PTL playoffs preview: 7/17/2011 (First Round)
Posted on 16. Jul, 2011 by admin in Iowa Basketball
By Brendan Stiles
HawkeyeDrive.com
Here’s a rundown of what Iowa basketball fans can expect Sunday afternoon when the opening round of the Prime Time League playoffs gets underway at the North Liberty Community Center:
No. 6 McCurry’s/Mike Gatens Real Estate (2-5) vs. No. 3 Falbo Bros Pizza/Culver’s of Coralville (4-3)
3 p.m., Roberts Gym
The first of two games Sunday afternoon features a rematch from June 28 when McCurry’s/Gatens and Falbo/Culver’s tangle in the 3-6 contest. The winner of this match-up will face No. 2 Iowa City Ready Mix/Vinton Merchants (4-3), who secured the first round bye by virtue of winning a coin flip with Falbo/Culver’s on July 12.
This game will feature six members of the Iowa Hawkeyes. McCurry’s/Gatens features the trio of junior Eric May, senior Andrew Brommer, and freshman Josh Oglesby, while the Falbo/Culver’s trio consists of senior Matt Gatens, freshman Aaron White, and sophomore Melsahn Basabe.
Falbo/Culver’s found itself in a tie for second place with Ready Mix/Merchants after knocking off Jill Armstrong of Lepic-Kroeger Realtors 104-86 on July 12 to snap a two-game losing streak. Gatens bounced back from an off-night the weekend prior by tallying 17 points, nine assists and five rebounds. White led Falbo/Culver’s with 20 points, and Basabe secured a double-double of 12 points and 10 boards.
As for McCurry’s/Gatens, it lost 99-84 to Ready Mix/Merchants in its last contest on July 12 and found itself alone in sixth place at 2-5 as a result. May led the way with 24 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Brommer, in his third game back following offseason knee surgery, had 11 points and Oglesby had five points, six rebounds, and nine assists.
The previous contest between these two teams on June 28 was a 109-106 thriller won by Falbo/Culver’s, a game where Basabe, Gatens and White combined for 89 of the 109 points. While Brommer didn’t play for McCurry’s/Gatens, May and Oglesby did combine for 54 points that evening.
No. 5 Jill Armstrong of Lepic-Kroeger Realtors (3-4) vs. No. 4 Monica’s/L.L. Pelling Company (3-4)
4:30 p.m., Roberts Gym
The second game of Sunday’s doubleheader is also a rematch from June 28 when Jill Armstrong and Monica’s/Pelling meet in the 4-5 game, with the winner drawing top-seeded Coach’s Corner/Two Rivers Bank & Trust in the semifinals on July 19. Coincidentally, Corner/Rivers was unbeaten prior to losing two games last week to both of these teams.
Jill Armstrong won the previous battle between these two teams rather convincingly, taking down Monica’s/Pelling that evening, 120-96. In that win, sophomore Zach McCabe had 23 points and five rebounds. Monica’s/Pelling was led that night by sophomore Devyn Marble, who had 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Senior Devon Archie also had five points and six rebounds in defeat.
Despite losing head-to-head to Jill Armstrong, Monica’s/Pelling does enter this contest on a two-game winning streak, with the most recent being an 87-85 win on July 12 over Corner/Rivers. Marble had 19 points and seven rebounds last time out, while Archie had four points and five rebounds. It won the No. 4 seed for Sunday’s match-up by virtue of a coin flip since the teams played unbalanced schedules.
As for Jill Armstrong, it lost its most recent contest to Falbo/Culver’s, 104-86. McCabe had 20 points and seven rebounds.
*Be sure to visit HawkeyeDrive.com following Sunday’s action at the North Liberty Community Center for ongoing coverage of the Prime Time League this summer.*
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