Game 2 of Round 1

Our second playoff game ended with a game winning shot opportunity....

The first half of this one began a lot like our first game did. We started the game shooting really well taking a 56-40 halftime lead. The second half cooled off for us however as Polonia (Warsaw) chipped away at our lead.

With a couple minutes to go in the game we were still holding on to a 9 point lead. But that lead was not safe after a couple desperation shots by Polonia at the shot clock buzzer somehow found the bottom of the net. One of the shots was a banked in 3-pointer which brought Polonia within 3. Then after we did not get a good look on the offensive end, Warsaw had the ball with 24 seconds left in the game with Anwil still holding on to the 3 point lead. We did not want to give up a 3 pointer and give them a chance to tie the game, but in doing so they were able to connect with a back-door layup to make it a 84-83 Anwil lead. We went to take the ball out and as one of our players was trying to get free for the pass, he pushed off his defender and got called for an offensive foul.

So now it was Polonia's ball to inbound with just 6 seconds to go (Anwil still up by one point). We were switching all screens and in doing so ended up having our 5 man, Alex Dunn, defending their scoring guard. He crossed over and got past Alex for what was looking like a game winning lay-up, but then out of nowhere Alex recovered and blocked the shot out of bounds from behind. There was still about 2 seconds left on the clock so Polonia had one more shot at it. Their point guard got the inbound pass and put up a floater in the lane as time expired...the ball was up...hit the backboard in the middle of the square.....and rimmed out! Talk about some drama!! The final score was 84-83.

This win puts us ahead in the series 2-0, so we need one more win to move on to the next round. Game 3 is Saturday in Warsaw.

First Playoff Game

We had our first playoff game tonight. Our first round opponent is the team from Warsaw. The result of tonight's match was a 108 to 83 victory for Anwil. We played hard and well throughout the game as we extended our lead to as much as 35. We had a very balanced scoring game as we had seven players reach double figures and two more with 8 points a piece. So that is nine guys with 8 or more points. A great team win for us.

Game 2 in the best of 5 series is tomorrow (April 28) at home.

The league website is http://www.plk.pl/ if you would like to stay updated (although the site is in Polish so you may need a translator).

Our team website is listed at the top of my blog.

And if you would like to keep tabs on the tournament bracket you can find one by clicking here.

Playoff Trailer

Our Fans at the Last Home Game...

Prokom Game

The much anticipated game between the #1 and #2 teams in our league (us and Prokom) was finally played this past Monday (April 19th). The arena was filled to the max and was extremely loud; a fun experience to be a part of. The game began Prokom's way as they jumped out to an early lead. We fought back though and made it a close game be the end of the 1st quarter. The second quarter both teams played basically even on paper as we closed out the half down 34-38. The game was very physical as both teams fought hard to claim the top spot in the league. There were several hard fouls, intentional fouls, and technicals throughout the match.

The 3rd quarter belonged to our side as we scored efficiently and were able to hold Prokom to just 12 points. The start of the 4th quarter had Anwil up 58:50. Prokom wasn't going away however as they clawed their way back to even the score with a couple minutes to go. We couldn't connect on our last few possessions as Prokom capitalized on a couple turnovers to take the lead. After hitting the free throws after we were forced to foul, the final score was in favor of Prokom 73:78.

It is now playoff time. We are the number 2 seed in the tournament and play the winner of the #7 and #10 teams. The game is scheduled for Tuesday the 27th.

Sold Out

The tickets for our game against Prokom went on sale Saturday (two days before the game) and were sold out in about an hour. This photo shows our fans waiting in line to get their hands on the tickets. It should be a very fun atmosphere at the game.

Last Regular Season Game

Due to the tragedy that Poland endured last Saturday all the Polish basketball games were postponed. Our final regular season game against Prokom was rescheduled for this coming Monday, the 19th of April.

The devastating events that took place this past weekend should remind us of how fragile life can be. Be thankful for the people you have in your life and never take friendships or family for granted. Our prayers are with the families that were affected by the plane crash and the country of Poland as a whole. God bless.

Yet another win for Anwil

We kept the winning streak going as we went on the road to claim another victory. This time it was against Stalowa Wola. We went into the game playing without our starting Polish point guard due to a small injury. And from the start things were a little rocky for us. We went the first few minutes of the game without scoring and found ourselves down by about 10 early on. We kept our focus though and started to play our game as we got it back to just a one point deficit at the end of the 1st quarter.

We continued to play well, especially on the offensive end, for the rest of the game as we were able to consistently extend our lead. The final score showed Anwil 107 and Stolowa Wola 78. The largest point spread for us this season.

It was another balanced scoring game as we had 6 players score in double figures. With this win it puts our record at 22-3 with just one game left in the regular season. Prokom has a record of 23-2...and guess who we play at home for the last game...yep...Prokom. It should be a really fun game. If we win then we would be tied for first in the league. So then it would come down to a tie breaker. And in order for us to win the tie breaker we would have to win by 14 points or more. This would be very difficult considering Prokom was in the Finals for the Euroleague this year, but we are looking forward to the game next Friday night (the 16th).