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Marshall Richards: “I’m here with coach Pio Reina, and coach, what went wrong and what has to improve?”

PR: “Well, the four first quarter fouls on Kamp were not optimal, nor was the slow start on offense. We’re battling on the boards right now, but the defense is keeping us in the game. We have to start knocking down some shots and tighten up defensively without fouling or it’s going to be a long night. We’re going to have to lean more on Art Reese more than we would like, but we’ll see. Kamp has got to be smarter than he was in the first quarter, but we’ll come out ready for the second quarter. There’s a lot of ball left to play in this game.”

MR: “Thanks, coach. Good luck the rest of the way."

Last edited by Speedtraps at 4/18/2023 10:02:40 PM

Marshall Richards: “Well coach---”

PR: “It’s no secret we miss Floyd out there. Then to go on and lose Mann for the second quarter and possibly the game? That’s problematic. Now we’re playing undersized. We’ve got to find a way to take and make more threes, but we also have to ratchet things up defensively and cause turnovers out there. We have to step the pace up. Ramon Sanz Garcaa is doing his part on the boards. Serkan Sokmen is carrying us offensively. We need the rest of the guys to go into attack mode. I expect that Carolina might be a bit worried in that Kyle Knowles and Rod Guyton have been very quiet so far. They both hit threes toward the end of the second quarter, so we’re confident they’ll come out firing and hitting in the second half. Sorry to cut you off there Marshall, but I gotta get to the locker room where my guys are waiting. “

MR: “That was coach Pio Reina in a hurry to go talk to his team. A rough and tumble first half sees Carolina up 41-38 at the half. Back to Happy Ourer in studio.”

HO: “Pio’s point on the three point shooting is a solid one, as Linndale is 4 of 8 from the outside while Carolina is 0 for 7. Pio’s squad will definitely need more of those to go in, especially if they have to play without Mann in the second half. Any thoughts, Air?”

AA: “I already said what I thought. I told you this team was a fraud and so was the coach. You’re not winning this game. The disappearing Daniil Kamp has lived up to his name so far. Where are you going to find those points on offense? I’ll believe in Guyton when he gives me a reason to, and not a second before. Kyle Knowles has been ominously quiet. He’s the guy I’d watch. Then again, he’s not going for 40 in the second half, so I think Carolina has this game won.”

HO: “Really? It’s only a 3 point lead for Carolina.”

AA: “It’s Pio Reina against Daisy Merollin. In this matchup, 3 points is almost a 30 point lead for Daisy. I said it before and I’ll keep saying it. Linndale needs a basketball coach. Pio Reina is not the guy. He stinks. He’s absolutely terrible.”

HO: “On that note, we’ll be back for the second half after these messages.”

Marshall Richards: “Happy, I’m here with Rod Guyton, Kyle Knowles, and Ramon Sanz Garcaa as Linndale walks off the court in Carolina as victors in a 95-90 win. Rod, I think this was what my colleague Air Allnite was waiting for from you.”

RG: “We don’t care what he was waiting for. We don’t care what he says. We won this game as a team. This was a team win!”

MR: “Kyle, you and Rod came up big when it mattered most.”

KK: “It was just our turn to come through for the guys. We don’t get this win without everyone playing together tonight.”

MR: “Big man, you crushed it with 24 rebounds tonight, but I want to know where that 3-ball came from!”

RSG: “You guys see the shooting contests after practice, but you guys don’t think anything about it. You shoot with guys like Kyle, Rod, and Shooter and you’ll get better, too. They made me confident I could do it.”

KK: “We don’t win this game without Serkan Sokmen coming up absolutely huge for us. Everybody played their part. This was a team win!”

RG: “We didn’t have our resident beast. We lost Harrison in the second quarter. Kamp had foul trouble and still managed to stay in the game and fight. This team stayed together, played together and we got it done. I love it when a plan comes together. Our plan was to just stick together and stay close, because we knew it was gonna take everybody and we’d find a way.”

RSG: “Floyd, we got you! Get better. We got you! That’s what’s up!”

MR: “Happy, back to you and Air in studio. I’m going to see if I can get a word with Pio Reina and Serkan Sokmen. A fabulous win for the guys. The final Linndale 95, Caroling 90!”

