News Coverage

Thu, May 10

OOOBA Championship Game! Carter Carlson vs. Zac Osendorf

This was Carter Carlson and Zac Osendorf's third time going head to head. In their first matchup, which took place during the regular season, Osendorf won in O.T. by one point to hand Carlson his only loss. The second game between these two players happened to be the final game of the winner's bracket in the OOOBA playoff tournament. In that game, Carlson defeated Osendorf by a single point.

Now, after 3 seed Zac Osendorf worked his way through the loser's bracket of the tournament, he earned himself another shot at 1 seed Carter Carlson. Osendorf managed to go on a late 8-0 run to take a 5 point lead with just over a minute remaining in the game. However, Carlson battled back with a run of his own and made two free throws with 5 seconds left to take the lead, 26-25. On the last play of the game, Osendorf nearly made a buzzer-beater that would have forced a game 2.

Congratulations to Mrs. Woehler, who won the bracket challenge and the grand prize of $10.

Mon, May 7

Preview for today's game between 2 seed Max Weidner and 4 seed Preston Carlson:

• The victor will advance to the loser's bracket championship game in hopes of earning a trip to the OOOBA finals.
• Weidner, who is coming off a record-breaking scoring performance, looks to carry over his hot hand from his last game.
• Carlson, who will be outsized, will aim to use his quickness and shooting range to his advantage.

Wed, May 2

Carter Carlson Punches His Ticket To The Championship Round Of The OOOBA Playoffs

This game will certainly go down as one of the best, most competitive contests in the history of the One On One Basketball Association. Going into the game, Osendorf had been the only player to defeat Carlson this season. Carlson found himself trailing from the very beginning of the game, as Osendorf repeatedly succeeded in backing him down the lane and scoring on close shots.

Preview for today's game between 1 seed Carter Carlson and 3 seed Zac Osendorf:

• Osendorf has accounted for Carlson's only loss this season. Will he continue to make clutch free throws at the end of games?
• Carlson may look to take more outside shots to avoid letting Osendorf use his height as a defensive advantage.

Mon, Apr 30

Carter Carlson Mounts Huge Second Half Comeback To Narrowly Defeat Carter Wessel, 25-23

Once again, Carter Carlson escaped a major upset by using a late second-half push. As for the first half of the game, Carlson found himself trailing from the beginning. Wessel was able to grab numerous offensive rebounds, earning himself multiple second and third-chance opportunities to score. With just a few seconds remaining in the first half, Wessel rebounded a missed free throw attempt from Carlson and drilled a corner three at the buzzer to take a commanding halftime lead of 15 to 8. In the second half, Carlson was forced to adjust his game considerably after being rejected by Wessel on a number of layup attempts. Carlson began shooting more threes, and the adjustment paid dividends for him. Although Wessel continued to score near the basket, Carlson went on a red-hot shooting streak, making 5 threes in a row to take a 23-21 lead with about 2 and a half minutes to go. Wessel immediately responded with a layup to tie the game at 23 apiece. Both players missed shots on their ensuing possessions. Carlson was able to rebound the ball with roughly a minute left in the game, and instead of trying to score and potentially giving Wessel ample time to tie or take the lead, he opted to dribble out the clock and hold for the final shot. Although some fans were arguing that Carlson's stalling strategy violated league rules, the referees did not have the scorekeeper start the shot clock. With under 2 seconds remaining, Carlson was able to drive past Wessel for game-winning layup. Carlson will now play Zac Osendorf for the championship game of the winner's bracket tomorrow (May 2nd). Wessel, who suffered his first loss of the playoffs, drops down to the loser's bracket to eventually face Max Weidner in an elimination game.

Preview for today's game between 1 seed Carter Carlson and 5 seed Carter Wessel:

• Carlson cannot fully extend his arms due to an insane 1,000 rep arm workout that he conquered on Saturday morning along with Max Weidner and Zac Osendorf.
• Wessel has a major height advantage, so he will most likely try to back down Carlson for close-proximity shots.
• Only a handful of brackets predict that Wessel will come out on top in this matchup.

Thu, Apr 26

Preview for today's game between 3 seed Zac Osendorf and 7 seed Grady Fuchs:

• This is the first winner's bracket semifinal game of the tournament. The victor will only need to win one more game to reach the championship round.
• Fuchs looks to keep his dad's perfect bracket alive by continuing his cinderella story.
• Osendorf will likely play as he always does. . . by thriving on his size advantage and overpowering his opponent in the post.

Mon, Apr 23

Broden Jones Fails To Make More Than 8% Of His Three Point Attempts, Max Weidner Wins Easily

If anybody honestly thought that Broden Jones stood a chance against a revenge-driven Max Weidner, they may be advised to seek asylum. Jones's first mistake occured when he began attempting three pointers early in the game. Jones could have easily built a house - no, a mansion - with all the bricks that he shot from beyond the arc. Weidner, on the other hand, simply played his game and was able to pile on layup after layup en route to a blowout victory over Jones.

