They had their worst game, best game, and now their final game of the season in the playoffs this year.
After they gave the Kings everything they had (Andy Kempf career high 14 points, 7 rebounds - Brandon Hunter 26 points, 9 rebounds - Kerry Hunter 14 points, 12 rebounds - 47% shooting from field - 67-45 win), the Reignmakers came up short, literally, against Fighting Fancus for the second time this year.
It will be the final time this season.
With only one player on their roster shorter than anyone on the Reignmakers, Fancus hurt the good guys on the offensive and defensive ends. Nothing came easy for the Reignmakers. They combined for only 16 two-point shots, showing that the path to the basket was clogged time after time. Only making three of those 16 shots (19%) shows they failed to shoot a high percentage when they did make it into the lane.
The Reignmakers felt better shooting the three (31%) and took them 26 times. But a sub-par shooting effort all around felled the Reignmakers as they will head home with the playoffs still rolling.
"Their height bothered us. It bothered us last time we played them," Coach Jason Hunter said after the game; his eyes facing down, towel over the head in the locker room. "We try not to make excuses, I had a chance to hit some big three's and missed. We all just seemed to miss our chance. It sucks. It hurts."
Not everyone missed. Without Clinton Weigel's three three's, the Reignmakers probably lose by double-digits. Not known for his shooting touch, Weigel, who is easily the Reignmakers quickest team member, hit on 6 of 8 threes he took all season. His hustle on defense is the main reason the team signed him this year.
"I just play my part," he said afterwards, "I know they wanted me here to run, play good D and just do what I do. Its a bonus for everyone if Im hitting shots. We just didn't hit enough of them tonight."
The Reignmakers fell behind early. Jason's two free throws near the end of the second half made it a 12 point game, 25-13, where you could already see how much of a battle it would be for the Reignmakers to deal with Fancus's size. Kerry Hunter had no rebounds in the first half, one total for the game. The team had a low 23 rebound total and only managed two free throws all game.
"We can only do so much physically, with our height," Kerry told the media at the press conference, "did we think we deserved more calls underneath? Absolutely. Who doesn't? Hitting the glass is something you need to do as a unit. We did that better in the second half, getting bodies on people, we just didn't have it tonight."
The Reignmakers started off on run in the second half and even lead for the first time since the 3-0 score at the beginning of the game, 34-32. Weigel hit his third three to give the Reignmakers a lead, but the team failed to score within the last couple minutes and Fancus hit their free throws.
"It was great to see us battle back. We are a second half team, thats where we have made our runs all year," Brandon Hunter (10 points, 9 rebounds) said. "We just couldn't finish. We did our best, we will be hungry next year. No one gave us a shot. I'm not even sure we gave us a shot. We know how good we are now, we want to win it all. Thats what we are here for."
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In Reignmakers headquarters news, the team is looking hard into signing guard Michael Giardina this coming season. The guards season overseas has come to and end and he has made his way back into the States looking to continue his career here again. It was being reported that him and his agent have met with the team, but no concrete measures have been made as of yet.
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Brent Hunter is another name you might be seeing more next season. The forward played in just three games this year for the Reignmakers, but averaged just over 17 points and 6 rebounds for the club. Brent would look to be entered into the starting lineup, pushing Coach Jason Hunter back to his original sixth-man spot, giving the bench more scoring power.
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The Reignmakers are now also in talks about a name change this coming season as well, as well as new team colors. The team was looking to make a push for the change especially if they did not win a championship this year.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Reignmakers win in Defensive Battle
After a forfeit win in the second playoff game, the Reignmakers moved onward in the bottom half of the bracket against Buckeye Super Wash tonight.
After coming out firing the first 5 minutes, hitting on four three pointers and leading 12-2, the team only scored 22 points the rest of the way.
Seemingly a recipe for disaster, the Reignmakers eeked out a 34-33 win.
It was a battle won on the defensive end and on the glass. The Reignmakers did not give anything away inside and made it tough for Buckeye to score layups or get second chance points.
Only playing with 6 guys because of injuries and illness, the Reignmakers man-ed up inside and played bigger than they were. Brandon Hunter led the team on the other end and hit the go-ahead three and tipped a key pass late, which Ryan Stuver gobbled up to end the game.
The good guys led 34-33 with over a minute left and stopped Buckeye on five seperate occasions on the defensive end. The zone never broke and the inside stayed strong, helping the Reignmakers pull out a victory.
They will play next week on Monday versus Kings, who they defeated by 20 in the regular season.
After coming out firing the first 5 minutes, hitting on four three pointers and leading 12-2, the team only scored 22 points the rest of the way.
Seemingly a recipe for disaster, the Reignmakers eeked out a 34-33 win.
