ZG Battle for the Belt preview
Zero Gravity takes over New Hampshire this weekend with its biggest event and the last stop on the Fall Circuit, as the Battle for the Belt heats up this weekend at The RIM, Nashua Sports Academy, and Plaistow YMCA.
The varsity division will be relatively wide open with such a deep field, but the favorite here has to be defending champ BABC after their team has simply dismantled opponents on their way to a 16-0 record thus far on the circuit this fall. They’ll have a long list of challengers who will be gunning for them though, including a loaded Mass Rivals-12th grade squad, Team Saints, BV Chaos, Middlesex Magic-Garrity, Central Mass Swarm, and NH Flight-Moreno.
An equally open tenth grade field should make for some very exciting championship Sunday games. Though Tournament of Champions winner BABC, Expressions Elite and Middlesex Magic-Crotty look to be the favorites from game one, they’ll face some stiff competition in Expressions-Worrell, Team Saints, and Mig’s Team. The most exciting pool play matchup has to be a Sunday afternoon showdown between BABC and Middlesex Magic.
BABC has dominated the 9th grade field this fall, but there will be a new champion this week in their absence from Battle for the Belt. The two clear-cut favorites in the 9th grade have to be Expressions Elite and Mass Rivals-Pastore 1. On Saturday the Rivals will take on a BV Chaos team who played the NE Playaz tough at last week’s Tournament of Champions, while Expressions will take on NE Gladiators, MPC Dicruttalo, and MABC in pool play. If the two regular powers can get through pool play unblemished, those in attendance could be in for yet another thriller in the 9th grade final – a staple of ZG events all fall long.
Full schedules and brackets for the Battle for the Belt powered by ZGReport can be found on ZeroGravityBasketball.com, while the most extensive coverage of this weekend’s Battle for the Belt can be accessed on NERR and ZG Report. For constant updates and analysis, follow along on Twitter @NERRHoops and @ZGReport and be sure to use the hashtag #Battle4Belt.