Midwest Bball League Weekly (MBL Weekly) : 2016

Saturday, August 20, 2016

Final Regular Season Rankings; Champion crowned this weekend; Semifinal Matchups Breakdown

The Midwest Basketball League has had a very good inaugural season in which this weekend a Champion will be crowned.

After speaking with CEO Michael Andre Wright, he is very excited about the tourney and the future of the MBL.
With 3 guys getting legitimate overseas deals during the 1st season, & many more to come? Possibly a Womens Pro League as well?

"I'm blessed for the way the season has played out and the support we have gotten. We are really looking forward to the 2017 Season as well." Wright stated.

Heres our Final MBL Top 5 Regular Season Rankings assessment of the teams and what it will take realistically for each team to have a shot to hoist the MBL Championship this weekend in Minneapolis.

Can the Air Strikers go wire to wire for the chip'?

1) Dayton Air Strikers (12-1)   -
Dayton truly had a unbelieveable season, having 2 long winning streaks in between their loss early in the season... They have the deepest team in the league, a veteran coach, and some hungry players, coaches, and management... Despite the loss of top 5 scorer and All-League performer Joe Thomasson (Europe), the Air Strikers still are the team to beat. With 3 of the top defensive bigs in the league (Dwayne Martin, Eugene Wade & Mook Holmes) and good guards, look for someone to fill in Thomasson spot. The best defensive team in the league statistically.

2) Minnesota Rangers (11-3) -
The Rangers have shown they are the class of the West. Led by Rochester Rogers (26.6 ppg) & Dominique Dawson (19 & 12 rpg), the Rangers won 9 of their last 10 to secure the top spot. The Rangers have 6 guys who average double figures, so they have multiple weapons. However, the defense is what will lead the Rangers to a first ever Championship.

3) Indiana Fury     (10-3)-
With MVP Zach Payton leading the way, the Fury have been the most visible team in the MBL this year. Payton has had some monster games, and his teammate Reggie Lytle has had some as well. Lytle averages 31, so they have some serious weaponry with that 1-2 punch. The Fury came back in the 2nd half of the quarterfinals and now see themselves 2 games away from a championship. Can the incredible 1-2 punch of Payton and Lytle get it done this weekend?

4) Cedar Valley Court Kings (10-4) -
The Court Kings started slow, but have been a serious force since the middle of the season. Cedar Valley has won 9 of its last 11 and drug the Indiana Dream through the mud for a 50 point win in the quarterfinals last night. The Court Kings have the most balanced offense, with 6 players scoring in double digits, & nobody over 20 (Andre Norris 19.2).
The Court Kings seem to be a cohesive unit, and they could surprise this weekend. Coach Stan Hughes knows his boys must be ready and play as a unit to succeed.

5) Chicago Fury (9-4) -
Chicago rounds out our top 5 as they had a good inaugural season as well. Although there were some trying times for the Fury (Death of Johnathan Mills) the Fury still played well despite the inconsistencies of its roster at times. The Fury lost in the quarterfinals after having the lead, but nevertheless, it was a good season for Chicago.

Todays Semifinal Matchups

Indiana Fury vs Minnesota Rangers - In what will be a classic matchup, the 2 top players in the MBL will go at it as MVP Zach Payton will look to lead the troops over a home based crowd vs the Rangers and their do everything player in Rochester Rogers. Can the Fury overcome a hostile crowd, and hot Rangers team and pull off the upset? Or will the Rangers do what they've done all seaon and win the big game?

Cedar Valley Court Kings vs Dayton Air Strikers - In what will be a epic battle, can the Court Kings pull off the upset? They will have to play team ball and need their sum of their parts to be as one, in order to defeat the Air Strikers. Dayton has looked focused, but losing all- league performer Joe Thomasson could hurt. The Air Strikers boasts the leagues best  D, and if the Court Kings don't get rolling early, it could be a long day in Minneapolis.

Final Regular Season Rankings; Champion crowned this weekend; Semifinal Matchups Breakdown

Can the Air Strikers go wire to wire for the chip'?

Friday, June 10, 2016

Nieves garners Player of the Week; MBL Top 5

Fury Guard gets Player of the Week

The Indiana Fury just keep racking up the wins, and with that come the awards too.

Guard Xavier Nieves grabbed his first MBL Player of the Week Award as he dropped 34 points (15-21 FGs), led the Fury with 12 rebounds, dished out 8 assists, had 3 steals and a block on leading the Fury to their 6th straight win.

Nieves was on point all night, and the Fury needed it to hold off the Northern Indiana Monarchs.

This makes the 3rd guy to win the award for coach Steven Thurber and Indiana Fury.

MBL Top 5 (Week 3)

Here's our weekly rankings as we rank the best of the best in the MBL:

(1) Indiana Fury (6-1) - "Feel The Fury" is the Motto that Indiana has been going by. After that season opening loss, the Fury have shown they are and will be a title contender come end of season. With a good coach, positive fan base, and good players on the roster, the Fury are on the rise.

(2) Chicago Fury (5-1) - Chicago has shown that they are here for the long haul, after a convincing win over Wisconsin. They have won 2 straight, and look to be the top team in the West so far.

(3) Dayton Air Strikers (5-1) - The Air Strikers also have had a very good season, losing on the road once, and dominating just about every other game. The Air Strikers have their sights set on Minneapolis, and have the team that can get there.

(4) Minnesota Rangers (4-2) - Minnesota had a big win at its rival home court to move up to 4-2 & establish themselves as a upper tier team in the MBL. Can they stay there in the 2nd half of the season? They have a great 1-2 punch offensively.

(5) Hamilton Heroes (4-3) - The Heroes have been consistently inconsistent, which has somehow gotten them on the board. They have the talent to go far, but can they execute on the road and put it all together in the stretch run?

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Wednesday, June 8, 2016

West Recap: Fury continue to ride winning wave; Heroes get back on track

Heres the weekend results from around the MBL:

Xavier Nieves & Indiana Fury handling business

(EAST)
The Fury rallies late, win 6th in a row

The Fury continue their winning ways as they rallied late vs the Northern Indiana Monarchs to win their 6th straight game, and stay atop the MBL East;
After the Monarchs rallied to take the lead after the 3rd quarter, it looked as if the Fury would possibly fall and the Monarchs would end their losing streak.

Not so fast.

Xavier Nieves (34) & Zach Payton (38) led the Fury to a big 4th quarter, winning the quarter 42-36 & pulling out the win in a shootout 148-143.

Nieves & Payton were unstoppable, and it showed as they took it upon themselves to lead the Fury to a big win on the road.
Fury Head Coach Steven Thurber has been really happy with the play of his squad, but this win ranks high on the list after the comeback and the cirumstances.
Indiana moves to 6-1 while Northern Indiana falls to 1-5.

Heroes defeat Dream, move back over .500

In getting trounced by the Air Strikers last week, the Hamilton Heroes felt a little embarrassed.

The Heroes bounced back with a complete team effort to defeat the Indiana Dream 114-83 as Guard Lamont Cole led the Heroes balanced effort with 21.

While the game was close in the 1st half, Hamilton then poured it on in the 2nd half with a 62-40 advantage.

Hamilton had 7 guys - yep that's right - 7
guys in double figures (with the 8th guy leading the team in assists) as they put together their most complete game of the year.

Hamilton has been up and down all year, and this week was their "Up Week" as they got it in gear.

Hamilton now moves to 4-3 while the Dream fall to 0-7.

(WEST)

Chicago comes back strong in 2nd half, stay atop West
Chicago, led by PG McKinley Bell and Johnathan Mills, held off a tough Wisconsin squad and put on a great 2nd half as the Fury defeated the Storm 122-100.
Bell had 20 points, 8 dimes, 5 steals and 2 blocks while Mills led the Fury with 21 points & 25 boards.
With the lead only 1 at half, the Fury kicked it into another gear and moved to 5-1 on the season. Wisconsin falls to 2-4.

