Bulls & Bears: Champions

It wasn't pretty and it sure wasn't easy, but Paul Demke's #1-seeded Bulls & Bears completed their run through the playoffs and knocked off pesky Big Mike's Sports Rub 45-35 in the league championship game.

The game was a struggle for both teams as whistle-happy referees called the game tightly. The pace of the game was slowed significantly for both teams as a result, with Bulls & Bears attempting a whopping 36 free throws (many in the game's final two minutes). Big Mike's attempted 20 themselves.

The teams started slowly, with neither team finding any rhythm. The large crowd that had assembled didn't have much to get loud about, but a couple late free throws gave Bulls & Bears a 17-16 edge at half. Josh Langham led all scorers with seven points.

In the second half, Big Mike's not only held their own against the top seed, they continued to dictate the play, slowing things up against B&B's zone. In a back-and-forth second half, Big Mike's took a 33-29 lead with just under ten points to go. Purple Price hit the game's only three pointer, an example of just how tough it was to score in this contest.

Bulls & Bears began running and driving, pressuring Big Mike's into foul after foul to get to the line. It wasn't until just over two minutes were left that B&B stretched its lead to a game-high six points, and they were able to ice the game down the stretch by hitting their free throws. All told, B&B hit 29/36 (81%) from the charity stripe - by far its best effort of the season - and pulled away for a 45-35 victory.

Leading Scorers:

Rob Simmons (BM): 13 points
Josh Langham (BM): 11 points
Paul Demke (B&B): 10 points
Darin Adler (B&B): 9 points
Jay Irby (B&B): 9 points
Patrick Schoettler (B&B): 9 points
Larry Granville (B&B): 8 points
Purple Price (BM): 7 points