Friday Nov. 5th
Wild Card versus FF7
The heavily favored FF7 squad came in Midgar arena to a crowd of more than 120,000 fans for the inagural game of the RPGBA. Celebrities from the VG universe were on hand to watch, including Mario, Link and Master Cheif. The Wild Cards, led by the speedy Jill Valentine didn't get the memo that the home team was supposed to win. Valentine immediately scored the games first 6 points and dished out four assists, including a half-court alley-oop to Zangeif. The first quarter left Team FF7 stunned 28-12, with Cloud and Sephiroth scoring 6 each.
Invigorated by the home crowd, Team FF7 jumped to a 10-0 run in the second, led by sixth man Reno, who scored the first six. To make things worse, when Valentine was replaced by backup point Lilka Elainak, the offense only managed four points, both shots by Evans beating the shot clock buzzer. Team FF7 wasted no time, going with a small lineup that featured Sephiroth at center and Cloud playing power forward. Aeris, Reno and Tifa played the other three positions, making it difficult for the Wild Cards to match their quickness and ball-handling. By the time Valentine came back in, FF7 tied the game at 36, with two minutes left. Valentine had problems this time around, with Aeris and Tifa switching off on guarding her up court. The Wild Cards managed ten points, and at the half, FF7 took the lead, 42-38.
In the third quarter, Coach Bass swicthed the lineup by moving Tina Armstrong to power forward, and Laguna to center. Jill, Lilka and Ashley filled the guard spots, hoping to match FF7's mix of quickness and agility. FF7 trotted out their starting lineup and exploited Wild Card's lack of size by allowing Barret to post up Laguna. After four straight baskets by Wallace, Bass called a timeout, switching to Brad Evans and Zangeif, Lilka and Laguna being replaced. The result was an impressive display of interior defense and rebounding, with Evans and Zangeif blocking any shots that came into their vicinity. Jill helped matters by creating open shots for everyone, especially sharpshooter Ashley Winchester, who nailed three straight three pointers. Reinvigorated, Wild Card marched to a 51-50 lead, forcing Red 13 to call a timeout. In an interesting switch , the whole starting lineup for FF7 was switched out for five fresh players. The speedy and energetic Yuffie saw her first time in the game, along with Cid Highwind, Vincent Valentine and Rude. Reno was paired with Yuffie to offset the duo of Valentine and Winchester. In this chess match of lineups, FF& and Wild CArd went back and forth in the final four minutes, Yuffie hitting a runner in the lane over Zangief at the buzzer to give FF7 a 65-64 lead going into the final frame.
The fourth quarter rolled around, and Red 13 pulled yet another trick out of his ... sleeve, Going with a lineup of Aeris, Yuffie, Tifa Valentine and Rude. Wild Card stuck with the effective lineup of Valentine, Winchester, Armstrong, EVans ad Zangeif. Both lineups played to their strengths, with FF7 flying around the court, getting every loose ball and making it tough for Valentine and Winchester to get comfortable. While the guards for WC struggled, Zangeif and Evans got offensive rebounds, keeping Wild Card in the game. Halfway through the final frame, FF7 led by five, 75-70. Bass called a timeout, switching out Valentine, Evans and Winchester with Glenn, Laguna and Rhymeless. Red kept in Rude and Tifa, bringing in Cloud, Sephiroth and Wallace. The crowd kept the energy up, which helped FF7 as Cloud and Sephiroth, shaping up to be a dangerous one-two punch in the league, scored seven points apiece as FF7 pulled away in the end, 94-82.
