Game 1

The bleachers were tightly packed with basketball fans as the Sovereign Knights came out for their first game of the regular season against the underdone Celtic Tigers outfit.

The Sovs welcomed back starting guard Matt Lee after a 12 week layoff through his previous seasons ankle injury. The line-up was further galvanised by the return of the defensive rock Chunka

The game started unconventionally with Ro starting on the bench and with Alex entering the tip-off against a much taller opponent. Surprisingly enough the tip was won by the Tigers, but possession was soon regained by the Sovs and passed to the come back kid for the first points of the game..

The Sovs held steadfast in defence through relentless ball pressure by the guards and with strong bodies around the basket from the Widdison boys and Chunka. This intense pressure was continually applied and allowed the Sovs to run the court with relentless speed.

With a full array of players to select from the Sovs chopped and changed the team on the floor by ensuring fresh legs were available to continually run the Tigers ragged, in which they did.

Points were flying on to the scoreboard with relentless pressure and Matty fell into a purple patch where everything he touched turned to gold! The Yeti finished with 7 of 20 points for the first half, not before All-Defensive superstar Azz stamped his claim for the same award with a trademark block preventing the Tigers from scoring for the entire half.

The Sovs marched into the half time break like Jack – full of beans. Everything was working sublimely for the crew who came into the rest period with a 20-0 lead over the hapless Tigers outfit who looked very disinterested with the season that awaited them.

Unfortunately for the Tigers the second half started in much of the same manner as the first, as the come back kid stepped the tempo up a little more by drilling consecutive points from the arc.

With Ro subbing off later in the game it gave Age the opportunity to show his wares at the centre position where he flourished by playing competitive defence and pulling down countless rebounds from dreadful shots thrown by the Tigers.

The Sovies remained buoyant until the conclusion of the game with Alex attempting some trickery in the later stages, no doubt in his ambition to steal this years Globetrotter award.

In the end the Sovereign Knights humiliated the Celtic Tigers 39-8 with many media commentators suggesting is a team ready for a finals birth.

In a gala event held at Zagames (Main Road) the lads frocked up with their partners for the unveiling of the inaugural Sovereign Knights player awards.

As voted by his peers Mark was deemed the Most Valuable Player to the franchise for his complete skills in strategically leading the team, both offensively and defensively. Mark collected an average 11.5 points per game, pulled down 9.3 rebounds and dish out 3.8 assists on the offensive end.

In accepting the MVP, Mark (the spiritual leader of the club) was very humble at the thought of receiving the award and thanked his team mates for all of their hard-work throughout the season, and wished everyone a safe off-season, with lots of training.

Azz was voted All-Defensive for his consistent intensity on D throughout the entire season, forming an integral part in defensive structures and applying the trademark Sovs ball aggression. With stats of 2.3 blocks per game, 4.1 steals per game and 7.9 rebounds per game Azz will be hard to look past next season for the same award.
Azz was ecstatic and quickly downed his pot in record time before giving his acceptance speech by saying “this performance would not have been at all possible if it were not for god, my family and my girlfriend Stacey who have supported me all season.”

In a landslide poll the big man Ro received the Most Improved Award for increasing his skills and knowledge the most over the course of the season. Ro came into the squad a little wet behind the ears, but soon cemented his spot in the starting line-up by increasing his statistical averages and in dominating the boards. In the end Ro finished with excellent numbers of 6.7 points per game and 11.2 rebounds per game.

In a media rush to interview the young champ, Ro he simply attributed his season’s performance to great training mates and hard work, whilst reaching for another pot.

Last but certainly not least the Club Man Award went to Alex for his team orientated ideals. On the court Alex had a great year with hard work being displayed at both ends, whilst off the court Alex organised extra training sessions, team dinners and worked in conjunction with others for other events.
After the presentation of the Club Man Award, Alex reiterated Mark’s words and thanked everyone for their efforts in the first of many franchise seasons with Sovereign Knights and commented “I look forward to doing it all again next season.”

