We've now completed the first round of the Summer 2026 playoffs, with the semifinal games coming up this Sunday. We had some really exciting games this past Sunday, and there were also a couple head-scratchers. As always, I tried to schedule good matchups, but they don't always work out that way. As I was inputting the scores on the website, one score jumped out at me: Black Mambas 90, The Heat 49. That just didn't seem right. I wondered if, perhaps, The Heat team was missing players. (That happens this time of year.) But then, I looked at the scoresheet. At halftime, Black Mambas was up 40-34. A six-point margin, certainly anybody's game. After halftime, The Heat got outscored, 50-15. As the character, Guy, said in "Galaxy Quest" after seeing Fred making out with a tentacled alien, that's just not right. We've all been in blowouts before, where one team can't miss and the other can't hit anything. But that usually happens for most of the game, not just one half. Anyway, the Black Mambas move on to face Underdogs in the semis.

I reffed the first game of the day with Chaz. I really shouldn't work with him because people have trouble telling us apart. Anyway, we had the Bantu Bandits-Doomsday game. The Bantu Bandits hit three-pointers the first three times down the floor and it looked like they would cruise. They had a 29-20 lead at the half and then extended it to 15 midway through the second half. But then, Doomsday began chipping away at the lead. They cut the margin to single digits with five minutes left and then to five with two minutes to go. They got a put-back bucket, then held the Bantu Bandits scoreless on a frantic possession. Down three with 10 seconds left, Doomsday called a time-out, set up a play (the kind that never works), then hit a three at the buzzer to send it into overtime. Doomsday would hit a three late in the game to take a 59-56 lead, then held on for the win. That 59-56 score was the first and only time that Doomsday led the entire game. Legendary.

We also had several other really close and exciting games. Mambas beat Saints, 58-56 and Zona got past Anybody Can, 68-62. Skoden held off Air Jesus, 76-73 in a game that went down to the wire and Sikhos edged past Los Chivos, 60-59.

Semifinal games are this Sunday and the finals will be on August 9th. Be sure to sign up for the Fall League if you're interested.