IBA: Legends Lose in Championship to Soldiers 150-116 in Blowout

(Photo Courtesy: Kankakee County Soldiers - Facebook)

The Albany Legends lost today to the Kankakee County Soldiers 150-116 in the 2012 IBA Spring Championship. It was a blowout loss as the Legends struggled and the Soldiers dominated.

A play-by-play recap of this game isn't necessary. I listened to the game live and the Soldiers just kept developing their lead after gaining an early advantage in the first quarter. The Soldiers led 39-26 at the end of the first quarter. They developed their lead even more in the second period and led 70-51 at the half. The Soldiers pulled ahead even more in the third quarter and led 110-83 at the start of the fourth. The Soldiers didn't let up in the final quarter and won 150-116. The Soldiers won every quarter of the game and are now the back-to-back champions of the IBA.

I feel that breaking down the keys to the game would be pessimistic and obvious. To sum it up quickly, the Legends struggled, missed a lot of shots, gave up offensive rebounds, turned the ball over, and didn't play a good game.

Also, the championship was the 6th game in 7 days for the Legends. I think their chances against the Soldiers would have been higher if the players had been better rested.

Player of the Game: Tie between Ryan Edwards (33 points, 10 rebounds) and Stan Chismark (34 points)

Lloyd Johnson led the Legends with 31 points in the losing effort. Josh Jones finished with 19 points and E.J. Gallup had 16 points. Brian Hanuschak scored 13 points and Zach Bye scored 10 in the loss.

Though their season ended in a somewhat embarrassing fashion, Legends fans and players should keep their heads up, and here's why:

-They made it to the championship. That's something to be proud of, especially since they got there without Tadre Sheppard and Tiki Mayben.

-Lloyd Johnson had a breakout season and emerged as one of the best players in the IBA and the leader of the team.

-The future is bright. The Legends had a bunch of rookies on their roster this season (T.J. Czeski, Zach Bye, Brian Hanuschak, Shea Bromirski, and Kyle Downey). If they're on the team next season, they should only get better. Though E.J. Gallup is getting older as he progresses into his 30's, shooting is the main facet of his game and that usually isn't worsened with age. I think the Legends will be better next season and will be championship contenders if their roster isn't shaken up in a bad way.

-The Legends have had a winning record and have made the playoffs in every season since their establishment, so even if the team becomes worse next season, we should still be good.

-The Albany Legends recently announced that John Coffino has signed a one-year contract with the team and will return next season as head coach. I think this is a good move. Coffino did his best at coaching the Legends while being their 3rd coach in the 2012 season alone. I like Coffino. I think he's a pretty chill dude and a good coach too. I think that part of the reason that the Legends came up short was because Coffino had never coached in the IBA before and had to adjust to the speed and different rules of the league. That being said, I think this move gives the team some more stability which I think will be good for next season.

Source(s): Matt Schulz

Have any thoughts on the Legends losing in the championship to the Soldiers? Were you there? Leave a comment below and tell me what you think.

IBA: Legends Beat Ballers in Comeback Win, Advance to Finals

The Albany Legends defeated the Kenosha Ballers yesterday 136-134 and will advance to the IBA Championship.

Although the Legends were down by 7 with three minutes left in the fourth quarter, they came back and gained the lead. Late in the game, with about a second and a half left in the game, the Legends were up by 2 and Kyle Downey was at the line to shoot two free throws. He could have iced up the game, but missed both of them. Luckily, Lloyd Johnson grabbed the rebound at the buzzer and the Legends held on to win the game. The final score was 136-134.

Now that the Legends have won in the semifinals, they will be playing in the IBA Championship today. Their season all comes down to this last game. The Albany Legends (12-5) will play the Kankakee County Soldiers (14-3) today at 5:00 pm Eastern time.

Player of the Game: Lloyd Johnson (a game-high 43 points to lead the Legends to the championship)

E.J. Gallup scored 34 points in the win. Josh Jones helped out with 21 points and 7 rebounds.

For the Ballers, Tim Baines scored 27 points. Damon Osbourne finished with 25 points.

Today's final game should prove to be tough for the Legends. The Soldiers beat the Legends in their season series so far 2-1. Plus, the Soldiers also won the IBA Championship last season and Ryan Edwards is the league's leading scorer and reigning MVP. I've seen Edwards play and the dude's a beast. The Legends are gonna have their hands full with him.

But there still is a good chance that the Legends can beat the Soldiers today in what I would call an upset. Here's how: Lloyd Johnson needs to keep up his level of play and try to outplay Edwards. The Legends need to stay focused on defense and on the boards. I would suggest giving more minutes to Zach Bye because of his rebounding skills for his size. I think that Lloyd Johnson will get his numbers as usual, but the x-factor could be E.J. Gallup vs. Ryan Edwards. If Gallup can hit his three's and Edwards can be harassed defensively into having a bad night, the Legends will have a better chance of winning.

I think (and hope) that the Legends will win today and be the 2012 IBA Spring Champions.

Have any thoughts on the Legends beating the Ballers and advancing to the championship? Leave a comment below and tell me what you think.