In the first game of the series, with everything to prove
and nothing to lose, the Titans were able to obtain an
early lead as both teams struggled offensively. At halftime
they held a 5 point lead with a mere score of 21-16.
The SabreCats attempted to come back, but the Titans were
just too sharp, with Domino shooting 18 for 29 while
PureSugar hit 5 out of 9 three point attempts, a new
HBL Finals record. It didn't help that the SabreCats
also shot only 29 percent, either. En route to the
58-38 loss, Joker of the SabreCats showed a lot of
frustration, with two technicals for ball launches in
the second half, the first of which came during the
decisive Titans run that really clinched the game. With
the Titans shooting unbelievably well, and the SabreCats
very cold and already frustrated, it looked very good for
the Titans.
Game 2 opened off at a far quicker pace, with both teams
scoring within their offenses: the Titans continued to
work Domino's slashing drives and Pure's excellent shooting,
and the SabreCats pounded in in the middle and got nearly
any rebound available. Joker Hartley began the game
on fire, making his first 8 shots from the field. He ended
the half at 9/10. Due also to a HUGE rebounding
advantage, the SabreCats were able to carry a ten-point
lead into halftime, which the Titans were never able
to approach for the rest of the game. PureSugar hit
important late three pointers again, going 5 for 10 from
beyond the arch and 6 for 11 overall, but Domino was
a bit off, going 12 for 37 and collecting only 6 rebounds.
In the 59-44 SabreCats victory, they outrebounded the
Titans 34-7.
This set up unfamiliar ground for the HBL...A do-or-die
decisive third game in the series. The Titans looked
to snap out of their slump, especially Domino, early on,
as Domino hit a three pointer in the Titans' first
possession. However, the SabreCats then went on a 7-0
run, eventually taking their second straight double digit
lead into halftime, with a score of 25-15. Things were
looking bad for the Titans with PureSugar's shooting
streak inexplicably over with a couple of airballed
three point attempts, and Domino's slump continuing as
well. The rebounds weren't there as well again, and
the Cats were able to get sometimes 5 or 6 offensive
rebounds before finally converting a basket. Then, with
just a few more minutes left in the HBL Finals and the
SabreCats ahead by 9, PureSugar came back. He hit
three straight three pointers, and after the last one,
the Titans were only down by 3. However, Jay Hartley
displayed the same ability to get to the basket that
he had all year, coming through with two clutch layups
in a row to bring the SabreCat lead back to 7 with just
1:53 left. Both PureSugar and Domino attempted a few
three point shots that didn't fall, and in the last minute
the SabreCats shot 4 of 6 from the free throw line to
seal the deal and become 1999 HBL Champions.
The key factors in this series were especially the
rebounding of the SabreCats as well as the excellent
defense Jay Hartley played on Domino Hendrickson, 1999
HBL Scoring Champion. In the two SabreCat victories,
Domino shot just 34 percent, while averaging 27.5 points
in the two losses, almost 20 points below his average.
In Game 3, he seemed frustrated with Jay's defense and
attempted 18 three point shots, with only 4 falling.
As Domino became less ambitious on offense, the quality
of PureSugar's shot opportunities became worse, since
the SabreCats no longer had to double team on every
play. Meanwhile, Joker was a mainstay for his team,
shooting 60 percent and averaging 26.5 rebounds in the
last two games, while Jay shot inconsistently.
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1999 HBL Season
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