Rangers win "Battle of Minnesota"; move 1 game out of 1st place
With the state of Minnesota on the line, the Rangers took out the Broncos on their home court (Oxford Community Center) to win this round of the Battle of Minnesota.
With the game tied at half, the Rangers came out in the 3rd quarter and set the tone, as they outscored the Broncos 40-30 in the 3rd quarter to gain control of the game.

The duo of Dominique Dawson (28 pts, 12 boards) & Rochester Rogers (20 pts, 9 reb, 6 assists) was too much for the Broncos.
The Broncos were led by Darius Campbell 32 points, 8 rebs, 7 steals, & 4 assists.

The Rangers move to 4-2 while the Broncos fall to 2-4.

Cedar Valley rolls past Lincoln

The Court Kings took it to the new guys in the league, as they rolled over the Lincoln Lions at home at the Cedar Valley Sportsplex.

Cedar Valley came out firing, scoring 35 in the 1st quarter & setting the tone (35-18 lead) as they won every quarter, and was up 20+ at half.

Forward Marvin Singleton led the Court Kings with 21 points and 14 boards.
Cedar Valley had 6 guys in double figures.

Lincoln, who started the season in "Branding Mode", has shown they are ready for full season mode, and won their 1st game in the season.

But Cedar Valley wasn't having no celebrations by the Lions on their court.

Cedar Valley moves to 3-3 while Lincoln falls to 1-1.

Friday, June 3, 2016

Thomasson, Mills grab Player of the Week Awards

MBL has announced that Dayton Air Strikers Joe Thomasson & Chicago Fury Johnathan Mills have been announced as the MBL Players of the Week.

Not your "Average Joe" as Thomasson grabs Player of the Week Award

Thomasson led the Air Strikers to a 110- 80 trouncing of Hamilton last weekend.

Thomasson, the Wright State grad, dropped 21 points, had 6 boards, 6 assists, and 2 blocks in a great all-around effort to lead the Air Strikers (5-1) to a big win & a tie for the MBL East lead.

Thomasson, the smooth wingman, dominated on both ends of the court, and Hamilton had no answer for him.

Mills was beastly all day vs Chicago Clovers

Mills, the 6'6 power forward from Southern Miss, scored 29 Points and wrestled down a league-high 30 rebounds as the Fury held off the clovers 140 - 131 in the "Battle for Chicago"

Mills was completely unstoppable in the post, and that was a huge key to another victory for the Fury, who now sit atop the MBL West (4-1).

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Fury win 5th straight; Lytle grabs Player of the Week - again; Air Strikers Update

The Indiana Fury (5-1) won their fifth consecutive game as they dominated in the 2nd half to power to a win @ the Indiana Dream 147-123.

The game was 70- 69 @ half, as the Dream went toe to toe with the hottest team in the League..

However the 2nd half was all Fury as they continued to pile on the points while the Dream stuggled.

Reggie Lytle had another great performance, topping the 40 mark for the 2nd game in a row (41).
With 2nd leading scorer Zach Payton out, there were other guys who stepped up as well.

Marcus Smith dropped 24 points (hitting 4 3's) & had 4 steals while Deoun Williams added 17 & Brandon Mosely added 16.

The Dream, who fall to 0-6, was led by Steve Smith who had 40 points and a hefty 24 boards. The 7 TOs didn't help the squad, but still was a incredible game nevertheless.

The Dream had 4 players score 20+ (Smith 41, Dominique Williams 26, Evan Cotton 23, Austin Davidson 20), shot % 57 from the floor, and played a good offensive game...
except for 2 critical areas.

The Dream committed 26 turnovers, while the Fury had 11, and went 10-20 from the line, which was crippling factors in the "Battle Of Indiana".

Reggie Lytle grabs Player of the Week for 2nd week in a row

After another big time performance, elite scorer Reggie Lytle grabs his 2nd consecutive Player of the Week award with his performance on Saturday.

Without top scoring Zach Payton in tow, Lytle led the Fury to another win with 41 points.