Preview for today's game between 2 seed Max Weidner and 8 seed Broden Jones:

• This will be the first elimination game of the playoffs.
• After Weidner's initial discouragement of losing to Grady Fuchs last week, he is determined to come back strong and wreak havoc on Jones.
• Jones, having already beaten Weidner once this season, aims to repeat the miracle and make the biggest upset thus far happen.
• Mr. Fuchs, who owns the only remaining perfect bracket, has Weidner winning this game.
• Weidner has allegedly said that he will set the scoring record, which would break his own record of 39 points.

Thu, Apr 19

Carter Wessel Holds Off Preston Carlson For Narrow Win, 20 - 16

This was a back-and-forth battle through and through. Preston Carlson, after trailing early in the contest, scrapped his way back into the game by hitting a couple threes and utilizing his driving ability. Carter Wessel, who was not able to hit as many from beyond the arc as he would have liked, resorted to using his height advantage to score in the post. With the game tied near the end of the game, Carlson failed to corral a defensive rebound. Wessel capitalized on the opportunity and made a clutch 15-footer to claim the lead, which he held on to for the remainder of the game.

Preview for today's game between 4 seed Preston Carlson and 5 seed Carter Wessel:

• 68% of brackets have Carlson winning this matchup.
• Out of the 3 remaining perfect brackets (Mrs. Woehler, Mr. Fuchs, and Hallie Skadsem), only Mr. Fuchs chose Wessel to come out on top.
• Both players have the ability to shoot threes well and drive. Whoever shoots more efficiently will probably be the victor.
• Although Wessel may have the height advantage, Carlson is considered by most to be the quicker of the two.

Tue, Apr 17

No. 7 Seeded Grady Fuchs Pulls Off Huge Upset Over No. 2 Seed Max Weidner

The entire first half of the game was a back-and-forth physical battle between two of the league's strongest players. Although the referees let a considerable amount of contact slide, it was evenly officiated on both competitors' behalves. Fuchs went into halftime with a slight advantage over Weidner, 14 - 12. Fuchs's mentality going into the game was a full 180 degree turnaround since the regular season. When interviewed at halftime, he was asked how he felt about the fact that only 5% of brackets predicted that he would win the game. He said "I feel like I didn't play to my full ability during the regular season, so I expect that." Fuchs's post-up dominance carried over from the first half into the second and he continued to keep his shot attempts inside the 3 point line. Weidner, on the other hand, began to shoot more from beyond the arc but was not able to catch fire. With 2:50 remaining in the game, Fuchs had to rush to the nearest bathroom because he felt sick. Referee Caden Spanier granted him a timeout even though he was on defense. Because of this irregularity, Weidner was then given 2 free throw attempts and the possession of the ball to make up for any perceived unfairness. Weidner proceeded to make both of his free throws to climb within 2 point of Fuchs. However, Fuchs quickly answered and eventually extended his lead to 5 point, 22 - 17. As soon as that happened, Weidner was finally able to connect on a 3 pointer to cut the deficit to just 2 point once again. Despite the clutch shot by Weidner, Fuchs did not get rattled. Ultimately, Fuchs scored 2 more hard-earned buckets and Weidner simply had nothing left in the tank as the clock expired. So, Grady Fuchs busted 95% of brackets and has everyone believing that a Cinderella story may be in store for the 7 seed.

Preview for today's game between 2 seed Max Weidner and 7 seed Grady Fuchs:

• 95% of brackets predict that Weidner will win.
• Fuchs will try to try this game.
• Weidner says he aims to "score more points" than his opponent.

Weekend Tidbits, April 14-15

IT'S PLAYOFF TIME FOLKS! DON'T MISS OUT ON ANY OF THE MAYHEM! CLICK HERE FOR THE UPCOMING SCHEDULE.

Out of nearly 100 MAYhem tournament challenge brackets that have been submitted, there are only 2 pairs of identical predictions. The top 10 most accurate brackets will be posted at the end of each week of playoffs, so check back here on Saturday to see if yours is on the leader board! Remember, whoever's bracket earns the most points when the playoffs finish will win a guaranteed $10.

Thu, Apr 12

James Pritchett Proves That He Is The Best Shooter In The League

Despite his dismal regular-season record, James Pritchett showed fans that he is determined to make a deep run in the playoffs by annihilating the competition in the championship round of the 3 point contest. Pritchett scored a total of 11 points, while Max Weidner and Preston Carlson only managed to put up scores of 5 and 4, respectively.

