There was some good and some bad over the past two weeks when it came to Reels basketball.
Lets talk bad news.
The past two games, the Highlight Reels were only able to dress 5 individuals each game.
Against the Winking Lizard, Kyle Komer and Kerry Hunter were out; against Soda Slingers, Komer and Justin Woo were out. The limited, or nonexistent, subs left the Reels battling themselves on both nights on both ends of the floor.
The lack of subs in the Winking Lizard contest showed especially, where the Reels only managed to score 44 points and shot 26% from everywhere on the floor. Turnovers, lack of defensive movement, and lack of ball movement told the tale, along with the poor shooting performance from the floor. Though holding Winking Lizard to 49 points, the good guys could not muster enough energy to push themselves over the road bumps in that contest.
Brandon Hunter had an off night, shooting 4-14 from the floor, averaging the team at 26%. He did make it to the free throw line seven times, making five. Justin Woo took 10 shots on night; five three pointers, three two pointers, and two free throws, yet could only connect on one of his shots (from three) for the game. Chuck Caldwell was 2-10 from three and missed both of his two point attempts. Jason Hunter started to turn his three point shooting around with a 50% night (3-6), but missed all three of his two point attempts. Andy Kempf had the best percentages and easily the best game of the night scoring 10 points on 4 of 9 shooting and grabbing 17 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season.
The team fell back to .500, though for only one week.
The game against Soda Slingers seemed night and day from a week ago.
The Highlight Reels shot 43% from three point land, 41% from everywhere else, and made 75% of their free throws for a 77-61 routing.
Brandon Hunter had a big turnaround game scoring 26 points and grabbing 8 rebounds. He was just a tad under 50% from three point range going 6 of 13, making three of six from two, and hitting on both of his free throws.
Jason Hunter continued his short, hot, shooting streak from deep going four of five. He also made three of his give two point attempts to total 18 points.
The remaining three Highlight Reels scored in double figures as well.
Andy Kempf had another big game on the glass, gobbling up everything in sight for 19 rebounds. He added another three pointer amongst his 11 points. Chuck Caldwell added two three pointers of his own in way to 12 points and Kerry Hunter returning from an ailing back grabbed 14 rebounds and scored 10.
The 44 total team rebounds is one of their best showings on the glass in recent weeks and slightly above their yearly team average. The ball movement was crisp and with purpose most of the game, leading to many open looks not only from three but in fast break layups and cuts under the basket.
With only one game left before the double elimination playoffs in March, the Human Highlight Reels hope to continue their momentum heading into the post season. The team will hope to dress more than five in the near future when they battle Yuengling this coming Monday at 6:30.
Monday, February 24, 2014
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Human Highlight Reels Move to 6-5 After Win
A game that was seemingly closer than it should be, the HHR came away with a 63-54 victory over Thee Money Team.
Money Team came into the matchup with a 2-7 record.
Three point shooting from the opposition kept them in the contest most of the night. TMT led 15-11 early, after making five three pointers to start the contest. The Reels held them to only two the rest of the first half which led them to the 36-30 advantage at halftime.
Yet after pushing the lead to double digits toward the middle of the second half, they began to flounder for the second time in two games. The defense gave up three straight three pointers and the offense came to a stop, giving TMT control of the momentum in the ball game.
A late timeout settled the good guys however as the Reels started to find open baskets and shot a season-high 26 free throws (19/26, 73%), most of them coming late in the contest, to seal the victory.
Although their schedule has been light as of late, the Reels are almost fighting themselves late in ball games. Hopefully the trend does not continue as the playoff push has begun.
The road however gets a bit tougher next week as the team will face off against Winking Lizard, who was 7-2 as of the latest standings. Winking Lizard actually leads the entire league in defense, allowing only 389 points in nine games, which is around 43 points per game.
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Kempf Reaches 100
A positive to take away from this past weeks game is Andy Kempf, who pulled down his 4th double-double of the season and has eclipsed 100 points for the the season. This is the first time in his career that he has totaled more than 100 points in one season. His next closest point total came during the Price is Right winter season where he totaled 90 points.
Kempf is averaging career bests* in both points (7.7) and rebound (10.9) this year.
* Kempf did average 13 rebounds in a shortened stint during the Price is Right fall season.