Lytle went 7-9 from 3- point land, delivered 5 assists, grabbed 11 boards and also swatted 4 shots to bring the Fury home with another win.

Lytle has been on fire as of late, and is pushing for a possible MVP award come end of season.

Air Strikers - Northern Indiana game postponed

The Dayton Air Strikers - Northern Indiana Monarch game will be rescheduled as the game was not able to be played this weekend.

Saturday, May 21, 2016

MBL Top 5; A new team tops the poll; Will it stay that way after this weekend?

In our second edition of the MBL Power Poll, we have a new team atop the field.

Take a look at our rankings:

New "Cole" on the Block?... Heroes in Top 5

(1) Chicago Fury     (3-0)   - The Fury pulled out a gutty win last week, and combining that with the loss by the Air Strikers, catapults Chicago to the top spot. While they are favored (-8), it will be interesting to see if the Minnesota Broncos will compete, considering they lost by 40 last week.

   Note: The John Taylor - Kavaarian Williams matchup should be a hot topic considering they are 4 and 5 respectively in the scoring race. Both guys control the action from out top, and look for a battle to go down this weekend. Jemorris Wiles leads the MBL in assists by a big margin (13.5apg).

(2) Indiana Fury   (4-1) - After a sound victory over the Week 1 Poll Champs in convincing fashion, we had to put the Indiana Fury ahead of the Air Strikers, but since Chicago is undefeated, they get the #1 nod.
But clearly this Fury squad is the hottest, winning 4 straight and showing that they can win the close games as well. This is a team who could be headed for big things, and with the highest scoring duo in the league in Reggie Lytle and Zach Payton, watch out.

(3) Dayton Air Strikers (4-1)
      Although you could argue that the Air Strikers could still be at 1, they took a loss on the road to a tough opponent, who has the same record, so we dropped them a couple spots. Regardless, the Air Strikers still were in position to win the game until the eruption in the 4th by the Fury.
Look for a bounceback game in a test up in Northern Indiana to face the Monarchs this weekend.

The Air Strikers, despite the record, still hasn't shown their full potential, but have the best talent in the East, from player 1-15.

(4) Minnesota Rangers (2-1) The Rangers grab this spot due to the fact they were very close to being at the top spot. The dynamic duo of Damien Lolar and Dominique Dawson have the Rangers in position to do some big things. Lolar is in the top 5 in assists and is dropping 21 ppg as well, while Dawson is averaging 17 and 13rpg, which is Top 3 in the league and has recorded a 20 rebound effort already.

(5) Hamilton Heroes   (3-2) The Heroes grab the 5 spot with another win on the road vs a game Northern Indiana squad. Lamont Cole, little cousin of NBA Champion Norris Cole, has been leading the Heroes to a spot in the top 5. Now with the addition of former Air Striker Dominique White, the Heroes have solidified themselves as a possible contender.

Friday, May 20, 2016

Key Matchups go down as Battle for indiana resumes; Can the Fury stay hot?

Here's the key games for Week 7 in the MBL and how the match ups shape up as we hit the midseason.

(EAST)

Battle of Indiana resumes; Top 3 scorers in League go at it
Indiana Fury (4-1) vs Indiana Dream (0-4) @ Southside Muncie HS (Sat)

Overview:
Last time these teams played the Fury got their first W of the season (112-98) in Week 2. Since then the Fury have won 4 straight, while the Dream look to get in the win column.
The Dream have the top scorer in the League in 6'7 Steve Smith as he's averaging 38ppg, followed by Zach Payton (36) and Reggie Lytle (32)..

With Lytle (Last week player of the Week) & 2nd leading scorer Payton lighting it up on a nightly basis, it's gonna take a top flight effort from the Dream to grab their first W.

Dayton Air Strikers (4-1) @ Northern Indiana Monarchs (1-4) (Sat)

Overview:
Last week the Air Strikers took their first L of the season to a hungry Fury team. Can they bounce back @ another hungry opponent in the Monarchs?
The Monarchs will try to get back on track after suffering a loss last week, as they have seemed to lost their rhythm.
Look for Dayton Head Coach Chris McGuire to have his boys fired up after the loss last week coming late in the game.

