Hey all you cool kit kats & kittens! Hope everyone is doing well on this 127th day of April. After a bout of writer’s block we are back at it in this year’s Candy Madness tournament with the Final Four. While it is a prestigious honor to represent your region in the Final Four, candy from across the land came to win. In the immortal words of Ricky Bobby…If you’re not first, you’re last. So here we go!
In the most anticipated match of the evening, the twin towers of Twix, representing the Chocolate West took the floor against the Non-Chocolate winners, Haribo Gummy Bears. Just as they had in previous rounds, the sweet little bears took it to their opponent early, sticking it to Left Twix then Right. Red led the Haribo Heroes with 3 in the first half and the gummy confectionaries took a small 5-3 lead into the lockers at half. Having been tested throughout, Twix would come out swinging though. They clamped down with their vaunted cookie crunch defense and held the Bears to just 1 point in the first 15 minutes of the second half. Using their milk chocolate smooth outer coatings, Left & Right Twix combined for 3 points to bring the game tied 6-6 with minutes to play. In what can only be described as candy chaos, Left Twix went up for a rebound and came down hard, snapping his bar in half. The echo could be heard through the deafening silence of the crowd. Seizing the opportunity, Red stepped up when they needed him most. Now facing a much smaller Fun Size Twix, Red was able to push Fun Size into the lane and draw a foul on a turnaround jumper. After missing the first, Red closed his eyes, saw the shot and drained it with the confidence of a tournament MVP. Without his trusty counterpart, Right Twix just couldn’t manage to penetrate the Gummy Bears swarming defense in the closing seconds and the Haribo Heroes Gummy Bears celebrated in wild fashion as the buzzer sounded and the scoreboard read G.Bears 7 – Twix 6.
Across the brackets it was the surprise representative from the Seasonal Region, Jelly Beans, taking on the originals from the Chocolate East, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Folks, this one wasn’t much of a match. Despite strong showings in earlier rounds and a boost from the recent Easter holiday, Jelly Beans looked as lost as a polar bear in the desert. They tried to escape the smooth combination of peanut butter and chocolate, but kept getting drawn back in. Reese’s beat and battered the underdog like Rocky Balboa in the late rounds of a boxing match. There was nothing the J.Beans could do to scratch together more than 2 points. And just like that…Jelly Beans vanished as quick as Carole Baskin’s husband in an 11-2 rout.
Our Championship is now set. Haribo Gummy Bears vs. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup for the 2020 Candy Madness title. It’s going to be a match for the ages.
Hope you’re all doing well and keeping sane.
~ The Commish