Mr. Nepsund And Mr. Carlson Fight Till The End

Although both teachers may be considered a bit "long in the tooth," they each seemed to shed off decades of various aches, pains, and joint ailments when the game tipped off. Early in the contest, Mr. Nepsund made it clear that he had the upper hand in the speed category. His combination of spicy ball handling, smooth jump shots, and lightning-fast drives helped build leads of 5 - 1 and 8 - 4 over Mr. Carlson. However, Mr. C quickly responded each time by connecting on "draino" 3 pointers, as Sam Oehrlein would say. With 2:15 remaining in the game, Mr. C was finally able to take a lead of his own, 10 - 8. With 36 seconds left and Nepsund in control by a score of 16 - 13, Carlson again answered with a demoralizing shot from beyond the arc, tying the game at 16 apiece. Nepsund, who then had possession, was unable to score as the final seconds ticked off the clock, in part due to Carlson's amped-up defense. So, for the second day in a row, an All Star Week event went into O.T. to be decided by a free throw shootout. Mr. Carlson obliged to step up to the charity stripe first and barely missed on his attempt. Mr. Nepsund proceeded to prove to everyone how clutch he really is by nailing a cold-blooded game-winning free throw without a second thought. And so, as Mr. C says so often, it is true that "free throws win games." Click here to watch the full game.

Preview for today's Staff Game between Mr. Carlson and Mr. Nepsund:

• Mr. Carlson, being in peak physical condition, will aim to compliment his extensive offensive skill set with great on-ball defense and agile lateral quickness in order to prevent easy buckets by Mr. Nepsund.
• Mr. Nepsund may look to push the pace of the game and test Mr. Carlson's limits, while creating separation to showcase his smooth stroke and sniper-esque accuracy from legendary range.
• Both players will do their best to finish with finesse and [hopefully] show good sportsmanship.

The OOOBA does not take responsibility and may not be held legally accountable or liable for any broken ankles, blown-out knees, or life-threatening injuries that occur during the game.

Tue, Apr 10

Layup Contest Recap

At the end of the first round, in which each competitor's layup ingenuity was rated on a scale of 1 through 10 by a panel of five judges, Zac Osendorf and Sam Oehrlein held the two highest scores. Grady Fuchs, James Pritchett, and Max Weidner were all tied for third with 12 points. These three contestants then faced off in a mini playoff round. Fuchs, who had an amazing performance that earned him a score of 42, won the playoff and advanced to the finals. The only difference between the championship round and the previous round was that the final round was only scored by a panel of four judges rather than five. In the end, Oehrlein prevailed as the victor with a final-round score of 31 out of 40.

Layup Contest Results

Thu, Apr 5

Game Recap Coming Soon :)

Preview for today's game between Max Weidner and Sam Oehrlein:

• If Weidner comes out victorious, he will stay securely in 2nd place.
• Oehrlein aims to snap his 3-game losing streak with a big win.

Wed, Apr 4

Carlson Gets Hot From Downtown And Fuchs Loses His Cool

Grady Fuchs won the tip and started the game guns ablazin', nailing two 3 pointers and taking a 6 - 0 lead before Preston Carlson knew what was happening. However, Fuchs could not maintain his hot streak throughout the game. Carlson stormed back with some hot shooting of his own and ultimately went into halftime with a 17 - 10 advantage. Early in the second half, Carlson showed that he was not going to let up whatsoever. With 2:20 to go in the game, he stretched his lead to 11 points. From then on, Fuchs's effort level began to increasingly diminish. Long story short, Fuchs's emotions seemed to get the best of him late in the game, resulting in 3 technical fouls. Fuchs was ejected in the final minute of the contest, and had to be escorted off the court by referee Max Weidner. With a score of 31 to 19, Carlson has now put up over 30 points in his last two games, and may finish the regular season in 3rd place overall. Although the game was a blowout, it is still worth watching, if not for the basketball then to at least catch a glimpse of Max Weidner's spontaneous dance moves.

Preview for today's game between Grady Fuchs and Preston Carlson:

• If Carlson wins and Max Weidner loses to Sam Oehrlein in Thursday's game, Carlson could move into 2nd place.
• A win for Fuchs will prevent him from dropping past Carter Wessel to the 7th spot in the standings.
• Expect a physical, high-energy game and keep an eye on the officials (Max Weidner and Zac Osendorf).

Mon, Apr 2

Preston Carlson Nearly Breaks The OOOBA Scoring Record While Dismantling Broden Jones

Sadly, one of the more interesting aspects of the game was the fact that the two competitors wore the lowest and highest possible numbers on their official OOOBA jerseys. Aside from that, the theme of the game was centered on the question of how much Carlson would be able to score. Although Jones did show some life in the second half and made a run to get within 6 points of Carlson, his comeback was short-lived. As the game progressed, Carlson seemed to heat up more and more from beyond the three point line, and Jones simply had no answer. However, after Carlson reached 37 points with under a minute remaining, he desperately tried to make one more 3, but to now avail. So, with a final score of 37 - 24, Max Weidner's 39-point game still stands as the record for the most points scored in a single game in the history of the One On One Basketball Association. Preston Carlson's victory helped inch him closer to the coveted top 3 spots in the league rankings. Meanwhile, Jones's Elo plummeted down to a dismal 1949, just 5 points above last place.