(WEST)

Can FURY Stay Undefeated?

Now that the Chicago Fury (3-0) are the only undefeated team in the season left, the pressure is on Chicago. In winning the close game last week, now the Fury confidence is sky high.

Led by 6'1 G John Taylor, who explored for 42 in the game before, hit 8 3s, and has put the league in notice with his latest effort.

Chicago will be taking on Minnesota Broncos (1-2) on Sunday;
Look for the Broncos to lean on 5'9 dynamo Kavaarian Williams to try to get a win, as Williams is in the top 5 (28ppg) in the MBL in scoring.

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Lytle grabs Player of the Week Award after knocking off top team

The MBL East player of the Week is none other than Reggie Lytle, the guard for Indiana Fury.

Lytle took it to the Air Strikers all night to a tune of 41 points, including 7 3's from behind the arc.

They needed all 41 because the Fury had to outscore the Air Strikers in the 4th quarter to win.

Lytle is shooting 50% from the Field and is hitting almost 4 3's a game this season, en route to averaging 32 ppg.

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

MBL Recap: Fury win 4th straight, send statement to Air Strikers; Hamilton wins late

Indiana Fury End Air Strikers run, grab Share of lead
For the 1st month of the season, the Dayton Air Strikers have shown they were the premiere team in the MBL.

Not just the East, the MBL.

Well, looks as if they have some company at the top, as the Indiana Fury, led by the leading scorer in the league, dominated the 4th quarter to sprint past the Air Strikers on Saturday 135-117.

Two of the highest scoring teams in the league didn't dissapoint, and put on a show for the Indiana crowd.

The Air Strikers kept it competitive throughout the night and looked as if they would be 5-0 after taking a 3 point lead heading into the 4th;
the Fury came out, played inspired ball, and took it to Dayton, outscoring the Air Strikers 49-28 in the 4th qtr. Dayton, who appeared sluggish early, and seemed to have a off night, was tapped in the 4th, due to the Fury D, and offensive explosion.

Reggie Lytle (41) & MBL leading scorer Zach Payton (31) combined to score almost half of the Fury points themself. The Fury had 5 guys in double figures.
Lytle hit 7 3-ptrs and was dominant all night. Payton had a great night as well, and added 2 long balls

The Air Strikers suffered their first defeat of the season (4-1) & the Fury now are tied with Dayton in the East.

In talking with a Air Striker player, he felt Indiana caught them on a bad day, and is already looking forward to the rematch.

Hamilton holds off Northern Indiana 83-77, moves 1 game out of first place

The Heroes got a couple key players back, and the results paid off as they squeezed out a tough 83-77 battle on Saturday.

Lamont Cole & Bryan Tingle led the charge with double doubles, both scoring 23 points and the Heroes pulled out a tough win.

Cole, (younger cousin of Norris Cole), had a great game with 12 boards, and also hit 4 3's as well.

The Monarchs had their chances late, but couldn't hit the big shots when it counted.
Moses Sullivan led Monarchs with 21 points, with Julian Thompson (13) & Jordan Hester (14) chipping in.

While both teams shot poorly, Hamilton destroyed Northern Indiana on the boards, with a 60-31 advantage.

Hamilton moves to 3-2, now only a game out of first place, while Northern Indiana falls to 1-4.

Thursday, May 12, 2016

Key Match ups in week 6 as undefeated Air Strikers hit the road

As we hit Week 6 here are the key games for the Weekend in the Midwest Basketball League.
Here the top games for the weekend.

Dayton Air Strikers (4-0) @ Indians Fury (3-1)

Here are 2 of the top teams in the MBL who have been at the top of their game, and in Indiana this weekend they will be fighting for first in the division.
With the back to back player of the week in Zach Payton, the Fury have been on point early in the season, winning 3 straight, in which Payton has spearheaded the success.
He dropped 43 in his last game, leading the Fury to a win.

The Air Strikers, who were the top team in the MBL Poll, won easily 132- 96 last week, to grab their 4th win of the season,to stat at the top of the league.

Devaughn Buntyn, the former Air Striker, will be back and ready to go as he joins a team that has been smacking teams down all season.

While both teams like to push the tempo the keys to this game will be simple; which team plays the better D? Who shoots the better 3?
Can anyone stop Zach Payton?

Hamilton Heroes (2-2) vs Northern Indy Monarchs (1-3)
Hamilton has had a decent run so far this season, up until last week.
Led by guard Dwight Johnson, he's averaging 20pts and 6ast a game.

Northern Indiana will be at home and want to get back in the W column. Both teams are coming off a loss, so expect a great game.

The Monarchs have the top rebounder in the league, leader Julian thompson with 23. Can he help carry his Monarchs to a big w?

Friday, May 6, 2016

MBL Top 5; Key Matchups this weeken

With another exciting weekend of basketball goin' down in the Midwest Basketball League, here's the top Teams in the League and who they battle going into Mothers Day Weekend:

MBL Rankings (Week 1)

(1) Dayton Air Strikers (East) (3-0) - The Air Strikers have shown that they will be a championship contender as they look to improve to 4-0 with a win at home this weekend. With balanced scoring from the entire team, the Strikers have started fast and shot straight to the top in the MBL.

(2) Minnesota Rangers (West)(2-0) - Minnesota has the 2nd spot after winning decisively in their first two games. Coach Jason Sandifer has done a great job with the team early;
Can they keep it up in a big matchup coming up?

(3) Chicago Fury (2-0) (West) - Chicago also has handled business in their first two games, and now have the marquee matchup soon as they will battle Minnesota for the top spot in the West.

Should be a great matchup.

(4) Hamilton Heroes (2-1) (East)- Hamilton has gotten their feet squarely on the ground after a loss in game 2, with a nice win last game. Can the Heroes continue up the charts this weekend?

(5) Indiana Fury (2-1) (East) - Indiana squeezes into 5 spot after winning 2 of their first 3 games.

With the 3rd leading scorer in the league with Zach Payton, the Fury are sure to be primed for the weekend.

KEY MBL Matchups this weekend

(Mothers Day)

Indiana Fury vs. Hamilton Heroes

Which team will grab the 2nd position in the MBL East? Both teams have started to show promise. Can the Heroes win at home? Or will Zach Payton and the Fury grab a key road win?

Indiana Dream vs Dayton Air Strikers

Can the Dream get on the board and pull off the upset of the MBL season? While they have been competitive, victory has eluded them. Can they do it against the top team in the MBL so far?

Monday, May 2, 2016

Top Scorers battle as Fury defeat the Monarchs; Hamilton stops Dream from getting their first win

With all the hype that surrounded the top 2 scorers going into the weekend, the MBL buzz was starting to get real.

Zach Payton (Fury) and Julian Thompson (Monarchs) were the #1 & #2 scorers going into the game.
However, by the end of the game, there were a few more names to watch out for.

And as for that MBL scoring title?

Things just got a little more interesting.

Who are the Top scorers in the MBL? Click here:
http://www.htosports.com/teams/default.asp?u=MIDWESTBASKETBALLLEA3&s=basketball&p=stats&psort=points#dt_p

Fury hold off Monarch rally to win

   The Indiana Fury got their second win of the season as they defeated the Northern Indiana Monarchs 132-126 at home on Saturday night.
   The Fury controlled the game for the most part, but the Monarchs made multiple runs to get back into it, and almost stole the game at the end.

Payton had a monster game with a triple double to boot
- 28 pts, 22 boards, and 13 dimes to lead the Fury.

He wasn't the only one who shined for the Fury, who now are 2-1 in the MBL East.

Reggie Lytle dropped 34 points, hitting some clutch buckets, including a trio of 3-ptrs and was 7-8 from the Free Throw line, helping the Fury solidify the win.

   The Monarchs fall to 1-2, as MBL's 2nd leading scorer Julian Thompson was held to only 12 points.