It was a battle won on the defensive end and on the glass. The Reignmakers did not give anything away inside and made it tough for Buckeye to score layups or get second chance points.
Only playing with 6 guys because of injuries and illness, the Reignmakers man-ed up inside and played bigger than they were. Brandon Hunter led the team on the other end and hit the go-ahead three and tipped a key pass late, which Ryan Stuver gobbled up to end the game.
The good guys led 34-33 with over a minute left and stopped Buckeye on five seperate occasions on the defensive end. The zone never broke and the inside stayed strong, helping the Reignmakers pull out a victory.
They will play next week on Monday versus Kings, who they defeated by 20 in the regular season.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Reignmakers Falter After First Round Bye
After an improbable regular season where the Reignmakers finished 10-1 securing a first round bye in the playoffs, everything looked good heading into the post season.
But alas, is was not meant to be.
After a two week hiatus from basketball, the Reignmakers struggled on the offensive end and it cost them the game, mustering only 47 points and losing to Sidelines.
The Reignmakers shot only 21% from three and 29% from two and had one of their lowest rebound totals, 26, of the season. Leading scorers Jason and Brandon Hunter combined 3/19 from beyond the arc, and without a scoring punch, the Reignmakers needed better play on the defensive end.
They failed on that regard as well. Sidelines had two players hit from deep time after time and decimated the 2-3 zone that has worked so well this season.
A long layoff seems to be the downfall of the Reignmakers season. Their only loss of the regular season came off of a week long wait against Fighting Fancus, and the team also struggled in a win after another week layoff a few weeks later. But the two weeks seemed to have got the better of them this time.
"We failed on both ends of the floor," veteran Kerry Hunter said after, "We didn't hit our shots, we didn't play defense. We can't blame the time off, we have to be ready.
The Reignmakers were also struggling with their manpower as well. Coach Jason Hunter had been battling the flu and wisdom tooth issues the past week, Clinton Weigel has a possible broken thumb on his shooting hand, Kerry Hunter is still working through his bad back, and Mike Petrilli was also battling and illness that him and Jason seem to share.
"No excuses. We can't make excuses. There is no tomorrow after Sundays game," Coach Hunter replied when asked about his mid-game blowup Monday night. "They had two guys killing us. I was frustrated, we couldn't score, I couldn't score. There isn't much we could do when they have guys on fire like that. We picked a bad night to have a terrible game offensively."
The Reignmakers will play Your Carpenter on Sunday in the lower half of the playoff bracket. A loss will eliminate either team from the playoffs. The road to the championship does not get any easier with that in mind and the Reignmakers will now have to win two games in a row, if they get that far, in the championship game to win it all.
The Reignmakers were awarded a forfeit win against Your Carpenter in the final game of the regular season when the team did not show.
But alas, is was not meant to be.
After a two week hiatus from basketball, the Reignmakers struggled on the offensive end and it cost them the game, mustering only 47 points and losing to Sidelines.
The Reignmakers shot only 21% from three and 29% from two and had one of their lowest rebound totals, 26, of the season. Leading scorers Jason and Brandon Hunter combined 3/19 from beyond the arc, and without a scoring punch, the Reignmakers needed better play on the defensive end.
They failed on that regard as well. Sidelines had two players hit from deep time after time and decimated the 2-3 zone that has worked so well this season.
A long layoff seems to be the downfall of the Reignmakers season. Their only loss of the regular season came off of a week long wait against Fighting Fancus, and the team also struggled in a win after another week layoff a few weeks later. But the two weeks seemed to have got the better of them this time.
"We failed on both ends of the floor," veteran Kerry Hunter said after, "We didn't hit our shots, we didn't play defense. We can't blame the time off, we have to be ready.
The Reignmakers were also struggling with their manpower as well. Coach Jason Hunter had been battling the flu and wisdom tooth issues the past week, Clinton Weigel has a possible broken thumb on his shooting hand, Kerry Hunter is still working through his bad back, and Mike Petrilli was also battling and illness that him and Jason seem to share.
"No excuses. We can't make excuses. There is no tomorrow after Sundays game," Coach Hunter replied when asked about his mid-game blowup Monday night. "They had two guys killing us. I was frustrated, we couldn't score, I couldn't score. There isn't much we could do when they have guys on fire like that. We picked a bad night to have a terrible game offensively."
The Reignmakers will play Your Carpenter on Sunday in the lower half of the playoff bracket. A loss will eliminate either team from the playoffs. The road to the championship does not get any easier with that in mind and the Reignmakers will now have to win two games in a row, if they get that far, in the championship game to win it all.
