After a quiet start to the season, the Slashers made a lot of noise Friday night, winning their first Main Event by dispatching the Rumble (64-56) and Buzzsaw (57-39). The loudest Slasher was diminutive Tony Crosby II (Long Beach, Calif.), who finished the night with 38 points and 10 dunks in the two victories.
Game 1 – Buzzsaw 42, Wrath 34
In a battle of 3-1 teams trying to keep pace with the 6-0 Mob, the Buzzsaw outslugged the Wrath, 42-34, in Friday’s opening tilt. The depleted Wrath, playing without three starters, ran out of gas in the fourth quarter, getting outscored 14-5. Malik Abdul-Haqq (Seattle, Wash.) led the winners with 14 points while Terrell Howard (Louisville, Ky.) put in 12 and Jamaal Barnes Jr. (Los Angeles, Calif.) added 10. Buzzsaw stopper Tyquan Scott (Long Beach N.Y.) made things difficult for the Wrath all night, registering 11 stops and eight loose ball recoveries. Nick Parks (Lithonia, Ga.) was the only Wrath player to score in double figures, dropping in a season-high 18 points.
Game 2 – Slashers 64, Rumble 56
In Friday’s second contest, the Slashers’ Tony Crosby II was the smallest player on the court, but he was by far the most electrifying. The 5-foot-6 mighty mite thrilled a raucous Cox Pavilion crowd with his aerial artistry, leading the Slashers to a 64-56 victory over the still-winless Rumble (0-3). Crosby threw down six dunks and led his squad with a season-high 26 points. Kaylon Tippins-Hill tried his best to keep the Rumble in the game, contributing 28 points, the second-highest total for a player this season, along with seven dunks and 10 LBRs.
Main Event – Slashers 57, Buzzsaw 39
The Slashers won their first Main Event of the season and showed they will be a force to be reckoned with the rest of the way, cruising to a 57-39 win over the Buzzsaw in Friday’s nightcap. The Slashers led 15-0 after the first quarter and were not threatened for the remainder of the contest, improving their record to 3-2. Tony Crosby II led the Slashers with 12 points (four dunks) while Alonzo Scott Jr. (Petersburg, Va.) added 10. Former Western Illinois tight end and long snapper Nathan Karsjens (Ackley, Iowa) came off the bench and promptly made the Slashers’ first two four-pointers of the year. Slashers stopper Amir Smith (Missouri City, Tex.) chimed in with six points, six stops and six LBRs. The Buzzsaw dropped to 4-2 and are two full games behind the Mob (6-0) in the standings.
SlamBall is back Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. PT on ESPN+.