Sunday night’s Unrivaled semifinals were half not so surprising and half very surprising. The game between Laces and Rose had the makings of a close game, which it was until Laces surged ahead in the second quarter. Rose, aside from Chelsea Gray, couldn’t get the offense going. Laces sharpshooter Kayla McBride was anything but. Neither team looked particularly good.
The third quarter saw Rose erase a Laces lead and went into the fourth quarter down only two points. Then, with Rose down 55 – 54, they went on a 9 – 2 run and won the game 63 – 57. At one point, Gray exited the game but then came back a few minutes later, apparently uninjured.
Had she remained out, I think Laces would have won. Why? Chelsea Gray scored 39 points, and no other Rose player scored in double figures. Gray carried the team to that victory. Laces, on the other hand, had their starters all in double figures albeit low ones. New addition Ariel Atkins scored nine points in 11 minutes, usually reliable Stefanie Dolson, who only played six minutes, came up with a goose egg.
So Rose is off to the finals. I suspect most pundits assumed that they would be facing Lunar Owls, the league leader. Napheesa Collier had been named MVP just before the first game, and their season’s stats were through the roof. Lunar Owls faced Vinyl in their semifinal game.
The Final Spot in the Unrivaled Championship Game Decided
Vinyl had a season record of 5 – 9 and had never beaten the Owls. While the first quarter was somewhat close, with Owls taking it 17 – 12, you could see the intensity with which Vinyl was playing, perhaps more than Owls.
At the half, the Owls were only up by 3 points 38 – 35, an unusually low-scoring game for them. They picked up some steam in the third quarter and went into the fourth leading 62 – 52. With a final score of 73, it looked as though the Owls were in a great position to take it. It looked that way, but Vinyl saw it differently.
They charged ahead and took the lead 69 – 68 on a Jordin Canada three. Collier hit a two giving Owls the one-point lead. Canada then hit a two-point free throw. 71 – 70 Vinyl. The next shot wins the game. Some missed baskets, but Dearica Hamby got the offensive rebound on her own missed shot, made a two, and Vinyl won the game 73 – 70, stunning the crowd. Maybe not quite a Cinderella story, but a pretty good one.
So Rose will meet Vinyl on Monday night for the championship. Credit to Lunar Owls for a remarkable season, and as the old Brooklyn Dodgers used to say, “wait’ll next year.” At first thought, I would have given Rose the nod for the championship. But after the way Vinyl fought to come from behind, and the fact that Rose, without Gray and Angel Reese, leaves something to be desired. I’m not sure. Maybe I’ll throw an edge to Rose, but don’t hold me to it.
And that, my friends, as they say, is that.’ — Martin Ruben.
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