1989 First Round

#1 The Team of the River Galloway 88, #8 Dovinwitt Louds 86
Simply put, despite the victory, the Team is in trouble. With just two minutes to go in the first half, they held a 24-point lead over the Louds. On the court, it looked as noncompetitive as a #1 vs. #8 playoff matchup has looked. At that point, league MVP Stanley Sweetney went up to grab a rebound and landed horribly without contacting anyone around him. Immediately, he was wincing and writhing on the ground. It was clear it was a knee injury, and a serious one at that. It was confirmed after the game that Sweetney would be missing at least the remainder of the playoffs. While Dovinwitt clawed their way back into the game in the second half, ultimately it was too much to overcome. In place of Sweetney, rookie Tavian Jarvis carried the load for the Team with 27 points and seven rebounds.

#4 Gin City Porkers 103, #5 Desherd City Dachshunds 84
What an offensive explosion in Gin City!!! Byron No left earth in a phenomenal performance, netting 48 points, five rebounds and three assists. He was a walking highlight reel, collecting steals, slamming dunks, and swishing triples. Ibrahim Mohammed was also remarkable with 25 points and 13 boards of his own. The Porkers were unstoppable and looked like they belong among the elite franchises. While Tyrone Buckley got it going for the Dachshunds (24 points, nine assists), he did not receive much help as the Dachshunds fell in the first round.

#3 Simeka Sleuths 76, #6 Murdlock Monocles 78
I don't know how much more heartbreak Simeka supporters can withstand. The Monocles kept it close all game and snatched the victory out of the Sleuths' hands at the last second. Simeka led 76-74 with a few ticks remaining on the clock. Murdlock's Io October was fouled as he heaved a 35-foot shot from downtown that rimmed out, bounced off the backboard, and fell back through. October sunk the free free throw and cemented the victory for the Monocles. He finished with 21 points in the upset.

#2 Soup 86, #7 Boothtown Mobster 83
Despite the Aaron Batista show being broadcast nationwide, the defending champion Soup came out on top. Clarence Poole struggled to stop Batista from scoring - Batista ended the night with 37 - but he contributed 23 points of his own for Soup. It seemed as if the Boothtown star was going to bully his way to buckets, one way or another. Horace Suggs also showed out for Soup, dishing out 15 assists to go along with 18 points. Soup led for most of the game, but it was tightly contested for all 40 minutes. Two clutch defensive stops allowed for Soup to seal the deal, advancing to their third consecutive semifinals.

---------------------------------------------------

#1 The Team of the River Galloway vs. #4 Gin City Porkers
Bluntly, the Team is coming into this game as the underdog. Without Stanley Sweetney, they will need to find a source of offensive power and defensive tenacity. It's a tall task for rookie Tavian Jarvis to lead a team for a full game on his own. Additionally, they saw how frighteningly effective the Porkers were on both ends in the first round. Can The Team dominate without the help of their superstar Sweetney? Will the Porkers reign victorious as the underseeded favorite?

#2 Soup vs. #6 Murdlock Monocles
The Monocles had to scrap to piece together a first round victory over the favored Simeka Sleuths. Io October's heroics might not last them for another game, especially for a date with the defending champions fast approaching. Will Soup try to go for a 3-peat? Will Murdlock magic touch the court once more?

It's time for the semifinals!!!!!

1989 Semifinals
#1 The Team of the River Galloway 65, #4 Gin City Porkers 96
Not much to say here other than what occurred was what was expected. Byron No took advantage of Stanley Sweetney's absence, as the Porkers star netted 43 points in the victory. Sweetney looked absolutely devastated in sweatpants and a hoodie, while No carved up the Team's defense like a Christmas ham. It was ugly. Tavian Jarvis was the lone bright star for the Team, and that word "bright" is used relatively. Jarvis had 18 points on a woeful 6/20 from the field. It was abysmal. On the winner's side, one of the huge positives was that the starters were able to be pulled fairly early to avoid any further injury. Porkers big man Ibrahim Muhammed posted a 20-point double-double and added three blocks as well.

#2 Soup 78, #6 Murdlock Monocles 67
Basketball fans who were prepared to watch competitive contests were disappointed on Saturday night. Although the nightcap was closer than its predecessor, it wasn't by much. Soup's Clarence Poole couldn't be stopped by anybody on the Monocles side, no matter who they threw at him defensively. He dominated the paint, putting Murdlock's Io October on a poster not once, but twice in the span of seven basketball minutes. Horace Suggs kept the Monocles court general Ish Anderson in check, holding him to 15 points and six assists. Anderson also coughed up the ball a few times, leading to Soup points. Soup led by as much as 22 in the second half, and by the time Murdlock tried slicing it away, it was too late.

#2 Soup vs. #4 Gin City Porkers
Two storied franchises are going at it to seal the most exciting decade in OBA history thus far. The defensive-minded Soup have their sights set on a 3-peat, the first in over a decade. However, standing in their way will be a scorching hot Gin City squad whose offensive dominance has yet to be matched. The three-headed monster of No, Muhammed, and Otis Carter are looking to stop Soup in their tracks. Which team will hang the banner as the 1989 OCS Finals champions?

The Finals are here!!!

1989 OCS Finals
#2 Soup 77, #4 Gin City Porkers 80
IT WAS FIREWORKS AT THE SOUP BOWL!!!! Back and forth, haymaker after haymaker, this was an instant classic. Neither team led by more than six points in the first half. Every time Soup tried to pull away, the Porkers came battling right back. Gin City's Ibrahim Mohammed, known as one of the most intimidating defenders in the league's history, came through with a 20-point showing before halftime. While Soup's Clarence Poole struggled to stop Mohammed, Poole contributed 14 points of his own before the break. The game was tied at 44 at the start of the second half, but the drama ensued. Otis Carter, the Porkers' point guard, netted nine consecutive points at the top of the half. Soup's Horace Suggs balanced the pick-and-roll with Poole well, scoring 15 points in the second half in those sets. With 3:00 to go, Soup took a 70-67 lead on a Suggs 3-ball from the corner. The Porkers called a timeout to get things situated. Star Byron No was getting locked up all night, only contributing 13 points and had a handful of turnovers as well. Gin City knew he had to step his game up in the closing minutes. From there, No tied things up with a pindown 3-pointer. The teams traded buckets until it got to Soup leading 77-75 with 0:35 seconds remaining. The Porkers set up a nice 3-man game with Carter, Mohammed and No on the right side of the court that led to Carter laying it in at the 0:23 mark.

Soup attempted to score on a Clarence Poole post entry, but hands were swiping left, right and center. Eventually, Carter stripped Poole of the ball and ran the other way. Suggs poked it out of bounds on the Gin City side of the court, but there was much controversy regarding who last touched the basketball. After the officials convened, the call was overturned and Soup retained possession. However, No intercepted the impending in-bound pass and called the final Porker timeout with nine ticks on the clock. After they broke the huddle, No inbounded the ball to Carter, who then handed it back to No near the top of the key. No immediately drove to the left side of the hoop where he met the taller Poole. Instead of attempting to score, the right-handed No squeezed a left-handed pass through the tiniest of windows to Carter in the opposite corner. The collapse of the help side defense allowed for Carter to be wide open. Although Carter shot it with (officially) 2.1 seconds left, he felt as if he had all the time in the world. A last-moment gasp of a contest by Suggs wasn't enough to stop Carter's shot from swishing through and clinching Gin City's second championship by a score of 80-77!

Otis Carter hoisted the OCS Finals MVP trophy as well as the Golden Carrot. Carter finished the game with 29 points (including the game-winner) and five assists.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE PORKERS!!!!