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On Monday, 12 December 2016, the Celtics and 76ers reported to North Highland Assembly of God's Church gymnasium to continue their seven year old rivalry as the first two champions of the National Old School Basketball League. Four championships separate the two "Super Teams". The Celtics have won eight titles and is the defending champions. It is also the first team to repeat and the first team to go a complete season undefeated (22 - 0). The 76ers is the first team to 3-peat, but they have not won the national title since NOSBL VIII. New players have been entered into this contentious rivalry whether they like it or not. To add to the rivalry, Tim Sanks, a longtime Celtics champion, separated ties and joined the 76ers. That decision raised the stakes, if not for all players, it definitely did for the original Celtics and Tim Sanks. On Monday, the teams reported with the Celtics' record 8 - 4 and the 76ers' record 8 - 5.

The game started with Tony Campbell (#1) putting the 76ers on the scoreboard with a 3-point shot. The Celtics', Ralph Mathews (#00), responded with two points. The Celtics established a 10 - 9 lead that caused the 76ers to request a quick timeout to stop any level of momentum from swinging towards the Celtics. Coming out of the timeout, the 76ers tied the score at 12. The Celtics regained the lead at 15 followed by both teams tying scores at 17 and 19. The Celtics took the lead at 20 and both teams tied, again, at 28. The 76ers took the final lead, before the end of the first half, at 31. The 76ers won 20 rebounds with Tim Sanks owning seven (7) of them. The Celtics grabbed 22 rebounds during the first half. The 76ers were definitely at an advantage defending their offensive rim. Willie Tennyson (#34) blocked two shots and caused turnovers and changeups for several shot attempts by the Celtics. Tony Campbell and Tim Sanks led the 76ers with 23 combined points. Jerel Jackson (#24), Steve Woodson (#2), and Ralph Mathews (#00) kept the Celtics close with combined scoring of 31 points. The 76ers began dismantling the Celtics and closed the first half with a 41 - 31 point lead.

The second half presented a lot of problems for the Celtics. They called their first timeout at an early 18:02 as they trailed the 76ers 36 - 50. As the game progressed, I watched Lester Hood (#45) stay focused on the win more than the rivalry, between Tim Sanks and some of the Celtics, by utilizing the bench to keep fresh players on the floor. This is what the Celtics failed to do. At some point, Al Wilson (#1) failed to use his bench and left valuable players on the bench, either too long or for the half. I thought that was the mistake that allowed the 76ers to capitalize on. The 76ers led the Celtics in rebounds 13 - 10. The 76ers committed more assists than the Celtics (12 - 10). The 76ers also had more steals than the Celtics (7 - 2). Those are significant statistics that separated the two teams. Though the Celtics held Tim Sanks to nine (9) points, they did not contain Tony Campbell and Willie Tennyson who combined for 28 points. Though the Celtics outscored the 76ers, in the second half, they needed those extra rebounds and steals to possibly slow down the 76ers’ effective scoring and defense. The Celtics were able to reduce the deficit to three points with seconds remaining in the game, but the 76ers prevailed. The 76ers defeated the Celtics 89 - 84.

The scorers for the Celtics were: (#24) Jerel Jackson with 19 points, 3 steals, 2 assists, and 3 rebounds; (#2) Steve Woodson with 25 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals; (#15) Christopher None with 14 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists; (#00) Ralph Mathews with 26 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal.

The scorers for the 76ers were: (#1) Tony Campbell with 30 points, 1 rebound, 1 block and 1 assist; (#10) Tony Flemming with 6 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, and 1 steal; (#23) Tim Sanks with 20 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal; (#24) Marcus Watkins with 3 points, 2 rebounds, 1 block, 5 assists, and 4 steals; (#34) Willie Tennyson with 16 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 assists; (#40) Brian Short with 6 points and 2 rebounds; and (#45) Lester Hood with 8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals.