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Week 5
The storyline that seemed to follow teams around in week 5 was the potential danger of facing the same team twice. Several teams faced each other twice in the week, and for some, these games affected a future game; for others, facing a team twice gave them the chance for quick revenge.
Let’s start, however, with Game 1
Game 1: Garreg Mach @ Enbarr
Garreg Mach suffered a huge injury at the end of week 4, losing rebound machine Catherine for two weeks. With Jeritza gone on the other side, a lot of the weight was going to fall on Ferdinand Von Aegir and Rhea.
Uh oh.
Actually, before we start, it was brought to my attention that I haven’t shown the custom adverts that several friends have produced for this. Jenner in particular has given us some gems to admire.
I will show them off more as we get to teams that feature them, but for now, back to the rivalry game.
Things got immediately chippy, with Ferdinand frequently finding open space as Rhea struggled to defend both Hubert and Ferdie.
However, the same could be said for Garreg Mach, as their ball movement proved superior throughout the whole game.
Oh hey look everyone
Shamir’s back!
Garreg Mach climbed to a 33-23 lead at the end of the 1st, mostly on the back of Shamir Nevrand.
The second quarter did not end the intensity.
Hubert’s block would be his first of three, the most he’s ever gotten in a game so far.
This Total Team Basketball would help Enbarr control the pace of the quarter, getting them within 4 to end the half, 62-58. They would’ve gotten within 1 if not for a 3 pointer by Seteth with 4 seconds left in the half.
Unfortunately, this comeback seemed to take a huge toll on Enbarr, and the 3rd quarter started ugly. Hubert suffered a bruised sternum and started to play badly, and Garreg Mach started to dominate with ball movement.
And yes, Shamir seemed to take all the shots in this game for Garreg Mach.
This shot by Caspar was the only one of real note by Enbarr in the whole quarter, which tells you how bad it got.
The end of the 3rd quarter: Garreg Mach 99, Enbarr 77.
Enbarr seemed broken at the beginning of the 4th. Backup players BigOwlGuy and KittenEmpress were having a field day with some of the other backup players.
BigOwlGuy getting a crucial block with only 45 block ability
KittenEmpress hitting a 3 with only 65 3pt ability
The lead exploded to 113-81, and Petra, Hubert, and Dorothea were sidelined with various ailments when a new lineup came in. Edelgard, Bernie, Constance, Viscardus, and Ferdinand.
And they rocked.
They outscored Garreg Mach 28-10 in the final 6 minutes of the game.
And Ferdie. Was. Fired. Up.
It was all too little, too late, however. Garreg Mach’s 32 point lead was too much to overcome at that point in the game, and they cruised to a 123-109 victory.
Don’t expect Edelgard to forget this by next week, when they have to go into the Dragon’s Den that is The Cathedral for the rematch.
Game 2: Nuvelle @ Valla
Welcome to the Spectre Center in Cyrkensia!
What? Did you expect that we’d actually go to Valla? Are you insane?
Anyways, Nuvelle is playing angry, after blowing a 6 point lead to Valentia in the 4th. Valla … started out well, but hasn’t won since week 2.
Valla started the game like their lives depended on it.
Our mean girls struggled to score, as Valla hit 3 pointer after 3 pointer, earning a 14 point lead with 1 minute left in the quarter.
So here comes the last three possessions of the quarter.
What was a 23-9 lead was now a 23-14 lead, and somehow that difference shook Valla to it’s core.
They had a quick run early in the second, ballooning the lead to 29-16.
But Nuvelle had taken control.
Cordelia Chase’s emphatic dunk ended a 30 to 5 run that gave Nuvelle a commanding 46-34 lead at the end of the half.
It didn’t improve in the second half.
Nuvelle is the Dunktown Neighborhood Association, and Valla’s hoops aren’t up to code.
And do add insult to injury, Regina George backhanded one last shot away.
The 3rd quarter ended with a 66-46 Nuvelle lead, and the game ended with Valla getting 8 garbage time points to lower the lead to 15, 80-65.
Game 3: Fhirdiad @ Sreng
Remember when I said that teams playing each other twice in a week was the story? This was one example. Sreng lost a close physical match in Fhirdiad, 93-102, and they came in hoping for revenge.
Felix Fraldarius came in with a different idea: Hit a stupid amount of 3s.
But while Fhirdiad denied Sreng open lanes to the basket, which is usually where the team thrives, the team adjusted, and the frontcourt of Nanami Kiryuu, Charles Barkley, and Ritz Malheur started to control the tempo of the game.
With Ingrid and Dimitri out with injuries, Fhirdiad was completely reliant on two players to score, keeping Sreng in the game. The 1st quarter ended in a dead heat, a 27-26 Fhirdiad lead.
The 2nd quarter started with a flurry of action from Sreng, namely from the two small forwards, Sprigg and Dr. Hans Zarkov.
Starting guard Bev Switzler started to shoot well too.
The two teams kept pace with each other, tied at 52.
But Mercie scored the last 5 points, and Fhirdiad ended the half up 57-52.
Fhirdiad started the half in dominant fashion, mostly focused on, you guessed it, Felix.
But Dedue also scored all but 2 of his 13 points in this quarter, which he ended with this dunk:
The third quarter ended with Fhirdiad leading, 85-72.
Much like Enbarr and Garreg Mach, Sreng would put up a comeback.
Shadow the Hedgehog activated Chaos Control, and Beverly Switzler kept hitting shots:
However, it was again too little too late, and Fhirdiad held onto a 103-94 win.
And yes, their first game was a 102-93 win for the Lions. Crazy how this world works.
Game 4: Fort Merceus @ Garreg Mach Town
Fort Merceus had spent most of the week just winning, but Garreg Mach Town had a decent record, so when I didn’t record a huge upset win that I spent two hours watching, I thought this game would satisfy.
It did, just not in the way I expected.
Garreg Mach Town’s Basketball Club was initially an attempt by Rhea to foster a relationship with the community under her care through the game of Basketball. It is now both a home to amateur players, bored mercenaries and Knights of Seiros that couldn’t make it in their own homes or as a backup in the main Garreg Mach team.
Their record so far in the season was impressive, but Fort Merceus wasn’t taken off guard.
Early jumpers from Fort Knightguy and D.B. Merceus set the tone and kept them in a grind-it-out 1st quarter, leading 15-14.
Then the best defensive team in the Fodlan League turned on the jets.
They also played hard defense, and got some lucky breaks.
The half ended with Fort Merceus cutting open the GMT defense, and a 45-32 lead.
The second half was largely pointless, as Garreg Mach Town, despite their best efforts:
Could not break away from Fort Merceus.
Fort Merceus would pull out the win, 77-66
But why would I mention teams playing the same teams multiple times?
Well, we had Albinea facing Ylisse twice in the same week. Albinea had just lost to Plegia by 6 and lost game 1 to Ylisse by 18. But in the revenge match, Albinea, down by 28, pulled out a miraculous 30 point comeback in the 4th quarter to win, 101-99! This was the one I watched, but forgot to record, of course.
But man, speaking of upsets:
I guess Fhirdiad could only take so many physical teams in one go, huh?