Preview for today's game between Preston Carlson and Broden Jones:

• Carlson, who is currently 4th in the league rankings, needs a blowout win if he plans on moving up to 3rd.
• Jones hopes to salvage some of his pride before playoffs begin by preventing the game from becoming another disaster.

Offensive Keys:

• Carlson will most likely attack the basket and look to draw fouls while converting on layups and free throws.
• Jones might finally try to depend less on three pointers and more on using his height to his advantage near the hoop.

Defensive Keys:

• Carlson aims to force Jones to his left and go for steals off the dribble.
• Jones will probably make Carlson live on his outside shooting ability, unless he starts heating up from beyond the arc.

Tue, Mar 27

Preview for Wednesday's game between Grady Fuchs and Sam Oehrlein:

• Fuchs will do his best to end his 3-game losing streak by earning a statement win.
• Oehrlein aims to jump start his potential for a big playoff push by winning his next couple games and regaining a top-2 spot in the rankings.
• Both players have recently shown that there is still friction between them as a result of Fuchs's betrayal of Oehrlein just two weeks ago.

James Pritchett Shows No Mercy As He Claims His First Win

It is "Owen" Pritchett no more! Jimbo was finally able to nab his first OOOBA victory today, weathering the storm early on against Broden Jones and pulling away in the second half to finish the game with a whopping 33 points. Although Pritchett remains at the bottom of the league in terms of rankings, it is pretty clear to everyone who follows the league that Jones's past few performances have been far below Pritchett's level of play. It is most likely just a matter of time until Jones and Pritchett swap positions in the rankings, as Jones must face Preston Carlson in his next game. Jones's only hope is that he takes advantage of the All Star break and truly improves every aspect of his game. He also needs to rediscover the competitive mentality that he exhibited earlier in the season. Pritchett, on the other hand, will look to carry his deadly shooting range and hot hand into his next game, which will be against Zac Osendorf. Even though he does not have enough games left in the regular season to climb the rankings very far, his goal is to go into the playoffs with momentum. When Jimbo is on fire, nobody envies his opponent.

Weekend Tidbits, March 24-25

The upcoming Featured Game Of The Week will take place on Tuesday, March 27th, and showcase two of the league's worst players (purely based on rankings). James Pritchett aims to capture his first win that has eluded him for so long. Meanwhile, Broden Jones does not want to be the first player to lose to Pritchett, and hopes that his week off that included "vigorous training" will pay dividends.

In an effort to reinstate Spence "Big Country" Evans into the OOOBA, he will be available for an officiating position starting next week (if a player chooses him).

Officiating schedule for this coming week:

• Monday - Levi Bast & Carter Wessel
• Tuesday - Caden Spanier & Levi Bast
• Wednesday - Zac Osendorf & Caden

Playoff Schedule Correction - The first round of playoffs will kick off on April 16th via a play-in game between the number 8 and number 9 ranked players.

ATTENTION FANS: The One On One Basketball Association has finalized a partnership deal with the company OOOBA Sweetness™, founded by famed cookie makers Jacquelyn Hoeft, Cora Hentges, and Annika Jacoby. Free will donations ($1 minimum) are accepted any time in exchange for the Official Cookies of the OOOBA. Keep an eye out for Jacquelyn, Cora, and Annika at school and be sure to take advantage of the Featured Gameday Specials! Consult the OOOBA Sweetness girls for further details.

Thu, Mar 22

Sam Oehrlein And Carter Carlson Go Down To The Wire!

Although yesterday's poll result indicated that Sam Oehrlein would not have an opportunity to make up for his two-day absence, Carter Carlson stated before the game that if Oehrlein were to defeat him, the forfeit would be rescinded and Oehrlein's record would improve to 4- 0 while Carlson would fall to 3 - 1.

