The gym was filled with players, children, and fan-mily support on Saturday, 28 January 2017, as the National Old School Basketball League hosted the first day of Playoffs XVII at North Highland Assembly of God's Church.  I want to thank Pastor John Lacy and his staff for giving us a church and gym to call home.  They have been extremely supportive and have cemented their support into the history of the National Old School Basketball League®.

The day started with the Celtics and Bulls battling for their first win and advantage of the first round.  The Celtics outscored the Bulls 29 - 28 at the end of the first half and slipped by the Bulls 29 - 25 at the end of the second half/game.  Sterling Hicks (#32) returned to the Celtics' lineup to lead the team with 22 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists.  Steve Woodson (#2) controlled the center with 12 points, 13 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block.  The Bulls were led by Troy McBride (#8) with 17 points and Navarro Davis with 12 points.  Both players combined for 12 rebounds (six each) and 4 steals.  The Celtics were successful at keeping Ian Trowers (#33) off of the boards for 4 rebounds and 1 block.  The Celtics eased by the Bulls 58 - 53.

The second game was played between the Heat and Bombers.  This would become another close game between two evenly matched teams.  The Captain, Norman King (#11), led the Heat with eight 3-point shots to total 24 points with Felton Scott (#31) accumulating 13 rebounds.  The Bombers', Cleotis Brown (#32), fired back with 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists.  Four Bombers scored in double-figures:  #38 Shederal Hughes with 14 points, #32 Cleotis Brown with 26 points, #10 James Dix with 14 points, and #22 Jimmy Foster with 13 points.  The first half ended with the Heat holding a 34 - 29 point lead.  Their defense allowed the Bombers to outscore them in the second half 40 - 30.  That run put the Bombers ahead to win the game 69 - 64.

The third game was played against two teams representing the complete opposite of the poles, in their division and league.  The Hawks is the #1 seed and the Nets is the #4 seed of their respective division and #8 seed of the league.  Six of seven Hawks scored in double-figures compared to two for the Nets.  The Nets did not have enough scoring to challenge the Hawks like they wanted to and it showed as the first half ended with a 48 - 26 point lead in favor of the Hawks.  The Nets performed much better, behind the scoring of #21 Keith LaFavor and #40 Willie Fillmore, by scoring 40 points.  The Hawks is a complete team.  The players are on the same sheet of music and will attack you from all angles.  They scored 55 second half points and 27 second half rebounds.  The Hawks dominated the weaker Nets with a 103 - 66 victory.

The fourth and final game of the day was played between the 76ers and Kingdom Ballers.  They represent the second and third seeds of the Western Division.  The 76ers include the #1 scorer and assist leader of the league (#23 Tim Sanks) and #1 shot blocker (#34 Willie Tennyson).  That is a serious combination.  Historically, the Kingdom Ballers have always played the 76ers hard, but they fall short by the end of the game.  The 76ers outscored the Kingdom Ballers 42 - 31 by the end of the first half.  Lester Hood (#45) led the 76ers with 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists.  The Kingdom Ballers were led by #33 Joseph Ellison with 9 points and three rebounds.  The second half was much closer - in scoring - as the Kingdom Ballers' leader, Lamont Shuford (#11), poured in 16 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 assist, and 1 block to rally his teammates to play harder.  The 76ers leaned on their center, Willie Tennyson (#34) to keep them afloat with 11 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 blocks.  The 76ers outscored the Kingdom Ballers 30 - 25 in the second half.  The game ended with the 76ers 72 and the Kingdom Ballers 56.