By Greg Horne
The Bad Boyz will be seeing Jacobson Jean-Baptiste in their nightmares tonight, as he was all over the court in an 88-76 The Throne win.
We started off hot, got a little cold, but we made a comeback that’s what we do,” The Throne’s Lee Leite said.
A comeback was on the agenda as The Throne were up as much as 20 points in the first quarter but The Bad Boyz kept battling back. The Throne was in a zone that we are accustomed to seeing them in: focused. They have one thing on their minds at all time and that is their opponent. It helps when you have players like Robert Dupree who commands the paint and is a forceful presence down low or players like Dashawn Moffat who can do it all and really is the facilitator for The Throne.
Joe Baccielo,the star of The Throne, was limited again with his ankle, a continual problem for the Throne. Baccielo averages 27 points per game on over 60 percent from the field. He is as explosive as its gets in this league. With Baccielo on the floor, they are a different team and one that could take on anyone in this league. If The Throne wants to make this playoff run last they need Baccielo healthy and well rested for The Brotherhood.
The Bad Boyz had strong outings from their usual suspects Destin Simmons and Trey Blake who at times looked unstoppable. Simmons had 30 points on 10-of-20 shooting and was clutch when his team needed him the most, hitting two back-to-back threes to make it a six-point game with 50 seconds to go. Blake is a spark-plug for this team that really gets them going as he added 22 points. In the end, The Throne just had too much fire power. In a 12 point loss, another star player for the Bad Boyz could be the difference between an early playoff exit to a final’s appearance.
“We play like that tomorrow, watch out,” Leite said. “Brotherhood, we’re coming for you. Part two, be ready.”