Oehrlein jumped out to a quick 2 - 0 lead with a shot from just inside the three point line to begin the game. Soon afterwards, Carlson answered by converting 2 free throws as a result of a shooting foul on Oehrlein. For the next minute and a half or so, however, neither player could succeed in putting the ball through the hoop. Finally, Oehrlein was able to make a nice reverse layup to break the tie and take a two point lead again with less than two and a half minutes remaining in the first half. For Carlson, the theme of the first half was missed layups and poor shot selection. Regardless, he did manage to sink a three pointer that gave him his largest lead of the game, 7 - 4. Oehrlein promptly battled back to ultimately gain a 12 - 9 advantage before halftime. As is generally the custom in the OOOBA, the second half was much more eventful than the first. Early on, Oehrlein extended his lead with a smooth 15-foot jumper from near the baseline. This was the turning point in the game for Carlson, as he realized that Oehrlein was on the verge of pulling away. Carlson finally made a simple layup and then drilled a deep three to equalize the game at 14 - 14. Nevertheless, Oehrlein once again seemed to take control with two more unanswered buckets. And yet, Carlson refused to quit, regaining the lead with 1:45 to go in the contest. The remainder of the game was a back-and-forth strategic affair. Oerlein hit another jumper to go up by one, 20 - 19. Carlson responded with a determined drive and a strong left-handed finish. Then, Oehrlein banked a corner three from high off the backboard to earn a 23 - 21 advantage with under 50 seconds left. Carlson returned the favor with an and-one finish and converted the free throw, resulting in another lead change. With only 7 seconds remaining, and Oehrlein with possession of the ball, Carlson realized that he had 2 fouls to give before Oehrlein would be granted a one-and-one bonus opportunity. By using his fouls, he allowed the clock to tick down to 4 seconds. After the third foul, Oehrlein made his first bonus free throw but missed the second. The game was tied at 24 apiece. Carlson rebounded the ball and was immediately fouled by Oehrlein . . . who instantly regretted it. Oehrlein was given his 5th foul, which meant that Carlson had 2 free throws to basically seal the victory with just 3 seconds to go. He made them both, taking a 26 - 24 lead. Oehrlein's last shot attempt was mere inches away from falling in for the buzzer-beating win, but in the end the ball bounced off the rim. Carlson is now back at the top of the rankings with a 5 - 0 record. Oehrlein was not able to erase the forfeit, dropping him to 4th in the rankings with a 3 - 2 record. He will undoubtedly begin to make a comeback next week, so do not be surprised if Oehrlein is once again standing near the summit of the league rankings by the middle of April.

Tue, Mar 20

Max Weidner Outscores James Pritchett In A Shootout

Despite Pritchett's valiant effort on the offensive side of the ball, Weidner proved too hot to handle in the final minutes of the game. Pritchett was never able to take the lead in the high-scoring affair, but he did manage to tie the game at 23 with just over 3 minutes remaining. Although Pritchett, who was dead-set on earning his first win, would make fun after run, Weidner seemed to always answer with a timely and-one finish that effectively stifled any momentum Pritchett had gained. Weidner's strong ball control and ability to complete layups through contact have become his trademarks over his past few games. He is now an opponent that no player looks forward to competing against. In the end, Pritchett fell just 6 points shy of Weidner's impressive score of 39, which vaulted him into 3rd place in the league. After dropping yet another close game and falling to 0 - 6, Pritchett's Elo ranking of 1929 has now all but fallen off the face of the Earth in comparison to the rest of the OOOBA competitors.

Mon, Mar 19

Reminder: Check out the video coverage of the press conference from before last Friday's game. Also, be sure to watch our first Top 5 Plays collage of the best moments from the past two weeks. Enjoy!

Preston Carlson Continues To Climb Up The League Rankings By Defeating Carter Wessel 26 - 20

Although gaining a quick 4 - 1 advantage over Preston Carlson, Carter Wessel could not make enough defensive stops to secure a victory. After a relatively slow start, Carlson responded to his 3 point deficit by hitting multiple three pointers and once again attacking the hoop with an unstoppable onslaught of various moves and forcing the officials to award the contact that he drew near the basket with foul calls. This game was a major improvement for Carlson in terms of both free throw percentage and shooting efficiency. Wessel, on the other hand, still has not come out of his shooting slump that began during his game against Max Weidner last week. His past two losses have proven that his ability to win rests heavily upon whether or not he can get it going from beyond the arc. Even though he showed a glimmer of hope by hitting a deep ball to take the lead at 20 - 19, he failed to score again for the remainder of the game. Credit goes to Carlson, though, for putting on another defensive clinic. In his 3 games, he has held his opponents to an average of less than 20 points, placing him very near the top of the league in that category. In the end, Carlson's 7 - 0 run to finish the game helped him jump to within one point of taking over 3rd place in the league rankings. Keep this in mind when he faces off against the current number 3-ranked player, Zac Osendorf, on Wednesday. Wessel suffered his fourth loss and dropped past Broden Jones to 8th place.

Fri, Mar 16

Sam Oehrlein Holds Off Zac Osendorf In Final Seconds To Remain Unbeaten

What a game! WHAT. A. GAME. Friday's Featured Game Of The Week did not disappoint. If you have not yet had a chance to watch the game, please do so before you read this article. In all honesty, mere words cannot do the game justice. A video of the press conference should also be available on our YouTube channel within the next couple of days. The OOOBA apologizes for the delay; the content must first be approved by school administration due to the fact that it took place during advisory time rather than during lunch, which is also why it could not be live streamed.