Lavell Harris scored a whopping 48 points, hitting 7 3s. Aaron Armstead added 39 in the loss.

Dream fall short, stay winless as Hamilton grabs win

      The Indiana Dream now know that sometimes the first W is the hardest to get as a franchise. And right now, that first victory has eluded them like a cool dream you wake up from and want to go back in, only to know you're back in the reality.

The Hamilton Heroes moved to 2-1 with a hard earned 117-109 victory @ Muncie Southside School.

The Dream started fast, getting a early lead in the 1st quarter and leading at 29-21.

After the 1st quarter, the Heroes got it goin', outscoring Indiana 65-47 in the 2nd and 3rd quarters.

Indiana made a push, but the rally was short, as the Dream stay winless at 0-4.

Want to see the Full Team Standings in the MBL?
click here:     http://www.officialmbl.com/stats/standings

Saturday, April 30, 2016

Top 2 scorers in the League go at it tonight; Can the Dream win today?

With the MBL in full swing, the matchups now start to get interesting as you can see who's who, which teams are the cream of the crop, and what players could be the best of the best.

MVP candidates, top scorers battle it out

Today will showcase the two top scorers in the MBL as Northern Indiana Monarchs (1-1) will take on Indiana Fury (1-1).

Northern Indiana has the 2nd leading scorer in the League with Julian Thompson. The 6'6 powerful forward, Thompson has electrified the MBL with his scoring (37.5) and rebounding (26rpg) prowess and has sent a statement to the League in the 1st 2 games.

The Fury has the the leading scorer in the MBL in Zach Payton, as the dynamic wing who is averaging 39 ppg, 16 boards and 5 assists a game.

Although it's still early in the season, but these two guys have clearly shown they will be in the MVP race, barring any setbacks.

Both teams are 1-1, & the battle for Indy is up for grabs today.

The game is at 6pm today @ the Christian Community Center in Harlan, Indiana.

Can the Dream get their first win?

In other action in the MBL, the Hamilton Heroes take on Indiana Dream 6pm at Southside middle school.

Hamilton is lead by Dwight Johnson from Dayton, Oh with 20.5 pts and 7.5 ast. Johnson leads the league in assists. Hamilton also has a good player in Bibbs, who is ready for a breakout game.

The Dream who look to get in the W column, which would be their first this season.

Dream are led by Steve Smith who is averaging a whopping 36 pts 16 rebs, & 2 blks a game.

Saturday, April 16, 2016

Air Strikers win 2nd straight

The Dayton Air Strikers garnered another win in the Midwest Basketball League on Saturday night as they ran past the Northern Indiana Monarchs 113-89.

Monarchs look to regroup

The Air Strikers jumped out early to a double digit lead in the 1st quarter, and never really looked back.
The Monarchs got back into the game briefly in the 2nd quarter, cutting it to 10, but could never really get it back into single digits the rest of the way.
The Air Strikers were led by sharpshooter Scott Stuckey, who dropped 25 and 5 boards with a few 3-balls. Dwayne Martin (22) and Scottie Jones (17) help spearhead the attack, led by Coach Chris McGuire.

Northern Indiana was led by Thompson who racked up 25 points and 18 boards,- while Savage (21) and Dowell (17) were the top scorers for the Monarchs, who fall to 0-2

The Air Strikers looked like they were a step ahead all night, and could be headed for a good season in the Midwest Basketball League.

Stats:
Northern Indiana - Fluker 7pts, Savage 21pts, Dowell 17pts, Bujar 10, Johnson 9, Thompson 25, Whittier 3 reb;

Dayton Air Strikers - Innocent 2 pts, 8 rebs; C. Montgomery 9pts 4 rebs; E. Wade 11pts 11 rebs, K. Willis 8pts 4ass 4rebs, Stuckey 24 pts 5 reb; T.Heard 9pts 5 ass 4 reb; T. McGuire 11pts 4 rebs; S. Jones 17; D. Martin 22 pts 8 reb;