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Lizards White wavers, drops Cogito Ergo Boom in close second match

  • Published
  • By John Stuart
  • Staff Writer
Tinker Public Affairs --  For whatever reason, it seems like those five minutes between matches is some kind of Kryptonite for the Leapin Lizards White. Or so their typically sluggish second match performance suggests. They'd dealt the knock-out blow to the upstanding Cogito Ergo Boom squad in the teams' first match Tuesday night, beating them 25-8 with almost three minutes remaining. 
    
But then the Kryptonite kicked in, as they let CEB pick themselves off the mat for a close second match. The Lizards showed why they're one, if not the, team to beat, though, and pulled out the 25-21 win to claim the day in two matches. 
    
In the first match the scoreboard read 2-2 at 14 minutes. It's the closest CEB would ever get to victory. At 10:20 it was 8-4. With the Lizards spot-on setting and consistent digs, CEB was struggling to pin any points on the reptiles. At 7:13 the score read 16-6 and eventually the hammer fell at 25-8 with a comfortable 2:57 remaining on the clock. 
    
But then those dastardly five minutes. It's hard to say what happens to the Lizards between matches, but whatever it is, it's palpable. 
    
It was 4-3 at 12:33 in the second match and the Lizards were looking to repeat their dominance. But less convincing spikes by the Lizards and improved bumps and sets by CEB was turning the tide. With 10 lead changes in the second match, it was anyone's to win. It wasn't until the last 45 seconds that the Lizards managed to build a lead greater than three points. But each time CEB clawed back. The teams held ties at 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21 points. But finally, when the Lizards went up 22-21 with the hourglass expiring, it was clear they'd dealt the final TKO to CEB. 
    
"They're trying to ice me," said Lizards powerhouse Matt Snyder as he stepped up to serve and CEB made a late-game timeout with 45 seconds remaining. But he wouldn't be thwarted. The last three points fell in the Lizards favor, as they closed it out 25-21, improving their unblemished 4-0 record and snapping CEB's perfect streak.