Despite a late scoring drought, Chock Full O'Nuts was chock full of what it took to win its game Thursday night against the Platinum FUBU All-Stars, pulling out a 22-20 victory.
"If we didn't shoot 20 percent from the line, we would have won a lot sooner," Chock Full's Josh O'Farrell said. "We should have won by 10, but they were a good team. We're not trying to take anything away from them."
As play dragged on for nearly an hour and a half, one spectator said, "This is a marathon game."
Aggressive rebounding may have been key for Chock Full, who managed put-backs as well as drives.
William Bingle was an inside force for Chock Full, as O'Farrell dominated play with his ball-handling skills. FUBU's crisp passing kept Chock Full's zone defense moving.
The game was tied at 19 as O'Farrell put Chock Full within one point of victory. The game was tied by FUBU, and the teams missed a combined total of four foul shots in the last minute.
O'Farrell scored the winning point on a foul shot.
State Theatre 21, Bend it Like Bryant 10
Although it was a Thursday night, State Theatre was jumping, as well as shooting sweetly, over Bend it Like Bryant.
The game was close at the half, but State Theatre, led by Ben Nickol and Chris Murphy, pulled away for a healthy margin of victory at the end.
"We just need to keep shooting well and not have to go down low," Nickol said.
"We need to keep up [this level of play] for the next two days," Murphy added.
Jack's Shorts 21, The Redick Wannabes 14
In a come-from-behind victory, Jack's Shorts waited until the game's last minutes to blow the Redick Wannabes away.
Jack's Shorts was behind at halftime, and the teams swapped leads early in the second half until Jack's Shorts made it 16-14.
"We changed up our offense a bit, which shut them down in the second half," said Jack Short's Dan Parziale.
He attributed the victory to a technical called on The Redick Wannabes at the end of the game.
"That really turned the tide," Parziale said.
No. 2 Library Lounge 21, No. 15 Thor and the Thunderbolts 10
What at first appeared to be a close game was anything but as Library Lounge overwhelmed Thor and the Thunderbolts.
Library Lounge was ahead early 3-2 - a lead they never relinquished. Once the Library Lounge started making shots, they afforded Thor and the Thunderbolts little opportunity for scoring. Library Lounge captain Justin Funk praised teammates Greg Durm and Jim Kilroy, who were both adept at capitalizing on scoring opportunities during the game.
"We came out making wide open shots at first and then later on in the game, our shots started to drop," Funk said. "We got to halftime in a hurry after [Durm] and [Kilroy] opened up the offense for us."
Funk said the Library Lounge "had the game in hand" at halftime, when the team led 11-2. From that point on, the team turned on its jets and played a much more offensive-minded game.
No. 8 Clericuzio 21, No. 9 Team Truth 16
There's no denying the truth - that is unless it's in reference to Team Truth.
No. 8 Clericuzio overcame a dogged No. 9 Team Truth. Marcus Boldin jumpstarted the Clericuzio effort, shooting 4-for-4 at the free throw line.
At halftime, Clericuzio lead 11-6, but Team Truth quickly surged back to narrow the lead to 13-12. It was at this point that Boldin stepped in to contribute the crucial free throw points.
Clericuzio's Irvin Jones was also essential to the team's success, according to captain Adam Senior.
"Every time we needed a basket, we looked to [Jones]," Senior said.
No. 1 KPMG 21, No. 16 Wet Hot American Ballers 13
KPMG proved why they were deserving of the No. 1 seed defeating Wet Hot American Ballers in one of the most fiercely contested games of the tournament.
Sporadic fouls interrupted this fast-paced game, controlled for the most part by KPMG. KPMG took an early lead 9-5. The Wet Hot American Ballers, however still held their ground.
"They were just a bigger and stronger team," Wet Hot American Ballers captain Seth Ufeil said. "We couldn't even foul them,"
Teammate Mike Peters said he was confident a rematch would result in a different outcome, however.
"We could still play them anytime, anywhere though," Peters said. "Dinner? Literally. Anytime."
KPMG's Jeff Samardzija cited teammate Carlyle Holiday as the key to the game and added that he was overall satisfied with the team's efforts.
"We're a fast, athletic team and they played right into our hands," Samardzija said.
No. 7 USB/SMG 21, No. 10 Derelict 19
The match between USB/SMG and Derelict was not a matter of basketball skills.
It was all about looking good, according to USB/SMG captain Chris Murphy.
"We were the prettiest on the court, and we just decided that we were more beautiful than the other team and deserved to win," Murphy said.
Derelict took an early lead 3-1 in a game that was characterized by perimeter passing and short-range shots. Although USB/SMG eventually went on to win 21-19, both teams remained within two points of each other the entire game.
Because the two teams were so evenly matched in height and skills, the game was one of the longest lasting ones of the night. Derelict held on to its lead 8-6 before USB/SMG rallied. Murphy said what fueled the rally was a more patient offense.
"When we got to 11-17, we tried to be more patient and work the ball. I think that's what kept us in the lead," Murphy said.
No. 4 Jordan Toyota 21, No. 13 More Cowbell 14
More Cowbell captain Matt Parsons could think of no better way to describe the game.
"It was just like John Starks in the '94 [NBA] finals. We came up short," Parsons said.
Jordan Toyota defeated More Cowbell 21-14 Thursday night, using quick passes and increased intensity to their advantage. More Cowbell took the lead early in the game 6-5, but Jordan Toyota quickly gained control of the pace of the game to wear out their opponents.
Jordan Toyota's Rhema McKnight alluded to a foul that More Cowbell committed midway through the game as the source of their comeback and ultimate win.
"Our team didn't appreciate it, so we stepped up the game.," McKnight said. "We're a pretty fast team, so we used it to our advantage."
