Poor Showing in Season Finale lands Idiots in 5 seed

If there has been an achilles heel this season for the Village Idiots, it has been their inability to field a full squad for key games. Monday night, that trend continued. With their playoff fate weighing in the balance, the V.I. were left to battle fellow contender, the Dukes, without three of their key starters.

After barely avoiding the forfeit, the Idiots took the floor with only the Aceman, Pauly Beamer and DKnip being the familiar V.I. faces on the court. As is rule in the Urban Pro League, a lack of proper jerseys on the V.I. fill-ins cost them 4 technical free-throws, of which the Dukes made 3, to build a nice cushion before the tap.

Even short-handed, the V.I. were clearly the more talented team, and used that physical edge to wipe away the Dukes early lead. The game remained close for most of the first half, but some key missed shots by the Idiots led to a momentum swing in the Dukes' favor allowing them to roll into half-time with a 9-point edge at 34-25.

The typical Village Idiot defensive intensity shot them right back into the game in the second half. They scored on their first three possesions and shut down their opponents to narrow the margin to 3 in the first minute of the second session. Wisely, the Dukes took a timeout to regroup. After refocusing, they never allowed the V.I. to come closer than those three-points. A slower, steadier attack by the Dukes set the pace for the second half, as the Idiots became anxious on the offensive end of the court. Too often, solid defensive effort went for naught, as the V.I. squandered opportunities with ill-advised passes and key missed shots. The scoreboard read 70-54 when the Idiots conceded defeat.

The loss dropped the V.I. from a 2-seed to a 5-seed, slotting them to play the Dukes again in the 4/5 play-in game this Wednesday (3/29) at 9:15pm. The game will be held on the second floor of the Julia Richman Education complex (68th & 2nd), which has treated the Idiots very well this season. Let's hope the Village Idiots can pull together a formidable lineup and take advantage of their familiar surroundings to move-on to the next round. A win on Wednesday will have the Idiots back on the court Thursday, seeking to avenge a regular-season loss to the #1 seed Tighty Whitees squad. That game will be held at the Park West H.S.(5oth bet 10th & 11th) at 8:10pm. Full playoff action right here at VillageIdiotSports.com!

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