Mt Vernon Vipers vs Kingsboro Kingsmen:
West meets northeast as the kingsmen of Kingsboro try and continue their winning ways and sting the vipers of Mt Vernon. Kingsboro is in a very good spot this week. If they win and Cornerstone loses they would be tied in the record column but because they defeated them earlier in the season would be the top dog in the division. Mt Vernon on the other hand needs to play better ball down the stretch so that they could have promise for the future. What are the keys to victory for both teams? Mt Vernon must play solid defense, shoot well from the line, make their opponent work on the defensive end, and minimize the turnovers. Kingsboro on the other hand must play their style, shoot well from the field, out rebound their opponent, and minimize the turnovers. Look for a close game the first half but by second half I expect to see the kingsmen take control and win this game by at least 10 points as they move up in the division.
Ebenezer Sharp Shooters vs Horeb Hustlers:
East meets southwest as the sharp shooter try and bounce back from a tough loss and keep the hustlers from hustling. Both teams lost last week and need to play better come playoffs. Horeb knows what's at stake and they would need to play better team ball if they are to make some noise in the dance. What are the keys to victory for both teams? Ebenezer must play solid defense, shoot well from the field, minimize the turnovers, and attack the paint. Horeb on the other hand must out rebound their opponent, shoot well from the field, get bench contributions and minimize the turnovers. Look for a close game throughout but in the end I feel Horeb would muster a last run and defeat the sharp shooters by 3 points as they hold on to the position.
Well that's all for Milo's Week 12 Picks. Players come out and give the fans a show; fans come out and support your teams and lets fellowship together. God is so good we can't afford to go one day without him in our lives. Life is what it is and we just have to be patient and wait on the Lord. Don't make rush decisions in life because one wrong turn could be the difference between life and death. God has promised us protection and guidance but we must be able to listen and follow his commands. Don't allow friends or social media to influence you just be yourself and trust God because he is the only one that could defend us against the plots of the devil. Until next time this is Milo signing out. God Bless.