Game 15 was the final game of the regular season for the Sovereign Knights with a win against Version 2 keeping their finals hopes alive. The last time these teams met the Sovs smashed Version 2 in rather humid conditions.

The Sovs displayed an almost full line-up, minus guard Matt Lee with his injured ankle. With a deep bench available the Sovs implemented a rotation based system that allowed fresh legs to be on the court all night.

Unlike the previous game against the opposition, Version 2 displayed some formation and scored the first 2 points of the game. Their lead was short lived however with some quick passes into free space, which let Mark and Simon hit the cord with some delicate J’s.

The ball pressure was simply amazing from the guards (Simon, Azz and Mao) who swiped the ball more often than a woman at Myers with a credit card. Due to the lads stealing the ball the Sovs ball possession increased, which saw further points rattle on to the scoreboard.

It wasn’t only the guards who were firing but the big men took to the task also with Ro and Chunka working tirelessly on defence whilst Mark was showing how to do it in offence with some slick passes, which could have only been taught by Mao.

The Sov machine was working beautifully and the 1st half was capped off with the Widdison brothers teaming up the first buzzer beater for the season. Azz cleverly drew some inquisitive defenders and dished the ball to Mark who threw an ordinary shot (Bill Cartwright style) that managed to swish.

The lads came back from the half time break full of confidence and with fresh legs. So yet again the Sovs started running in offence and cut the Version 2 defence up with ease. The Rocket, Azz and Mao were having a last game blast by controlling the game tempo.

Rainbow Age remained rather quiet for most of the game but with some handy passes being made to him he soon got into the game scoring some much needed percentage boosting points.

Then tragedy struck for the 2nd time this season for the defensive magnate Chunka, who went down with what was believed to be the same ankle injury suffered back in game 7 against the Rockers. Chunka was quickly taken off the court with ice applied quickly to the injury.

The game continued and the Sovs played spiritedly with victory in mind for Chunka. The Sovs were reduced again with Crash managing to attract another foul from the refs that forced him from the game with 5 fouls.

With only 5 players left, the Sovs retracted into their formidable zone defence and quietly ran out the game with Azz leading all scorers for the 2nd half by keenly stealing the ball and running the court

The Sovs walked away with an easy 42-21 against Version 2. The end of season sceptical was saddened by the chance that the fans had seen Chunk’s last game.

I have managed to secure a piece of time with the ever busy point guard Simon Lee before his brothers 21st Birthday Party.

AM - Ready for the first pitch.
SL - Ready.

AM - Uniform Number
SL - No. 41

AM - Full Name
SL - Simon Terry Lee

AM - Date of Birth
SL - 25 September 1986

AM - Nicknames
SL - Cucumba Kid, Pocket Rocket/Dynamo and Sime

AM - Position
SL - Guard, not to much else to play at 4"

AM - Signature Move
SL - Getting the long pass just after half court where I dash, duck, dive, dip and dodge the entire defensive team and then put it up for a Spud Webb reversal.
AM - Very well put Sime.

AM - Likes
SL - Basketball, Footy, Pearl Jam and Beer

AM - Dislikes
SL - The Boss, cats, skaters and arrogance

AM - Career Highlight
SL - Playing in the semi-final whilst in U18's where we were seated 4th and had to face the top team who went through the entire season underfeated. We managed to walk away with a 3 point win and move on to the final where we later lost. The game had everything.

AM - Cheers Sime, all the best for the last game of the season and tonights festivities.
SL - No worries.

Game 14 had the Sovereign Knights face the higher placed Drummond Street for the 2nd time this season. A big win for the Knights would see the team hold on to their boarding passes for the post season.

The team was nearly back to full strength, only missing key position player Matt Lee with his troublesome ankle injury. The Pocket Rocket and Blondie returned to the line-up after their previous weeks absence. The great man Chunka suited up although still trying to shake the ‘bug’ that has kept him away from training sessions all week.