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Hunter Reaches 100
For the fourth winter season in a row, Brandon Hunter has reached the 100-mark in rebounds. Hunter only needs 42 points to also reach his fourth 300 point, 100 rebound season.
Hunter leads the team in scoring at 19.8 points per game and is third in rebounds per game with 8.4, which is a career best on the glass.
Money Team came into the matchup with a 2-7 record.
Three point shooting from the opposition kept them in the contest most of the night. TMT led 15-11 early, after making five three pointers to start the contest. The Reels held them to only two the rest of the first half which led them to the 36-30 advantage at halftime.
Yet after pushing the lead to double digits toward the middle of the second half, they began to flounder for the second time in two games. The defense gave up three straight three pointers and the offense came to a stop, giving TMT control of the momentum in the ball game.
A late timeout settled the good guys however as the Reels started to find open baskets and shot a season-high 26 free throws (19/26, 73%), most of them coming late in the contest, to seal the victory.
Although their schedule has been light as of late, the Reels are almost fighting themselves late in ball games. Hopefully the trend does not continue as the playoff push has begun.
The road however gets a bit tougher next week as the team will face off against Winking Lizard, who was 7-2 as of the latest standings. Winking Lizard actually leads the entire league in defense, allowing only 389 points in nine games, which is around 43 points per game.
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Kempf Reaches 100
A positive to take away from this past weeks game is Andy Kempf, who pulled down his 4th double-double of the season and has eclipsed 100 points for the the season. This is the first time in his career that he has totaled more than 100 points in one season. His next closest point total came during the Price is Right winter season where he totaled 90 points.
Kempf is averaging career bests* in both points (7.7) and rebound (10.9) this year.
* Kempf did average 13 rebounds in a shortened stint during the Price is Right fall season.
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Hunter Reaches 100
For the fourth winter season in a row, Brandon Hunter has reached the 100-mark in rebounds. Hunter only needs 42 points to also reach his fourth 300 point, 100 rebound season.
Hunter leads the team in scoring at 19.8 points per game and is third in rebounds per game with 8.4, which is a career best on the glass.
Thursday, February 6, 2014
The Reels Move Back to .500
It may not have been pretty, but the Human Highlight Reels have moved back to playing .500 basketball.
A 60-49 victory over Panini's-Black this past Monday will hopefully get the ball rolling in the right direction for the team; a team that started to show a little consistency on the offense end with great ball movement.
Dressing a near full roster this past Monday, the Reels have seemingly begun to find some fluidity to their offense. Panini's was giving up a lot of open space in the middle of the key with their own version of the 2-3 zone and the good guys took advantage shooting 11 of 23 from the floor inside the arc, good enough for 48%.
Over half of the teams offense came from those baskets as well as the 11 free throws the team made (11/15, 73%).
Though the three ball wasn't falling at a great clip (9/28, 32%), they made some big ones when it was needed. Throughout the first half, the HHR relied a little more heavily on the long ball, taking 17 three pointers which left them with a 26-23 lead at the half.
But as the ball movement increased, the three point attempts dropped and the lead widened. The Reels only took 11 three pointers in the second half and started to convert more open looks under and around the basket, something that started to look for late in the first.
A large lead towards the middle of the second half quickly dropped to only four after a few turnovers and defensive letdowns. Yet a quick timeout by coach Jason Hunter settled the team down and the team pushed back out to a double digit lead by the end of the game.
Brandon Hunter led all scorers with 29 points; Andy Kempf led on the glass with 11.
The Human Highlight Reels will face Thee Money Team this coming Monday at 7:25. Thee Money Team currently stands at 2-7, slating them 7th out of 8 teams in Division III.
A 60-49 victory over Panini's-Black this past Monday will hopefully get the ball rolling in the right direction for the team; a team that started to show a little consistency on the offense end with great ball movement.
Dressing a near full roster this past Monday, the Reels have seemingly begun to find some fluidity to their offense. Panini's was giving up a lot of open space in the middle of the key with their own version of the 2-3 zone and the good guys took advantage shooting 11 of 23 from the floor inside the arc, good enough for 48%.
Over half of the teams offense came from those baskets as well as the 11 free throws the team made (11/15, 73%).
