Third time was a charm for Luke Sontowski (43) and Cobra Kai, who finally beat Steve Schmidt (14) and The Rapture.
- Omaha's Rabine Financial played their semi-finals contest against the Bruins without fire-starters Troy Malone and Todd Klostermann, and it showed as the Bruins cruised 80-65. Gene Rafter had 17 points and 11 rebounds in an attempt to bolster Rabine's depleted attack, but the Bruins were clinical from deep (14-29 from 3pt range) and unloaded a 45-23 first half lead as they earned a spot in Omaha's first Gold Cup game. Cy Carlson had 25 points (7-13 from beyond the arc) and 7 rebounds, while Craig Hector's big night (11 pts, 15 rebs, 8 asts, 2 stls) keyed the Bruins performance. Heading to the offseason, Rabine Financial will be under pressure from their fan base to dole out max contracts to Klostermann and Malone as they attempt to make a run at the championship in Summer.
- Movers & Shakers will defend their Scottsdale title next week after pounding Old School 97-79. Tyler Bolli had a game-high 30 points, along with 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Chad Clum (29 pts, 13 rebs, 7 asts, 3 stls) put together another MVP-caliber line for M&S, while his teammate Matt Hatten (19 points, 12 rebounds) controlled the interior against a solid Old School frontcourt. Brent Diedrich (29 points) played well in the loss.
- An unexpected result from Minneapolis North propelled Cobra Kai over The Rapture 65-52 and into the Minneapolis Rec Gold Cup game at the Target Center. Cobra Kai had lost their previous two meetings to The Rapture where they were unable to field a five-man lineup. Last night, CK's seven players trumped the iron-five of The Rapture thanks to Luke Sontowski (15 pts, 10 rebs, 4 asts, 2 stls) and the defense of Dustin Dupont (14 pts, 5 rebs, 3 asts, 3 stls). A couple of 20-point nights from James McRoberts and Dan Simmer were not enough to overcome 20 committed turnovers by the once mighty Rapture. Falling a game short of the big stage, The Rapture will have to double their offseason efforts to re-organize their franchise. For Cobra Kai, they get the glory of representing the North at the Target Center in the first ever Minneapolis area Gold Cup.
MPLS REC GOLD CUP AT THE TARGET CENTER
June 27th, 4:00
#3 Cobra Kai (N) v. winner of Riddlers/Bobcats (S)
- A balanced effort from the PHX Ballas earned them a spot in the Scottsdale Finals, as they defeated Pup 'n' Suds 70-55. The all-around performances of Tyrone Jones (15 pts, 8 rebs, 5 asts) and Anthony Hesano (18 pts, 6 rebs, 7 asts) paced PHX by the one-man-show of Phillip Aholt (29 pts, 5 rebs, 4 asts, 2 stls, 2 blks) and the Pup 'n' Suds; now the Ballas can focus their attention on finding a way past the Movers & Shakers, who they did not face this season.
SCOTTSDALE FINALS
June 25th, 9:00
#1 Movers & Shakers v. #2 PHX Ballas
- The early edition of the Omaha semi-finals pitted #1 TBD against 5th-seeded PicksPokerTables.com. Without their center Aaron Langhorst, TBD was outmatched in the paint and were soundly beaten 68-49. The inside-outside combination of PPT center Bobby Wiese (16 pts, 13 rebs, 5 asts, 2 stls, 4 blks) and guard Josh Hopwood (23 points, 5-12 from deep) proved too much for TBD who shot just 29% and were outrebounded by eight. PicksPokerTables.com will have to tighten up their free throw shooting (12-31, 39%) ahead of their Gold Cup clash with the Bruins.
OMAHA GOLD CUP
June 25th, 7:00
#2 Bruins v. #5 PicksPokerTables.com