With Ro winning the tip-off the Sovs swung swiftly into their offensive structure, quickly dicing the Drummond St D up with quick passes. After some quick points the Sovs moved back into their galvanised zone defence with Mark and Alex working in sync covering both the guard and base positions.

The old workhorse, Chunka, soon put his stamp on proceedings by controlling every aspect of the game with tough post moves, drilling 3 pointers, stalwart defence and even managing to create a highlight tape for the Harlem Globetrotters with some fancy dribbling.

The tempo seemingly lifted once the athletic Azz joined the game lining up with Simon at the guard positions. The 2 reaped havoc on the Drummond St inbound causing countless turnovers, much to the delight of their team mates who were applauding their efforts.

The Sovs went into the half time break with exhausted lungs but with an impressive 27-13 lead over the dazed lads from Drummond St. The direction from Coach Lee – much of the same, and lets try and reach 50 again this week.

The Sovs entered the 2nd half with the thought of post game frothies, as the attack on the ball in the early stages of the half was substandard by all accounts, with less ball pressure defensively and over rotation on the offence.

The lads from Drummond St began to press the Sovs inbound, which caused initial shock and resulted in a couple of unwanted turnovers. Soon the Sovs stopped the ship from rocking and managed to pass the ball quickly through the press.

Simon lit up the scoreboard with 8 pretty points, leading all scorers in the 2nd half by dashing, ducking, diving, dipping and dodging the would be defenders on every fast break opportunity.

With Azz staying out of foul trouble it led to the fans seeing some Ben Wallace like defending, with countless steals and in one play a count of 3 straight blocks on a hapless Drummond St outfit.

The Sovs walked away with a 39-24 point win, not overly impressing anyone in the 2 nd half – yet enough to possibly propel the Sovs into the post-season

Game 13 of the Regular season saw the much-fancied Sovereign Knights going up against cellar dwellers Field Air, who have been struggling with the competition all season.

The Sovs went into the game without the Pocket Rocket (Simon) who was interstate spreading the Sovereign Knights franchise and with Age again working tirelessly in the evening.

Field Air won the tip-off, but the ball was quickly stolen which ensured that the Sovs would move into their offensive structure early. In a play emulating the previous weeks first points the ball was passed to Chunka who nailed a 3 straight up.

After the previous nights training session the Sovs were organised both defensively and offensively by forcing the opposition into taking tough shots or causing turnovers. This allowed the Sovs to play with more confidence, which saw crisp passes being made into the low posts for some hard fought baskets.

Without too much trouble the Sovs were up 11-0. Consequently the Sovs began to become a little complacent, as they knew they had the opposition on Ice.

The Sovs were playing strong in every position with Ro crashing the boards, Azz sublimely stealing the ball and Alex working hard for loose ball gets. With this strong defensive play the Sovs went into the half time break with their tails up, leading 17-6.

After the half time break, a smooth move made baseline by Mayo with a dish to Ro caused Field Air’s most impressive player to foul out. This made life a little easier for the Sovs who pressed even further. Azz, Mark and Mayo applied fair restrictive D that forced poor passes that led into fast break opportunities.

A timeout was called by Chunka, which enabled the team to regroup and reorganise their offensive structure, as the scoreboard was not ticking over fast enough for the great man. In a unanimous decision the team decided to set a target of 50 points by the games end.

In a ridiculous decision made by the referee, big man Ro was charged with a foul that forced him to leave the game. This was undoubtedly one of his most impressive performances this season as he secured 8 tough points and pulled down 17 rebounds.

The remaining players managed to stay out of foul trouble with Azz controlling his thieving hands for the game. His performance highlighted his claim for the All-Defensive Award with an unheard amount of steals totalling 8.

In the end the Sovs set an impossible pace. With one commentator liking the scoring feast to somebody throwing down shots on their 21st birthday, then throwing down some more, and then some more.

