First Round Earthquake

The Saints were picked to beat the Hillsiders by double digits. The Hillsiders barely made the playoffs with two unimpressive wins (How?). In the third week of the season, the Saints beat the Hillsiders in horrific fashion. It was a 22 point beat-down that technically should have knocked the Hillsiders out of the league.... OK - I hope you get the point. This game was not even supposed to be a contest.

The Saints made their statement early. They opened up a six point lead in the first quarter behind 10 points by Ivan Ragen. The Hillsiders shocked a lot of people as they hung around throughout the second quarter. They were down by six late in the half and then hit a couple of buckets to pull within one. Kusto hit a HUGE three pointer from the corner just seconds before the halftime buzzer (24-23 Saints at halftime)

We have seen these things happen all the time. The little guys hang around for most of the game and then fall off at the end. People said all along that they couldn't - and they usually don't. Apparently, the end of the second quarter triggered a spark of belief for the Hillsiders that turned into a bonfire to start the third quarter. While the announcers and fans expected the Saints to open the lead up, the Hillsiders went to work. They hit five three pointers in a row - UNBELIEVABLE! Two of those three pointers came from Jeffrey Danes, a Power Forward, who has only hit two three pointers all season long. Bobby Young, the point guard for the Hillsiders, hadn't scored a single point in the first half, yet he dropped three three pointers as well. All of the things that the Saints weren't supposed to let happen - HAPPENED. The Hillsiders amassed 23 points to double their first half output.

The Saints took a beating in the third quarter and could never recover. They cut the lead to five with five minutes to go, yet forced too many threes that wouldn't drop.

The Hillsiders shook up the playoff world pretty big with their 55-48 upset over the Saints. Are the Hillsiders really that bad? A look through their season would show that they only lost to the top ranked Liahonas by 2 as well as the third ranked Iron Rods by the same total. This team has it in them to beat the best teams, yet they have also dropped a handful of headscratchers.

Do they have enough magic to become the ZBA champions? The ZBA commissioner has an opinion on that.... This earthquake may shake up future playoff systems. To Be Continued!

Nephites and Missionaries Battle

Coming into the game, the Nephites were a two and a half point favorite. Any average ZBA fan knows that is pretty amazing considering the way these two teams started the season. After battling from a 1-3 start, they reeled off five wins in a row. On the other hand, the Missionaries won five out of their first six games yet dropped the last two regular season games. The Nephites only loss came against the Liahonas (The top ranked team in the league), and it was a dog fight that came down to the end.

The game played out much like the seasons did for both of these teams. The Missionaries held a five point lead (23-18) at halftime after a couple of solid highlights: Christensen missed a three pointer, grabbed his own offensive rebound and through down a dunk as the defenders watched from the front row! Ken Preen also had a pretty breakaway layup after a nice steal.

Middway through the third quarter, the Missionaries held a 27-22 advantage before the Nephites would go on a huge 19-4 run. Behind 18 points and 9 rebounds from Campell and also 14 points (3 assists and 3 rebounds) by Jolly, the Nephites dominated the second half. They built a big 10 point lead with 5 minutes to play in the game.

The Missionaries would fight and claw the lead down to four, but Campell was too much to handle. He hit two clutch shots to seal the deal. Just like the last half of the season, the Nephites closed the game out strong. They have now won six out of their last seven games.

The Nephites will now meet the only team in their way of the ZBA championship game - The Liahonas! The only problems is - The Liahonas beat them the first time around. Will the Nephites be able to exact revenge?

Liahonas Escape With First Ever ZBA Playoff Win

The Liahonas and Pioneers debuted in the first ZBA Playoff game ever. While the Liahonas were the team to beat all year long, they found themselves trying to bounce back after their loss to the Iron Rods (Their only loss of the season). The Pioneers, on the other hand, had a huge win in their last game. They upset the Missionaries to sneak into the playoffs.

The Pioneers held an early 9-7 lead before the Liahonas took off on a 13-0 run that started late in the first quarter and continued into the second. The Liahonas opened the lead up to 11 (20-9) behind great plays from Tornup, Damion and Shops. Afrenshia would then take charge and help the Pioneers regain the lead before halftime (24-23). The Pioneers ended the half with a huge 15-3 rally behind Afrenshia's 13 points.

The Liahonas struggled on offense in the 2nd quarter only scoring 7 points. Shops was one of the major contributors to the scoring woes. He was blocked twice and also air balled two forced shots.

Middway through the 4th quarter, the Liahonas held a slight lead when Jim Shops bricked a three pointer. As luck would have it, the ball bounced right back to him for another three point attempt - and he "Totally Redeemed" himself! His three pointer put the Liahonas up 43-38 with only five minutes to play. Shops then iced the game with two free throws. After his 4th quarter heroics, Shops was asked how he was able to make those plays after his struggles in the 2nd quarter: "I was frustrated to miss those shots in the second quarter. I let my team down, yet I was grateful that they trusted me enough to keep shooting. I really felt that I could make the plays despite what anybody else may have thought. It felt good to help my team in the end to get the victory!"

