KAPOW! Regs bring the smackdown in season opener

Claude explodes for 31 as Regs open up a can on Elwood

Tied at the half, this beatdown was as convincing as it was brutal

Regulators 60
Elwood 36

For the Regulators, finding enough players to field a team was the only concern before the 6.40pm tipoff. By the games end the main issue was "can we do that again?"

With no less than five contracted Regulators out for the season opener and at least three players suffering nasty hangovers, a competitive effort would be good enough until the troops arrive. Two fill ins were required just to scratch together a starting five and with the season tipped off, the Regs were happy to go into the half tied at 24.

Any illusions of a down to the wire dogfight were quickly erased when the refs mercifully released the benches and both teams could play 5-on-5. Out came the crisp passing, the stifling defense, the double-teaming, the rotations, the ownage of rebounds, the outlet passes, the fast breaks and the 3-point shooting.

Yes this was one of those games. All of the Regs contributed to a quality play some of the time, Claude had a hand in almost all of them.

The last few minutes were a pure massacre and the young upstarts of Elwood got a severe lesson in pressure, poise, effort and teamwork.

With only one Regulator (Mal) possible for return next week, lets see if the Regs can back it up.

Long season ahead, but what a start...