RotoWire – Jeff Edgerton

Tuesday’s matchup between Warriors Gaming Squad and T-Wolves Gaming was rife with playoff implications. The Season 2 champs find themselves teetering on the cusp of playoff contention and desperately need a win to solidify their playoff aspirations. The Warriors rest comfortably at 10-3 and are almost assured a playoff spot, so the T-Wolves hoped they could catch the Warriors sleeping in this contest. They managed to steal one game away, but the Warriors eventually put the T-Wolves away in the third game and won the series.

The Warriors looked very efficient in the first quarter and had no problem dishing the ball around to look for an open shot. The T-Wolves found some success in the paint, but other shots were hard to come by for BearDaBeast and company. Slaughter won the fight under the basket against FEAST, and along with CB13’s seven points and five assists, the Warriors held a commanding 23-14 lead at the end of the first quarter. Although the Warriors kept the lead for the duration of the second frame, the T-Wolves managed to cut the deficit, thanks to a flurry of threes from JMoney. FEAST also stepped up in the paint, and after an 18-11 second quarter, the Warriors held a slim two-point lead at halftime.

BearDaBeast began to feel it in the third quarter, and a drained 3-pointer gave the T-Wolves a six-point lead with two minutes left. The Warriors kept things close with some nifty dimes by CB13, but the T-Wolves held a convincing eight-point lead with six minutes to go. Slaughter gave his team several second-chance opportunities, and his Glass Cleaner badge flashed on afterward, and he retained it throughout the closing minutes. A costly steal resulted in a transition dunk for CB13, and the lead was now firmly in the Warriors favor. They ultimately held off the T-Wolves for a 62-59 win to lead the series, 1-0. CB13 led the Warriors with 27 points and 10 assists, and BearDeBeast has 28 points and nine assists in a losing effort.

The Warriors entered the second game prepared to seal the deal, charging out to a 10-0 run before the T-Wolves finally scored with 2:40 left in the quarter. Behind strong play from CB13, Gradient and Slaughter, the Warriors took an 18-9 lead to end the first quarter. The Warriors kept rolling in the second quarter, as the T-Wolves kept giving the Warriors open shots, and when they missed, Slaughter was there to get the ball back in the offense’s hands. The Warriors extended their lead to 11 to lead 32-21 at halftime.

The Warriors kept their lead for part of the third quarter, but then the T-Wolves started a march that put them within one point of the lead heading into the final quarter. They outplayed the Warriors 21-11 in the third and needed six productive minutes to tie up the series. The two teams traded baskets throughout the quarter, and the T-Wolves had a slight edge. An exciting two minutes capped off with a steal and an opportunity to tie for CB13, but he couldn’t get the easy layup to fall, and the T-Wolves stole the game to even things up, 1-1. BearDaBeast led his team again with 31 points and five assists.

The Warriors started hot once again in Game 3. CB13 scored 17 of the team’s 19 points as it cruised to a 19-11 lead over the T-Wolves at the end of the first quarter. The Warriors continued to hold off the T-Wolves in the second quarter and extended their lead a bit to nine at the half. The fate of the series would come down to the final 12 minutes of play.

The Warriors extended their advantage in the third quarter. A transition dunk by Gradient gave the Warriors their biggest lead of the game, and the T-Wolves couldn’t get many shots to fall. They quickly jumped out to a 20-point lead and began to put the game out of reach. They closed the third quarter with a 58-42 lead, and the T-Wolves would need a stellar six minutes to get back into this game. Unfortunately for the T-Wolves, BearDaBeast’s poor shooting in the fourth resulted in a cold ring, and the Warriors extended their lead further. The T-Wolves made a brave charge late in the game, but there was too much ground to make up, The Warriors prevailed, 70-57. The Warriors would clinch their playoff berth with this 2-1 series win.

T-Wolves Gaming (6-6) plays a back-to-back game against Hornets Venom GT on Wednesday. Warriors Gaming Squad (11-3) will play Celtics Crossover Gaming on Thursday.