Hornets Venom GT Sweeps Magic Gaming, Then Gets Swept by 76ers GC in 2-2 Week
July 26, 2021
Sherm Sets Franchise Record for Assists, Steez Drains Buzzer-Beater for Philadelphia
By Sam Perley
It was an up-and-down Week 7 for Hornets Venom GT as the reigning TURN Champions swept Magic Gaming in front of a live Spectrum Center audience on Thursday evening before the tables were turned in an 0-2 showing against 76ers GC on Saturday night.
The four-outing slate began with Charlotte outscoring Orlando, 20-8 in the first quarter of Game 1, but the visitors rallied to enter halftime trailing by just two. Hornets Venom GT recovered in the second half by winning the third quarter, 23-14, and then never let Magic Gaming threatened the eventual 78-65 victory the rest of the way.
Final score LIVE CROWD REACTION!
We take Game 1, 78-65 🙌🏻 pic.twitter.com/GPZhRbSlwS
— Hornets Venom GT (@HornetsVenomGT) July 23, 2021
Guard Justin “Sherm” Sherman had 24 points and nine assists in the win, while guard CJ “rigby” Burnett (16 points and 10 assists) and center Peter “PeteBeBallin” Malin (21 points and 10 rebounds) both notched double-double performances. Former Hornets Venom GT guard Justin “Snubby” Stemerman led Magic Gaming with 19 points and fellow backcourter Brandon “Reizey” added 17 points, 13 assists and five turnovers.
Hornets Venom GT got off to another hot start in Game 2, taking the first quarter by a 24-9 margin. Orlando responded again by outscoring the hosts 42-32 over the next 12 minutes to enter the final frame down by five. A 10-4 Charlotte run to open the final quarter gave the team a double-digit lead as it held on down the stretch for an 82-75 victory and series sweep.
Rigby led the way with a game-high 30 points on 12-of-16 shooting and six assists, with Sherm (20 points and 10 assists), PeteBeBallin (13 points) and power forward Kingsley “Crown” Braggs (10 points, six rebounds an, five assists and three steals) also cracking double figures. Reizey (25 points and 14 assists) and center Robbie “May” May (15 points and 10 rebounds) both posted double-doubles for Orlando in the loss.
When that final score hits 😁
82-75 win – gg @MagicGaming 🤝 pic.twitter.com/ssLpZ5wfRB
— Hornets Venom GT (@HornetsVenomGT) July 23, 2021
Looking to stretch its overall winning streak to 10 straight games on Saturday night, Hornets Venom GT opened up a double-digit second-quarter lead in Game 1 against 76ers GC before the latter battled back to make it a one-possession game late into the fourth quarter.
Tied 68-68 with 40 seconds left, Charlotte had back-to-back missed shots leading into offensive rebounds before turning the ball over to Philadelphia. Back on the other end, 76ers GC guard Andre “Dre” Marshall found power forward Alexander “Steez” Bernstein in the right corner, who then dodged a PeteBeBallin closeout to pull up for the buzzer-beating jumper.
Rigby (21 points) and PeteBeBallin (19 points and 15 rebounds) led Charlotte in scoring and Sherm added nine points and a franchise single-game record 17 assists in the loss. Dre (19 points and 13 assists), center Dayne “OneWildWalnut” (17 points and 11 rebounds), guard Aaron “ARooks” Rooks (17 points) and Steez (14 points) all cracked 10 points in Philadelphia’s well-balanced scoring attack.
20-19 lead after Q1 @RigbyCB already with 13 PTS and 3 3PM 🔥 pic.twitter.com/xcx2qVCOKB
— Hornets Venom GT (@HornetsVenomGT) July 25, 2021
76ers GC’s momentum carried over into Game 2 with the team building up a 64-54 advantage heading into the fourth quarter. After Charlotte missed a three-pointer with 1:21 left that would have cut the deficit down to just three, Dre responded with a triple at the other end that extinguished any last hope of a comeback victory in the 88-71 Philadelphia win.
Rigby (27 points) and Sherm (23 points and 13 assists) both cracked the 20-point barrier in the loss, with PeteBeBallin right behind the duo with 19 points and nine rebounds. Dre erupted for 40 points on 15-of-22 shooting and 13 assists to lead Philadelphia, which also got big performances from OneWildWalnut (19 points and 11 rebounds) and lock Elijah “UnderratedGoat” Spears (12 points).
Hornets Venom GT will look to bounce back on Friday, July 3o with two home games against Hawks Talon GC beginning at 9 PM EDT. Catch all the action on the NBA 2K League’s Twitch and YouTube channels.