9th/10th Grade House Basketball Power Rankings Game 6

1.      Cavaliers W 34-28 (6-0)

The Cavaliers pulled out their sixth win on Wednesday against a sluggish Heat squad. The Pendo brothers have been strong contributors to the merciless scoring, but black horse Philip Rech was the key player in the victory. The Cavaliers are one of two remaining undefeated teams, but have proved to be much stronger than the Wizards. The Cavs have won three games by 17 or more, compared to the Wizards’ zero. Look for the Cavs to be a frontrunner in the rest of the season as well as the postseason.

2.      Wizards W 31-24 (6-0)

The Wizards have struggled on offense at times, but a strong defensive squad led by Myles Ridder, allowing the least total points out of all teams in the league. Ridder gets help from Andrew Nault, Jack Griffiths, and George Reed on offense, but this squad is not nearly as deep as the Cavaliers. This crew will also be a big contender going forward.

3.      Raptors W 42-40 (4-2)

In a close game that came down to the buzzer, the Raptors put down a tough 76ers team led by Dylan Carruthers. His talent all around the court has carried the team to third place in the overall standings and clinching a #3 spot in this edition of the rankings. Another contributor is Jay Patrick, whose height is something the team lacks. With the only 4-2 record thus far, the Raptors have been consistent throughout the season to secure their spot.

4.      Knicks L 20-51 (3-3)

The Knicks shamefully allowed the Bobcats to win a game in the absence of superstar twins Alex and Max Skolds. The Knicks don’t have anything else to work with except for an outstanding performance by Matt Plank, bucketing 15 points. With the Skolds back, the Knicks might be able to seize a win in their next matchup against the Raptors on Sunday.

5.      Nets L 36-44 (3-3)

Coming in at fifth is a struggling Nets team led by Chris Chiamulera. The Nets have lost 3 of their last 4, but will most likely come back this weekend as they play the Bobcats. Chi is assisted on offense by Luke Mangan, Cameron Smith, and Colin Meier. The Nets probably shouldn’t have lost to the Pacers, but couldn’t convert late in the game to get a W.

6.      Bulls W 33-8 (3-3)

After an embarrassing loss to the Cavaliers, the Bulls rebounded with a blowout victory over the depleted Bucks led by a 12 point performance by Blake Lange and another 10 points coming from Nick Cohen. Lange will not be present at several upcoming games, but will be back in commission for the playoffs to carry his team as far as they can go. Daniel Traver and Andrew Pigeon also put up points for the Bulls in the easy win.

7.      Pacers W 44-36 (3-3)

The Pacers have been strong after starting slow, losing their first three, and winning three in a row to answer. The Pacers’ team chemistry seems to be falling into place led by Connor Davey, Curry Bloom, and Brad Magnusson. These three score most of the points and scrap up balls on defense to keep the opposition at a deficit. Look for continued momentum against the 76ers on Sunday.

8.      76ers L 42-40 (3-3)

The 76ers have talent, but couldn’t make baskets late in the game to squeeze in a victory over the Raptors. The team is led by Harry Gillespie and Reilly Bloom, who are both capable of being big scorers, but the defense is not sufficient, allowing an average 32 points per game and scoring little more. The 76ers have a tough upcoming schedule, with the Pacers, Knicks, and Nets lined up to challenge them. Hopefully the 76ers can work a miracle and close the season out with more wins than losses.

9.      Heat L 28-34 (2-4)

The Heat couldn’t get it done against the Cavaliers. The offense was led by Jack Feeley and Jack Foley, but it couldn’t match up against the invincible Cavs. The Heat has consistently been able to keep games close, but can’t take late leads to earn victories. Other players to watch out for are Zach Basu and strongman Alex Gunn. With a deep team like this, the Heat may be able to finish the season respectably. Additionally, I would like to make a correction from a previous post: Jake Bowtell is a sophomore at Fairfield Prep and has just turned 16.

10.  Celtics L 24-31 (1-5)

The Celtics lost once again because of foul trouble. Brendan Donohue fouled out with 5+ minutes remaining, and defensive force Owen Brannigan fouled out earlier with about 10 minutes remaining. Fouls have been haunting this team all season, so they need to clean up the physical aspect of the game if they want to make a name for themselves. Other players that played roles in Wednesday’s game were Aidan Brannigan and James Fox.

11.  Bobcats W!!! 51-20 (1-5)

We never thought we would say it, but the Bobcats won. They got lucky enough to play a Skolds-less Knicks squad, but still managed to dominate. Scoring was very evenly distributed among the team, but Cooper Drippé is clearly the standout. His shooting range was good enough to lead his team to its first and possibly final victory of the season.

12.  Bucks L 8-33 (1-5)

The Bucks weakness is simple. Without the legendary Brian Davey, they are 0-5, and the Bulls just toyed with them all game. Another factor in the loss was a shallow bench. With only one substitute to work with, the Bucks were tired out quickly and couldn’t recover. With only 2 points at halftime, their fate did not look good. Unless Davey returns, the Bucks may never see the winners circle again.