Muskies, THEM Cruise to Season-Opening Victories

BLOOMINGTON SOUTH: Week 2 Power Rankings

By Ken Farmer | Bloomington South League Coordinator

1. Rebels (1-0)

Last week: W vs Red Devils, 52-41

The Rebels began their winter campaign with a strong defensive performance. They shut down the Red Devils attack, holding them to a 30 percent field goal effort. They suffocated their opponent at the 3-point line where they shot just 8-28 on their attempts beyond the arc. The Rebels dominated the turnover battle, forcing 10 turnovers while coughing up the ball just twice the whole game. They were a bit off on the offensive end, shooting just 32 percent from the field themselves, but were able to corral 12 offensive rebounds to give them second-chance points. Paul Ferber was active on the offensive glass where he collected 7 of his 18 rebounds and added 8 points. Cody Heinz paced the scoring with 17 points while Joe Epple provided a boost off the bench with 13 points.

2. THEM (1-0)

Last week: W vs Player’s Club, 80-46

Last season’s runner-up jumped on the Player’s Club early and took a 12-point lead into halftime, but it was the second half where they separated and put the game away. THEM scored 38 points in the second half while giving up just 16 points. Three players scored over 20 points to power the offense -- Devin Stensrude (27), Sam Hanson (24), and Jacob Barton (21). Stensrude and Barton each connected on five 3-pointers and the team shot 41 percent from 3-point range. Sam Hanson was a force inside making 10 of his 12 field goal attempts. They also received an all-around performance from Scott Rorvig who contributed 8 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists. On the defensive end, they held the Player’s Club to 27 percent shooting and 25 percent from 3-point range.

3. Guerrillas (1-0)

Last week: W vs Woj Bombs, 89-84

The Guerrillas had some trouble putting away the Woj Bombs and let them get back in the game, but in the end were able to claim a victory to start the season. The offense was in a good rhythm and they were excellent sharing the rock, posting 20 assists in the victory. Adam Hoven (8) and Allen Edwards-Madding (7) were able to find teammates all night and provided scoring opportunities for the offense. They shot 35 percent from 3-point range and made 12 in total. Half of those came from Bryant Marmol, who shot 55 percent from deep and scored a game-high 30 points. Double-doubles from Hoven (19 points, 13 rebounds) and Dajon McKnight (21 points, 16 rebounds) proved to be vital to secure the victory. They did give up 15 offensive rebounds and that is one area that the team will need to clean up as they head into their next game.

4. Muskies (1-0)

Last week: W vs Loons, 87-65

The Muskies’ offense shifted into another gear in a dominating second-half effort in their win over the Loons. The Muskies saw just a two-point lead at the break, but poured in 48 points in the second half. Their 3-point shooting ignited the offense -- the Muskies made 18 of their 45 3-point attempts. Jon Christenson led the team with six 3s made throughout the night and finished with 22 points. Adam Bevis was the star of the show and his impact was felt on both ends of the court, finishing with 28 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 steals, and 4 blocks. Bevis’ effort on the defensive end was the spark plug to the Muskies’ momentum in the second half. The Muskies did well on the defensive end too, allowing their opponent to shoot just 39 percent from the field. The Muskies did commit 10 turnovers in the game and should be an area of focus to improve throughout the season.

5. Woj Bombs (1-0)

Last week: L vs Guerrillas, 84-89

The Woj Bombs came up just short in their late game rally against the Guerrillas and start the season on a losing note. They were unable to slow down the Guerrillas potent offensive attack, but were able to have some success of their own on offense. While they shot 28 percent from 3-point range, they did shoot 43 percent overall from the floor and received a big boost from their offensive rebounding. The Woj Bombs collected 15 offensive boards as a team, led by Steve Springer’s 5 offensive rebounds. Springer’s 15 points was second on the team behind Jake Gave, who scored 25 points on 65 percent shooting. Gave also added 11 rebounds and 6 assists and gave the Guerrillas fits all night. Bronson Bartolo connected on 4 of his 9 3-point attempts and finished with 14 points to go along with his 8 rebounds. While it wasn’t the end result they wanted, there is plenty to build off of going into the next game. 

