Cary Returns to TRBL Finals After 3OTs
Published on June 15, 2013 under Tobacco Road Basketball League (TRBL)
Fayetteville Crossover News Release
Fayetteville, NC: Even without head coach Eric Vaughn in attendance, the Cary Invasion started the first TRBL playoff semifinal against Team HoopForLyfe on a 10-0 run. But that run would end in a hurry. Coach Vaughn's absence began to be noticed as the Invasion gave the lead away quickly through turnovers, ill-advised one-on-one play, and missed shots. HoopForLyfe exploited Invasion mistakes and ran out to a double-digit lead at the end of the first half.
The TRBL West #2 seed kept the pressure on for most of the third quarter. When Cary tightened the defense inside, the HoopForLyfe big men drifted out behind the arc and knocked down jumpers. The HoopForLyfe lead ballooned to 20 points midway through the third-quarter, and the game appeared over. An aggressive Cary defense got back a few points by the end of the third, and the Invasion kept the tempo up in the fourth quarter in effort to create more possessions. A few key steals and long jumpers brought Cary all the way back just as regulation ended.
The first two overtimes would be carbon copies. HoopForLyfe took control of each overtime early, only to see the Invasion even the score in the closing seconds. Cary brought just a little more energy to the third overtime, creating an early two possession lead that Team HoopForLyfe could not overcome. Cary won 150-144 in the longest-ever TRBL game.
It was the second heartbreaking loss in a row for a HoopForLyfe team that nearly pulled off a regular season upset against the PrimeTime Players a week earlier. With the win, Cary moves to 13-0 on the season and will play the PrimeTime Players (13-0) in the TRBL playoff championship game at 5 pm, Sunday, June 16th at the JD Fuller Center in Fayetteville. The game will be a rematch of the 2012 TRBL championship game.
Tobacco Road Basketball League Stories from June 15, 2013
- Cary Returns to TRBL Finals After 3OTs - Fayetteville Crossover
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