RotoWire – Jeff Edgerton

Wizards District Gaming and Mavs Gaming faced little resistance on their way to the quarterfinals of THE TURN, powered by AT&T. With both teams sweeping their previous opponents, the Wizards and the Mavs entered this matchup playing optimal ball as they fought to land a spot in the semifinals. The Wizards proved to be the better squad Friday, taking the series 2-0.

The Mavs started hot, and they were superior on both sides of the ball and took an eight-point lead early on. Although the Wizards are a strong second-half team, they fought hard to keep this game competitive despite the Mavs’ pressing defense. The District showed their 3-point prowess as they roared back to trail by only two points at the end of the quarter.

JBM acquired a cold ring, and the Mavs began to surge ahead after some costly Wizard turnovers in the second quarter. ReeseDaGod, one of the league’s best off-the-ball players, nailed some shots to keep the Wizards close, and thanks to some tremendous interior play by DayFri and stellar long-range shooting, the Wizards found themselves with a four-point lead. ReeseDaGod drained yet another three at the buzzer to push the Wizards to a 36-27 edge at halftime.

The Wizards held on to their lead throughout the third quarter and extended their advantage to 10 points heading into the final six minutes. Sherm’s usual prolific production was noticeably absent for the Mavs as they attempted to make a comeback, but the Wizards continued to put in the points and extended their lead to 64-45 with two minutes left in the game. The District went on to take Game 1, 71-52. Just_Awkward led the Wizards with 19 points, but it was ReeseDaGod who provided the biggest spark for the District with 4-of-5 from long range. DayFri was also excellent in the paint, notching 16 points, 15 rebounds and six blocked shots.

The two teams traded baskets throughout the first quarter, but JBM stood out with a flurry of excellent shots, and the District jumped out to a lead and kept it through halftime. They had a 36-27 advantage in the third quarter and held that same advantage through the rest of the game. Although the Wizards failed to pull away and make the contest an absolute blowout. They did enough to complete a 2-0 sweep and move on to the semifinals. Despite a 20-point resurgent performance from Sherm, the Mavs could only get decent production from anyone else save PeteBeBallin, who posted a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double. ReeseDaGod was unable to mimic his Game 1 antics, but JBM was on point with 29 points and four steals in the tilt.

The Wizards will move on to face Jazz Gaming in the semifinals.