RotoWire – Jeff Edgerton

Wizards District Gaming is comfortably in the playoff hunt, and Tuesday, they faced a team that is trying to claw their way into contention. Hawks Talon GC has had its share of ups -and downs this season and was in dire need of a win to remain playoff relevant, but they faced an uphill battle against the Wizards. Although the Hawks had a few moments of decent play, the Wizards made quick work of Hawks Talon with a decisive 2-0 victory.

Game 1 was all Wizards to begin the game, as they jumped out to a 14-0 lead before the Hawks were able to score a basket after almost three minutes. The stalwart full-court press of the Wizards gave no ground up to the Hawks, and the Talon failed to find much luck against the District’s offensive firepower either. It looked like an early blowout was looming at the end of the first quarter, with the Wizards holding a commanding 26-10 lead. The second quarter began slowly for the Wizards as their shot suddenly cooled off a bit, but ReeseDaGod remedied that with a bomber to get the team back on track. By this point, Reese had already drained four threes in four attempts. While the lead remained static, the Hawks were unable to gain any ground and still trailed 41-24 at the half. ReeseDaGod had a brilliant 12 minutes, scoring 17 points in the first half. Technical difficulties delayed the continuation of this game during halftime.

The restart breathed renewed life into the Hawks, as they were able to quickly narrow the lead to eight points at one point in the third. A block by Just.Awkward resulted in a four-point turnaround for the Talon, and the Hawks started to look competitive in this match for the first time. The excitement was short-lived, as the Wizards proceeded to lay down the hammer with a 28-18 fourth quarter that torpedoed the Hawks’ ambition. The District took Game 1 decisively by a score of 81-60. The Wizards shot an excellent 65 percent from the floor and shot 61 percent from beyond the arc as well. ReeseDaGod was every bit the sharpshooter with seven threes and a team-leading 23 points. DayFri contributed a 10-point, 17-rebound double-double with seven assists.

If the first play was any indication, the Hawks came out ready to play in Game 2. A sweet transition dunk by Kel put them up very early in the quarter. The Hawks’ full-court press looked a lot better in the early going, but the team continued to be plagued by low-percentage shots forced by the Wizards’ defense. Nevertheless, the Hawks hung tight with the Wizards throughout the first quarter, and the frame ended with the Wizards leading by only two points – a stark difference from the previous contest. The score remained close throughout the second quarter until the Hawks were bitten by the turnover bug once again. Two turnovers resulted in a four-point swing that put the Wizards ahead by six, and more mistakes by the Hawks put the District up by as much as 11. The Hawks refused to back down, however. They stopped the bleeding there, and only trailed 38-31 at the half.

Both teams looked hot in the third quarter, as they exchanged a barrage of threes as the lead stayed static for the Wizards. The team was making just enough mistakes to keep the Hawks in the game, but the Wizards only needed a few takeaways to put the game further out of reach. With JBM on his takeover late in the quarter, the District hoped to put the game away, but after a three failed to fall, the Hawks jettisoned down the court and scored at the third-quarter buzzer, trailing by nine with six minutes left to play. The rally that the Hawks desperately needed never materialized. Instead, the Wizards extended their lead to 16 points with 3:30 left and kept going from there. The Wizards proved to be a huge mismatch for the Hawks as they won the game, 90-60 and swept the series. JBM went off for 47 points, six assists and four steals in the contest and also converted an eye-popping nine three-pointers. The Wizards defense forced 14 turnovers for the Hawks, while the District only coughed up the ball four times.

Wizards District Gaming (9-2) plays a back-to-back against Pacers Gaming on Wednesday. Hawks Talon GC will face 76ers GC (4-7) on Friday.