Though the three ball wasn't falling at a great clip (9/28, 32%), they made some big ones when it was needed. Throughout the first half, the HHR relied a little more heavily on the long ball, taking 17 three pointers which left them with a 26-23 lead at the half.
But as the ball movement increased, the three point attempts dropped and the lead widened. The Reels only took 11 three pointers in the second half and started to convert more open looks under and around the basket, something that started to look for late in the first.
A large lead towards the middle of the second half quickly dropped to only four after a few turnovers and defensive letdowns. Yet a quick timeout by coach Jason Hunter settled the team down and the team pushed back out to a double digit lead by the end of the game.
Brandon Hunter led all scorers with 29 points; Andy Kempf led on the glass with 11.
The Human Highlight Reels will face Thee Money Team this coming Monday at 7:25. Thee Money Team currently stands at 2-7, slating them 7th out of 8 teams in Division III.
Friday, January 31, 2014
Human Highlight Reels Searching for Answers after 49-51 Defeat
Questions.
That is what the Human Highlight Reels have after falling to 4-5 on the year this past Sunday.
After only scoring 17 points in the first half against a Division III opponent, the Reels changed gears offensively. Big man Kerry Hunter hit all three of his three point attempts in the second half and leading scorer Brandon Hunter also hit his three three pointers. Yet for the first time this season, their legs began to fail them.
Missing Kyle Komer due to an illness and Justin Woo for personal reasons, the Reels only suited up five. The advantage then fell to State Farm, who suited up 7 and repeatedly brough in fresh legs off the bench as the good guys floundered. Easy baskets, layups, and second chance opportunities...along with another poor shooting performance...pushed State Farm to an unreachable 51 points.
The positives to look forward to still include the schedule, which benefits the Human Highlight Reels. The remaining schedule puts them up against teams from the lower Division III, only one of which has a winning record.
State Farm moved to 7-2 in Division III after the win this past Monday.
The Reels stand at 4-5, which is still good enough for third in the 8 team division, and will face Division III opponent Paninis-Black this coming Monday who are 3-6.
That is what the Human Highlight Reels have after falling to 4-5 on the year this past Sunday.
After only scoring 17 points in the first half against a Division III opponent, the Reels changed gears offensively. Big man Kerry Hunter hit all three of his three point attempts in the second half and leading scorer Brandon Hunter also hit his three three pointers. Yet for the first time this season, their legs began to fail them.
Missing Kyle Komer due to an illness and Justin Woo for personal reasons, the Reels only suited up five. The advantage then fell to State Farm, who suited up 7 and repeatedly brough in fresh legs off the bench as the good guys floundered. Easy baskets, layups, and second chance opportunities...along with another poor shooting performance...pushed State Farm to an unreachable 51 points.
The positives to look forward to still include the schedule, which benefits the Human Highlight Reels. The remaining schedule puts them up against teams from the lower Division III, only one of which has a winning record.
State Farm moved to 7-2 in Division III after the win this past Monday.
The Reels stand at 4-5, which is still good enough for third in the 8 team division, and will face Division III opponent Paninis-Black this coming Monday who are 3-6.
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Short Handed HHR Pull off Team Victory
With their smallest dressed lineup to date with only five guys, the Human Highlight Reels went up against the Monstars this past Monday.
The Monstars, in turn, suited up eight.
However, with no subs available, the good guys came up with a 62-47 victory, anchored by leading scorer Brandon Hunter (30 points, 8 rebounds) and a defensive 2-3 zone that held the opposition to only 15 points in the second half.
Without Kyle Komer, Justin Woo, and recovering big man Alex Yablonsky in the lineup, the Reels had to ensure that they played better team basketball and made their open shots when they had them.
Check.
The ball moved quickly and efficiently throughout the contest. It wasn't rare to see four, five, or six passes on one possession a good handful leading to wide open layups or three pointers. A few times, after the ball movement and offensive movement by the players, two guys would be open in the same spot actually leading to someone "stealing" a pass from a teammate.
The open layups were an added bonus, as were the free throws. The good guys shot 17 free throws on the evening and made 12 of them, well over their sub 60% mark for the season. Brandon Hunter went 3 of 6, Jason Hunter 4 of 4, leading free throw shooter Andy Kempf was 4 of 5, and Chuck Caldwell added one more (1/2).
Back to Brandon.
