I provide this post for those wishing to re-experience the tournament without the danger of spoilers. (And don't scroll down because the championship game is the most recent post!)
Some Preliminaries
Team Bios
First Round
Sweet Sixteen
Final Four
Championship
Enjoy!
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Friday, April 23, 2010
Shakespeare, 17th Century Prevail
Rome--After several months of delay as both teams’ head coaches campaigned in the Low Countries, the championship game of the Madness and Civilization tournament finally took place in dramatic fashion as the 17th Century took the trophy in an 81-78 nail-biter over the 14th Century.
“Our revels now are ended,” said an exhaustedly jubilant Shakespeare as he came up to the press conference podium some time after the game, cakes in one hand, ale in the other, and the tournament MVP trophy casually held under his arm.
Taking up where he left off in his thrilling semi-final performance a year ago to the day, the Bard continued his magnificent play, scoring 20 of his 26 points in the first half with an impressive barrage of three-pointers. The 14th Century had no answer and trailed 53-42 going into the break. Blaise Pascal also contributed to the 17th Century’s hot shooting, scoring 14 in the first half.
“We like to run the triangle sometimes with Pascal out there,” said head coach Louis XIV. “For the first half it was really rolling.”
Yet his hot shooting would not prove the highlight of the night for the devout Frenchman. With 57 seconds remaining, the 17th century holding a precarious 76-74 lead, and the ball in his hands, the author of the Pensees found himself forced to go the rim as the shot clock expired. Taking some contact from 14th Century center William of Occam, the polymath threw up what looked like a wild shot, barely grazing the backboard—but a late whistle bailed him out.
“I couldn’t be sure whether the ref would call it or not, so I just played like he would. I had nothing to lose,” he said after the game. Pascal went 2 for 2 from the line, extending his team’s lead to two possessions with less than a minute remaining.
Up until that moment the wellsprings of the Renaissance appeared poised to complete one of the greatest comebacks in tournament history. The 17th Century’s 11 point halftime lead climbed to 15 on Thomas Hobbes’ ferocious dunk over an embarrassed Marsilius of Padua, as the Louis Quatorze squad took a 60-45 advantage with 14:30 remaining.
“That s*** was nasty, brutish, and short,” commented Spinoza after the game. “No pity there, just like it should be.”
A quick timeout from the Black Prince, however, and the 14th Century uncorked a dominating 21-6 run, spearheaded by a number of aggressive drives to basket from Geoffrey Chaucer, and tied the game at 66 with 5 minutes remaining.
“The furies cleped I and off I went,” said the lodestar of our tongue, who finished with 16 points, 10 of them in the second half. “Yet proved in the end a sorwful instrument.”
The 14th Century could never take the lead, but kept it a one-possession game until Pascal’s free throws made it 78-74. Dante Alighieri, who had been the answer all tournament, had a clean look from three to tie the game as time expired, but his high-arcing shot rimmed out. The Florentine collapsed to his knees weeping, while a veiled woman seated behind the 14th Century bench upbraided him with words of harsh pity for not keeping his mind on things divine.
Players of the Game
17th Century—William Shakespeare, 26 points, 7 assists, 3 steals
14th Century—Dante Alighieri, 19 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists
All-Tournament Team
William Shakespeare, 17th Century (MVP)
24.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 7.3 assists
Publius Vergilius Maro, 1st Century BC
14.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.3 assists
Dante Alighieri, 14th Century
24.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists
Marcus Tullius Cicero, 1st Century BC
21.3 points, 11.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists
William of Occam, 14th Century
12.0 points, 13.4 rebounds, 2.5 blocks
“Our revels now are ended,” said an exhaustedly jubilant Shakespeare as he came up to the press conference podium some time after the game, cakes in one hand, ale in the other, and the tournament MVP trophy casually held under his arm.
Taking up where he left off in his thrilling semi-final performance a year ago to the day, the Bard continued his magnificent play, scoring 20 of his 26 points in the first half with an impressive barrage of three-pointers. The 14th Century had no answer and trailed 53-42 going into the break. Blaise Pascal also contributed to the 17th Century’s hot shooting, scoring 14 in the first half.
“We like to run the triangle sometimes with Pascal out there,” said head coach Louis XIV. “For the first half it was really rolling.”
