Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Barva 81 Sanatura 82 F-OT




Another Barva game. Another overtime thriller. Only this time we found a way to come out on top at the end of the game.

Switching up their starting lineup, Barva went with defensive ace Charles Plummer to set the tone for the first quarter. Playing aggressive defense, Barva broke out to a big lead to start the game. Our team looked tight, missing baskets inside and making poor passes that fed the Barva fast break. Six minutes in, and we still couldn't buy a basket; the scoreboard read 16-0, highlighting our offensive struggles. We limped to the end of the first quarter down 23-8.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Barva vs Sanatura, Round 2



Some details on tonight's rematch against Ferreteria Brenes Barva:

Place: Gimnasio Nacional
Time: 8PM
Tickets:  2,000 colones for general seating and 4,000 colones for preferred seating
TV: Ch33, Xpert TV. Game will not be shown live, it will be broadcast this Saturday at 8:30 pm on tape delay.

We lost a double overtime thriller in the first encounter. This game is the rematch heading into the playoffs. I would love to say that the number one seed is on the line, but I'm pretty sure the Federation will turn down our appeal of the San Ramon loss (curiously, no official word on that yet), which means we're playing for the second seed.  Barva is coming off a thrashing of Escazu, 115-53 (I believe the score was tied 21 all at the end of the first quarter). We beat Cartago by 22 on the road, giving us a chance to rotate our bench. This game should be a good showcase for both teams and the national basketball scene.

Some media coverage:

Con sangre en el ojo | Desamparados - Ferretería Brenes: gran juego hoy en basket | Diario Al DíaSANATURA-Desamparados recibe al hexacampeón en el Gimnasio Nacional
Ferreteros vapulean y se alistan para Sanatura : Ferreteria Brenes Barva

Monday, April 16, 2012

Sanatura 96 PZ 85



Games at Perez Zeledon require a three hour road trip over Cerro de la Muerte at three thousand meters of altitude. PZ schedules their weekend games on Fridays which forces players to scramble to get out of work early. Since most players in our league are not full time basketball players, it's not uncommon for players to miss the game if they can't get out of work. One time I ended up with only eight guys making the trip; we won by a comfortable margin but every foul call pushed us closer to the edge. So every time you go to PZ, the first challenge is purely logistical.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

San Ramon 72 Sanatura 74

Okay so our number one fan fell asleep in the stands, but a hell of a game was played last night between San Ramon and Sanatura. In what will likely be a preview of the playoffs, we faced off against a tough San Ramon team last night, pulling out a tight win 74-72.

This was a different team than what we faced in San Ramon a month ago. They have since added Daniel Simmons and Kay Martinez, two of the best basketball players in Costa Rica. San Ramon now has a solid playing rotation that can easily go nine deep and can mix and match all different sorts of lineups. They also posses the best front court duo in the country with Simmons and the imposing Jefney Anderson; you have to account for them at all times which creates plenty of space for their wings.
 We knew this would be our toughest test since the Barva game.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

The Return of Henry






Late last week we were able to broker a deal to sign local legend, Henry Martinez to the Sanatura team. Henry played for Sanatura for part of the season last year, making it a homecoming of sorts. Henry has had a storied career in Costa Rican hoops, winning several titles with several teams, playing for the national team and playing in foreign leagues.

I for one am glad because I had a personal record of approximately 1-11 against Henry. For the longest time, my teams just couldn't beat Henry. He was like an escape artist: he would find different ways to torment my teams. I'm glad we have him on our side for a change.

Tonight we have a tough game against San Ramon, our likely foe in the playoffs. Should be a great game.


The Return of Henry