The EMAC gets it started

Prologue
The opening Monday of the season means its just another EMAC Monday.  Who cares about the cold we'll still watch it in person.  We start it off with a bang as 2 heavyweights get together.  Hiawatha visiting Avail in what initially appears on paper to be Hiawatha's toughest league test of the year.  Both teams really like to get up and down so this one shouldn't be boring.  Nothing like seeing a dad call his kid over to the sideline during a free throw and then have him over while the rest of the team is huddling during halftime.  Like what in the world are we doing?

Song of the Day: Manic Monday - Bangles

Food And Beverage Counter:
Hot Dogs: 1
Sausage Pizza: 1
Coke: 48.9 oz (boo)
Pepsi: 0 oz (hooray!)

Game Time
Hiawatha opens up an 8 point lead midway thru the first half.  As expected, the pace is quick. Avail scoring when they don't turn it over but those turnovers are a major problem (SPOILER ALERT).  They score on 7 out of 9 trips to knock out some of that margin.  Then they score on 7 of their last 10 trips.  Josiah Loge with 2 layups and a pair of freebies in the last couple minutes of the half.  FEAR THE RHINO as Avail jumps in front 43-41 at the half.

Romelle Bell decides to go beast mode for Hiawatha in the 2nd half.  He has 3 buckets and 5 offensive boards before you can blink.  Then Avail turns it over on 7 out of 9 trips.  Bell 3 more inside buckets.  MD Daud with a 3 and a bucket.  Jessye Lewis rejoins the fun with a bucket after a strong first half.  77-55 Hiawatha as we go under 10 minutes left.

But Avail has a league MVP level of player too.  Josiah Schaap 4 bonus free throws sandwiched around a right wing triple.  He adds 2 more freebies and a bucket and we have a game once again.  Avail is back within 79-70 with 6 minutes left thanks to a 13-0 run.  10 point game with just over 4 minutes left.  Benches chirping all night, particularly Hiawatha's side of things.  That results in a technical but Avail makes only 1 free throw and turns it over on the possession.  Big loss of momentum there.  They convert a turnover into a bucket with 1:56 left to cut it to 7.  Bell slams the door with a 3 point play and Daud adds a 3 just to make sure the resistance is over.  Hiawatha wins 97-83

Post Game
Take a deep breath after this one.  This will be one of the faster paced games I see all year with each team going thru 93 possessions.  Both teams now 1-1 on the season.  Hiawatha gains the early inside track to the EMAC title with the win.  Avail continues a 5 game homestand with league games against Liberty and Math & Science next week.  Hiawatha continues a 5 game road trip to start the season with a game at Hmong Academy on Thursday.  They'll end that with a trip to Minneapolis South next Wednesday.

Romelle Bell was the huge difference in this one for Hiawatha.  He goes for 21 of his 27 points in the 2nd half.  Avail with no answer for his physical play in the post or on the glass.  Jessye Lewis with 18 of his 26 in the first half.  That included 4 triples.  MD Daud with the other 4 Hiawatha treys and 18 points.  Daud getting his looks off baseline runner action.  I expected more pick and roll with Lewis or maybe just let Bell pop off that, but didn't see much of it.

Josiah Schaap with 15 of his 20 in the second half to keep Avail close.  Deacon Bock with 21, soph Zach Schaap with 19.  Zach appears to be the third Schaap in line to be a top guy for the Valor over the next couple years.  Both teams not going very deep and heavy reliance on the starters.  Hiawatha effectively using their athletes to pressure full court and cause the turnovers that were the difference in the game.  Avail will have to find an answer to that pressure in the rematch.

Czar Insights

For details on exactly what the value in the chart mean, click here for the full explanation of Czar Insights. This one was a doozy for stats.  Avail gets 35 less FG attempts, loses 2nd chance points 25-8 and the points off turnovers 38-5.  Yet somehow this was a 7 point game late.  Avail actually won 3 of the 4 factors, but losing turnovers 31-12 and giving up 38 points on those and only getting 5 the other way was just too much to overcome.  Czar's Law loses but gets the standard * next to it, winning team did win turnovers with the EFG loss.