Yet his hot shooting would not prove the highlight of the night for the devout Frenchman. With 57 seconds remaining, the 17th century holding a precarious 76-74 lead, and the ball in his hands, the author of the Pensees found himself forced to go the rim as the shot clock expired. Taking some contact from 14th Century center William of Occam, the polymath threw up what looked like a wild shot, barely grazing the backboard—but a late whistle bailed him out.
“I couldn’t be sure whether the ref would call it or not, so I just played like he would. I had nothing to lose,” he said after the game. Pascal went 2 for 2 from the line, extending his team’s lead to two possessions with less than a minute remaining.
Up until that moment the wellsprings of the Renaissance appeared poised to complete one of the greatest comebacks in tournament history. The 17th Century’s 11 point halftime lead climbed to 15 on Thomas Hobbes’ ferocious dunk over an embarrassed Marsilius of Padua, as the Louis Quatorze squad took a 60-45 advantage with 14:30 remaining.
“That s*** was nasty, brutish, and short,” commented Spinoza after the game. “No pity there, just like it should be.”
A quick timeout from the Black Prince, however, and the 14th Century uncorked a dominating 21-6 run, spearheaded by a number of aggressive drives to basket from Geoffrey Chaucer, and tied the game at 66 with 5 minutes remaining.
“The furies cleped I and off I went,” said the lodestar of our tongue, who finished with 16 points, 10 of them in the second half. “Yet proved in the end a sorwful instrument.”
The 14th Century could never take the lead, but kept it a one-possession game until Pascal’s free throws made it 78-74. Dante Alighieri, who had been the answer all tournament, had a clean look from three to tie the game as time expired, but his high-arcing shot rimmed out. The Florentine collapsed to his knees weeping, while a veiled woman seated behind the 14th Century bench upbraided him with words of harsh pity for not keeping his mind on things divine.
Players of the Game
17th Century—William Shakespeare, 26 points, 7 assists, 3 steals
14th Century—Dante Alighieri, 19 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists
All-Tournament Team
William Shakespeare, 17th Century (MVP)
24.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 7.3 assists
Publius Vergilius Maro, 1st Century BC
14.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.3 assists
Dante Alighieri, 14th Century
24.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists
Marcus Tullius Cicero, 1st Century BC
21.3 points, 11.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists
William of Occam, 14th Century
12.0 points, 13.4 rebounds, 2.5 blocks
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Lack of Guard Play Dooms 4th Century
Rome--This game was not as close as its 79-69 final score as Dante and Chaucer ran wild against the limited back court of the Fathers, combining for 50 of their team’s 79 points in the 14th Century win. From the opening tip, Chaucer played an incredibly smart and efficient game, scoring 23 points on 8 of 12 shooting and adding 13 assists and 5 steals. However, it was Dante who wowed and dazzled the crowd, as he has done this entire tournament, scoring 27 points and snatching 13 rebounds.
“We just don’t have anyone who can really guard those types of players” said head coach Constantine. “No offense to Ausonius but the fact that we go to him says something about the lack of poets on this team.”
The 14th century began the game with a 12-2 run and never looked back. By the end of the half, the 14th century was up 16 points, 45-29.
“We were just forced to play a style of game that is not ours. We play a systematic half court offense that is based on good passing, where we like to think about one player proceeding from another; here we got forced into a game that was all about the fast break,” said Gregory of Nazianzus.
This was certainly the case, as Chaucer and Dante teamed up for 23 fast break points in their shredding of the Patristic defense. By the midway point of the third quarter, with the 14th century up by 13 at 62-49, they began to slow down the pace of the game and looked to exploit Dante and Occam down low.
“That was the way with the fewest steps to victory, and we took it,” said The Razor, who ended with 13 points and 14 rebounds.
The one bright spot in this game for the 4th century was the emergence of the young Augustine as a consistent scorer. By the end of the game he was responsible for 18 points on 9 of 15 shooting. Head coach Constantine is hopeful that this young talent can continue to develop into a dominant star.
“I had been praying ‘make me a leader on this team, but not yet,’” said the converted Manichean. “Today I actually wanted it.”
There was mild controversy after the end of the game as St. Ambrose refused to shake hands with Edward, head coach for the 14th Century. Asked about the incident by the media, the bishop of Milan denied any poor sportsmanship, saying only that the Black Prince “knows what he did at Limoges.”
