What's good NCBL family March madness is upon us and teams are starting to pump the gas and not the brakes. I went 5 - 1 last week and could have been perfect but I underestimated the heart of some teams. We had the crushers of Cornerstone tame the tigers of Mt Sinai by 12; the sharp shooters of Ebenezer eliminated the eliminators of Ephesus by 3; the vipers of Mt Vernon couldn't even out hustle the hustlers of Horeb to the gym they forfeited the game losing by 2; New Life was rejuvenated and defeated the juggernauts of NJ by 5; Bethany balled pass the shockers of Sharon blowout style and no one was shocked; and the game of the week the kings of T&T derailed the Bronx Hawks express derailing their hopes by 9. What I find very interesting as I observe some of the teams play is the fact that players for some reason play better against certain competition and look lost against others. Good teams play with a certain bravado and confidence and usually they have the game won before the jump ball. Others rely on their athletic abilities however, play inconsistent ball and the result is poor execution and losses. We have 8 more exciting games this week and with the season winding down time is running out for some teams. Who will stand up and fight, and who will take on the challenge, only time will tell but let’s see what Milo thinks about this week games which would be the final push for some teams to make an impression and the playoffs. Let’s go.

Mt Sinai Tigers vs Bronx Hawks Express
West meets northeast as the tigers of Mt Sinai try and slow down the hawks from running express and drop them in the standings. Both teams lost last week and both teams need a win in the worst way. Bronx had an opportunity to move up in the overall standings but blew that opportunity. Now they face a Mt Sinai team that is underachieving to say the least. What are the keys to victory for both teams. Mt Sinai must play solid defense, shoot well from the field, minimize the turnovers, and maximize their opportunities. Bronx on the other hand must play with a sense of urgency, shoot well from the field, out rebound their opponent, and attack the paint. Look for a close game the first half but Bronx coaching staff would not be so forgiving this game. Bronx wins in blow out style as they stay with the pack.

River of Life Sustainers vs Sharon Shockers
Southwest meets northeast as the sustainers of ROL try and continue their epic climb from the basement a year ago to the mountain top this year. What a difference a year makes and for Sharon this season would be a good learning curve. You see in order to grow and reap the benefits as a team you must go through the struggles. ROL was in that boat for a couple of seasons and it finally clicked and they are fighting for their division. Sharon would be fine folks they are a young team that need to go through the grind in order to understand how to win. What I look for in new teams are their growth as the season progresses. Sharon must weather the storm and come to play every night because it would only make them better next year. What are the keys to victory for both teams. ROL must play solid defense, shoot well from the line, minimize the turnovers, and attack the rim. Sharon on the other hand must play loose and free, try and enjoy the game, work on improving team chemistry, and minimize the turnovers. This game would be over by the first half unfortunately. however don't sleep on the shockers heart. ROL wins this match up blow out style as they attempt to take over first place in their division.

Cornerstone Crushers vs Christian Fellowship Hawks
West meets southwest as the crushers of Cornerstone try and clip the wings of the high flying hawks and drop them in the standings. Cornerstone with their couple of wins assured themselves of a playoff berth. However, they need to continue to play team ball if they are to be considered a treat. Fellowship on the other hand is playing for their division and the way things are going any team in the southwest could be champs. Fellowship is one game behind in the standings for first place and with every team in their division playing with exception to Horeb the division is up for grabs. If somehow T&T and ROL lose and Fellowship wins they move from the bottom to the top in their division. 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. Fellowship on the other hand must play smart and attack the paint, shoot well from the field, get bench contributions, and out rebound their opponent. Look for a close game throughout but I feel Fellowship will want it more and for that reason I'm picking them to win this match up by 4 points as they make that climb to the top.

Bethany Ballers vs New Jerusalem Juggernauts
Battle in the east as the ballers try and continue balling and keep the juggernauts of NJ at bay. Bethany has been balling of late, they defeated the shockers of Sharon in what was a tune up for this week. They face the juggernauts who lost last week to New Life but was in the game to the end. What are the keys to victory for both teams. Bethany must play their solid defense, shoot well from the field, get bench contributions, and minimize the turnovers. NJ on the other hand must out rebound their opponent, shoot well for everywhere, attack the paint, and slow the game down. Look for a close game the first half but in the end Bethany has too much to lose and for that reason I'm picking them to win this match up blow out style.

