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!
Monday, December 20, 2010
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1 comment:
Wow, that was a fun article on the Liahona's victory. It always seems like if their players have faith that they can win, their shots will be aimed in the right direction.
I admired the fact that 3 of the 5 Liahona players had double digit scoring. That is extremely rare in my league but it does happen occasionally. When I play, I try to feed it to the better player or the player with the hot hand.
Anyway, great post. You have to admire Shops's perseverance in the face of adversity.
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