Stats
FF7 Aeris Gainsborough - 6 pts, 7 ast, 3 stl Tifa Lockheart - 8 pts, 4 ast, 3 reb Cloud Strife - 24 pts, 4 reb, 1 ast Sephiroth Hojo - 22 pts, 6 rebs, 2 ast Barret Wallace - 9 pts, 10 reb, 2 blk Cid Highwind - 4 pts, 2 reb Turk Reno - 8 pts, 1 asts, 1 reb Turk Rude - 4 pts, 7 reb Yuffie Kisarigi - 4 pts, 3 asts, 3 stl Turk Elena - DNP Rufus Shinra - DNP Vincent Valentine - 5 pts, 6 reb, 1 stl, 1 blk
Wild Card Jill Valentine - 14 pts, 13 ast Tim Rhymeless - 2 pts, 3 ast, 1 stl Tina Armstrong - 8 pts, 4 reb Ashley Winchester - 19 pts, 6 reb Zangief - 16 pts, 13 rebs, 5 blk Brad Evans - 12 pts, 12 reb, 4 blk Lilka Elainak- 2 pts ,3 ast Judecca - DNP Laugna Liore - 6 pts, 5 reb, 1 sl V. Joe - DNP Glenn - 3 pts, 2 reb
FF9 versus SO2
Fun City Arena was abuzz with news of what could possibly be the universes' deepest team, led by Claude Kenni and Dias Flac. FF9, one of the more underrated team, arrived late, but ready to play. The capacity crowd of 150,000 roared as the starting lineup of Star Ocean walked to the floor. FF9 finished talking with Garland before setting up for tip-off. Besides rebounding machine Adelbert Steiner, no one one the FF9 starting lineup was over 5'7", which could become a problem against the more balanced squad of Star Ocean's.
The first quarter started with a horrid shooting display by both teams. FF9 contested every shot by SO2, using their quickness and unusual athleticism to put a hand in the face of SO2's preimere shooter, Opera Vectra. FF9's main scoring option, Zidane Tribal, made only one basket, but Freya Cresent, with her great leaping ability, grabbed five rebounds, scoring on three of them. SO2 slowed the pace a little, but that didn't help, as FF9 led 15-10 heading to the second quarter.
SO2's lineup changed as the second quarter began. Only Claude and Dias remained, and were joined by Rena Decus and Indalecio. The scrappy FF9 team stayed with their lineup, and slowed down SO2's run and gun offense with a full-court press the pressure soon turned into easy points for Freya, Garnet and Zidane who each made uncontested lay-ups. With a double-digit lead, SO2 quickly resorted to launching three pointers form everywhere. All attempts clanked off the rim, creating long rebounds, most of which were corraled by FF9 and converted into points, including a reverse dunk by Freya which impressed even the home crowd. The rattled SO2 team, now down 24-10, called a timeout, and The starting lineup was back. FF9, which lacked the size most teams boast, replaced the bruising Steiner with the athletic Sir Fratley and the calculating Garnet with the smaller yet faster Zorn, whose twin Torn was a conditioning coach for FF9. While FF9's defense kept the clamps down on SO2's supposed explosive offense, Sir Fratley and Blank made sure FF9's point total changed. Team SO2 walked off court at halftime, being booed by the home crowd. And who could blame them? FF9's combination of a swarming defense and smart shot selection gave them an overwhelming 40-16 lead.
The third quarter gave fans a taste of what SO2 was capable of: instant offense and flashy finishes. Precis Neumann dished out seven dimes, slicing through FF9's defense and setting up Dias and Claude for up open shots. By the time FF9 knew what hit them, SO2 reduced the lead, 45-38. The offense of SO2 looked star quality as Precis again found Opera Vectra wide open, who had no trouble sinking a three-pointer, pulling within 4 points. Garland called timeout, immediately pulling Garnet and Zidane, who were being outplayed by their counterparts. Beatrix and Lani came in, making FF9's strategy different. Now, instead of a fast defense team, FF9 would have to play zone, which it could easily change to. In this defensive formation, the players forced SO2 to shoot, which it had to no trouble doing. SO2 met mixed results, much to the delight of FF9, who changed from run-and-gun toa half-court set. In this set, offensive players rested while the ball was passed around, looking for an open shot. Lani was the benefactor, hitting two straight shots, giving FF9 a 54-48 lead.