Travis Dexter, the leader of the Liahonas, had one of his worst games of the season. He only pitched in 6 points and 5 rebounds. Tornup (14 points), Shops (13 points) and Damion (12 points) lifted the Liahonas to victory. The sign of a great team is winning when your leaders struggle. While the win may not have been by a large margin, The Liahonas averaged winning in the regular season by the exact score of this game. They rarely have blown teams out, yet they have found a way to win a league leading eight games.

Afreshia finished with 17 points and 5 rebounds in a losing effort for the Pioneers.

The Liahonas now await the winner of the Missionaries and Nephites. The Liahonas beat both of those teams in the regular season. They are now one win away from the ZBA championship game!

Playoff Seeds Announced

After much debate, controversy, and plenty of waiting, the ZBA Athletic Director has released the following statment along with the 1st ever ZBA Playoff Bracket. "We appreciate the patience of all ZBA fans. We realize that this has been a growing process for all of us. After much deliberation, and dialogue among all team directors, we have decided on the following playoff bracket. We believe that this is the most fair bracket that we have announced to date, and we have the support of each team. As we continue to grow as a league, we will make decisions that will be in the best interest of all teams and our excellent league! Thank you again for your patience. Now, let the games begin!"
As promised middway through the season, the top team in each league would play against the bottom team in the opposite division, and the second placed team from each division would swap to balance the brackets and allow the best two teams a chance at reaching the championship game.

Controversy Brewing

After the Pioneers win over the Missionaries, the last week of the season, ZBA officials sent out the playoff seeding for the Modern Day Division. The Pioneers, who ended 4-4 (3-2 in MDD) were listed as the 2nd seed. Many teams and fans reacted negatively to a 4-4 team being placed as a 2nd seed. Sources have discovered the controversial formula that went into the decision: The Pioneers beat the Missionaries and the Angels (Both teams that ended 5-3 and 3-2 in the MDD). While the head-to-head wins were impressive, the Pioneers also ended with four losses. The top teams in both divisions have supposedly complained saying that they feel teams should be seeded based on their performance for the whole season - not just divisional standings. The Stake Athletic Director is in the process of reviewing the situation. He has not made an official statement on the playoff structure or the seeding, but has said he will make an announcement soon. He has also said they are finalizing the stats for the regular season and will release that information when it is complete.

The changes would affect the Pioneers. If they remain a 2 seed, they will play the Nephites. In a few other formulas that have been tossed around, they would be the 4 seed and would likely play the Liahonas. It has been said that the Liahonas are the most vocal about the change being made. If the seedings remain, they will play against the Angels - a team that they beat at the buzzer early in the year.

A recent fan poll on the ZBA website shows that nearly 80% of the fans want to see the Pioneers as a 4 seed.

Modern Day Division Playoff Seeds Determined

1 Saints
2 Pioneers
3 Missionaries
4 Angels

All four playoff teams ended the conference season with three wins and two losses. This log jam caused the ZBA executives to detmine the seeding based on the head-to-head records against the other playoff teams in the same division. The Saints and Pioneers went (2-1) while the Missionaries and Angels went (1-2) . Since the Saints beat the Pioneers during the season they took over the top spot. The Pioneers shocked the ZBA world by moving up from 5th to 2nd with their victory over the Missionaries. Let's just say they beat the right team(s) at the right time! The Missionaries, who assumed the second seed most of the season, dropped to third, and the Angels qualified with their win over the Mormons to round off the four teams from the MDD. Each of these teams will now wait to see who they play. That will be determined as the Ancient Day Division games wrap up.

Pioneers Rattle The Modern Day Division Standings

The Pioneers playoff hopes looked bleak just two weeks ago. After the close loss to the Mormons, many felt their season was done. They faced the Missionaries in a last-week-of-the-regular-season duel. The Missionaries had not only secured a top three seed in the the playoffs, but also had a chance to become the #1 seed after the Saints startling loss to the Templers. Everyone expected the Missionaries to take advantage of this opportunity. The Pioneers had different plans. The restult - Another last week upset, the highest scoring game in ZBA history, and a whole new playoff picture. The Pioneers win helped to cause a four way tie between all of the playoff teams in the MDD.
The Pioneers showed a new attitude early in the game. They had three dunks in the first quarter alone. Kevin Rollem (Who?) had eight points in the opening quarter to lead the charge. He was the MVP of the game after finishing with 22 points, 7 Rebounds, and 5 assists. Chandler Xales (pronounced Shales) pitched in 19 points, and added 10 assists and a steal.
Neil Owenstot, who many claim as the MVP of the league and of the Missionaries, had 25 points and four assists.
Xales sealed the game late. He had a big three pointer with six minutes remaining, and also hit all four of this free throws down the stretch.