Last evening, on 22 December 2016, at 7:00 p.m., the Western Division #1 and #2 seeds (NHA Hawks and 76ers) reported to North Highland Assembly of God's gymnasium to send a message to each other and the crowd about who's ready to lead the West in the Finals.  The Hawks walked-in, leading the league, with a 13 - 2 record and the 76ers followed with an improved 9 - 5 record.  There was another #1 and #2 challenge involved in the game.  The number one scoring leader, Quentin Leonard (Hawks), was playing against the number two scoring leader, Tim Sanks (76ers).  Did the game turnout to be as good as we expected?  I think so.

The game started with the officials charging the Hawks with a technical foul for delaying the game.  Tim Sanks (#23) represented the 76ers and scored one point to put the game into motion.  After the 76ers took a three point lead, Frank Wilcox (#10) scored on a 3-point jumper to tie the game.  The teams exchanged leads at five, six, seven and eight before the Hawks gained complete control with scoring from (#24) Quentin Leonard with 23 points, (#33) Shaun Jenkins with 9 points, and (#10) Frank Wilcox with 6 points.  The 76ers stayed close with shooting from (#23) Tim Sanks with 15 points, (#1) Tony Campbell with 9 points, (#24) Marcus Watkins with 5 points, and (#10) Tony Flemming with two free throws for 2 points.  The 76ers committed seven team fouls and the Hawks committed two team fouls.  Like always, the 76ers protected their end of the court with blocked shots.  They accumulated four blocked shots from (#34) Willie Tennyson and (#45) Lester Hood sharing two blocked shots, each.  The Hawks collected 19 rebounds versus 14 for the 76ers.  The Hawks also scored off eight (8) assists compared to four (4) for the 76ers.  The Hawks took the first half 38 - 31.

The second half opened with a 3-point jumper from (#45) Lester Hood that led to a 20 - 13 scoring run to tie the score at 51.  The 76ers scored two points to go up 53 - 51, but the Hawks matched them with two points to tie the game.  The Hawks scored two points to take a 55 - 53 lead, but the 76ers responded with a 3-point shot to regain a 56 - 55 lead before the Hawks scored on a free throw to tie the game at 56.  The Hawks would take the lead again at 57, but the 76ers kept them in-sight with scoring from Lester Hood, Tony Campbell, and Tim Sanks.  They combined for 46 of the 76ers' 49 second half points as they led they caught up and led the Hawks later in the game at 75 and 78.  Quentin Leonard added 19 second half points along with 12 points (four 3-point shots) from Kenyatta Hardge, and eight (8) combined points from Shaun Jenkins and (#34) Ernest Adams that helped the Hawks reach 77 game points.  The 76ers outscored the Hawks 49 - 39 points to win the game 80 - 77.  Lester Hood went from 0 - 21 points to lead the 76ers along with 13 points from (#1) Tony Campbell and 12 points from Tim Sanks.  The number one scored more points, but the number two won the battle.

The scorers for the Hawks were:  (#15) Kenyatta Hardge with 12 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists; (#10) Frank Wilcox with 6 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals; (#24) Quentin Leonard with 42 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal; (#33) Shaun Jenkins with 13 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal; and (#34) Ernest Adams with 4 points, 9 rebounds and 1 assist.

The scorers for the 76ers were:  (#1) Tony Campbell with 22 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist; (#10) Tony Flemming with 2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal; (#23) Tim Sanks with 27 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals; (#24) Marcus Watkins with 8 points and 3 assists; (#45) Lester Hood with 21 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks and 1 steal.  Willie Tennyson (#34) contributed 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 assists and 1 steal.  Brian Short (#40) added 1 rebound and 1 steal.