FF9 returned it's starting lineup in the fourth, but SO2 rested all of it's starters, bringing in Chisato, Bownman, Vepser, Indalecio and Ernest. The lineup did what it was supposed to do: keep the game close. After a rare turnover by Garnet, SO2 changed back to it's starting five, who inherited a 61-57 deficit. FF9 changed, replacing Blank with spring legged Fratley and Steiner with Coral, who had a surprising jump shot, but was used more for rebounding and defense. SO2 closed within one point after a three point play by Ashton Anchors, who'd been quiet until that point. After trading baskets, SO2 found itself down by two points with thirty seconds left. Both teams switched to their starting lineups. Claude and Dias were the main options, but Ashton found Opera, who sank a three pointer, leaving fifteen seconds. Garland quickly called a timeout, and switched Blank and Steiner with Kuja and Zorn, two of the better shooters. Garnet held the ball until there were five seconds left. Both Zorn and Kuja occupied either side of the three-point line. While SO2's defense focused on the perimeter, Garnet found Freya, who made their way to the middle as Kuja and Zorn moved around. She made the layup, leaving one second left. the crowd stood as SO2 broke out of its huddle, prepared for the final play of the game. Rena now was inbounding the ball, looking for Opera. Blank quickly covered the sharshooter, and Rena threw the ball toward the rim, hoping SO2's size adavantage would give it the edge in a possible tip. But, Freya finished what she started, blocking the attempt. SO2 was stunned in its home opener, 68-67.
FF9 Garnet Alexandros - 5 pts, 7 ast, 2 stl Zidane Tribal - 17 pts, 4 reb, 6 reb Freya Cresent - 10 pts, 8 reb, 3 blk Blank - 6 pts, 5 reb, 2 stl Adelbert Stiener - 7 pts, 12 reb, 1 blk Amarant Coral - 4 pts, 6 reb, 3 blk Vivi Ornitier - DNP Sir Fratley - 4 pts, 3 reb, 1 blk Kuja - Beatrix - 6 pts, 1 reb Zorn - 5 pts, 2 ast, 1 stl Lani - 4 pts, 3 ast
SO2 Precis Neumann - 7 pts, 14 ast Opera Vectra - 10 pts, 4 reb, 1 ast Claude Kenni - 13 pts, 5 reb Ashton Anchors - 6 pts, 7 reb, 3 ast Dias Flac - 8 pts, 6 reb Ernest Raviede - 5 reb, 2 blk Rena Lanford - 6 pts, 4 ast, 2 stl Bowman Jean - 5 pts, 3 reb Decus - DNP Chisato Madison - 4 pts, 3 stl Indalecio - 4 pts, 2 reb, 1 blk Vesper - DNP
Wild Card versus FF7
The heavily favored FF7 squad came in Midgar arena to a crowd of more than 120,000 fans for the inagural game of the RPGBA. Celebrities from the VG universe were on hand to watch, including Mario, Link and Master Cheif. The Wild Cards, led by the speedy Jill Valentine didn't get the memo that the home team was supposed to win. Valentine immediately scored the games first 6 points and dished out four assists, including a half-court alley-oop to Zangeif. The first quarter left Team FF7 stunned 28-12, with Cloud and Sephiroth scoring 6 each.
Invigorated by the home crowd, Team FF7 jumped to a 10-0 run in the second, led by sixth man Reno, who scored the first six. To make things worse, when Valentine was replaced by backup point Lilka Elainak, the offense only managed four points, both shots by Evans beating the shot clock buzzer. Team FF7 wasted no time, going with a small lineup that featured Sephiroth at center and Cloud playing power forward. Aeris, Reno and Tifa played the other three positions, making it difficult for the Wild Cards to match their quickness and ball-handling. By the time Valentine came back in, FF7 tied the game at 36, with two minutes left. Valentine had problems this time around, with Aeris and Tifa switching off on guarding her up court. The Wild Cards managed ten points, and at the half, FF7 took the lead, 42-38.
In the third quarter, Coach Bass swicthed the lineup by moving Tina Armstrong to power forward, and Laguna to center. Jill, Lilka and Ashley filled the guard spots, hoping to match FF7's mix of quickness and agility. FF7 trotted out their starting lineup and exploited Wild Card's lack of size by allowing Barret to post up Laguna. After four straight baskets by Wallace, Bass called a timeout, switching to Brad Evans and Zangeif, Lilka and Laguna being replaced. The result was an impressive display of interior defense and rebounding, with Evans and Zangeif blocking any shots that came into their vicinity. Jill helped matters by creating open shots for everyone, especially sharpshooter Ashley Winchester, who nailed three straight three pointers. Reinvigorated, Wild Card marched to a 51-50 lead, forcing Red 13 to call a timeout. In an interesting switch , the whole starting lineup for FF7 was switched out for five fresh players. The speedy and energetic Yuffie saw her first time in the game, along with Cid Highwind, Vincent Valentine and Rude. Reno was paired with Yuffie to offset the duo of Valentine and Winchester. In this chess match of lineups, FF& and Wild CArd went back and forth in the final four minutes, Yuffie hitting a runner in the lane over Zangief at the buzzer to give FF7 a 65-64 lead going into the final frame.