Players of the game
14th century AD: Dante – 27 points, 13 rebounds
4th century AD: The Young Augustine: 18 points, 11 rebounds
“We just don’t have anyone who can really guard those types of players” said head coach Constantine. “No offense to Ausonius but the fact that we go to him says something about the lack of poets on this team.”
The 14th century began the game with a 12-2 run and never looked back. By the end of the half, the 14th century was up 16 points, 45-29.
“We were just forced to play a style of game that is not ours. We play a systematic half court offense that is based on good passing, where we like to think about one player proceeding from another; here we got forced into a game that was all about the fast break,” said Gregory of Nazianzus.
This was certainly the case, as Chaucer and Dante teamed up for 23 fast break points in their shredding of the Patristic defense. By the midway point of the third quarter, with the 14th century up by 13 at 62-49, they began to slow down the pace of the game and looked to exploit Dante and Occam down low.
“That was the way with the fewest steps to victory, and we took it,” said The Razor, who ended with 13 points and 14 rebounds.
The one bright spot in this game for the 4th century was the emergence of the young Augustine as a consistent scorer. By the end of the game he was responsible for 18 points on 9 of 15 shooting. Head coach Constantine is hopeful that this young talent can continue to develop into a dominant star.
“I had been praying ‘make me a leader on this team, but not yet,’” said the converted Manichean. “Today I actually wanted it.”
There was mild controversy after the end of the game as St. Ambrose refused to shake hands with Edward, head coach for the 14th Century. Asked about the incident by the media, the bishop of Milan denied any poor sportsmanship, saying only that the Black Prince “knows what he did at Limoges.”
Players of the game
14th century AD: Dante – 27 points, 13 rebounds
4th century AD: The Young Augustine: 18 points, 11 rebounds
Shakespeare Seals the Deal in Double OT Against 1st Century
Rome--The opening game of the Final Four was an instant classic. In an epic, two-overtime thriller, the 17th century AD defeated the 1st Century BC 90-88 on the strength of an incredible finish by William Shakespeare.
With the 1st Century on the cusp of pulling away, up 59-50 with 8 minutes to play, the Sweet Swan of Avon took flight with an incredible run of scoring, putting up 14 of his team’s last 17 points in regulation, 9 of their 12 in the first overtime, and a game-winning three in the second. In all, he finished 32 points and 28 of his team’s last 40.
“I just thought from this time forth my thoughts be victory or be nothing worth,” he said.
The Romans tried various defenders on the Bard, but no one seemed to be able to stop him from getting the shots he wanted.
“I couldn’t keep him in front of me,” said a frustrated Horace after the game. “No way would I have let him go off like that when Plancus was consul.”
The entire game was a back and forth affair, with fifteen lead changes in total. Milton started out strong for the 17th century, matched seemingly point for point by Ovid. After that initial spurt, the game was more marked by the play of Descartes and Cicero down low. The 1st century led 40-35 at the break and came out strong in the second half until Shakespeare caught fire.
The 1st Century appeared dazed as Shakespeare opened the first overtime with back to back threes. But the Romans fought back valiantly and had a shot at tying the game after Jean Racine went 1-2 from line to put the 17th Century up 79-76 with 21 seconds remaining. Vergil then went hard to the hoop before kicking out an incredible bounce-pass through traffic to Lucretius, who sank a three from the corner as time expired.
In the second overtime, with some fatigue obviously beginning to set in, the Romans went back to Cicero down low and Shakespeare took advantage of traps and double teams to spread the ball around, with Pascal and Milton making some key jump-shots to keep the two teams neck and neck. The entire game came down to one play. Taking possession with only ten seconds left and the 1st Century holding an 88-87 lead, the 17th century put the ball back in the hands of Shakespeare, who came off a screen with .5 seconds left and drained a fade away three with both Vergil and Lucretius in his face.
“He was the hero of our team in this contest, and I had to let him gain the glory of victory,” said coach Louis XIV.
“It will be pleasant to sit back and watch the Championship, having no part in the contest,” said Lucretius after the game. “But sweeter still to look down from the fortress of wisdom on all the players who vainly struggle to attain great honors.”
In the first half Ovid was seen blowing kisses to someone in the crowd after a breakaway dunk, and was immediately pulled from the game by Augustus, who was visibly angry. Ovid did not play the rest of the half, and did not come out with the team after halftime.
“A song and a mistake,” was all the explanation the poet offered after the game.