The Sovs ran the game out with the veterans, Mark and Chunka scoring impressive totals for the match, namely 20 and 14 points respectively. Mayo claimed that this was due to his pivotal passing game where he broke the team record of assists in a game with 15.

The game ended with the Sovs scoring a much-needed win over Field Air, 54-18.

I am (Matty) currently sitting with the highly regarded pass master and defensive magnate Alex Makings, a few hours before tip-off against the last placed Field Air.

ML - Shall we get started.
AM - Why not, I'm pumped.

ML - Player Number
AM - Number 22, previously worn proudly by Clyde 'The Glide" Drexler.

ML - Full Name
AM - Alexander James Makings

ML - Date of Birth
AM - 1 January 1984

ML - Signature Move
AM - Well it would have to be an awesome pass...
ML - Would it
AM - Starting at the top of the key, where a defender so kindly comes out to greet me. I burn him with a head fake, then put his ankles on ice with a blistering cross-over towards the centre of the key. Draw a couple more would be defenders and off lay a crisp behind the back pass to the cutting Mr. Magic (Matty) himself for the reverse lay-up.
ML - A little extravigant

ML - Nicknames
AM - Well... Al, A-Man, Chief, Mayo, Schmak and/or Schmak Daddy, AJ, Pubes or Fro Boy

ML - Likes
AM - PD's (Beer), Nearly all types of Music, Basketball and any other Sport going around.

ML - Dislikes
AM - Kia Rios, Gluggly Rice and ballers who can play good D

ML - Career Highlight
AM - It was 2001. Backcourts of Mt Clear Secondary College, where Rainbow Age, the Pocket Rocket and myself held the court for an hour straight - beating all competitors with some of the cleanest and spectacular plays seen to mankind. Now that my friend, was a sight to behold.

ML - Cheers A-Man, and all the best in whipping the opposition tonight
AM - No probs Yets

Game 12 was built to be an epic for the Sovereign Knights with a win against the second placed Hornets galvanising their chances to reach the post season in their first franchise year.

It has been said “with big games comes big names” and this was true as the Sovs welcomed back their favourite son Chunka from his devastating mid-season ankle injury. Coach Matt Lee was delighted with the return of his defensive magnate and could not wipe the smile of his face during the pre-game warm up.

With Simon experiencing transportation issues it allowed quick hand Azz to start in the backcourt with Alex for possibly the first time this season. The 3, 4 and 5 positions were held by Mark, Chunka and Ro in what looked a very impressive starting line-up on paper.

Ro lost the tip-off to the lanky No. 5 from the Hornets who would cause further troubles for the Sovs later in the game with his sheer hight and shooting touch.

Regardless the Sovs started out well applying their patented intense D to the opposition that prevented them from scoring down low early in the game. Yet again big man Ro was a dominant force in defence just glaring and daring the opposition to come inside his key.

The scoreboard remained close throughout the first half and with the arrival of the Pocket Rocket a sense of speed was added to the team as both Simon and Age ran the court with blistering speed.

The Sovs came into the half time break only 5 points down still with an intense thought of winning the game. Plans were made at the half for Mark to play a tight man D on Lanky who was the Hornets “go to” man, whilst the remainder of the team play a 2/2 zone.

The new D set-up worked effectively early with the ball being turned over in the early parts of the second half, but the Sovs couldn’t capitalise as many ugly passes were thrown and poor dribbling turned the ball back over to the opposition. Disgusted with his performance Alex dragged himself from the court to regather his thoughts.

After a brilliant effort defensively Mark appeared gutted and like a man searching for a mirage in the dessert and handed his duties to Blondie. With the change in the defensive structure the Sovs looked confused with a lack of understanding in their positions.

This allowed the Hornets to grab the game by it’s horns and control the tempo of the game, scoring at ease and placing the Sovs offence under some of the best defence seen to date this year.

After what was a closely fought first half the Hornets ran away with a 44-23 victory and possibly crushing the Sovs dreams of a first year finals birth.