Game Recap

Sam Oehrlein began the game by burying a three. Looking back, it would actually be the only three-pointer made in the game. Osendorf immediately went to his bread-and-butter move, bullying his way to the hoop by backing Oehrlein down and keeping the ball in front of his body. The referees awarded his aggressive play all game, which granted Osendorf numerous trips to the charity stripe. However, Osendorf failed to capitalize on the majority of his free-throw opportunities, which eventually came back to haunt him. As for Oehrlein, his first few possessions consisted mostly of outside shots. After missing a couple of shots in a row, he switched his mentality to more of an attack mode. For a while, his shiftiness seemed to be too much for Osendorf to handle as Oerhlein built a 7 - 3 lead. Over time, though, Osendorf showed his ability to adapt by stopping Oehrlein on consecutive possessions and climbing back into the game, trailing by only one point going into halftime. The second half quickly became a contest of who could finish their layups and convert at the free throw line. Oehrlein was able to continue to penetrate by using his ball handling skills and agility to get Osendorf off balance and then slicing to the rim before he had time to recover. Osendorf, on the other hand, proved too big for Oehrlein to keep away from the basket, resulting in easy point-blank shots. Osendorf earned his first lead of the game, 12 - 11, with just over 2 minutes remaining. Nearly every spectator in the gym was rooting for Osendorf, and this bucket was met by some of the loudest cheers of any game so far. Oerhlein responded with a swift blow-by drive and avoided Osendorf's outstretched arm by rising up for a nice lay-in to go back ahead by one point. Both players' ensuing possessions resulted in layups. Oerhlein added a bid for his inclusion in the upcoming Top Five Plays video with a beautiful spin move that gave him enough separation for an uncontested left-handed reverse, finishing the sequence by using his soft touch to kiss the ball off the glass and through the hoop. The final minute of the game was by far the most action-packed 60 seconds that the OOOBA has ever seen. As everybody knows by now, Grady Fuchs cannot survive through a single one on one game without drawing attention to himself, whether he is supposed to be on the court or not. Today his loud mouth and arrogant actions were once again reprimanded, except this time the aftermath nearly caused the man he was representing (Sam Oehrlein) to lose the game. By taunting Caden Spanier and threatening to intervene with the gameplay, Fuchs was given a technical foul with 25 seconds to go. Due to his affiliation with Oehrlein, Osendorf was allowed 2 free throws and possession of the ball, just as if Oehrlein himself would have gotten the technical. Osendorf finally made a free throw to tie the game at 15 apiece. With just 10 seconds left, Oehrlein fouled Osendorf to send him to the line again. Since it was Oehrlein's 6th foul, Osendorf was in the double bonus. As if to intentionally stress out the fans as much as possible, Osendorf missed his first attempt and then made the second, giving him a 16 - 15 advantage. Osendorf, having only one foul, then decided to foul Oehrlein after a few more seconds ticked off the clock. With just 2 seconds left, Osendorf made an extremely questionable decision to foul Oehrlein again, therefore sending Sam to the charity strip for a one-and-one opportunity. After making both of his free throws and retaking the lead, a crazed Grady Fuchs came sprinting onto the court. Spanier had no choice but to issue Fuchs another technical, putting Osendorf back on the line with a chance to ice the game by making both free throws. However, Osendorf had his first shot rim out and barely overshot his second. Still with possession of the ball, though, he had one final opportunity to win the game. Osendorf's last shot from roughly 15 feet spun around the hoop for a split second and then popped out, ending a game that will certainly go down as one of the most exciting sporting events to ever take place in Paynesville High School's gymnasium. Sam Oehrlein is now the number 1 ranked player in the league, surpassing Carter Carlson by a margin of just one Elo point.

Wed, Mar 14

Preview for Thursday's game between No. 6 ranked Max Weidner and No. 4 ranked Carter Wessel:

• Weidner looks to snap a two-game skid and bounce back with another win over Wessel
• Wessel, motivated by the opportunity to avenge an early-season loss, aims to potentially shake up the rankings at the top of the league with a statement victory
• In the event of a close finish, the birth of a rivalry may be in store
• Keep an eye on Grady Fuchs in his first legitimate court appearance since his suspension
• It will be interesting to see how Wessel, the self-proclaimed "Bad Boy" of the league, allows his emotions to influence his play

Will James "Jimbo" Pritchett Ever Get A Dub? Another Day, Another L.

After Wednesday's game, James Pritchett remains alone at the bottom of the league with a zero in the win column. From the beginning of the game, it was evident that Preston Carlson and Jimbo were determined to show fans that win or lose, they both belong in the league. It was not a high-scoring affair, but it was a back-and-forth contest for much of the game. Carlson took an early 2 - 0 lead but was quickly matched by Pritchett. Neither player maintained a lead of over three points for the rest of the first half. The majority of the crowd was clearly supporting Carlson; not even another signature nutmeg from Pritchett drew a cheer on his behalf. Still, Pritchett went into halftime feeling cautiously confident with a one point advantage, ahead 13 - 12. To start the second half, Carlson revamped his aggressive rim-attacking strategy and was rewarded by a couple foul calls and several momentous layups. However, he did not make the most of his opportunities at the charity stripe to put the game away early, leaving the door open for Pritchett to make a comeback. Regardless, Carlson made up for whatever layups or free-throws he missed by showing off his defensive skill set, stifling Pritchett to a mere 5 points in the second half and preventing any sort of resurgence. Both players failed to convert on a single three-point shot attempt, which was surprising knowing that threes are such an important staple for each of their playing styles. In the end, as you are aware of by now, Carlson nabbed the first victory of his OOOBA career with a final score of 23 - 18. A person cannot help but to feel sympathetic for Pritchett in his current predicament.