Players of the game
17th century: William Shakespeare 32 points, 5 assists
1st century: Vergil – 17 points, 8 assists, 3 steals.
With the 1st Century on the cusp of pulling away, up 59-50 with 8 minutes to play, the Sweet Swan of Avon took flight with an incredible run of scoring, putting up 14 of his team’s last 17 points in regulation, 9 of their 12 in the first overtime, and a game-winning three in the second. In all, he finished 32 points and 28 of his team’s last 40.
“I just thought from this time forth my thoughts be victory or be nothing worth,” he said.
The Romans tried various defenders on the Bard, but no one seemed to be able to stop him from getting the shots he wanted.
“I couldn’t keep him in front of me,” said a frustrated Horace after the game. “No way would I have let him go off like that when Plancus was consul.”
The entire game was a back and forth affair, with fifteen lead changes in total. Milton started out strong for the 17th century, matched seemingly point for point by Ovid. After that initial spurt, the game was more marked by the play of Descartes and Cicero down low. The 1st century led 40-35 at the break and came out strong in the second half until Shakespeare caught fire.
The 1st Century appeared dazed as Shakespeare opened the first overtime with back to back threes. But the Romans fought back valiantly and had a shot at tying the game after Jean Racine went 1-2 from line to put the 17th Century up 79-76 with 21 seconds remaining. Vergil then went hard to the hoop before kicking out an incredible bounce-pass through traffic to Lucretius, who sank a three from the corner as time expired.
In the second overtime, with some fatigue obviously beginning to set in, the Romans went back to Cicero down low and Shakespeare took advantage of traps and double teams to spread the ball around, with Pascal and Milton making some key jump-shots to keep the two teams neck and neck. The entire game came down to one play. Taking possession with only ten seconds left and the 1st Century holding an 88-87 lead, the 17th century put the ball back in the hands of Shakespeare, who came off a screen with .5 seconds left and drained a fade away three with both Vergil and Lucretius in his face.
“He was the hero of our team in this contest, and I had to let him gain the glory of victory,” said coach Louis XIV.
“It will be pleasant to sit back and watch the Championship, having no part in the contest,” said Lucretius after the game. “But sweeter still to look down from the fortress of wisdom on all the players who vainly struggle to attain great honors.”
In the first half Ovid was seen blowing kisses to someone in the crowd after a breakaway dunk, and was immediately pulled from the game by Augustus, who was visibly angry. Ovid did not play the rest of the half, and did not come out with the team after halftime.
“A song and a mistake,” was all the explanation the poet offered after the game.
Players of the game
17th century: William Shakespeare 32 points, 5 assists
1st century: Vergil – 17 points, 8 assists, 3 steals.
Monday, April 6, 2009
16th Century Falls to Fathers in a Wild Game
It certainly didn’t look like the 4th Century AD had much of a chance when they went into halftime down 44-25 to the heavily favored 16th Century, but a little gimmickry, a little too much enthusiasm from one of their opponents, above all inspired play in the second half earned them a spot in the Final Four with a tense 84-82 victory.
With his players looking deflated after the 16th Century’s dominance of the first half, Constantine had each of them draw a large cross on their jerseys. The 4th Century came out with a flurry of points in the opening minutes of the half, closing the lead to 9 with 15 minutes to play.
The 16th Century, however, went back to basics on offense, feeding their star player, Martin Luther, and had the lead back in the comfortable double digits at the midway point of the half.
That was when the trouble started.
First, the Wittenberg Reformer appeared to take issue with a hard foul from Athanasius and the two soon had to be separated by the referees. Then, after double technicals were issued, Luther was so incensed that he began shouting at the official who made the call, and, despite the efforts of his teammates to restrain him, was assessed a second technical and ejected.
“I heard something like ‘instrument of Satan,’ ‘Antichrist,’ ‘persecutor of the Word’—it got ugly,” said Ambrose, commenting on the scene as he saw it from the 4th Century bench.
“As far as I’m concerned it was a clean foul. Hard, but clean,” said the bishop of Alexandria. “I’m surprised they didn’t throw me out. That seems to be what they usually do.”
Luther already had 17 points and 10 rebounds when he was ejected.
After St. Basil sank the technical free throws, the 16th Century still held a 12 point lead with 9:36 remaining, but it was clear they were somewhat rattled by their star’s ejection. Play resumed with an 8-0 run from the Fathers, forcing Charles V to use two time-outs to try to calm his players down.
