PTL playoffs preview: 7/24/2014 (Semifinals)
Posted on 23. Jul, 2014 by admin in Iowa Basketball
By Brendan Stiles
HawkeyeDrive.com
Here’s a rundown of what Iowa basketball fans can expect Thursday evening as the Prime Time League semifinals are set to take place inside the Roberts Gym at the North Liberty Community Center. The winners of Thursday’s contest will meet July 31 in the PTL Championship Game:
No. 1 Jill Armstrong of Skogman Realty (3-1) vs. No. 4 Westport Touchless Autowash/IAHomesForSale (3-2), 6 p.m.
The first semifinal of the night will showcase a trio of Hawkeye players as junior forward Jarrod Uthoff and top-seeded Armstrong face fourth-seeded Autowash/Homes, which features the junior duo of Adam Woodbury and Anthony Clemmons.
While Armstrong earned a first-round bye after posting the league’s best regular season record this summer, Autowash/Homes reached this point by defeating No. 5 Vinton Merchants/Marion Iron Company 100-96 in its first round contest last week. In the win, Woodbury posted a double-double of 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting and 17 rebounds, while Clemmons also scored 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting and collected six assists and four rebounds.
Interestingly enough, Armstrong’s lone loss of the summer came at the hands of Autowash/Homes back on July 10 in Waterloo. Autowash/Homes won the game 98-76 thanks in large part to a 26-point performance from Clemmons, as well as a 22-point, 17-rebound outing from Woodbury. In defeat, Uthoff finished with 25 points and 19 rebounds.
For those seeking an intriguing storyline with this game, Uthoff and Woodbury rank first and second respectively among all Iowa players in the PTL this summer in total points scored and total rebounds. Uthoff is currently averaging 24.4 points and 13.8 rebounds per game, while Woodbury is averaging 23.6 points and 13.2 rebounds per contest.
No. 2 Culver’s/McCurry’s (2-2) vs. No. 3 L.L. Pelling/Comfort Care Medicare (3-2), 7:30 p.m.
Four Iowa players will take part in the nightcap between second-seeded Culver’s/McCurry’s and third-seeded Pelling/Comfort Care.
Suiting up for Pelling/Comfort Care are the senior duo of Gabe Olaseni and Josh Oglesby, which came up big last week in the team’s 113-99 first round victory over No. 6 BlendCard. Oglesby finished with a team-high 26 points on 9-of-18 shooting and also compiled six rebounds and six assists, while Olaseni put together a double-double consisting of 25 points and 12 rebounds.
Culver’s/McCurry’s earned the second seed and first-round bye after winning a four-way tiebreaker for second place via coin flip back on July 10. As a result of that, Thursday will mark incoming sophomore guard Trey Dickerson’s first PTL appearance at the North Liberty Community Center. Dickerson played in the two games Culver’s/McCurry’s had in Waterloo and to this point has averaged 17 points and 6.5 assists per contest. Culver’s/McCurry’s also features senior forward Aaron White, who is currently averaging 19.5 points and 10 rebounds through four PTL games.
Perhaps remarkably, Thursday marks the first meeting between these two teams this summer.
*Be sure to visit HawkeyeDrive.com following Thursday’s action at the North Liberty Community Center for ongoing coverage of the Prime Time League this summer.*
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