Last edited by Speedtraps at 4/20/2023 9:37:40 AM

Day 19 (Tuesday 18 April 2023) : Performances by (https://www.buzzer-manager.com)

Night results
Fondy Cardinals 102 - 209’s MostWanted 115
Philly Dribble 117 - Flamin' Flamingos 100
San Dominica Warriors 70 - Lion Rebels 99
Linndale 95 - Carolina Rebels 90
The Beer Bellys 117 - Tasty Tardsicles 108
Miami Cleo 107 - Hustlas 96
The White Walkers 99 - STG on MCU 71
Cincinnati Slammers 65 - Żubr Białystok 106

Best collective performance of the evening
Points : 117 : Philly Dribble, The Beer Bellys
Rebounds : 65 : Tasty Tardsicles
Assists : 34 : Philly Dribble
Steals : 10 : The White Walkers
Block Shots : 12 : Hustlas

Personal best performances of the evening
Points : 46 : A. Vicys (The White Walkers)
Rebounds : 29 : J. Delaire (Flamin' Flamingos)
Assists : 10 : C. Wui Kwong (Tasty Tardsicles), G. Denković (Hustlas)
Steals : 3 : V. Štiberc (The White Walkers), D. Freire (The White Walkers)
Block Shots : 7 : S. Klin (Hustlas)

Top 5 of the evening
Point Guard : A. Vicys (The White Walkers) (46 Points, 5 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 2 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 46
Shooting Guard : A. Ziółkowski (209’s MostWanted) (42 Points, 6 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 2 Steals, 1 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 43
Small Forward : Y. Georgoulis (The Beer Bellys) (23 Points, 7 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 2 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 27
Power Forward : M. Anwander (Fondy Cardinals) (27 Points, 11 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 1 Steals, 2 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 35
Center : J. Delaire (Flamin' Flamingos) (8 Points, 29 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 1 Steals, 2 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 35

MVP of the evening
A. Vicys (The White Walkers) (46 Points, 5 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 2 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 46

The bad performance of the evening
M. Spaulding (Tasty Tardsicles) (0 Points, 0 Rebounds, 1 Assists, 0 Steals, 0 Block Shots)J. Röbern (STG on MCU) (0 Points, 0 Rebounds, 0 Assists, 0 Steals, 0 Block Shots)A. Mentis (The White Walkers) (0 Points, 1 Rebounds, 1 Assists, 1 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : -2

All kinds of statistics
The player who forgot to remove his mittens : S. Hollins (Lion Rebels) : 5 Turnovers

Player targeted by the referees : M. Woesler (Philly Dribble), P. Huddleston (Philly Dribble), A. Nikitinas (Tasty Tardsicles), Y. Semiramis (The Beer Bellys), U. Barbarossa (Cincinnati Slammers) : 5 Personnal Fouls

The iron-man : A. Gallucci (Miami Cleo), C. Wui Kwong (Tasty Tardsicles), K. Brown (Lion Rebels), N. Hidasi (Żubr Białystok), R. Ainsworth (Cincinnati Slammers) : 48 Minutes

The shooter : A. Ziółkowski (209’s MostWanted) : 8 Three points

The best performer : P. Fasselli (Philly Dribble), T. Armstead (Lion Rebels) : Rating : 19.0

The worst performer : A. Mentis (The White Walkers) : Rating : 3.0

“Happy Ourer here with my colleagues Marshall Richards and Air Allnite at the biggest home game of the season for your Linndale basketball team, and it just happens to also be the last regular season home game of the season! A win tonight goes a long way towards securing a playoff spot. The math is simple; a win tonight puts Linndale 2 games up on Philly Dribble with 2 left to play. Linndale has San Dominica and the Fondy Cardinals left on tap, and in an interesting twist, Philly Dribble will have the same two opponents. Barring upsets in the last 2 games for each team, this game is for the playoffs. This is the game Linndale has to win; unfortunately, they’ll have to do it without the heart and soul of their turnaround, Floyd Hearn. Marshall, do you have any insight to offer on tonight’s game?”

