There’s nothing like your parents cheering for you in the stands. The Octane Infinity’s Adam Crane already brings an unlimited amount of energy to every game so it’s shocking to find out that there’s even more fire in his jets when his parents came to watch the game. Crane scored his season-high 25 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the field, snagged five rebounds, and swiped two steals as he led the Octane Infinity to victory against ReWork 72-64 at The Courts in Beaverton, OR, last Monday, March 31, 2008.
“If you weren’t a fan of Adam Crane before tonight, you’d absolutely have to be, now,” said John Le. “He was so fun to watch out there.”
The game started with the Octane Infinity taking off with a 15-0 run, but ReWork battled back and took a lead of 38-32 at the half. At the second half, the Octane Infinity started chipping away at the lead, draining six 3-pointers and getting some stops on the defensive end. ReWork, in the mean time, struggled from the free throw line. With less than two minutes left in the game, the Octane Infinity had the lead and strategically passed the ball around to eat up time, which forced ReWork to foul in order to stop the clock. Crane made both critical free throws, giving the Octane Infinity a two-possession lead. ReWork failed to score on their end, securing the win for the Octane Infinity.
“The defense I thought was particularly good in the second half. They hit us hard on the offensive glass but we weathered the storm. Moreover, we didn’t let them shoot many threes to get back in the game in the second half, we did an excellent job of recognizing a potential shooter and getting someone over to prevent the shot. On my side, Scott would come out if someone was open and then still manage to be back in position to rebound,” noted Crane.
Chris Turman had another one of his double-double games, scoring 21 points on 9-of-19 shooting and grabbing 12 rebounds. John Le contributed seven points, 11 rebounds, and six assists.
The game marked the return of Scott Nelson and a special appearance by Mike Jones. The Octane Infinity were without power forward Marcus Berger and center David Camp.
Boxscore
| No. | Pos | Player | 2PT | 3PT | FT | REB | AST | TO | STL | BLK | PF | PTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | PG/SG | Adam Crane | 7-11 | 3-5 | 2-3 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 25 | ||
| 20 | SF | Mike Jones | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 21 | PG/SG | Jonas Reyes | 3-3 | 1-4 | 0-0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 9 | ||
| 22 | SF/PF | John Le | 2-5 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 11 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | ||
| 26 | PG/SG | Edwin Tanedo | 3-7 | 1-4 | 1-2 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | ||
| 30 | PF/C | Chris Turman | 7-15 | 2-4 | 1-2 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 21 | ||
| 44 | SF | Scott Nelson | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 40 | PF | Marcus Berger | DNP | ||||||||||
| 51 | PF/C | David Camp | DNP | ||||||||||
| Totals | 22-42 | 8-20 | 4-7 | 41 | 14 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 72 | ||||
Credits
Statistician: Mike R.
Photographer: Jonas Reyes
Writer: Jonas Reyes
Upsets!
The Crunch belt must be shaped like a boomerang to John Le since it seems to return him every other week. Le won his fourth Crunch title last Saturday, March 29, 2008, at the Cedar Mill Ballys in Portland, OR, reclaiming it from its previous holder, Edwin Tanedo.
The Octane Infinity will be playing ReWork at The Courts in Beaverton, OR, on Monday, March 31, 2008. The game starts at 8:45pm.
There really is something magical that happens after the Octane Infinity yell “Infinity!” at the huddle during halftime. Or at least that what it seemed like as the Octane Infinity faced Yikes at The Courts in Beaverton, OR, on Monday, March 24, 2008.
Adam Crane scored 14 points and eight rebounds, and Edwin Tanedo added 12 points and seven rebounds. The stats didn’t reflect the intangible defensive plays that the Octane Infinity guards did, disrupting the Yikes offense and causing a series of turnovers.
Last Saturday, March 22, 2008, at the Cedar Mill Ballys in Portland, OR, the Crunch games initially started out as a sprint but then ultimately turned into a marathon. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that Edwin “I Run Marathons Without Training” Tanedo ended up winning this week’s Crunch title over John Le, Jonas Reyes, and Mike R.
Lone Le at the Top
18 03 2008Basketball is a game with many different styles. As opponents change, so will the style you play. For me, I separate myself from my opposition by being able to adapt to various styles of game. A teammate of mine recently said that I have this unique skill of playing like I’m taller than I actually am. Although it took me a while to understand what he was saying, I got it. Furthermore, I’ll agree with him. When I step out on that floor, I know of no limitations to my game. I’ll go out and play the way I see fit. That being said, I’ll continue with my diatribe on adaptability.
One quality I have that enables me to adapt is versatility. We just explored the size factor. But what about other parts of my game? The size thing was developed since I first started playing basketball when I was in elementary school. I grew fast and early which meant that during my younger years, I was taller than my opposition. That of course, changed over time as I stopped growing at 11 and saw everyone else get taller than me. Much taller. Since I couldn’t grow up, I grew out. In four years of high school, I bulked up and put on fifty pounds. Because I could no longer position myself to shoot over people, I trained myself to bulldoze my way to easy baskets. All of a sudden, I went from being a finesse player to a physical one.
After high school, one facet of the game finally surfaced: the outside shot. In my eight years of organized basketball during my school days, I never took a three-pointer until my sixth season. And even then, I hardly shot it. As I approached my twenties, that skill eventually had to develop if I was to continue playing. And as my recent Crunch opponents have found out, it’s become a very deadly part of my game and has enabled me to win several Crunch contests. I’ll admit, I can be a hustler when I show up on the scene of a good game. At first glimpse of me, all my opponents will overlook me and see a badly out-of-shape old man who should never come close to a basketball court. I won’t ever deny their reactions. Instead, I seize every opportunity to capitalize on uncontested shots, especially beyond the arc, and blow right by people who don’t think I have the speed to do it.
I will paraphrase all that I’m saying by reiterating how lonely it is for me in this game of basketball. There is no physical specimen out there like me, so none of them can imagine what it’s like to go through what I’ve had to in order to succeed. Many players have been given the gift of height, speed, coordination, and youth. But when it comes to contesting me, none of that amounts to anything without a good head on their shoulders. Without a good head, I will exploit you in every conceivable way. I will get in your head. If I defeat you, I will definitely let you know that you should be embarrassed.
Remember one thing. I would never ever had to develop anything if I didn’t respect your game. As I am now the reigning Crunch champion, you better respect mine whether you think my victories are a fluke or not. I am not a one-hit wonder, nor has the lightning struck us all twice. I am indeed, without a shadow of a doubt, an undisputed, three-time, three-time, three-time champ, chumps!
Credits
Writer: John Le
Photographer: Jonas Reyes
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