Triumphant Tabernacle Kings vs Ephesus Eliminators
Southwest meets northeast as the defending champs put their life on the line as they battle the eliminators of Ephesus. T&T won last week and it was a good measuring stick for them. They defeated the Bronx team and was able to stay on top in their division but slightly. Ephesus squandered an opportunity last week by losing to the sharp shooters of Ebenezer. Now the stage is set and the winner would reap the spoils. If Ephesus wins and Bronx losses then they are sure to be the 2 seed in that division. If T&T loses and Fellowship and ROL wins then they drop out of the top spot. See how important this game is for both teams. What are the keys to victory for both teams. T&T must play solid defense, shoot well from the field, minimize the turnovers, and attack the paint. Ephesus on the other hand must play smart and attack the rim, out rebound their opponent, get bench contributions, and minimize the turnovers. Look for a close game throughout but I feel T&T have more to lose and for that reason I'm picking them to win this match up by 6 points as they hold on to the top spot in the division.

Corona Crusaders vs Mt Vernon Vipers
East meets northeast as the crusaders of Corona try and sting the vipers of Mt Vernon and get out the basement. Both teams are having a tough season and both teams have experienced success in the past. This year it's a different ball game because both teams are trying to rebuild their roster. What are the keys to victory for both teams. Corona must play solid defense, shoot well from the field, minimize the turnovers, and attack the paint. Mt Vernon on the other hand must play with passion and follow their coaching staff instructions, shoot well from the line, get bench contributions, and minimize the turnovers. Look for a close game because both teams are close, however, I feel Corona would find a way to prove their worth and for that reason I'm picking them to win this match up by at least 10 points as they get their second win of the year.

Ebenezer Sharp Shooters vs New Life Rejuvenators
East meets west as the sharp shooters look to build off last week win and take it to the rejuvenators and drop them out of first place. Both teams won last week and both teams are playing for pride. Ebenezer is locked into the second spot in the east behind the ballers of Bethany however, New Life is playing for all the marbles in the west. You see if New Dime loses which is a possibility this week and they could somehow win this game then they would move a game ahead of New Dime with one game remaining. What are the keys to victory for both teams. Ebenezer must use their size and out rebound their opponent, shoot well from the field, minimize the turnovers, and play with a sense of urgency. New Life on the other hand must push the rock, play team defense, out rebound their opponent, and minimize the turnovers. Look for a close game throughout because both teams want it. I expect to see lots of scoring however, in the end I feel Ebenezer size would be a bit of a problem for the rejuvenators and for that reason I'm picking the sharp shooters to win this match up by 4 points.

New Dimension Destroyers vs White Plains Professors
West meets northeast as the destroyers of New Dime take the challenge and try and stop the undefeated professors of White Plains in Milo's "Game of the week". I marked this game on my calendar because this is going to be the last chance for any team to stop the professors. They have one game remaining and it's against Sharon. New Dime has been off for a week and I know their players are well rested and ready for this huge challenge. New Dime can play with anyone in this league and if they come with that killer attitude then it's problems folks. White Plains is making history again because they have had 4 seasons where their team went undefeated during the regular season since Felix took over. What are the keys to victory for both teams. New Dime must push the rock, attack the paint, shoot well from the field, and minimize the turnovers. WP on the other hand must out rebound their opponent, shoot well from the field, minimize the turnovers, and play solid defense. Look for a close game throughout because both teams have players. What would be interesting is how well the guards of WP can control the two headed monster of the splash brother of New Dime. I expect to see lots of score changes and adjustments but in the end I feel WP size in the middle and experience would out last the destroyers. WP wins this match up by 3 points as they cruise to an undefeated season with one game remaining.

Well that's all for Milo's week 11 picks. Players come out and give the fans a show, fans come out and support your teams, and lets fellowship together. Remember to appreciate the good people in your life because life is too short. Remember to kiss those closest to you because God is love. Remember to show kindness to those you come in contact with because God expects that of his children. Remember to pray for those less fortunate than yourself because it could be your family or someone close to you that is affected. God is good to all of us and we need to show Him how much it means by sharing his love with others. No man or woman can save you, only through the grace of God can we be saved. Don't look for the faults in others because if God judges us on our faults then salvation would be lost and no one would be saved. Keep that in mind the next time you try and make excuses for not doing good or affecting someone's life in a negative way. Until next time this is Milo signing out. God Bless.