Now we’re down to four.

After three days, the Danny Rumph Classics field of eight had been cut in half. Sunday’s slate gave those four teams a chance to duke it out for the two spots in Monday’s championship.

Each squad entered the day looking like one of the best teams of the weekend and were now in position to be in position to hoist of the Rumph Championship trophy.

GAME ONE: RUMPH CENTER 69, REX6 50

The opener featured a rematch of Friday’s game between Rumph Center and Rex6, with Rex6 looking for revenge. Rumph Center emphatically disposed of their opponents in their matchup earlier in the weekend and had that same mindset on Sunday.

Fast forward 40 minutes and it was clear that they did, as Rumph Center cruised to a 69-50 win for their second Rumph Finals appearance in three years.

Five minutes in and Rumph Center was already sporting a double-digit lead and Rex6 had no answer. While it’s usually Wali’s World, Sunday was anything but as the guard struggled due to Rumph Center’s smothering defense. He had just four points in the first half and ended with 12 while Rumph Center ran rampant on both ends of the floor.

Their defense was like playing in shark-infested waters, namely due to Josh Sharkey, who was stuck to players like glue. 

One play, he poked the ball away from Hepburn and gathered it and found Nick Jourdain, who promptly flushed home a dunk, for one of his eight assists. Samme Givens, who had eight points of his own, also gave Rex6 fits with steals on offense and turning it into easy buckets on offense.

But Rumph Center wasn’t able to get comfortable with their lead because of Ahmad Gilbert. The former Rider wing carried Rex6 with 11 first-half points and helped his team trim the deficit to 34-27.

Yet it never got any closer.

Jourdain’s presence alone was too much for Rex6. The former Temple and Memphis forward got nine of his 11 points in the second frame to go with five rebounds and two steals and two blocks to help extend the lead. 

Donta Scott, who earned Player of the Game honors, was the final blow.

Scott couldn’t miss from anywhere on the court and Rex6 had no answers. His 20 points led the game and he put home 11 points in the second half to dash Rex6 and 2021 MVP Hepburn’s quest for a championship.

GAME TWO: TBB 66, IMMORTAL VISION STUDIO 64

All weekend Tyrese Martin has simply been called “The Professional”.

He showed why on Sunday in TBB’s semi-final against Immortal Vision Studio. TBB’s double-digit lead had evaporated in the blink of an eye and  Immortal Vision Studio’s  Khalif Meares, who had scored four points in the last minute, had the ball to deliver the dagger.

But Martin had other plans, stopping Meares in his tracks and taking the ball the length of the floor for a layup to seal TBB’s 66-64 win.

After the first game turned into a rout, it felt like the second semi-final between Immortal Vision Studio and TBB would turn into the same thing.

Immortal Vision Studio immediately went off for a 10-0, without guards Wooga Poplar or Brandon Austin. Instead, it was Markus “50” Thomas who led the way with seven first-half points. Austin entered the game nearly four minutes into the game, but it wasn’t to the effect that Immortal Vision Studio wanted.

He finished the game with four points and only made two shots and went scoreless in the first half of action. Eventually TBB found their footing, allowing them to pull away for the time being.

As expected, it was Justin “Somebody’s Boss” Jaworski and Martin, trying to push TBB to a second straight Rumph Championship berth.

Martin was unconscious from the floor and every shot had the chance to go in with 12 first-half points while his counterpart followed him up with eight. Immortal Vision Studio tried everything to stop Martin but Meares was unable to limit the damage. The duo rallied to help send TBB into halftime up 29-22.

That play continued in the second half. Martin couldn’t be stopped with 14 after the intermission and finished with 26 on the night. TBB’s lead ballooned up to double figures and it felt like a championship appearance was all but final.

Instead, it was Thomas and Jaelan McGlone who stopped TBB in their tracks. Thomas poured on 22 and McGlone had 15. Meares then became an unsung hero, with two late circles like layups and Austin secured a clutch steal with 15 seconds remaining in the game to give Immortal Vision Studio a chance to win.

But it wasn’t enough as Martin’s shot sent TBB into Monday’s title game against Rumph Center.