The Reignmakers were awarded a forfeit win against Your Carpenter in the final game of the regular season when the team did not show.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
No Deals Done for the Reignmakers
As the trade deadline loomed for the NBA, the Reignmakers were working the phones as well for the BRBL. But not as hard as others.
The Reignmakers were looking to see if they could add another big man, with the team being unsure of how long Kerry Hunter was going to be out for in the playoffs.
"We looked at a few possibilities, we weren't really thiking we would be in this position as the season progressed. But when our big man went down, you have to look," Coach Jason Hunter said.
As stated before, the team was not looking too hard at making any big moves, but they did put some feelers out. They did dangle a couple of future draft picks it was reported, but only got lukewarm interest from a handful of clubs.
The team also put calls out to the agent of ex-NBA'er Raef LaFrentz, but nothing came to fruition.
"We have faith in this team, this organization," top scorer Brandon Hunter said, "we know we have what it takes on this roster to win a championship. We want to do that not only for us, not only for our fans, but for the doubters. Mostly for them."
The Reignmakers were looking to see if they could add another big man, with the team being unsure of how long Kerry Hunter was going to be out for in the playoffs.
"We looked at a few possibilities, we weren't really thiking we would be in this position as the season progressed. But when our big man went down, you have to look," Coach Jason Hunter said.
As stated before, the team was not looking too hard at making any big moves, but they did put some feelers out. They did dangle a couple of future draft picks it was reported, but only got lukewarm interest from a handful of clubs.
The team also put calls out to the agent of ex-NBA'er Raef LaFrentz, but nothing came to fruition.
"We have faith in this team, this organization," top scorer Brandon Hunter said, "we know we have what it takes on this roster to win a championship. We want to do that not only for us, not only for our fans, but for the doubters. Mostly for them."
Monday, February 21, 2011
Regular Season Review
The Reignmakers ended their regular season with a forfeit win over Your Carpenter. The team ends their season with a 10-1 record which placed them 2nd overall in Division II.
The Reignmakers will get a first round bye in the upcoming playoffs. They will play the winner of Sidelines and Shawn Kemps Kids, both who were beaten by the Reignmakers during the regular season.
The long break may give the team a chance to recover from various injuries that plagued them over the last few weeks. Kerry Hunter will get more time to heal from his bad back, Chad Dobson, who injured his wrist in the final true game of the season, will have two weeks, and Clinton Weigel coming off of heart surgery, will all benefit from the hiatus from the hardwood.
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Here is a look at some regular season highlights from the year:
Jason Hunter
11.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg
34% from 3
Brandon Hunter
22 ppg, 8.3 rpg
264 total pts, 100 total reb
41% from 2
Brent Hunter
17.3 ppg, 2 rpg
Kerry Hunter
10.2 ppg, 7.6 rpg
112 total points, 84 total reb
55% from 2, 76% FT
Chad Dobson
.3 ppg, .9 rpg
Andy Kempf
2 ppg, 4.3 rpg
40% from 3
Mike Petrilli
4.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg
Clinton Weigel
4.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg
53% from 2, 60% from 3, 54% FG
Ryan Stuver
1.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg
Team Stats
43% FG, 33% 3P, 38% FG, 63% FT
57.4 ppg, 33.8 rpg
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The Reignmakers will get a first round bye in the upcoming playoffs. They will play the winner of Sidelines and Shawn Kemps Kids, both who were beaten by the Reignmakers during the regular season.
The long break may give the team a chance to recover from various injuries that plagued them over the last few weeks. Kerry Hunter will get more time to heal from his bad back, Chad Dobson, who injured his wrist in the final true game of the season, will have two weeks, and Clinton Weigel coming off of heart surgery, will all benefit from the hiatus from the hardwood.
---
Here is a look at some regular season highlights from the year:
Jason Hunter
11.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg
34% from 3
Brandon Hunter
22 ppg, 8.3 rpg
264 total pts, 100 total reb
41% from 2
Brent Hunter
17.3 ppg, 2 rpg
Kerry Hunter
10.2 ppg, 7.6 rpg
112 total points, 84 total reb
55% from 2, 76% FT
Chad Dobson
.3 ppg, .9 rpg
Andy Kempf
2 ppg, 4.3 rpg
40% from 3
Mike Petrilli
4.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg
Clinton Weigel
4.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg
53% from 2, 60% from 3, 54% FG
Ryan Stuver
1.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg
Team Stats
43% FG, 33% 3P, 38% FG, 63% FT
57.4 ppg, 33.8 rpg
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Monday, February 14, 2011
Injury Update
The Reignmakers will be without big man Kerry Hunter and energetic Clinton Weigel again for tonights game.
Hunter is still nursing a back injury and Weigel, who had minor heart surgery (as minor as heart surgery can be), is still recovering as well.
