After falling to no. 2 in last week’s rankings, No Limit had a battle for league supremacy with the Monstars, winning in convincing fashion. Tarell Vargas showed up in week 5 (30 points, 11 rebounds) playing like he had something to prove. Aside from Vargas, Kevin Rivera looked to finally become comfortable on his new team. No Limit will look to build off of this performance next week in a semifinal rematch from a season ago against Run TMC.
2
(3-1)
Despite falling this week to No Limit and losing their top spot in the rankings, the Monstars check in at no. 2 because of the way they played in the second half against No Limit. They looked like themselves after a shaky first half, getting back to running, jumping, and playing emotional basketball. Additionally, Reggie Stewart finally broke out this season (29 points, 15 rebounds). They will look to bounce back next week against a tough Lob 203 squad.
3
(4-0)
After an impressive win last week over Red-emption, the Temptations picked up right where they left off with another nice win over Sportslook. Carmine Santorelli continued his marvelous play, and has cemented his status as the front-runner for MVP so far. Four other players scored in double figures in week 5. They will look to continue their strong play next time out in a quarterfinal rematch from a season ago against Goon Squad.
4
(4-0)
After another dominant performance, the Cereal Killers continue to take advantage of their rather weak schedule (Sportslook, Avengers, Light It Up, and Lob 203). This time it was a team performance in the victory over Lob 203, with five players scored in double figures. The Cereal Killers continued their dominance in transition, forcing 12 turnovers. Turnovers will be a key again nnext week when they take on The Rookies.
5
(3-2)
Despite missing MVP candidate Jalen Graham, Red-emption continued their impressive play, pouring in 92 points in their win over the Avengers. Without Graham, the scoring was more spread out, with all but one player scoring in double figures. Scott Corchard continued distributing the ball nicely with seven assists. Red-emption has a sneaky big game coming against Sportslook, as both teams cannot afford another loss.
6
(3-1)
After suffering a tough loss to the Monstars in Week 4, Run TMC rebounded with a solid performance over the still-winless White Magic. Run TMC has been somewhat overlooked this season, not being thought of in the same light as other high-level squads. The dominant inside play of Will Hudson and Kevin Blake speaks for itself, as Run TMC continues to rise up the power rankings. We’ll get to see what this team is really made up against top-ranked No Limit in week 6.
7
(2-2)
After two-consecutive lackluster performances by Matt Marconi and the team as a whole, Goon Squad finally looked like the preseason-hype that surrounded them. Marconi broke out in the overtime win vs The Firm, dropping 48 points and snatching 10 rebounds. That 48 includes the game-tying three at the buzzer in regulation, and game-clinching free-throws in the extra session. Goon Squad will have to work DJ Ellis back into the lineup and keep Marconi rolling if they want to knock off the Temptations next week.
8
(3-2)
The Firm showed once again that they are one of the most athletic and emotional teams in the league in their overtime loss to Goon Squad in week 5. Markey DeRuisseaux continued his high-wire act on the offensive end. Despite all the dunks and trash talking, The Firm had a late-game defensive meltdown that let Goon Squad back into the game and eventually win in a thriller. The Firm will look to rebound in week 6 against a surging Renegades team.
9
(1-3)
Sportslook became another Carmine Santorelli victim this week, falling to the Temptations. Another week, another tough test for Sportslook, previously playing the Cereal Killers, Run TMC, the Monstars, and Goon Squad (all ranked currently ahead of them). Despite the loss, new addition Tyrell Holmes continued to dominate, dropping 22 points in his second game this season. Sportslook will look to turn it around next week against a deep Red-emption team.
10
(2-2)
After securing their second-consecutive win of the season over Stranger Danger this past week, the Renegades see themselves on the rise in the Power Rankings one again. Ty Reed continues to take the league by storm, pouring in 29 points for the second-straight week. The Renegades will need Reed to continue playing at a high level to make it three wins in a row next week against The Firm.
11
(0-4)
After yet another tough loss, Lob 203 has cemented themselves as the tough-luck team of the season. Lob 203 has had the toughest schedule in the league thus far playing Cereal Killers, No Limit, Temptations, and The Firm. Despite yet another loss, Andrew Martino continued his hot shooting, hitting six threes in week 5. Lob 203’s schedule doesn’t get any easier next week when they’ll try to knock off the second-ranked Monstars.
12
(2-3)
The Rookies, just like the Renegades, continue to surge up the Power Rankings with their second-consecutive win. Despite their wins coming over two lower-level teams (White Magic and Light It Up), The Rookies have shown they are a respectable team. The combination of Jhamal Jones and Jaylon Smalls has become a formidable duo, as both dropped over 20 points last week. The Rookies will look to continue their climb in the rankings in week 6 against the Cereal Killers.
13
(2-3)
After losing their third-straight game, Stranger Danger is running out of excuses. Their first loss they hung in with No Limit, their second they were without Johnny O’Brien, but last week, with a full roster, they were blown out by the Renegades. Despite the poor performance, Steve Echols continued his All-Star level play with 17 points and six rebounds. They will look to end their losing streak next week against the also-sliding Avengers.
14
(1-4)
Also coming off three-straight losses, the Avengers have lost their touch from beyond the arc a bit, most glaringly last week going 6-for-29 in their loss to Red-emption. Despite the loss, new addition Derrick Davis finally gives them another scoring option moving forward. The Avengers have a good chance to get back on track next week against Stranger Danger.
15
(1-4)
Another week, another spotty performance by Light It Up. Chris Rosario continues to put up points, but it’s coming at the expense of wins. Rosario poured in about half of his team’s 51 points, but only had one assist as his team’s primary ball-handler. Rosario and company will try to improve from their mistakes next week against a White Magic team, who just showed they can be competitive when hitting their shots.
16
(0-5)
The only 5-loss team in the league finds themselves at the bottom of the rankings. White Magic has had a tough time finding scoring options outside of Steve Buczek and Justin Silva, and it was prevalent against Run TMC. Buczek had 26 of their 49 points. Despite the loss, White Magic seemed to hang tough in the first half vs TMC, showing they were able to attack the rim. They will look to finally get in the win column next week when they take on Light It Up.
