Boardman IBI put a dagger in BTO's comeback attempt with a basket in the paint at 1:05 in the fourth quarter — the go-ahead bucket that made it 56-54 and never gave the lead back. Deadeye held on from there, closing out a tense 61-56 win that was anything but comfortable. BTO spent most of the night chasing, but their biggest run — 9 unanswered points — knotted things up and had this one feeling like it could go either way deep into the fourth.

Im Vxnom led Deadeye with 22 points on 9-of-17 FG, adding 3 steals and knocking down 3-of-7 from three. LogoLarry chipped in 18 points, going 4-of-6 from deep and dishing 5 assists. Boardman IBI was the engine in the paint all night — 15 points, 7 rebounds, 7-of-10 from the field, and the two biggest buckets when it mattered most. On the other side, The goat feenn was exceptional in a losing effort: 21 points, 8 assists, and 5-of-10 from three. Crunch tuff kept BTO alive with 16 points and 6-of-9 shooting, but it wasn't enough.

Deadeye came in at 6-2 riding wins over Turtles N Sharks and Dawg Mentality. BTO entered at 8-4 and had just swept Turtles N Sharks twice the night before. Both squads were rolling — which made this one in the Midwest Esports Association exactly as competitive as the form books promised.