“Happy, I’ve got to tell you the crowd is absolutely going to be a big part of this. Linndale is going to need the crowd to deliver that home court advantage big time. Make no mistake about it: Linndale feels like this is the win or go home moment for the season. They feel like they can win this game. They believe they will find a way to win this game. They know they have to win this game. They also understand having to do it without Floyd Hearn increases the degree of difficulty exponentially. To that end, they are treating as all hands on deck, and I understand that up until the last minute possible that the GM is feverishly trying to add a player to the team in hopes of giving the team an extra boost. I’ve spoken to officials around the league and most expect the team to either bring in another big man or bring in a true point guard. I have to tell you, while both make sense for differing reasons, the one thing that both Pio and the GM value above most is versatility. If they can, they’re going to get someone who can play multiple positions. I’ll remind you that if they were able to bring in a 6 foot 10 inch point guard who could play small forward or power forward, it would be a look that is familiar to long time Linndale fans.”

“Marshall, that’s a good point, and those teams were consistently in the playoffs and also a tough out. Air, what have you got on tonight’s game?”

“Well Happy, I hate to be the bearer of bad news. Actually, I don’t; who are we kidding here? If the team is even able to bring someone in at the last second, it won’t be enough. They aren't deep enough, they aren’t tough enough, and they aren’t good enough to beat Philly Dribble AND San Dominica. Make no mistake about it, they have to win both games to think about a playoff spot. Winning this game guarantees nothing. The only guarantee I have for you is that Pio Reina will outsmart himself again and keep this team from getting the win they need. Pio is not the coach you need, and if he loses this game, he may not be the coach you have. Lose this game and I’d fire him immediately. Actually, I would have never hired him; he’s awful!”

“Folks, Marshall and I will be back courtside from the I-77 Speedway and our colleague Air Allnite will do his best Debbie Downer impersonation when we return after these commercial messages!”

Last edited by Speedtraps at 4/23/2023 4:01:09 PM

Air Allnite: “and the fact that there’s no viable replacement for Hearn combined with the lack of depth overall and the lack of a first rate, bona fide true point guard means this team is done. I don’t know why I have to keep sayi---”

Marshall Richards: “I’m sorry to interrupt Air, but we have breaking news. I’ve just received word from the team’s PR Manager Alejandro Jayo and confirmed via league offices that Linndale has acquired 6 foot 10 inch point guard Eliyahu Hadad and he will be in the lineup for tonight’s pivotal matchup. He just arrived mere moments ago.”

AA: “Marshall, I guess it’s my turn to tee you up. What’s the scouting report say? What should we expect from the new guy?”

MR: “Defensively, he’s not the defender he was in the post, but he’s still solid. He’s still a very good perimeter defender. The handles and driving ability are still top notch. The rebounding is still very good. He’s got a good jumper, but lacks range. He can score inside, make free throws and is good passer. The only place you won’t play him is at center, unless you run a small ball lineup. Air, he fixes everything you hate about the team if Floyd Hearn is healthy.”

AA: “No he doesn’t Marshall, unless he can coach. So, an aging veteran on the downside of his career is expected to save the day. That didn’t work out so well last season, did it?”

Happy Ourer: “And folks, you thought that Debbie Downer act of his was just an act, didn’t you?”
AA: (angrily) “Happy---”

MR: “Folks we have to go to break and on the other side, we’ll see if we can grab a word with coach Pio Reina. Back after the break!”

“Happy Ourer with coach Pio Reina outside of a jubilant Linndale locker room after a stunning 106-101 victory over Philly Dribble in a very physical, hard fought game. Coach, it looks like the GM still had a rabbit left in the hat.”

“Happy, you wouldn’t know that Hadad had played earlier today. He played 14 minutes in his last appearance for his former team, hightailed it here, and put in 38 minutes of work! That sums up who and what this team is. This was a team win and the newset member jumped right in as if he’d been here all season long!”

“Coach, Ramon Sanz Garcaa has been a house afire during the absence of Floyd Hearn, but no one could have anticipated 3 bombs from downtown.”

“Well, Ramon just goes about his work day in and day out. Everyone needed to step up however they could, and today Ramon was feeling it from outside. He was also huge on the boards, and we needed every bit of it.”

