In what was a hard-fought, tooth and nail climb out of a ditch, Run TMC escaped with a win after NickStrong lead the majority of the night.
Run TMC won 70-69, although the final score doesn’t tell the full story. The matchup became a competition of who could be more lethal from beyond the arc. This was a game that NickStrong was winning throughout the entire first half.
“NickStrong came out and hit a lot of shots early, and we missed a lot of shots early,” Joey Zocco said. “In the second half it kind of flipped. They started missing shots and we started hitting some. It was a tough game and NickStrong is a good team. We did just enough to get the win.”
NickStrong capitalized on the atypically inconsistent Run TMC squad.
“We played bad for stretches during that game, and NickStrong took advantage of that,” Zocco said. “Uncharacteristic turnovers, missing shots we normally make, being sloppy on the boards almost cost us a win. I am happy with how the team responded tonight.”
It came to a point where the Run TMC offense had to give in and start getting closer to the rim. This proved difficult for Reggie Stewart. Shooting 6-of-25, Stewart also provided just one 3-pt shot across his 12 attempts. Even the most dominant players in the league have off performances.
“Hitting shots is always the key,” Zocco said. “Reggie had an off game, I was able to hit some shots from the outside there in the third during our run, but overall that was not one of our better games. We got lucky to still be in the game, and and then made enough plays to win. Good teams find a way to win even on those off nights.”
Zocco stepped up his production in the third quarter as Run TMC started to close the gap. By the start of the fourth, NickStrongs lead had already began to quickly evaporate. A pair of 14 point leads turned into a 5-point deficit in the blink of an eye.
“We’re a good team, and we know the run is always going to come,” Zocco said. “It came in the third and we were fortunate enough to only be down 13 at the half when the run came.”
NickStrong has struggled to close out games all season so far. They’re hopeful to secure their first win of the season as they face off against the Brick Layers next week.
Run TMC adapted impeccably on the fly. As they improve to 3-0, the next three weeks will put them to the test, starting with a match against the reigning back-to-back champions, Shocker City.
