1979 OCS Finals
#1 McQuelsey Woodpeckers 80, #2 Murdlock Razors 84
THE RAZORS HAVE DONE IT! After losing in their two previous appearances, the Razors have finally eclipsed their first OCS Finals victory. It was an instant classic in McQuelsey. Woodpeckers youngster Bryson McMurray was lighting up the stat sheet and had the tough task of defending the Razors' brute force of Evans Strong. While Strong was held to 15 points and 6 boards, this left Murdlock point guard Carl Baker available to wreck havoc on the rest of the Woodpeckers. Baker led all scorers with 39 points while also dishing 13 assists on his way to being voted as the OCS Finals MVP. Deep into the second half, the score was tied until Baker was fouled while laying in a finger roll. This was the momentum swing the Razors needed, causing McQuelsey to play catchup for the final 1:30. Baker knocked down his final 6 free throws attempts as the Woodpeckers attempted to get the ball back through fouling. When the buzzer sounded, Evans Strong and Carl Baker shared hugs and tears.

Baker joins an exclusive group of players with both an OBA and and OCS Finals MVP. Those others include Andre Oz of The Team of the River Galloway, Brian Williams of the Desherd City Dachshunds, and Hitts Weckerthaul of the Mescudi Moonmen.

Murdlock Razors 1979 Championship Banner

New Signature Shoes
SoulForce released a new shoe for not one, not two, but THREE players in the OBA. Inspired by the duo of Carl Baker and Evans Strong, the company granted them each their own individual shoe designs.

Baker Sharpshooters by SoulForce

Evans Strong - Strongdrives by SoulForce


Brian Williams BW1s
After much deliberation about how long each of the league's original stars could last, the first player retirement was announced in the middle of the offseason. Brian Williams of the Desherd City Dachshunds told news sources that the 1980 season will be his final. He intends to travel around the country as an ambassador to the league after his last game.

The BW1s were produced by SoulForce. Williams becomes the fifth player to be sponsored by SoulForce with his own exclusive shoe deal. These are the first SoulForce shoe to be designed as low-tops.

Last edited by HWULA (5/18/2023 10:57 am)

Hall of Fame Location Vote - Round 1
Each location offered a presentation regarding programming, location within the respective city, and architectural design. Questions were fielded, and then the voting process began. The first round of results are as such:

Murdlock - 24 points
Ensylvan - 22 points
The Bay - 21 points
McQuelsey - 14 points
Irving - 10 points

The Bay and Ensylvan both had phenomenal presentations, and Murdlock did well enough to move forward to the second round. Murdlock benefits from capital city status and population. Essentially, all they needed to do was put together a competent presentation to move at least to the second round.

McQuelsey did not expect to move forward, but were still disappointed by the returns. Conversely, news reports indicated that Irving was practically a shoe-in to not only move forward to the next round, but the final round of voting. However, what appeared to be a shoe-horned presentation, paired with a lack of direct and specific answers to questions, led to Irving's derailment. Further issues arose when it seemed that the Crows and Ricos management, as well as the city council, could not agree on a deal regarding construction funding.

Hall of Fame Location Vote - Round 2
Murdlock and The Bay moved forth into the final round of voting. Prior to the second vote, the room was opened as a discussion forum, wherein positive reinforcements and concerns were voiced. The consensus was that, although the Hall of Fame would be a beneficial symbiotic relationship with the city of Ensylvan, the marsh-like terrain and flooding - due to the location on the banks of the Schism River - would cause major financial strain during construction. In other words, there would have to be further, more expensive accommodations made for Ensylvan in order for the architectural structure to last.

Hall of Fame Location Vote - Round 3
After one more round of questions, answers and discussion, a final vote was pushed forth. As such, the home of the OBA Hall of Fame will be in...

THE BAY!
Here is an early archetype of what the building will look like on the outside.

Congratulations to The Bay!
 

1980 OCS Playoffs - First Round
#1 Luva Mountaineers 95, #4 Murdlock Razors 87
Although Luva is based in the mountains, Edgeworth Court was rocking with fans of both teams! A sold out show ensued, and boy, was the price of admission worth it. The first half was a perfect display of physicality without chippiness. Derrick Houser dominated on the inside for the Mountaineers, collecting 15 points and 8 rebounds in the first half alone. Evans Strong, usually known for his brute strength, flashed some incredible athleticism as he hammered down an earth-shaking slam just before the half. Tied at 45, it was going to take the entire second half (and possibly more) to determine a winner.

No team had a lead larger than 5 in the second half until the under-2:00 mark. Tied at 84, Sinclair Journey - who at that point had been held to just 12 points - exploded at the right time. Two 3-point shots, an additional and-one, and two free throws later sealed the deal for the Mountaineers to charge into the OCS Finals for the first time.

#2 Mescudi Moonmen 97, #3 Irving Ricos 61
On the first offensive possession of the game for the Ricos, budding superstar Uisto Aldivando cut through the lane and received a pass on his way to throw down a massive dunk. While going up, his right ankle twisted slightly, causing some strain. On the landing, however... he landed, slipped, and terribly injured it worse. After being carted off on a stretcher, it was reported later that Aldivando had torn multiple ligaments in his right ankle and had a broken bone as well. The arena fell dead silent, and the mood suddenly shifted from jubilant to terrified in a split second.

It was very difficult for both teams to continue forth from there. The Ricos, strapped for talent, were completely lost without their leader. Irving went a combined 6:49 in the game without scoring. The Moonmen went on runs of 22-2, 30-7, and 15-0. It was horrific. Hitts Weckerthaul did not play at all in the second half after scoring 18 in the first. Bojan Turk was the leading scorer for Mescudi, chipping in 27 points and 12 rebounds. Immediately after the game, both teams went to the hospital to visit Aldivando, who was said to be in a "somber" mood.

Many of the Ricos were appreciative of the Moonmen's visit. Aldivando said that he would be cheering for Mescudi in their OCS Finals matchup with the Mountaineers.

Opportunities arise for both Luva and Mescudi. The Mountaineers, with their young core, have been knocking on the door of a title since their inception in 1977. Will they finally accomplish that feat? Will the Moonmen join The Team as the only franchises to win FOUR OCS Finals?

The 1980 OCS Finals approaches!

1981 Offseason
Big news this time from The Table in The Back Room of The Bar of The River Galloway, as expansion is on the horizon! A unanimous vote was returned to add four new teams to the league, slated to begin play in 1982. That would bring the total to 18 teams.

Another vote was placed for playoff expansion, which was a little bit more terse. Representatives from the four incoming cities all voted in favor of expansion. Enyslvan, the Murdlock Monocles, Remolvo, and both Irving teams joined them. The Murdlock Razors, McQuelsey, Luva, Mescudi, The Bay, Boothtown, Gin City, The Team, and Desherd City voted against. What won the vetos over was the mathematics. With 18 teams, eight in the playoffs would still be less than half of the league qualifying. As such, starting in 1982, the playoffs will expand to eight teams.

Retirements
It was rumored that both Carl Baker and Evans Strong, of the Razors, would be considering retirement throughout the offseason. Both confirmed that they were committed through 1981.