“Who decided Hadad was going to play and for how long? Was this a mutual decision?”

“Happy, he walked in and was fully up to speed on our season. He did his homework pretty quickly and when he got here, he was adamant about playing. He said he didn’t care where or for how long. He just said he was ready to go for as long as he could, and we went from there.”

“Going forward, Coach, how do things look when Floyd returns?”

“Happy, it’s going to depend on the opponent for that game, but having Hadad gives us options both in the starting lineup and with the bench. It’s going to be awfully difficult to game plan for us when Hearn is back.”

“Looking to the postseason, you sure went a long way to secure your spot. Are you afraid of anyone in the playoffs?”

“Happy, we’re not afraid of anyone, but we’re not guaranteed to be in yet. We have two chances to win one game. We have to beat either San Dominica or we have to beat Fondy. I imagine San Dominica would like to send us a message with a victory, and Fondy would like to knock us out of the playoff chase. So by no means is this a guarantee that we’re in, but we control our destiny now. We have one job. Win and we’re in. It’s up to us.”

“Thanks for your time, Coach. I’m sure there’s a bunch of happy players inside the locker room waiting on you. Air, Marshall, back to you!”

Last edited by Speedtraps at 4/22/2023 11:07:05 PM

Day 20 (Saturday 22 April 2023) : Performances by (https://www.buzzer-manager.com)

Night results
209’s MostWanted 100 - Lion Rebels 113
Flamin' Flamingos 65 - Carolina Rebels 97
Philly Dribble 101 - Linndale 106
San Dominica Warriors 103 - Fondy Cardinals 86
Tasty Tardsicles 84 - STG on MCU 96
Hustlas 72 - Żubr Białystok 120
Miami Cleo 87 - Cincinnati Slammers 57
The White Walkers 85 - The Beer Bellys 68

Best collective performance of the evening
Points : 120 : Żubr Białystok
Rebounds : 63 : Linndale
Assists : 28 : Żubr Białystok
Steals : 15 : Żubr Białystok
Block Shots : 8 : Żubr Białystok

Personal best performances of the evening
Points : 40 : R. Sedonio (Lion Rebels)
Rebounds : 25 : G. Locus (Miami Cleo)
Assists : 9 : É. Blanchet (San Dominica Warriors), R. van der Reis (STG on MCU)
Steals : 8 : A. Fornos (The White Walkers)
Block Shots : 4 : H. Quindós (Żubr Białystok)

Top 5 of the evening
Point Guard : R. Sedonio (Lion Rebels) (40 Points, 10 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 0 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 34
Shooting Guard : C. McNutt (Żubr Białystok) (21 Points, 5 Rebounds, 6 Assists, 2 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 28
Small Forward : H. Quindós (Żubr Białystok) (29 Points, 6 Rebounds, 6 Assists, 4 Steals, 4 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 33
Power Forward : M. Anwander (Fondy Cardinals) (28 Points, 9 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 0 Steals, 2 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 26
Center : G. Locus (Miami Cleo) (13 Points, 25 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 3 Steals, 1 Block Shots), R. Sanz Garcáa (Linndale) (17 Points, 21 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 2 Steals, 1 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 37

MVP of the evening
G. Locus (Miami Cleo) (13 Points, 25 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 3 Steals, 1 Block Shots), R. Sanz Garcáa (Linndale) (17 Points, 21 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 2 Steals, 1 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 37

The bad performance of the evening
P. Cuellar (209’s MostWanted) (0 Points, 2 Rebounds, 0 Assists, 0 Steals, 0 Block Shots), E. Cristofaro (The White Walkers) (0 Points, 1 Rebounds, 0 Assists, 0 Steals, 0 Block Shots)P. Kalinov (The Beer Bellys) (0 Points, 3 Rebounds, 0 Assists, 1 Steals, 0 Block Shots)D. Christopher (Cincinnati Slammers) (2 Points, 5 Rebounds, 0 Assists, 1 Steals, 1 Block Shots) : Efficiency : -4

All kinds of statistics
The player who forgot to remove his mittens : J. Esposito (Hustlas) : 8 Turnovers

