Last night’s Unrivaled featured a good close game and a good not-so-close game. In Game One, the Phantom met Mist, and for a while, Phantom stayed close to a very determined Mist team bent on securing their second win. Phantom was looking for win number three, and in the first quarter, managed to keep things within reach.
The Mist jumped out to a 7 – 0 lead before Satou Sabally scored a two-point shot for Phantom, or the “Ghost Gang” as they refer to themselves. From there, Phantom had to play catch-up and was not able to get over the hump and take the lead. The quarter ended with Mist up 18 – 14. The second quarter remained close until Rickea Jackson hit a three-point shot for Mist, at which point the lead began to widen.
At halftime, Mist had increased their lead to 40 – 29. The third quarter saw Phantom get back on track with more accurate shooting and with 22 seconds left in the quarter, Sabally tied the game at 55 all with a two-point free throw.
Going into the fourth it was whoever got to 64 points first would win. It was another two-point shot and a foul shot by Jackson that put Mist up for good at 58 – 55. Phantom pushed to within two, but the game ended on a Breanna Stewart free throw, giving Mist a 64 – 61 victory for their second win.
ANOTHER W FOR THE MIST 😶🌫️
— Unrivaled Basketball (@Unrivaledwbb) February 4, 2025
2️⃣ FOR 2️⃣ THIS WEEKEND 🌫️ pic.twitter.com/yff43DDKol
The Lone Squad In Unrivaled Competed In Game Two
In the second game, the Vinyl met the Lunar Owls. The Owls, the only undefeated team, were looking to keep the streak going with their sixth win. Vinyl was looking for win number three.
You look at these squads and you see an enormous amount of firepower, with players like Arike Ogunbowale, Jordin Canada, Rhyne Howard, Dearica Hamby, Rae Burrell and Aliyah Boston for Vinyl, and Napheesa Collier, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Allisha Gray, Courtney Williams and Shakira Austin for Lunar Owls, and you wonder why the scores are not 200 – 200.
For whatever reason, the chemistry with Lunar Owls is outstanding. Only Collier and Williams are teammates in the WNBA but haven’t played with the others. Obviously, with this much talent, you might think they all could find that chemistry quickly. Maybe not.
At the tipoff, Jordin Canada got the ball and raced to the basket for a layup. That set the tone for the game. Hamby followed with a two-point shot for Vinyl, and then Collier scored the first bucket for Lunar Owls. From there, the Owls slowly increased their lead and ended the quarter up 29 – 18. Vinyl looked visibly frustrated. They kept it within distance for a while in the second quarter, but the Owls kicked into high gear, widening their lead, and at the half held a 52 – 38 lead.
It didn’t get any easier in the third quarter, with Owls continuing to pull farther ahead. At one point the lead was up to 20 points, and the quarter ended with Owls leading 73 – 57, an almost insurmountable lead. It proved to be just that, and the Owls took the game 85 – 68. Once again, it was Diggins-Smith who scored the winning bucket, a three-point shot.
LISH ➡️ SDS GAME WINNER KEEPS LUNAR OWLS UNDEFEATED 🌕🦉
— Unrivaled Basketball (@Unrivaledwbb) February 4, 2025
OWLS 6-0 THROUGH WEEK 3 🔥 pic.twitter.com/njkStlZi7D
Final Thoughts
Let me just say this about Burrell; the only word I can think of is relentless. From her days in Tennessee and now with the Los Angeles Sparks, Burrell plays at one speed – determined. There is a fierceness to her game which doesn’t let up. As her pro game improves, I think Burrell has the potential to be an elite and outstanding player. She is just flat-out fun to watch, and if truth be told, I’m becoming a fan.
Unrivaled resumes Friday night. Things are heating up, and we’ll have to see how long the Lunar Owls can stay undefeated.
And that, my friends, as they say, is that.’ — Martin Ruben.
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