We Get Wet's frontline once again proved too much for an opponent as the team downed Anarchy 99 21-12 Thursday night. The threesome of captain Justin Funk, Jordan Cornette, and Jim Kilroy proved too much for Anarchy 99.
The three big men controlled both the offensive and defensive boards for the entire game.
Funk credited this rebounding edge with his team's strong showing.
"When we can do that, we can get out and run a little more," Funk said. "That's how we like to play every game."
Kilroy carried We Get Wet offensively, consistently nailing his shots from the perimeter. Funk and Cornette added inside scoring to bury Anarchy 99.
No. 6 CoCoa Butter 21, No. 11 Anthony Travel 14
CoCoa Butter defeated a short-handed Anthony Travel Thursday night thanks to the scoring duo of Ron Dokes and Bobby Brown.
Anthony Travel captain Pat Leonard went down at the very beginning of the game after being knocked to the concrete and injuring his head. Without Leonard, Anthony Travel was forced to play with four men for the rest of the night. Leonard is the managing editor of The Observer.
The game was dominated by the inside battle between Dokes and former Irish basketball star Harold Swanigan. The two big men banged inside throughout the game and traded baskets for much of the contest.
In the end, Dokes and CoCoa Butter won out, helped in large part by the one-man advantage.
"Some people were complaining about Dokes' physical play inside and how the game got a little rough, but we think he was just bringing Gaziantepspor-style basketball to the States," onlookers John Meiser and Michael French collectively stated. "We don't think Swanigan minded. He just had a little trouble dealing with it."
No. 3 Jack's Shorts 21, No. 14 Blue Collar Ballers 16
The game between third-seeded Jack's Shorts and Blue Collar Ballers remained close for most of the contest. With the game tied at 14, though, Jack's Shorts went on a huge run to end the game.
Led by big man Dan Parziale, Jack's Shorts turned up its defensive intensity and completely prevented Blue Collar Ballers from scoring inside during the second half.
Tom Witherspoon stole the show offensively for Jack's Shorts. The guard hit several key shots from the outside down the stretch.
Bookstore Commissioner Chris Murphy attributed Jack's Shorts' victory to the team's tournament experience.
"They've played together for a couple of years," Murphy said. "They have the experience of playing deep into Bookstore. They just have good team chemistry."
No. 5 Looking for a Sponsor at the Moment 21, No. 12 Linebacker Lounge 13
In an extremely physical game, Looking for a Sponsor at the Moment downed Linebacker Lounge 21-13 Thursday night.
Much of the contest was played inside the paint, with Looking for a Sponsor at the Moment's Jerome Collins and Jason Mays taking on Linebacker Lounge's Gary Godsey.
Collins in particular grabbed countless rebounds and consistently scored with an array of inside moves.
Rhema McKnight was a difference maker for Looking for a Sponsor at the Moment. The Irish receiver forced turnovers, turning them into several fast break points.
Spectator Ryan Curley was amazed by the game's physical nature.
"It was one of the tougher games I've seen," Curley said. "There was not a lot of finesse play. I was surprised at how tough it was for each team to score."
No. 1 U Got a Bad Draw 21, No. 16 Mean Girls 10
When you get a bad draw, anything less than your best just doesn't cut it. Just ask the 16th-seeded Mean Girls.
Dominating the boards and capitalizing on their size advantage, No. 1 U Got a Bad Draw propelled its way into the Elite Eight with a 21-10 win over Mean Girls.
"They were a great team and we needed to play our best, which we didn't," said Mean Girls' star Mike Ortiz. "We just didn't shoot well, so we dug ourselves in a hole early."
Lacking its opponent's size, Mean Girls tried to take advantage of its speed by using quick transitions and fast breaks down the court.
The strategy worked well in the beginning, and the game began 2-2.
"They're a really good team," said U Got a Bad Draw's Chinedum "God's Gift" Ndukwe of his opponents. "We had to work on getting back in our zone, playing at our own tempo."
With adjustments on defense and accurate shooting, U Got a Bad Draw went into halftime up 11-5, and opened the second half with a big run to make the game 17-7.
Mean Girls had trouble making shots in the windy South Bend evening and the team struggled against the 2-3 zone and Ndukwe's extraordinary ability to read passes and make steals.
Dan Stevenson also had a big game, dominating at the post position.
"He always does a phenomenal job playing physical down low," Ndukwe said.
Ortiz is happy with how his team did, and believes that the well-balanced attack of U Got a Bad Draw will be difficult to beat.
"They'll go far into the tournament," he said.
No. 4 State Theater 21, No. 13 Hannah's Storm 14
Even with the wind, Chris Murphy and Rich Whitney used their solid outside shooting to take the Sweet 16 by storm.
Taking an early lead after hitting a couple three-point shots in beginning of the first half, No. 4 State Theater went on to triumph over No. 13 Hannah's Storm 21-14.
State Theater held an 11-6 lead at halftime, but Hannah's Storm put up a valiant fight and kept themselves in contention.
Losing 18-9, Marti Inglesby and Co. of Hannah's Storm used their tough defense and outside shooting to move within five, making the score 19-14.
In the end, however, State Theater proved to be too much and now the team is looking forward to a good matchup tonight against Looking For a Sponsor at the Moment.
The teams met two years ago, with State Theater coming out on top.
"If we're shooting well from the outside, not many teams can stop us," Murphy said.
No. 9 Training Day 21, No. 8 Pudgy's Chicken 16
In a hard-fought, physical game, Training Day gave Pudgy's Chicken quite a workout.
The only official upset of the evening, No. 9 Training Day defeated No. 8 Pudgy's Chicken 21-16.
Pudgy's Chicken jumped ahead in the first few minutes, but Training Day came back to lead 11-8 at halftime.
Playing MBA students and special guest Carlyle Holiday, Training Day started the second half strong, extending their lead to 14-9, and then continued to dominate.
"We wore them down in the second half with our youth and athleticism," said Training Day's Brandon Burke.
Missed foul shots proved to be lethal for Pudgy's Chicken when the physical nature of the game sent players repeatedly to the line, but they only managed to make one of their shots.
For its part, Training Day is happy to move on to the Elite Eight, but does not have much time to bask in the upset.
"It was a pretty tough game today and we have an even harder one tomorrow, playing the No. 1 seed," Burke said. "We have to be ready."
No. 7 Platinum FUBU 2.0 21, No. 10 HP 14
Although no players were avaiable for comment, Platinum FUBU 2.0 will move on and play We Get Wet in the Elite Eight of this year's tournament.