Player targeted by the referees : H. Quindós (Żubr Białystok), R. Ainsworth (Cincinnati Slammers) : 6 Personnal Fouls

The iron-man : G. Locus (Miami Cleo), E. Dickens (Tasty Tardsicles), R. Sedonio (Lion Rebels), H. Quindós (Żubr Białystok), N. Hidasi (Żubr Białystok), R. Ainsworth (Cincinnati Slammers) : 48 Minutes

The shooter : G. Azheli (209’s MostWanted), K. Knowles (Linndale), K. Brown (Lion Rebels) : 5 Three points

The best performer : P. Fasselli (Philly Dribble), T. Armstead (Lion Rebels), A. Vicys (The White Walkers) : Rating : 16.5

The worst performer : E. Cristofaro (The White Walkers), P. Karpos (The White Walkers) : Rating : 2.0

“Air Allnite here; you wanted an updated state of Linndale's basketball team, so here you go: it still sucks. You folks are insane if you think Pio can match wits with Coach Stephenson. There’s your first loss. Then with Fondy, can you really overlook them? It’s a game on paper you should win, but can you guarantee they won’t pull off the upset? Then comes your second loss, assuming you survive the Fondy Cardinals. Coach Stephenson and his crew, in their house for a playoff game. This is still subject to change, as both the Lion Rebels and the Carolina Rebels both still have a path to the top seed. If Carolina takes the top seed, I’m betting on Daisy Merollin’s crew. Why? Because I can’t see a reality where Daisy’s squad loses 3 times in a row to a Pio Reina coached team, and certainly not at home in a playoff game! What if it’s the Lion Rebels? IT DOESN’T MATTER WHO IT IS!!! Pio Reina is not the coach to win a first round playoff game, but don’t worry Linndale fans; he won’t have to. Fondy’s gonna get you, or Coach Stephenson is going to embarrass you. Making the playoffs just for the sake of making the playoffs is useless. I don’t recall ever watching a team fight so hard to get a playoff berth just to get embarrassed once they get there, but welcome to Linndale!”

“Now, as your magnanimous host, I will allow a rebuttal to be given by our guest and my colleague Marshall Richards. Marshall, I hope you brought your A game, because you’re going to need it.”

“Thank you, Air. Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Air Allnite. Better yet, don’t. I come to show you how wrong he is; roll the video!”

You’re not beating San Dominica or Philly Dribble. You have to beat Carolina and Fondy.
You want a shot at the playoffs? You’re gonna have to go 3-1, and even then you might need help.
Linndale, you aren’t beating Philly. You aren’t beating Carolina. You can’t beat San Dominica. I said you had to 3 and 1 to make it. You’re going 1-3, and a healthy Hearn is not going to make a difference at all.
You’re not going to the playoffs. You’re just not good enough.
I told you this team was a fraud and so was the coach. 
Linndale needs a basketball coach. Pio Reina is not the guy. He stinks. He’s absolutely terrible.

“Those are just the things you’ve said recently. All they have to do is win 1 of the last 2 games and they will have gone 3 and 1 over the final 4 games and that gets them into the playoffs with no help needed. You said they were going 1-3 but here we are halfway through and they are 2-0. You said Hearn wouldn’t make a difference at all. That was incorrect. Pio Reina’s squad has beaten the teams in front of them to climb into the playoff picture. They are one win from clinching their spot. You said they would need help even if they went 3-1. They beat and passed Philly Dribble, they’ve beaten Carolina and they beat the Lion Rebels when they absolutely had to. Pio Reina has gotten it done. You’re the same guy who said this team wasn’t making the playoffs a few weeks ago. Pick one; is Linndale not getting into the playoffs, or is getting in not good enough? You are simply all wrong about this team. Take the L you’ve earned.”

“Folks, welcome to the Linndale Basketball Post Game Show. He’s Marshall Richards, I’m Happy Ourer, and you just saw overtime basketball at Shaw memorial Gym, where Coach Stephenson’s always tough San Dominica Warriors used an 8-0 run to take control in the extra period and beat Pio Reina’s boys 105 to 100. However, the big story is the health of Ramon Sanz Garcaa, who went down in the third quarter with an injury and did not return. We’ll send it to our man on the scene, Air Allnite for the latest word. Air, what can you tell us?”