The fourth quarter rolled around, and Red 13 pulled yet another trick out of his ... sleeve, Going with a lineup of Aeris, Yuffie, Tifa Valentine and Rude. Wild Card stuck with the effective lineup of Valentine, Winchester, Armstrong, EVans ad Zangeif. Both lineups played to their strengths, with FF7 flying around the court, getting every loose ball and making it tough for Valentine and Winchester to get comfortable. While the guards for WC struggled, Zangeif and Evans got offensive rebounds, keeping Wild Card in the game. Halfway through the final frame, FF7 led by five, 75-70. Bass called a timeout, switching out Valentine, Evans and Winchester with Glenn, Laguna and Rhymeless. Red kept in Rude and Tifa, bringing in Cloud, Sephiroth and Wallace. The crowd kept the energy up, which helped FF7 as Cloud and Sephiroth, shaping up to be a dangerous one-two punch in the league, scored seven points apiece as FF7 pulled away in the end, 94-82.
Stats
FF7 Aeris Gainsborough - 6 pts, 7 ast, 3 stl Tifa Lockheart - 8 pts, 4 ast, 3 reb Cloud Strife - 24 pts, 4 reb, 1 ast Sephiroth Hojo - 22 pts, 6 rebs, 2 ast Barret Wallace - 9 pts, 10 reb, 2 blk Cid Highwind - 4 pts, 2 reb Turk Reno - 8 pts, 1 asts, 1 reb Turk Rude - 4 pts, 7 reb Yuffie Kisarigi - 4 pts, 3 asts, 3 stl Turk Elena - DNP Rufus Shinra - DNP Vincent Valentine - 5 pts, 6 reb, 1 stl, 1 blk
Wild Card Jill Valentine - 14 pts, 13 ast Tim Rhymeless - 2 pts, 3 ast, 1 stl Tina Armstrong - 8 pts, 4 reb Ashley Winchester - 19 pts, 6 reb Zangief - 16 pts, 13 rebs, 5 blk Brad Evans - 12 pts, 12 reb, 4 blk Lilka Elainak- 2 pts ,3 ast Judecca - DNP Laugna Liore - 6 pts, 5 reb, 1 sl V. Joe - DNP Glenn - 3 pts, 2 reb
FF9 versus SO2
Fun City Arena was abuzz with news of what could possibly be the universes' deepest team, led by Claude Kenni and Dias Flac. FF9, one of the more underrated team, arrived late, but ready to play. The capacity crowd of 150,000 roared as the starting lineup of Star Ocean walked to the floor. FF9 finished talking with Garland before setting up for tip-off. Besides rebounding machine Adelbert Steiner, no one one the FF9 starting lineup was over 5'7", which could become a problem against the more balanced squad of Star Ocean's.
The first quarter started with a horrid shooting display by both teams. FF9 contested every shot by SO2, using their quickness and unusual athleticism to put a hand in the face of SO2's preimere shooter, Opera Vectra. FF9's main scoring option, Zidane Tribal, made only one basket, but Freya Cresent, with her great leaping ability, grabbed five rebounds, scoring on three of them. SO2 slowed the pace a little, but that didn't help, as FF9 led 15-10 heading to the second quarter.
SO2's lineup changed as the second quarter began. Only Claude and Dias remained, and were joined by Rena Decus and Indalecio. The scrappy FF9 team stayed with their lineup, and slowed down SO2's run and gun offense with a full-court press the pressure soon turned into easy points for Freya, Garnet and Zidane who each made uncontested lay-ups. With a double-digit lead, SO2 quickly resorted to launching three pointers form everywhere. All attempts clanked off the rim, creating long rebounds, most of which were corraled by FF9 and converted into points, including a reverse dunk by Freya which impressed even the home crowd. The rattled SO2 team, now down 24-10, called a timeout, and The starting lineup was back. FF9, which lacked the size most teams boast, replaced the bruising Steiner with the athletic Sir Fratley and the calculating Garnet with the smaller yet faster Zorn, whose twin Torn was a conditioning coach for FF9. While FF9's defense kept the clamps down on SO2's supposed explosive offense, Sir Fratley and Blank made sure FF9's point total changed. Team SO2 walked off court at halftime, being booed by the home crowd. And who could blame them? FF9's combination of a swarming defense and smart shot selection gave them an overwhelming 40-16 lead.