The game was hardly over, however, as Calvin and Tasso picked up the offensive slack for the moderns. Nonetheless, it was clear that all the momentum was with the 4th Century and they took the lead for good on a three from Gregory of Nyssa which put them up 78-76.
Players of the Game
4th Century AD: Gregory Nazianzen 25 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists
16th Century AD: Torquato Tasso, 24 points, 3 assists
With his players looking deflated after the 16th Century’s dominance of the first half, Constantine had each of them draw a large cross on their jerseys. The 4th Century came out with a flurry of points in the opening minutes of the half, closing the lead to 9 with 15 minutes to play.
The 16th Century, however, went back to basics on offense, feeding their star player, Martin Luther, and had the lead back in the comfortable double digits at the midway point of the half.
That was when the trouble started.
First, the Wittenberg Reformer appeared to take issue with a hard foul from Athanasius and the two soon had to be separated by the referees. Then, after double technicals were issued, Luther was so incensed that he began shouting at the official who made the call, and, despite the efforts of his teammates to restrain him, was assessed a second technical and ejected.
“I heard something like ‘instrument of Satan,’ ‘Antichrist,’ ‘persecutor of the Word’—it got ugly,” said Ambrose, commenting on the scene as he saw it from the 4th Century bench.
“As far as I’m concerned it was a clean foul. Hard, but clean,” said the bishop of Alexandria. “I’m surprised they didn’t throw me out. That seems to be what they usually do.”
Luther already had 17 points and 10 rebounds when he was ejected.
After St. Basil sank the technical free throws, the 16th Century still held a 12 point lead with 9:36 remaining, but it was clear they were somewhat rattled by their star’s ejection. Play resumed with an 8-0 run from the Fathers, forcing Charles V to use two time-outs to try to calm his players down.
The game was hardly over, however, as Calvin and Tasso picked up the offensive slack for the moderns. Nonetheless, it was clear that all the momentum was with the 4th Century and they took the lead for good on a three from Gregory of Nyssa which put them up 78-76.
Players of the Game
4th Century AD: Gregory Nazianzen 25 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists
16th Century AD: Torquato Tasso, 24 points, 3 assists
Virgil, 1st BC Get the Win in Epic Battle
What was billed as a showdown of the two greatest poets of the Western canon turned out to be anything but as Virgil struggled to get into the offense and Homer, although he led all scorers with 32 points, probably sank his team by the sheer volume of his shooting; he ended the game 12-37 from the field. The 1st Century BC prevailed in a fast-paced shootout 101-89.
“I’d rather be a walk-on for a team that’s still alive than be the captain and watch at home,” said the Hellenistic Conference Player of the Year.
For all the offensive talent Archaic Greece brought to the table it was the depth and versatility of their Roman opponents which carried the day as Cicero and the historians had their way with the overmatched Greek interior.
“They were just always moving,” said Heraclitus.
Livy especially took advantage of defensive mismatches, going off for 20 points, most of them from the foul line where he was 14-15 despite his quirky stroke.
“We like to kid him a bit about that little Paduanism in his shot,” said Sallust, who had 18 in the game. “But hey, it goes in.”
Many among the Greeks felt they didn’t play their best. Sappho, who finished with 9 points, well below her tournament average, admitted to being distracted at points during the game.
“There was a beautiful young woman up in the second row,” said the lyric poetess, “and the guy next to her was just sitting there calm as can be, chatting about the game. He must have been some sort of god sitting next to her! Then I realize Solon’s made his free-throws and I’ve got to get back on D. I’m pretty sure I got beat on that play; I don’t really remember.”
The Romans, on the other hand, played with a definite focus and a bit of a chip on their shoulder.
“There’d been some talk I couldn’t take Alcaeus for a full game,” said Horace, who finished with 14 points and 11 assists. “So when he came in I said to him ‘you see how the snow stands splendid and white on Mount Soracte? That’s how cold you’re going to be when I’m on you.’ And I shut him down.”
Alcaeus finished with 2 points on 1-5 shooting.
Players of the Game
1st Century BC: Cicero 21 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists
Archaic Greece: Homer 32 points, 5 rebounds
“I’d rather be a walk-on for a team that’s still alive than be the captain and watch at home,” said the Hellenistic Conference Player of the Year.