His 30 points came on a night where the team needed a little offensive output from his direction. Hunter scorched the Monstars in the first half with four three pointers (4/8) and followed up with three more in the second (3/6). He added the three previously mentioned free throws and three more buckets from the field (3/6).
Even with the great effort of the team offensively, they only led 34-32 coming out of halftime to much more athletic team. The 2-3 zone had given up six three pointers in the first half, but as the Monstars broke down physically and mentally (picking up a technical foul late in the half), the Reels held their opponents to zero three pointers in the second half, which helped to open up the game.
It was a great team effort all around, possibly the best team game that the Reels have played all season, and it resulted in their third victory on the year. The HHR currently sit at 3-4.
The team hopes to have Komer and Woo back for their upcoming game on Monday at 6:30.
The Monstars, in turn, suited up eight.
However, with no subs available, the good guys came up with a 62-47 victory, anchored by leading scorer Brandon Hunter (30 points, 8 rebounds) and a defensive 2-3 zone that held the opposition to only 15 points in the second half.
Without Kyle Komer, Justin Woo, and recovering big man Alex Yablonsky in the lineup, the Reels had to ensure that they played better team basketball and made their open shots when they had them.
Check.
The ball moved quickly and efficiently throughout the contest. It wasn't rare to see four, five, or six passes on one possession a good handful leading to wide open layups or three pointers. A few times, after the ball movement and offensive movement by the players, two guys would be open in the same spot actually leading to someone "stealing" a pass from a teammate.
The open layups were an added bonus, as were the free throws. The good guys shot 17 free throws on the evening and made 12 of them, well over their sub 60% mark for the season. Brandon Hunter went 3 of 6, Jason Hunter 4 of 4, leading free throw shooter Andy Kempf was 4 of 5, and Chuck Caldwell added one more (1/2).
Back to Brandon.
His 30 points came on a night where the team needed a little offensive output from his direction. Hunter scorched the Monstars in the first half with four three pointers (4/8) and followed up with three more in the second (3/6). He added the three previously mentioned free throws and three more buckets from the field (3/6).
Even with the great effort of the team offensively, they only led 34-32 coming out of halftime to much more athletic team. The 2-3 zone had given up six three pointers in the first half, but as the Monstars broke down physically and mentally (picking up a technical foul late in the half), the Reels held their opponents to zero three pointers in the second half, which helped to open up the game.
It was a great team effort all around, possibly the best team game that the Reels have played all season, and it resulted in their third victory on the year. The HHR currently sit at 3-4.
The team hopes to have Komer and Woo back for their upcoming game on Monday at 6:30.
Sunday, January 12, 2014
The HHR Split a Pair - Still Looking to Find Winning Mentality
It has been a long four weeks for the Human Highlight Reels.
Check that.
It has been quite a winter season for the Human Highlight Reels.
After finding some semblance of offense December 16th versus Boston Rd., the good guys couldn't stop much on the other side of the floor January 5th against Powerstrokes falling 85-95; thus dropping their record to 2-4.
Recent news coming from camp is that athletic big-man Alex Yablonsky, who has only played in three games so far this season, had surgery to repair a swollen knee. There is no timetable for his return.
Not that the team was fairing well with him in the lineup, winning once and falling twice, but the team seems to still be looking for some kind of consistency. Missing one of the key pieces to your team makes for a tough go of it.
Surprisingly in the game against Boston Rd, the HHR were without Yablonsky and guards Kyle Komer and Chuck Caldwell, yet came away with a 67-56 victory. Though Brent Hunter, receiving leave from his overseas contracts, helped to fill that void. The big story in that game however, was the play of big men Kerry Hunter and Justin Woo, who combined for 24 points an 18 rebounds, shooting 47% from the floor (3/6 from three, 5/11 from two point range) and made 5 of their 6 free throw attempts. The eldest Hunter came up large in the second half, scoring all 12 of his points and grabbing 8 of his 11 rebounds. To equal out the attack, Woo scored 8 of his 12 points in the first half and hit two three pointers.
The good times fell to the wayside however during the next contest against bitter rival Powerstrokes. After a long two week hiatus due to the holiday season, the Reels came out flat and fell behind 37-59 at the half. Switching from their patented 2-3 zone to a more conventional man-to-man style in the second half, the Reels made the game interesting down the stretch, but Powerstrokes connected on 18 three pointers and the good guys could only get as close as 10 falling to Powerstrokes for the second time this season.
