By Tyler Krusz
Boom-Shakalaka welcomed rookie Nate Stichell back to the court in style, blowing past the Werewolves, 83-66.
Stichell, who was absent in his team’s Week 4’s loss to the Green Squad, put up 26 points while shooting 50 percent, both from the field and from three-point range. Fellow rookie Brandon Sweeney added 23 points as well as 13 rebounds to bring Boom-Shakalaka back into the win column.
“We not only have the number one rookie in the league, but the top-two rookies in the league,” Sweeney said after the game. “Everybody on the squad is good. We got a whole squad of All-Stars.”
Sweeney is coming off of his second-straight double-double, scoring 35 points with 12 rebounds in the team’s first loss of the season. Defensively, Boom-Shakalaka was able to come up with 12 steals, which translated to easy fast-break points in the second half. Stichell himself came away with four steals, and he was harassing the ball handlers all game long.
For the Werewolves, they started the game hot, scoring 22 points and leading after the first quarter. Brian Heston and Gino Forte combined for 49 points, 24 of them off of three-pointers.
However, when Boom-Shakalaka started to close in on those two, the rest of the Werewolves squad failed to answer the call. The rest of the team, aside from Heston and Forte, were only good for 17 points combined.
The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Werewolves, putting them at 3-2, directly in the middle of the pack. Boom-Shakalaka joins a plethora of one-loss teams after their victory Wednesday night.
With three weeks left in the season, the Werewolves still have time to make a push. They play Prestige Worldwide and the Swish Kabobs, who are both 4-1, as well as the Halfway Crooks prior to the playoffs starting.
Boom-Shakalaka may have one of the toughest remaining schedules of any team in the league. They play the Green Squad one more time, as well as Prestige Worldwide and the Swish Kabobs, all teams with only one loss each. Their confidence is through the roof now that they have the full team back and ready to go.
“We’re eyeing the league,” Sweeney said. “We have a full squad now. Look out for the Boom.”