For all the offensive talent Archaic Greece brought to the table it was the depth and versatility of their Roman opponents which carried the day as Cicero and the historians had their way with the overmatched Greek interior.
“They were just always moving,” said Heraclitus.
Livy especially took advantage of defensive mismatches, going off for 20 points, most of them from the foul line where he was 14-15 despite his quirky stroke.
“We like to kid him a bit about that little Paduanism in his shot,” said Sallust, who had 18 in the game. “But hey, it goes in.”
Many among the Greeks felt they didn’t play their best. Sappho, who finished with 9 points, well below her tournament average, admitted to being distracted at points during the game.
“There was a beautiful young woman up in the second row,” said the lyric poetess, “and the guy next to her was just sitting there calm as can be, chatting about the game. He must have been some sort of god sitting next to her! Then I realize Solon’s made his free-throws and I’ve got to get back on D. I’m pretty sure I got beat on that play; I don’t really remember.”
The Romans, on the other hand, played with a definite focus and a bit of a chip on their shoulder.
“There’d been some talk I couldn’t take Alcaeus for a full game,” said Horace, who finished with 14 points and 11 assists. “So when he came in I said to him ‘you see how the snow stands splendid and white on Mount Soracte? That’s how cold you’re going to be when I’m on you.’ And I shut him down.”
Alcaeus finished with 2 points on 1-5 shooting.
Players of the Game
1st Century BC: Cicero 21 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists
Archaic Greece: Homer 32 points, 5 rebounds
Sunday, April 5, 2009
17th Century AD Prevails 88-80 over 4th Century BC
If anyone still doubted the depth of Louis XIV’s squad, tonight’s game should convince them otherwise.
With the game in the balance and the 4th Century BC’s Demosthenes catching fire, the French Monarch looked to the end of bench and brought in John Donne, who held the Greek orator scoreless for the remainder of the contest.
“When the bell tolls you’ve got to answer the call,” said the poet and preacher.
With Demosthenes cooled, the 17th Century was able to pull away for a deceivingly comfortable 88-80 win.
The 4th Century BC, believed by many to be the strongest of the #2 seeds, went into halftime facing a 41-30 deficit after a turnover-plagued first period.
“I told the guys in the locker room that such a bad half should give us confidence,” said Demosthenes. “If we had played our best and were still down, we would have had reason to despair. But if we came out and played our best in the second half, there was still time to win.”
The Athenian orator acted on his words with an electrifying second half, going for 22 points before Donne clamped down on him. The Greeks never took the lead in the second half, although the game was tied twice.
On offense, the 17th Century was carried by its perimeter players as well, with Milton and Shakespeare each connecting for 19 points, and Racine putting in 15 off the bench.
“I’ve never felt like we needed any poets on this team,” said Plato, who finished with 16 points. “But we certainly had trouble defending those guys.”
Players of the Game
17th Century AD: William Shakespeare, 19 points, 8 assists
4th Century BC: Demosthenes, 22 points, 9-10 from the field
With the game in the balance and the 4th Century BC’s Demosthenes catching fire, the French Monarch looked to the end of bench and brought in John Donne, who held the Greek orator scoreless for the remainder of the contest.
“When the bell tolls you’ve got to answer the call,” said the poet and preacher.
With Demosthenes cooled, the 17th Century was able to pull away for a deceivingly comfortable 88-80 win.
The 4th Century BC, believed by many to be the strongest of the #2 seeds, went into halftime facing a 41-30 deficit after a turnover-plagued first period.
“I told the guys in the locker room that such a bad half should give us confidence,” said Demosthenes. “If we had played our best and were still down, we would have had reason to despair. But if we came out and played our best in the second half, there was still time to win.”
The Athenian orator acted on his words with an electrifying second half, going for 22 points before Donne clamped down on him. The Greeks never took the lead in the second half, although the game was tied twice.
On offense, the 17th Century was carried by its perimeter players as well, with Milton and Shakespeare each connecting for 19 points, and Racine putting in 15 off the bench.
“I’ve never felt like we needed any poets on this team,” said Plato, who finished with 16 points. “But we certainly had trouble defending those guys.”
Players of the Game
17th Century AD: William Shakespeare, 19 points, 8 assists
4th Century BC: Demosthenes, 22 points, 9-10 from the field
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