Tensions boiled near the end of regulation after energetic Andy Kempf fouled a member of the opposition trying to score with less than ten seconds left on the clock. Benches cleared and words were thrown, yet luckily no punches, and the game was officially called with 9.6 seconds remaining.
The outcome of the game may have opened up the opportunity for the HHR to start using the man defense more often. Usually out-sized, that style of defense slowed the Powerstrokes attack in the second half, making them work harder for baskets; especially the three pointers which they made a devastating 14 times in the first half, compared to only four in the second.
It is something we may see down the road.
Some other positives to take away from the game was the scoring attack from the teams top performers on the year. Brent Hunter suited up for his likely final game of the season for the Reels and totaled 30 points and 8 rebounds, leading the way. Brandon and Jason Hunter scored 18 points and grabbed 5 boards each rounding out the offense. They each took 15 shots total from the floor as well, with the older brother, Jason, hitting just one more attempt (7/15 to 6/15). Brandon added six free throw attempts, hitting on three.
Defensive woes aside, the Human Highlight Reels may have started to turn the corner offensively, as they have been struggling all year. Hopefully with a new found team mentality, especially after the events following the game this past week, the Reels can find away to pull themselves above .500 for the season and make a strong push heading into the halfway point of the season.
The Human Highlight Reels schedule becomes a bit "softer" in the upcoming weeks. It starts this coming Monday at 9:15pm against the Monstars.
League standings were not updated at the time of writing.
Check that.
It has been quite a winter season for the Human Highlight Reels.
After finding some semblance of offense December 16th versus Boston Rd., the good guys couldn't stop much on the other side of the floor January 5th against Powerstrokes falling 85-95; thus dropping their record to 2-4.
Recent news coming from camp is that athletic big-man Alex Yablonsky, who has only played in three games so far this season, had surgery to repair a swollen knee. There is no timetable for his return.
Not that the team was fairing well with him in the lineup, winning once and falling twice, but the team seems to still be looking for some kind of consistency. Missing one of the key pieces to your team makes for a tough go of it.
Surprisingly in the game against Boston Rd, the HHR were without Yablonsky and guards Kyle Komer and Chuck Caldwell, yet came away with a 67-56 victory. Though Brent Hunter, receiving leave from his overseas contracts, helped to fill that void. The big story in that game however, was the play of big men Kerry Hunter and Justin Woo, who combined for 24 points an 18 rebounds, shooting 47% from the floor (3/6 from three, 5/11 from two point range) and made 5 of their 6 free throw attempts. The eldest Hunter came up large in the second half, scoring all 12 of his points and grabbing 8 of his 11 rebounds. To equal out the attack, Woo scored 8 of his 12 points in the first half and hit two three pointers.
The good times fell to the wayside however during the next contest against bitter rival Powerstrokes. After a long two week hiatus due to the holiday season, the Reels came out flat and fell behind 37-59 at the half. Switching from their patented 2-3 zone to a more conventional man-to-man style in the second half, the Reels made the game interesting down the stretch, but Powerstrokes connected on 18 three pointers and the good guys could only get as close as 10 falling to Powerstrokes for the second time this season.
Tensions boiled near the end of regulation after energetic Andy Kempf fouled a member of the opposition trying to score with less than ten seconds left on the clock. Benches cleared and words were thrown, yet luckily no punches, and the game was officially called with 9.6 seconds remaining.
The outcome of the game may have opened up the opportunity for the HHR to start using the man defense more often. Usually out-sized, that style of defense slowed the Powerstrokes attack in the second half, making them work harder for baskets; especially the three pointers which they made a devastating 14 times in the first half, compared to only four in the second.
It is something we may see down the road.
Some other positives to take away from the game was the scoring attack from the teams top performers on the year. Brent Hunter suited up for his likely final game of the season for the Reels and totaled 30 points and 8 rebounds, leading the way. Brandon and Jason Hunter scored 18 points and grabbed 5 boards each rounding out the offense. They each took 15 shots total from the floor as well, with the older brother, Jason, hitting just one more attempt (7/15 to 6/15). Brandon added six free throw attempts, hitting on three.