The third quarter gave fans a taste of what SO2 was capable of: instant offense and flashy finishes. Precis Neumann dished out seven dimes, slicing through FF9's defense and setting up Dias and Claude for up open shots. By the time FF9 knew what hit them, SO2 reduced the lead, 45-38. The offense of SO2 looked star quality as Precis again found Opera Vectra wide open, who had no trouble sinking a three-pointer, pulling within 4 points. Garland called timeout, immediately pulling Garnet and Zidane, who were being outplayed by their counterparts. Beatrix and Lani came in, making FF9's strategy different. Now, instead of a fast defense team, FF9 would have to play zone, which it could easily change to. In this defensive formation, the players forced SO2 to shoot, which it had to no trouble doing. SO2 met mixed results, much to the delight of FF9, who changed from run-and-gun toa half-court set. In this set, offensive players rested while the ball was passed around, looking for an open shot. Lani was the benefactor, hitting two straight shots, giving FF9 a 54-48 lead.
FF9 returned it's starting lineup in the fourth, but SO2 rested all of it's starters, bringing in Chisato, Bownman, Vepser, Indalecio and Ernest. The lineup did what it was supposed to do: keep the game close. After a rare turnover by Garnet, SO2 changed back to it's starting five, who inherited a 61-57 deficit. FF9 changed, replacing Blank with spring legged Fratley and Steiner with Coral, who had a surprising jump shot, but was used more for rebounding and defense. SO2 closed within one point after a three point play by Ashton Anchors, who'd been quiet until that point. After trading baskets, SO2 found itself down by two points with thirty seconds left. Both teams switched to their starting lineups. Claude and Dias were the main options, but Ashton found Opera, who sank a three pointer, leaving fifteen seconds. Garland quickly called a timeout, and switched Blank and Steiner with Kuja and Zorn, two of the better shooters. Garnet held the ball until there were five seconds left. Both Zorn and Kuja occupied either side of the three-point line. While SO2's defense focused on the perimeter, Garnet found Freya, who made their way to the middle as Kuja and Zorn moved around. She made the layup, leaving one second left. the crowd stood as SO2 broke out of its huddle, prepared for the final play of the game. Rena now was inbounding the ball, looking for Opera. Blank quickly covered the sharshooter, and Rena threw the ball toward the rim, hoping SO2's size adavantage would give it the edge in a possible tip. But, Freya finished what she started, blocking the attempt. SO2 was stunned in its home opener, 68-67.
FF9 Garnet Alexandros - 5 pts, 7 ast, 2 stl Zidane Tribal - 17 pts, 4 reb, 6 reb Freya Cresent - 10 pts, 8 reb, 3 blk Blank - 6 pts, 5 reb, 2 stl Adelbert Stiener - 7 pts, 12 reb, 1 blk Amarant Coral - 4 pts, 6 reb, 3 blk Vivi Ornitier - DNP Sir Fratley - 4 pts, 3 reb, 1 blk Kuja - Beatrix - 6 pts, 1 reb Zorn - 5 pts, 2 ast, 1 stl Lani - 4 pts, 3 ast
SO2 Precis Neumann - 7 pts, 14 ast Opera Vectra - 10 pts, 4 reb, 1 ast Claude Kenni - 13 pts, 5 reb Ashton Anchors - 6 pts, 7 reb, 3 ast Dias Flac - 8 pts, 6 reb Ernest Raviede - 5 reb, 2 blk Rena Lanford - 6 pts, 4 ast, 2 stl Bowman Jean - 5 pts, 3 reb Decus - DNP Chisato Madison - 4 pts, 3 stl Indalecio - 4 pts, 2 reb, 1 blk Vesper - DNP