The Reignmakers will likely start both Hunter brothers, Andy Kempf, Mike Petrilli, and Ryan Stuver.
The final regular season game will be tonight at the Brunswick Rec Center. Tip off is set for 6:30 EST.
Hunter is still nursing a back injury and Weigel, who had minor heart surgery (as minor as heart surgery can be), is still recovering as well.
The Reignmakers will likely start both Hunter brothers, Andy Kempf, Mike Petrilli, and Ryan Stuver.
The final regular season game will be tonight at the Brunswick Rec Center. Tip off is set for 6:30 EST.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
No Center? No Problem
The only thing that the Reignmakers seemed to miss with Kerry Hunter on the bench with a back injury was the jump ball.
Everything else went smoothly.
The Reignmakers grabbed a season best 55 rebounds and had four players in the double digits rebounds on the night as they found another way to win, 51-41, against Buckeye Superwash.
Brandon Hunter, Jason Hunter, Andy Kempf, and Ryan Stuver all picked up the slack underneath as they had 13, 14, 10, and 14 rebounds respectively. Brandon and Andy tied season highs, while Jason and Stuver bested theirs.
"We all knew the areas in which we had to step up with our big guy out tonight," Ryan Stuver said afterward. "It was good to see the team effort on the boards."
The shots were not exactly falling for the second night in a row. The game as actually still tied at zero after about five minutes in the first half, but the Reignmakers found the bucket and lead 21-12 at the half. Those 12 points being the least given up in one half by the team this year.
The second half was more of the same, but Buckeye made a run early when the 2-3 zone started to break down.
"There one guy had a bunch of shots in the lane, easy shots," Coach Hunter commented later, "for the first time this whole year we actually saw our defense break down because we got tired, only having 6 guys dressed tonight."
Clinton Weigel was also missing from the lineup after heart surgery and the team does not have a time table for his return.
But with subsitutions down the stretch, the Reignmakers kept their composure and finished off strong. The team only managed two free throws all night, both misses, but kept battling underneath even if the calls were not going their way.
Brandon Hunter lead the way on the offensive end making good on 5 of 10 from two point range (22 points). Jason Hunter (13 points) got to the basket more and Mike Petrilli (12 points) kept his hot hand from three as he connected on all four of his attempts from deep. Stuver (2 points) and Kempf (2 points) found holes behind the zone while Chad Dobson played the most minutes of his year and took his defense to heart. He attacked the rim on the other end and was the sole free throw taker on the night.
The Reignmakers final matchup of the regular season is next Monday against Your Carpenter. The team will then have a week to rest as the playoff tree is created and seeded. Another win should help the Reignmakers climb to either number one or two in the seeding, which would give them a great path in the playoffs.
Everything else went smoothly.
The Reignmakers grabbed a season best 55 rebounds and had four players in the double digits rebounds on the night as they found another way to win, 51-41, against Buckeye Superwash.
Brandon Hunter, Jason Hunter, Andy Kempf, and Ryan Stuver all picked up the slack underneath as they had 13, 14, 10, and 14 rebounds respectively. Brandon and Andy tied season highs, while Jason and Stuver bested theirs.
"We all knew the areas in which we had to step up with our big guy out tonight," Ryan Stuver said afterward. "It was good to see the team effort on the boards."
The shots were not exactly falling for the second night in a row. The game as actually still tied at zero after about five minutes in the first half, but the Reignmakers found the bucket and lead 21-12 at the half. Those 12 points being the least given up in one half by the team this year.
The second half was more of the same, but Buckeye made a run early when the 2-3 zone started to break down.
"There one guy had a bunch of shots in the lane, easy shots," Coach Hunter commented later, "for the first time this whole year we actually saw our defense break down because we got tired, only having 6 guys dressed tonight."
Clinton Weigel was also missing from the lineup after heart surgery and the team does not have a time table for his return.
But with subsitutions down the stretch, the Reignmakers kept their composure and finished off strong. The team only managed two free throws all night, both misses, but kept battling underneath even if the calls were not going their way.
Brandon Hunter lead the way on the offensive end making good on 5 of 10 from two point range (22 points). Jason Hunter (13 points) got to the basket more and Mike Petrilli (12 points) kept his hot hand from three as he connected on all four of his attempts from deep. Stuver (2 points) and Kempf (2 points) found holes behind the zone while Chad Dobson played the most minutes of his year and took his defense to heart. He attacked the rim on the other end and was the sole free throw taker on the night.
The Reignmakers final matchup of the regular season is next Monday against Your Carpenter. The team will then have a week to rest as the playoff tree is created and seeded. Another win should help the Reignmakers climb to either number one or two in the seeding, which would give them a great path in the playoffs.
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