On 27 June 2016, the Bama Tru Ballers hosted the Celtics at North Highland Assembly of God's Church Gymnasium.  The Bama Tru Ballers gathered with a visible display of confidence following their five game win streak and third straight victory over the Kingdom Ballers on 23 June 2016.  They defeated four of their last five opponents by an average of 20 points while holding them under sixty.  The Bama Tru Ballers squeezed by the Kingdom Ballers, in a thriller, with a two point victory on 23 June 2016.  The Celtics reported with a more subdued approach.  They were without their center (Steve Woodson) and guard/forward (Tim Sanks).  This would be the game that all the new personnel (Ralph Mathews (#00), Jerald Mahone (#8), and Johnny Vasquez (#22)) step-up and cement their legacy with the Celtics.  The stabilizers were there to manage the tempo, adjust strategies, and lead the team into battle:  Al Wilson (#1), Jerel Jackson (#24), and Christopher None (#15).  The stage was set and the players were ready to get things popping.

The starters for the Bama Tru Ballers were:  #96 David Hardge, #8 Jeffery Lemon, #23 Alphonzo Jukes, #13 Navarro Davis, and #00 Cleotis Brown.

The starters for the Celtics were:  #24 Jerel Jackson, #1 Al Wilson, #00 Ralph Mathews, #22 Johnny Vasquez, and #8 Jerald Mahone.

The officials were Ice Elliott and Roydell Smith.

The game opened with the Bama Tru Ballers receiving first possession and a run of scores from Cleotis "No Limit Soldier" Brown.  He scored the game's first two points and followed up with five 3-pointers to hit the Celtics with a 17 - 3 deficit.  Our first reaction was: Are the Bama Tru Ballers True?!!!  I was wondering if the Celtics were ready for the challenge the Bama Tru Ballers were presenting.  With Jerel Jackson being the biggest player, left on the Celtics' squad, he would have a tall order of managing "No Limit Soldier" down low, getting rebounds, and carrying the load to score.  He is a stealth player.  Always quiet, steadfast, and dependable.  That is why he is the reigning Finals Most Valuable Player of NOSBL XV.  Jackson got the ball rolling with a 3-pointer and everybody else jumped on-board with scoring, defense, and offense.  With a few minutes expired, in the first half, something transpired that caused the Ballers' (#96) David Hardge to push the Celtics' (#22) Johnny Vasquez.  The official, Ice Elliott, intervened immediately and issued a double technical and warning to both players.  I believe the battle was on from that moment.  Both teams played a very physical game with the Bama Tru Ballers committing 11 team fouls and the Celtics committing eight.  Cleotis Brown (#00) led the Bama Tru Ballers with 20 points.  Only three other Ballers entered the scoring roster with two of them scoring three points.  The Celtics began to reintroduce themselves to the Bama Tru Ballers with 11 points from Jerel Jackson (#24), 6 points from Christopher None (#15), 7 points from Johnny Vasquez (#22), 4 points from Ralph Mathews (#00), and a 3-pointers from Al Wilson (#1).  With 1:28 remaining in the first half, the Bama Tru Ballers had a 27 - 23 point lead.  A timeout was called by the Ballers.  Now, that the clock was under 2:00, time would stop on each dead ball.  That gave the Celtics opportunity to hit on two free throws to narrow the deficit to 27 - 25.  The Ballers made a free throw to change the score to 28 - 25.  The Celtics would close out the first half with two 3-pointers to take the lead 31 - 28.

From the time the Celtics tied the score at 28 and obtained the lead at 31, to end the first half, the second half was set.  The Celtics went into their "target mode".  They put pressure on the Ballers' role players to raise their game while Jerel Jackson, Ralph Mathews, Johnny Vasquez, and Christopher None do what they do best.  The Celtics entered the second half with a three point lead and never relinquished it.  By 8:36, remaining in the game, the Celtics had accumulated a 50 - 38 point lead.  Shooting from Cleotis Brown kept the Bama Tru Ballers in the game.  By 6:40, the Celtics' lead was cut to 52 - 44.  Again, Cleotis "No Limit Soldier" put the team on his back and handed out 19 points.  Four teammates entered the scoring roster with only one (Alphonzo Jukes) scoring five points from one 2-point and one 3-point shot.  The Celtics' Jerel Jackson (#24) continued to lead his team in battle with 14  points.  He was supported by Ralph Mathews with 9 points, Johnny Vasquez with 8 points, and Christopher None with 4 points.  The Bama Tru Ballers kept up the physical play with 12 team fouls versus three from the Celtics.  The Bama Tru Ballers used their last timeout with 3-seconds remaining in the game.  The score was 66 - 63 in favor of the Celtics.  The Ballers missed the attempt to score and the Celtics let the time run out at 66 - 63.

The scorers for the Bama Tru Ballers were:  #00 Cleotis Brown with 39 points, #23 Alphonzo Jukes with 8 points, #13 Navarro Davis with 6 points, #96 David Hardge with 4 points, #44 Chris Watson with 3 points, and #8 Jeffery Lemon with 3 points.

The scorers for the Celtics were:  #24 Jerel Jackson with 25 points, #22 Johnny Vasquez with 15 points, #00 Ralph Mathews with 13 points, #15 Christopher None with 10 points, and #1 Al Wilson with 3 points.