6. Red Devils (0-1)

Last week: L vs Rebels, 41-52

The Red Devils held the Rebels’ offense in check, but weren’t able to overcome their own offensive struggles in their season-opening defeat. Their 3-point shooting in particular let them down as they connected on just 8 of their 28 3-point attempts. They couldn’t make up for that inside the arc either and shot just 30 percent field goal for the game. The Red Devils were stingy on the defensive end and limited the Rebels to 32 percent shooting in the game. However, turnovers and giving up offensive rebounds ended up being the difference-maker in the game. On a positive note, the ball movement was evident by their assist numbers -- they assisted on 12 of their 14 made baskets. Alex Riley led the team with 5 assists and also scored a team-high 16 points. Luke Bruun and Jack Robertson each pitched in 8 points to aid the scoring effort.

7. Loons (0-1)

Last week: L vs Muskies, 65-87

It was a rough opening week for the Loons, who were missing some key players in Week 1. It was a close game for the first half of the game and they saw just a two-point deficit at the break. However, it was a different story in the second half where they had a point differential of 20 points. They were unable to slow down the Muskies perimeter scoring and allowed their opponent to make 18 shots from beyond the arc. They were able to answer some with their own 3-point shooting and converted on 11 of their 33 3-point attempts. JB Korte led the team with four 3-pointers and Tom Allcox made 3 of his 4 attempts from downtown. Walt Richard led the Loons in the scoring department with 20 points on 53 percent shooting. Korte scored 14 points in total and led the team with 12 rebounds. Aaron Lukitsch added 14 points of his own while dishing out a team-high 7 assists.

8. Player’s Club (0-1)

Last week: L vs THEM, 46-80

The Player’s Club envisioned their opening week going much differently as their opponent cruised to a Week 1 victory. The Player’s Club were down by 12 points going into halftime, but a 16-point second half sealed their fate in the opening week. Their offense struggled to find their rhythm, converting on just 27 percent of their field goals and 25 percent of their shots from beyond the arc. They only had 6 assists in the game, showing that the ball movement will need to improve going into their next game. Defensively, they weren’t much better, allowing their opponent to shoot 53 percent from the floor. Peyton Dixon was a bright spot on the offensive end, scoring a team-high 19 points. Tony DeBoer added 13 points to go along with his 11 rebounds. Cliff Robinson added 9 points coming off the bench and had 2 steals on the night. For the Player’s Club, this was simply a week to throw out the tape and move onto the next week.

Predictions

7 p.m. - THEM (1-0) vs Rebels (1-0)

A rematch of the Fall 2018 championship game. THEM will be looking to exact revenge for that loss, but will have to break down the Rebels’ tight defense. THEM showed potency on the offensive end in Week 1 and will need to bring a similar effort against the defending champs. The Rebels struggled a bit offensively opening the season and will need to rebound with a strong effort against a motivated THEM squad.

Rebels by 4

7 p.m. - Guerrillas (1-0) vs Loons (0-1)

The Guerrillas were in a flow offensively in Week 1 and we’ll see if they can carry that momentum into this week. Their ball movement was excellent and that will be a key in breaking down the opposing defense. The Loons struggled quite a bit defensively to start the season, but I expect them to bounce back with a strong effort. However, if they’re unable to slow down the Guerrillas, their offense will need to step up in a big way.

Guerrillas by 7

8 p.m. - Red Devils (0-1) vs Player’s Club (0-1)

Both teams struggled on the offensive end to start the season and will be looking to right the ship in Week 2. Water always finds its level and I expect an improved 3-point shooting effort from both teams. This game will come down to who can get stop on the defensive end. The Red Devils did have a solid outing defensively last week and they’ll be looking to carry that effort into their next game.

Red Devils by 5

8 p.m. - Muskies (1-0) vs Woj Bombs (0-1)

The Muskies came out on fire to start the season and the Woj Bombs will need to prepare to defend their perimeter shooting. The Woj Bombs struggled to slow down their opponent in Week 1, but have had a week to shore up their defense and I can see an improved outing from this team. They’ll also look to improve their 3-point shooting and will need it this week to match the fire power of their opponent.

Muskies by 6