Mon, Mar 12

This website now has a brand new quirk that you should be aware of -- the Polls tab! It is encouraged that all OOOBA fans vote on the daily polls to show our players that they are either being supported or being rooted against prior to their games. In the future, there will be additional polls regarding other events, so take five seconds every once in a while to check if any knew subjects have been posted! For those who are curious about the results of the voting for Preston Carlson vs. Sam Oehrlein, 73.3% voted in favor of Preston and only 26.7% voted for Sam.

As for the game, Carlson and Oehrlein played a hard-fought contest from the tip until time expired. Carlson started off by hitting a big three to take an early lead, and it immediately became evident that he had the crowd on his side. However, Oehrlein did not let the noise get to him and he quickly answered by drawing a foul on a layup and converting both of his free throws. Carlson, determined to steal back the momentum of the game, drained another deep three to extend his lead to 6 - 2. Oehrlein responded by showing off an array of saucy moves and laying in an easy bucket when Carlson fell for a fake. He then put his defensive skills and shooting range on full display when he stole the ball and promptly swished a three pointer of his own. As a result, Oehrlein took his first lead of the game, 7 - 6. Carlson was eager to retake the lead, but ended up missing a couple more threes. From the beginning, it looked as if Preston's game plan consisted of depending on his normally cold-blooded shooting ability from beyond the arc. Zach Schroeder even hinted at this before the game started when he told Jacob Bertram, the OOOBA announcer, that "Preston is going to ice [Sam Oehrlein]." As the saying goes, however, those who live by the three also die by the three. When Carlson was no longer feeling it from downtown, Oehrlein began attacking the basket and took control of the game . . . at least until Preston once again found his mark from deep and tied the game at 11 apiece. Oehrlein attempted to match Carlson with another three-ball but missed it short and Carlson grabbed the long rebound. Carlson then went on the offensive and drove to the rim with a head of steam. He was ultimately awarded by drawing a foul and making both free throws. With under a minute remaining in the first half, Oehrlein ramped up his defense and finished strong on two drives that gave him a 15 - 13 lead at halftime.

Although the second half turned out to be lower scoring than the first, it was no less entertaining. In fact, Oehrlein got himself into some trouble when he let a profane word slip after missing a shot from point-blank range. Luckily a referee heard it and Sam received a technical foul, which gave Preston two free throws and possession of the ball. Carlson converted one of the free throws and failed to score on the ensuing possession. Soon afterwards, Oehrlein stepped out of bounds while trying to save the ball and the ball ended up in Carlson's hands. There was no whistle blown, so Preston ended up making a wide-open layup. However, James Pritchett (the referee closest to the play) then confirmed that it was a dead ball because Sam had indeed been out of bounds. This, of course, sent many passionate fans into a frenzy, which caused Pritchett to try to give one especially angered spectator a technical . . . we still aren't sure what he was hoping to accomplish by doing that. For most of the remainder of the game, which consisted of, well, let's just say plenty of missed three pointers, Sam Oehrlein maintained a 3 to 4 point lead. In the end, Oehrlein was able to hold on to a 21 - 17 victory. Oehrlein improved to 2 - 0 on the season and Carlson took a loss on his first OOOBA game. Preston hopes to bounce back on Wednesday when he will take on James Pritchett who, as everybody knows, has yet to get a win.

Fri, Mar 9

~A personal note from the Journalist~

Today marked the end of a tumultuous week for the OOOBA and our fans. For those hoping to find a complete game recap in today's NEWS section, I am sorry to inform you that there will be no such article. Although Mr. Evans and Mr. Kranz are respectable men and talented athletes, their performance on the court was sloppy and somewhat distasteful to the organization (albeit Evans's unusual forward-spin shot was pretty sweet). The OOOBA realizes that some of our followers may disagree with the previous statement, but the organization has made a collective decision to restrict the number of league participants to nine players. With Evans retiring and Kranz not likely to make another guest appearance, the nine will consist of the original eight members plus Preston Carlson, a new addition. The OOOBA values the time afforded us during lunch period, and we want to provide a high-quality game for our viewers each and every day. So, to those who did not find today's game as appealing as what they had hoped for, there will be far more competitive games in the future as March madness progresses. However, it shall also be clearly noted that ALL opinions pertaining to the OOOBA are heard. If you have any comments regarding ideas on how to improve upon the current format of the league, feel free to let us know via the Forum.

