RotoWire — Jeff Edgerton

The second-round battle between Radiant and BP would prove to be a barn burner in the second round of THE TICKET, powered by AT&T. Many would argue that the Hawks are favorites to go far in this tournament as their gameplay rounded into form in the latter half of the season, but the 76ers’ dismantling of Gen.G Tigers earlier in the evening proved that they were a team to be reckoned with. In the end, the Sixers prevailed and will now move to the semifinals.

The first quarter of Game 1 came down to a shooting duel between BP and Radiant, which came as no surprise. The Hawks found success by slipping the seam in the beeline, which is a trick the 76ers sealed up by the second quarter. The Sixers relied more on their perimeter play as they didn’t get much going in the paint in the first half. The half wad dominated by Radiant and BP, and though BP hit more greens, Radiant was able to swerve around Lee and get many driving layups. Radiant ended the half with 27 and BP drained 23 as the Hawks entered the locker room with a three-point lead.

The Hawks extended their lead early in the third quarter, as the supporting cast finally began to chip in. They spent the final minutes of the third on a double takeover, but both Lee and Skretty had their Glass Cleaner badges activated, and that evened things out in the interior. With BP continuing to pour it on, the Hawks carried an eight-point lead into the final frame. Although the Sixers tried to close the gap, the Awks took Game 1 behind 39 points from BP.

Much like their second game earlier in the evening, the 76ers flipped a switch and had a great six minutes against the Hawks. They enjoyed a 16-7 lead at the end of the quarter due largely to BP’s lack of production. He suffered through a cold ring for a good portion of the quarter. Lee was responsible for all of the Hawks’ points until midway through the second quarter when BP nailed a transition basket. The Hawks would be in dire straits without Lee, but even his exemplary play could not close the gap, as the Sixers went into halftime with a 10-point advantage.

Although the Hawks ramped up their play a bit, the Sixers answered them basket-for-basket and their lead wavered from eight to 12 points for some time. The quarter ended with the Sixers holding a 50-39 lead, and barring a miracle run from the Hawks, the series appeared destined to go to a third game. The Hawks continued to hold onto the lead and bruised to a victory.

BP got back on the grins and posted nine points in the first quarter of Game 3, but the Sixers held the lead, 21-19 at the end of the frame. The Hawks actually had a lead for the first time in a game and a half, but the Sixers would prove too much for the Hawks down the stretch. They regained the lead and never gave it back. The Sixers won 75-61 and took the series, 2-1. Although BP carried the team on his shoulders, Radiant proved to be the more prolific guard over the series, and he finished out Game 3 with another brilliant double-double.

Hawks Talon GC’s season is over, while the 76ers move on to he semifinals Saturday.