Stats for February 19, 2025
1st Thomas Reinke prevailed over all other SCRABBLE-brand Word Game combatants with a 4-1 +365 record, ending his brother's benevolent, yet still resented, command of the week's top spot. Thomas started out with a two-on-one set, getting a cushy 517-360 win over Mark Kenas (playing INEARTH, WIDEOUT, and CORVEES) while battling to a closer 428-391 win against Helen Flores (playing MIRLITON, MEANEST, and CAULINE). The hot start was short-lived, however, as Thomas' potent scoring power was neutralized in a 331-459 loss to Bryan Benwitz. This misfortune, too, proved to be quite short-lived; round three saw Thomas score an impressive 563 against the visiting Mike Johnson, whose score of 428, while quite good in its own right, was not nearly enough. Thomas played the very-high-probability (and very-Collins-only) ETAERIO# along with DIVERGES and TARTUFO; Mike found TENDRONS#, LOONIER, and PLAINTS. Thomas put the finishing touches on his first-place winish with a 489-325 rematch win against Mark Kenas, this time upping his bingo output to four: ULCERATE, DECROWN, EUGARIES#, and AGATISE#.
2nd Andy Bohnsack enjoyed a 3-1 +252 record, debatably finishing ahead of Charles Reinke's 4-2 record (reigniting the age-old debate of whether total wins or win percentage should be used when determining the week's standings [and also remembering that somebody going 1-0 shouldn't finish ahead of someone going 3-1 (additionally keeping in mind that the true solution is to force everybody to play as many games as the player who played the most games [in this case, six])]). Andy probably wished for a better start as his very first game was a 370-392 loss to Mike Johnson, but that game would prove to be his only loss and the only game where he didn't bingo at least twice. A big 466-308, three-bingo (MONITORS, DEMOING, STARLIKE) win against the returning James Rollins got Andy on the right track, and he continued that momentum with three more bingos (PANDIES, COEDITOR, PASTIER) and a 427-358 win over Bryan Benwitz. A crushing 140-point ZESTERS was quite helpful in delivering Andy a 461-414 win against Charles Reinke in the final game.
3rd Mike Johnson made his long trip from Iowa worthwhile with a 3-1 +83 finish playing against some of the most capable tile-flingers that Madison has to offer (no tiles were actually flung at the Iowan, at least not intentionally). His opening salvo was a 392-370 win against Andy Bohnsack, with bingo finds of RESONATE and VINIEST. Deftly swithing to the international Collins lexicon, Mike proved his mettle with a dominating 484-318 win against veteran Collins player Mark Kenas. Staying in Collins mode, Mike's luck shifted drastically in the wrong direction as he suffered a 428-563 loss to Thomas Reinke. Undaunted by the fearsome Bryan Benwitz (whose notoriety might not extend all the way to the Iowa border...yet...), Mike triumphed in their bout, 448-418, thanks to bingos of WARNERS and UNWASTED.
Of note was Charles' 17-game winning streak coming to an unceremonious conclusion as he was soundly defeated by Bryan Benwitz in round one, the final score being 387-509. Also of note was James Rollins' monster 127-point bingo of REAFFIX, which would be the highest-scoring non-triple-triple bingo of the year, except for Andy's 140-point ZESTERS.
| Thomas Reinke | 14 | INEARTH WIDEOUT CORVEES MIRLITON MEANEST CAULINE WITTERS DIVERGES TARTUFO ULCERATE DECROWN etaerio eugaries agatise |
| Charles Reinke | 14 | CYPSELAE LEAGUERS VIDICON NESTORS COSTATE OLESTRA TANKLESS GRAVITAS HAUTEURS ARGUFIED TERRAIN AMATEUR VESTIGIA REGALIA |
| Mike Johnson | 10 | RESONATE VINIEST DETAINEE GRISTLES DAUNTING LOONIER PLAINTS WARNERS UNWASTED tendrons |
| Andy Bohnsack | 9 | READMIT MONITORS DEMOING STARLIKE PANDIES COEDITOR PASTIER ZESTERS BRINIER |
| Bryan Benwitz | 8 | ENROLLS ESCOTING IDEATION PRIMATE DABSTER DAIRIES PEREONS ASTONIED |
| Helen Flores | 5 | TEASING FLITTING KERRIES NATURAL TWEEDIER |
| Sara McLaughlin | 4 | TEENIER POINTER TRIBUNE rebeling |
| Mark Kenas | 3 | ETHANAL SYRUPING protense |
| James Rollins | 2 | REAFFIX STICKER |
| Nalina | 1 | PATINAS |
| Avg. Game Score | 394 |
| Avg. Intermediate Score | 0 |
| Avg. Expert Score | 394 |
| Avg. Winning Score | 453 |
| Avg. Losing Score | 335 |
| Avg. Bingo Score | 78 |
