Kronum League Round 8 – Urban Legends vs. Throwbacks

Statistics do not win games.  Victories are not earned in the columns of  assist totals, shooting percentages, or game-highs. If this was not the case, and numbers told the whole story in Kronum League games, then the Throwbacks would be fresh off one of the biggest shellackings in League history, and the Urban Legends would be off to Hollywood as the next to star in one of those Southwest Airlines “Wanna Get Away?” TV spots.

This is really nothing to joke about, I mean, look at the numbers. They’ll tell you what you need to know, right? Well maybe not since Tim Tebow has been winning games with a completion percentage equivalent to his age, but a game’s paper trail is usually a good outline of the outcome.

Not in Kronum, brah. The Throwbacks shot 46% to the Legends 38%. The T-Backs never shot lower than forty-five percent in any one period to be specific. Their save total of 39 dominated the Legends 28 stops. Their Mommas taught them how to share their way to 20 assists against the Legends’ selfish 17 AND they held a controlling 8-point lead after two periods. The T-Backs looked to be in control and on their way to their fourth win on the season and a chance to climb the standings to compete for a playoff bye in the coming weeks. However, things didn’t exactly pan out on that front for the Maize and Navy. In Kronum, more is definitely better but “how” and “where”  are the real factors that tell the difference.

The ”Cross Zone”, to keep things simple, is comprised of the areas of the field farthest away from any one goal. Each goal quadrant has a Goal Zone, Wedge Zone, Flex Zone, and a Cross Zone. However, in any given Flex Zone, a part of the inner circle of the Cross exists and this is where…..jeez, you know what, just YouTube Kronum Basic Rules. OK, you seen it? The Cross is worth more points and The Legends won because they do it more often and better than other teams, got it? I’m actually sitting here yelling at myself for trying to write about where a zone is. It’s like someone  explaining, in words, the location of Birmingham to someone who doesn’t know where Alabama is on a map.

The Throwbacks came out firing in the first period, taking a commanding 13 point lead just 5 minutes into the game with ranger Kevin Casero drilling a big 4-point shot and had 11 different players tally points in the frame. For the first ten minutes, the T-Backs’ wedgebacks stonewalled almost every single shot from the Legends’ shooters. Jim Bradley (8 points, 13 saves), had 8 stops to lead the defense to a total of 21 saves in the 1st period alone, which is almost unheard of in Kronum. That’s over 1 save per minute. The Legends stayed persistent with their shots on net and finally broke out halfway through with Greg Ermold (14 points) and Kevin Glover (18 points, 4 saves) leading the effort to chip away at the T-Backs early onslaught and trailed by only two points, 28-26, at the end of one.

The second period was almost identical to the first as the Legends started out slow and gradually clawed their way back within striking distance. Throwbacks’ crosser John Graham (12 points) nailed a 4-point shot from the cross and a 4-point Ring from the Flex Zone while teammate Steve Botta (14 points, 11 saves, 6 assists) had his own 4-point ring and came very close to earning the Kronum League’s first ever Triple-Double. The Legends countered with some specialty footwork from Todd Wampler (8 points) and Glover. Ranger Kevin Clark (Game-high 26 points, 4 assists), despite a slow start, hit a big 4 from the cross, and showed signs of life that would make for an exciting 3rd and final period. Jordan Welles (6 points, 7 saves) and Bradley made fine plays in net for their respective squads in the period and the T-Backs took a 62-54 lead into the 3rd.

In the way that the 3rd period played out, one would of thought that the Urban Legends were slow playing their opponent and simply turned it on when they felt like it or the vaunted T-Backs wedgebacks were getting a few bucks from a couple unknowns in leather jackets seen hanging around the team bench areas. The Purple Orchids from West Philly blew up for 44 points and the spark that Clark showed in the 2nd period ignited a wildfire in the form of 14 3rd period points, including an 8-point Kronum shot that served as the death dagger when the team were locked at 88-88 a piece with a few minutes to go. Ermold, Glover, and Mike Ragan (12 points, 4 assists) provided the support to Clark’s late game heroics and Cory Robertson (8 points, 11 saves) shut down the T-Backs big shooters with 5 saves in the final 20 minutes. Ranger Steve Fariss seemed to be the only Throwback with a pulse in the 3rd, connecting for 14 of his team-high 18 points but the Urban Legends earned their third straight win, 98-88, to advance to 5-3 as they T-Backs fell to 3-5 on the season.

The Legends’ effort late in the game proved that one period, one minute, one turnover, one shot, or one player can completely change the pace of the game.

Big stat numbers are fun, great topics for discussion, and they get you in the Hall of Fame. But go ask Dan Marino, Karl Malone, Ted Williams, and Barry Bonds how many titles they bring your way.

PC