This is the first of two semifinal series posts, covering all games in the series. The series will be conducted in a best-of-five format, with the better seed hosting the first three games. We begin with the mandatory trio of games in...
Melbourne, as the Renegades host the Prague Checkmates for games 1-3. Interestingly, during the regular season, the teams averaged within a point of each other. Pancho Barrios hit only 201 for Prague, stumbling late in the appearance. Charlie Thompson answered with 384 for Melbourne. Lucila Zavala got a little bit too far underneath a ball, hitting 199 for the Checkmates. Theodore White belted 506 for the Renegades to add onto the lead. Prague continues to struggle with staying in form, as Hyunjae Kwak hit a solid 225. Sancho Ramos kept the Melbourne attack up with 497. Corentin Aerts looked alright but still managed just 248 for the Checkmates, as the game starts to slip from reach. Rana Naqvi took a meager 60 points for the Renegades. Darryl Estrada lifted 317 for Prague. Sikke Eichel failed to reinforce the lead for Melbourne with a measly 49 points, making things interesting late. Rayan Carranza couldn't capitalize, as the Checkmates took a loss when he hit 36 for 1226 total. Stanley Watts continued a disturbing trend for the Renegades, hitting only 24 to ice the win at 1520. Melbourne is up 1-0 in the series.
In game 2, Prague got off to a worse start when Pancho Barrios hit 144. Charlie Thompson also regressed to 248 for Melbourne. Lucila Zavala rallied with 328 for the Checkmates, putting them slightly ahead. Theodore White hauled in only 164 for the Renegades as they fell behind. Hyunjae Kwak sliced 331 for Prague, keeping them in charge. Sancho Ramos drilled 408 for Melbourne, pulling them to a very narrow lead at mid-game. Corentin Aerts put the Checkmates in danger, managing only 96 points. Rana Naqvi knocked 312 for the Renegades, helping to build a lead. Darryl Estrada shot right back with 449 for Prague, edging them ahead again. Sikke Eichel bounced back with 767 for Melbourne, putting them firmly ahead. Rayan Carranza tapped 184, but the Checkmates ended up losing with 1532. Stanley Watts kept it simple with 152, giving the Renegades 2051 in the win. Melbourne can advance with one more win, leading the series 2-0.
Game 3 started with Prague's Pancho Barrios setting a better tone with 439. Charlie Thompson couldn't keep up, hitting just 115. Lucila Zavala had a meager 108 for the Checkmates, failing to keep up the pace. Theodore White corralled 136 for the Renegades. Hyunjae Kwak blasted 713 for Prague, giving them a very large lead at this point. Sancho Ramos covered most of that with 627 for Melbourne, putting a dent in the deficit. Corentin Aerts managed only 82 for the Checkmates, creating a slight vulnerability. Rana Naqvi trimmed a little more with 96 for the Renegades. Darryl Estrada couldn't regain form for Prague, hitting only 139. Sikke Eichel only closed in on 180 for Melbourne. Rayan Carranza continued to struggle, with 84 points for a Checkmates final score of 1565. Stanley Watts crushed 519 to call it a comeback for the Renegades, giving them the win with 1673. With the win, Melbourne punched a ticket to the final on a 3-0 series win.
More SCL semifinal action tomorrow when we determine the other finalist, with a day of pool in between.
No comments:
Post a Comment