Last week we highlighted the ordeal that was the poor offensive side of the basketball for the PiR.
Not a lot of complaints this week.
The PiR scored 68 points on 51% shooting to beat the Ballers by 4 this past Monday. The 51% is the highest percentage team shooting wise in the organizations short 3 year history. Another stat to add, the team shot 56% from beyond the arc. The last time they did this? March 5th, 2012. Finally, one more to add with your breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The last time the team shot over 60% from the free throw line while taking 10 or more free throws? You'd have to go back to the 30th of January of this year to find a stat like that. The PiR hit on 18 of the 22 attempts they took from the line Monday.
The hits just keep on coming. After stalling offensively the first two games of the season, Brandon Hunter finally found his range going 5 of 10 from three, making 7 of 15 shots from the field and totaled a team high 12 free throws (making 10). He scored 29 points, added 9 rebounds, and controlled the pace from the beginning.
Going on, coach and captain Jason Hunter (18 points, 7 rebounds) has been shooting right around 30% from beyond the arc in these two plus years in the organization. He is shooting 61% on the year (11/18) and is right around 50% for a total mark this season.
"After last week, this was a great showing for us. Everything really came together," coach Hunter said after, "We battled all night and kept returning punch for punch, almost figuratively."
The game did turn into quite a physical battle against the Ballers. Battling inside, for loose balls, and taking the ball to the basket, no one left this game unscathed. Recently acquired guard Kyle Komer (9 points, 3 rebounds) has left both games bloodied. A sight that wasn't normal last season.
"You do what you have to do to win the game," Kyle said at his locker after, "I can see where these guys are coming from with how we have to play to win and what kind of respect we get from other teams. It feels great to win a game like this."
The PiR dressed only six players on this particular night. Ryan Stuver and Kyle Knapik were out for undisclosed reasons and Andy Kempf is still in a legal battle overseas. Rob Cruise started at the other big man position and gave the Price is Right something that they usually don't have inside: size over the other team.
The game went back and forth throughout.
A "momentum" type play happened with only 0.5 seconds to go in the first half, the game tied at 35. Inbounding from the near sideline, Jason Hunter slipped away and was seemingly uncovered as he took a pass running towards the basket. With no time to dribble the captain, caught, turned and fired a shot about five feet from beyond the three point line. It was nothing but net heading into halftime.
"We drew that up perfectly" Jason laughed.
Brandon elbowed his way into the ring of reporters, "Yea, he's wide open because they knew they should be doubling me!"
The Price is Right will face Boston Road next Monday at 7:25 EST. They were 1-1 as of this writing.
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