By Ryan Spitz
After a vast amount of trash-talk both on social media and in person before this game, No Limit defeated Stranger Danger, 81-71, is a surprisingly entertaining and closely contested game.
At one point Stranger Danger cut the No Limit lead to just four points in the fourth quarter. However, it was too much Tarell Vargas in the end as No Limit pulled away late.
“We run a lot and we shoot a lot of threes,” Vargas said. “We live and die by it, we run and run and push the ball.”
No Limit came fairly close to dying by the transition game, but once again Vargas put the team on his back late and sealed the victory.
Stranger Danger truly came to play, as Steve Echols, Joe Cordy, and de facto coach Tyler Feldman were screaming encouragement throughout the game. With the added injection of positivity and energy, Stranger Danger had an inspired performance in a valiant defeat.
“They made us pay on the defensive end,” Vargas said. “We got mixed up with a lot of defensive match-ups and didn’t know where our man was sometimes.”
Even with the inspired performance, Stranger Danger got help from the other side. No Limit seemed to be going through the motions and looking for highlight reel plays, as opposed to playing smart, sound basketball. Yes, they got those big-time dunks, but they came at the price of poor transition defense and poor overall effort.
However, despite the spotty showing, No Limit was not totally merely the Tarell Vargas, who had 28 points, show tonight, as John Rullan poured in 19 points and Howie Miller added 13 points.
Additionally, Stranger Danger showed tonight more than ever how dependent they are on Steve Echols. Echols is their primary ball handler and when he needed the occasional rest today, they seemed lost for what to do with No Limit’s pressure. Echols took 23 shots, good for about a third of the team’s total shots, with 28 points, eight rebounds, and four assists.
No Limit will take on the Monstars in a monumental clash next week, while Stranger Danger will look to rebound against the Firm.