“Happy, word out of the trainer’s room is a sprained ankle. We haven’t yet spoken to the doctor to determine how bad it is, but before he went down, he was possibly looking at a triple double. He went down with 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists.”

“Air, have you had a chance to speak with Coach Reina to see what they might do in Ramon Sanz Garcaa’s absence?”

“Happy, I have not as of yet, but I don’t think Pio has even given it thought yet. Seeing as it’s a must win game if they want to go the playoffs, I expect Harrison Mann and Serkan Sokmen had better strap it up and get it done; I don’t think there are any more rabbits to come from the GM’s hat at this point.”

“Air, Marshall here. I’m going to give you credit for calling this specific game a loss for Linndale, but that’s the only thing you’ve gotten right. I’m going to put you on the spot right now: does Fondy have a shot?”

“Without Hearn, they definitely did. With Hearn but without Sanz Garcaa, the task is a bit more difficult, but they have a chance. If Hearn goes down in that game, Linndale loses. They are going to need to get Knowles and Guyton firing on all cylinders, and they’ll need Petriukstis and Tovar to do better than the combined 0 for 11 they put up tonight. I don’t think any of that happens. You might get Knowles or Guyton hot, but not both. And now, not only does Linndale have to win to get in, they need help from San Dominica. If Philly Dribble loses, Linndale is in. Marshall, I believe it was me who said Linndale would need to go 3-1 and need help. There you have it.”

“Folks, we’ll be back after the break with more from the Linndale Basketball Post Game Show.”

Hunt:
I’m Hunt Mosley and he’s the legend Bret Rodriguez and we’re joined by the hitman himself Douglas Diamond. And you’re listening/watching the Warrior’s Post Game show. And first thing we gotta get into is someone please. Please explain what the hell we just saw tonight.

Douglas & Bret:
We saw strategy!

Hunt:
No, Strategy was if you told me the Warriors decided in their home game matchup against their hated rivals to just open up the offense and go fun and gun. Just let LAB and Granja splash from the perimeter. Instead the Warriors chose to go with a slowed down patient offense. You telling me an analytical coach like Coach Stephenson went to the lab and came out with ‘Oh let’s go patient’

Bret (laughing hysterically)
Why would they do anything you just suggested they do? Why even show that you might do that! There’s still a chance you can see these guys again in two weeks.

Hunt:
Because they’re Lindale! These are the games you go all out for. I don’t know. Just its the last rivalry game of the season and you choose to go that route.

Bret & Douglas:
They still got Philly!

Hunt:
That’s different. Only rivalry that is possibly bigger than Lindale as far as Warrior fans are concerned are perhaps the Lion Rebels

Douglas:
Come on man, we all knew as soon as they got that sixteenth win, they were gonna focus on the playoffs. Coach is not taking any chances.

Hunt:
But why patient why not go motion! I’m glad they got the win but too many things bothered me about this game. First of all, too much work LAB had to do this game. 34 attempts. He hit twelves of that thirty-four.

Bret:
And you know the last time LAB took near close to that amount of shots? It was against Lindale back in February! He went 9 for 21! He always has a lot of shot attempts against Lindale.

Hunt:
But in most of those games, there’s been a more spreading out of the work. LAB may go for 22 attempts but someone maybe had 18, but this time the next most shot attempts is Blanchet who went 7 for 12 followed by Granja who went 5 for 11

Douglas:
Just a point of note, the Warriors took 94 shots this game. The same amount of shots they took against the Cardinals so the pacing of this game while slower still had the grind down aspect that the Warriors like to accomplish in their game play.

Bret (laughing)
I told you Doug, him hanging around that Air Allnite was gonna do a number on him.

Hunt:
I’m telling you, the Warriors can’t be taking these kind of chances in the playoffs against Lindale or they’re gonna be the ones with the L. We’ll be right back after this commercial break. This is the Warrior’s Post Game Report.


Last edited by Coach Stephenson at 4/26/2023 2:17:45 PM