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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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?

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