Defensive woes aside, the Human Highlight Reels may have started to turn the corner offensively, as they have been struggling all year. Hopefully with a new found team mentality, especially after the events following the game this past week, the Reels can find away to pull themselves above .500 for the season and make a strong push heading into the halfway point of the season.
The Human Highlight Reels schedule becomes a bit "softer" in the upcoming weeks. It starts this coming Monday at 9:15pm against the Monstars.
League standings were not updated at the time of writing.
Monday, December 2, 2013
Long Range Shooting Woes Continue in Biggest Loss of the Year
January 31; February 7; March 27.
2011.
The reason those dates are important is that you have to go back that far in Highlight Reels history to find a stretch of games where the team has shot as poorly as it has the past few this season.
Oh how the past haunts us.
In those three games (one game skipped due to a forfeit/no-show by the opposition), captain Jason Hunter was 4 of 24 (16%) from three point range; not to be outdone, his younger counterpart Brandon Hunter took 40 three point shots and only connected on 9 of those (23%).
In their defense, the offense was nearly totally dependent on how both brothers shot on a night and night basis. They did have a younger, more agile Kerry Hunter underneath, but now heavy-rebounder Andy Kempf was in his infancy as a basketball player and the team relied on many free agents who are no longer in the league.
Fast forward to this season.
The Human Highlight Reels got out to a snail-like 15-2 deficit this past Sunday to Powerstrokes and the game was never close again, falling 94-79 against an opponent they are 1-2 against now over the past few months.
The offense is abysmal and that is putting it lightly. Couple that with an opposing team that connected on 18 three points, most of which did not seem to even hit the rim and you have a recipe for a poor outing.
In the past three games, the Brothers Hunter are shooting a combined 8 of 53 from the three point arc, a pleasant 15%. The team, in turn, has shot better...but not by much...by hitting a blazing 18% of their three point attempts or 6 of 33.
Before their 79 point effort last night the good guys (or bad guys, depending on how you look at it) have only managed 83 points over the past two games. If you take the 15 or so points scored in basic garbage time this past week, the team has averaged less than 50 points for three games, well below their near 63.9 points they were averaging in the fall.
So what happened?
Right now there is no true indicator on what has befallen the Reels shooters. Everyone on the roster is shooting below their three point mark from the fall season, except Kyle Komer who had added five percentage points to his 33% mark from the fall (38%) and Andy Kempf who only attempted one three ball in the fall but made one of the three he has taken this season. Chuck Caldwell is hitting the same amount of three's at 23%.
Here is a look at the roster and their percentages from the fall in (-) and their winter league percentage:
Brandon Hunter - (26%) - 23%
Jason Hunter - (38%) - 22%
Andy Kempf - (0%) - 33%
Kyle Komer - (33%) - 38%
Alex Yablonsky - (29%) - 0% (0/8)
Chuck Caldwell - (23%) - 23%
Justin Woo - (31%) - 8%
TEAM TOTALS - (28%) - 21%
It is far from pretty. You could argue that the team did not shoot that well from deep during the fall season (which they did not); and if that is the case, what do we call the winter so far?
There IS, believe it or not, some good things to take away from the past few games however.
Andy Kempf has turned into a rebounding machine and possibly posting his best three-game stretch of his career. Kempf led the team in rebounding for three straight nights, totaling 15, 10 and 14 to help his season average at around 14.4 per game. He has also pushed his scoring total near 10 (9.4), doubling his output on the offensive output from the fall and from his career average of 4.2 per game. Despite the losses piling up, Kempf seems to be shining.
The Reels also have put in a generally good game from everywhere else on the floor as well. The team is shooting 45% from the field inside the three point line and even the sour shooting Hunter brothers combine for a near team average of 44% (18/41). The team has also rebounded from some poor free throw shooting at the beginning of the season and has hit 15 of their past 20 attempts from there, much better than their 52% mark this season and also better than their 72% mark during the fall.
So what do we take from this? Despite the poor shooting, especially in the last game, the team has been able to eek out one win in the three games. If not for a beyond red-hot shooting opposition in this past week’s game, the good guys may had been looking at a close game and even a win Sunday.
Good shooters will find their stroke; great shooters will shoot out of slumps and get hot.
We would take consistent right now.
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