Sincerely,

Upcoming Events Teaser:

• Top Five Plays, including the legendary nutmeg by James Pritchett, is in progress; will air sometime after next week
• Press conference featuring Zac Osendorf and Sam Oehrlein, set to play on Friday for the week finale
• Playoffs scheduled to begin May 1st

Other News:

• The league has chosen to switch to a Elo-based ranking system, effective as of today. This system is used to rank other professional leagues, such as the NBA. Part of the reason the association chose to switch from ranking players by "Games Back" to the Elo is that the Elo formula accounts for opponent strength. We hope this will prevent players from being discouraged from challenging the league's best and prevent higher-ranked players from simply beating up on the league's lower-ranked players. Elo also takes into account the scores of games; if a player gets beat in the final seconds of a game, it is still better than getting blown out. We hope this will keep contests competitive throughout the entire game. The league extends a special thanks to Mr. Rasmussen for his help in implementing the new system.

Thu, Mar 8

Today's game was quite a treat to say the least. First of all, today marked the introduction of world-renowned announcer Jacob Bertram. The league is excited to have him be a part of the OOOBA global surge. Over the past couple of weeks attendance has consistently increased, and if all goes as planned the first-ever live OOOBA video coverage will air on YouTube during tomorrow's game (link will be available on this page).

As for today's gameplay, No. 8 ranked Carter Wessel came out of the gates hotter than a pistol. Wessel jumped out to a commanding 12 - 5 lead, relying mostly on his height advantage over No. 9 ranked James Pritchett. Pritchett, who refused to go down without a fight, came storming back to ultimately take the lead 22 - 21. En route, Pritchett went into his bag of tricks and put the ball through Wessel's legs for an uncontested layup. This ignited the crowd and the gym erupted. Video replay will not even do Pritchett's move justice; you really had to be there to feel the energy. During his run, Pritchett put his quickness on full display and it seemed that Wessel was becoming fatigued. Wessel, however, responded with another strong post move to regain the lead. With about 15 seconds left (due to a clock malfunction the time on the scoreboard was not accurate), Pritchett was called for a foul while Wessel went up for a shot. The crowd did not agree, and many fans let referees Caden Spanier and Max Weidner know how they felt about it. However, the play stood as called and Wessel proceeded to make his first free throw which increased his lead to 24 - 22. After missing the second, Pritchett grabbed the rebound and was able to get two three pointers off before time expired. Although Jimbo lost today, he has clearly won the hearts of OOOBA's faithful fanbase. Still in search of his first win, he remains in last place in the league standings. Wessel, on the other hand, improved to a record of 1 - 2 and jumped Spence Evans for 7th place.

Friday's game will be featuring a matchup of two non-basketball players, which should make for an interesting performance. Spence Evans will play in his second game against Josh Kranz. For Kranz, this will be his OOOBA debut.

Wed, Mar 7

For today's showdown between two of the league's rising stars, No. 3 ranked Zac Osendorf and No. 4 ranked Grady Fuchs, fans sure got their money's worth. Before the game tipped off there was talk of the appointed referees being biased against Fuchs. However, these allegations were denied by both refs and no evidence was brought forward. Fuchs was clearly perturbed by this, as he repeatedly asked for two new referees of his choice to take the place of James Pritchett and Carter Carlson. An executive decision was made to revoke his pleas and the game proceeded as scheduled.

Just a few minutes into the game, with Osendorf up 6 - 2, a loose ball resulted in an out of bounds call. The nearest referee (Carlson) ruled that Fuchs was the last one to touch the ball, thus giving Osendorf possession. Fuchs, viewing the call as unfair, lost his temper and shoved Carlson to the floor. Carlson, shaken by the surprise attack, then made a rash decision to eject Fuchs on the spot. This, by rule, would have meant that Osendorf would be the winner. However, realizing that there was no backup game scheduled in preparation for such an incident, Carlson rescinded the ejection and allowed Fuchs to get away with a mere technical foul and play on. Fuchs went on a run, hitting mid-range jumpers and a couple threes. Osendorf answered with powerful post play and a three of his own. Fuchs's attitude continually worsened over the course of the game, receiving another technical and seemingly smack talking everyone in the gym except his actual opponent. Osendorf deserves credit for sticking to his guns and not getting wrapped up in the drama. With roughly one minute to go in the game, Fuchs took the lead with a deep three that put him up 17 - 16. Once again, Osendorf answered by backing Fuchs down the lane and battling through contact for a close bucket that retook lead. In the final seconds of the game, Osendorf showed his tenacity and hustle by beating Fuchs to a long rebound and quickly putting in a dagger layup just before time expired. Fuchs, livid about a possible "no-call," refused to shake hands or show any good sportsmanship whatsoever.

Following the game, Fuchs went on a rampage, giving an innocent fan a bloody nose and harassing James Pritchett. The OOOBA Commissioners have issued Grady Fuchs a suspension in wake of his unacceptable behavior. The parameters of this suspension are as follows:

• Fuchs may not referee for one week (as of Thursday, March 8th)
• He may not play in any games for two weeks (as of March 8th)
• May not referee any game in which either Carter Carlson or James Pritchett are participating (indefinitely, unless Carlson or Pritchett give consent)

The OOOBA is still waiting for an official statement from Fuchs himself.