Latest games: Lightning secure home court for NBLC playoffs - Feb 21, 2012 (by Eurobasket News )
Moncton M. - London L. 84-119
The London Lightning clinched first place in the inaugural National Basketball League of Canada season Tuesday. The Lightning guaranteed themselves home-court advantage throughout the playoffs with a 119-84 win over the Miracles in Moncton. The Lightning lost the first game of their Maritime swing to the Halifax Rainmen on Sunday. It was their worst defeat of the season [read more]
Moncton M. - London L. 84-119 The London Lightning clinched first place in the inaugural National Basketball League of Canada season Tuesday. The Lightning guaranteed themselves home-court advantage throughout the playoffs with a 119-84 win over the Miracles in Moncton. The Lightning lost the first game of their Maritime swing to the Halifax Rainmen on Sunday. It was their worst defeat of the season. In that game, the Lightning picked up four technical fouls, two to coach Micheal Ray Richardson -- earning him an ejection. But it was a much more composed Lightning team Tuesday. The last-place Miracles hung tough, taking a two-point lead at the half. But the third quarter belonged to the Lightning, who went on a three-point shooting binge led by guard DeAnthony Bowden. The Lightning outscored the Miracles 39-18 in the quarter. 'We finally played a good half,' Richardson said. 'I changed the offence a little and put in a passing offence. I wanted everyone to handle the ball to get into the game and we had 27 assists. We haven't had 27 assists all year.' The Lightning had six players in double figures. Eddie Smith (6'2''-G-83, college: Ill.-Springfield) led with 21, while Rodney Buford (6'5''-G-77, college: Creighton) had 19 and 12 rebounds. Gabe Freeman hit for 16, with Bowden scoring 14, going 4-of-6 from the three-point arc. Shamari Spears also had 14 for the Lightning, with Brandon Dean adding 13. The Lightning were without forward Tim Ellis, who sat out ill. 'Rodney was great, Brandon Dean was terrific. He even shot the ball well, but he played great defence,' Richardson said. The Lightning went 14-of-24 from three-point range. 'Now we have home court for all of the playoffs. We take care of business at home and we win a championship,' Richardson said. 'Not that it matters where we play.' Richardson doesn't plan on giving anyone any time off. 'Maybe we'll rest a couple of guys the last two games of the season, but I really want to win out,' Richardson said. 'Our job is to win basketball games.' London goes into Quebec to play the second-place Kebs on Saturday. 'I would really like to send them a message,' Richardson said. Even though the Oshawa Power are making a late run at the fourth and final playoff spot, short of a collapse it looks as if the Saint John Mill Rats will finish fourth and face the Lightning. 'It doesn't matter who it is,' Richardson said. If it is the Mill Rats, the best-of-three semifinal will start in Saint John. The Lightning will then play at home on March 9 and, if necessary, March 11. The final is a best-of-five, with the first two games at the home of the surviving top seed. *Courtesy of www.lfpress.com
St.John M.R. - Halifax R. 121-99 The Saint John Mill Rats, presented by Rogers, set a team record for margin of victory by beating the Halifax Rainmen on Monday evening at Harbour Station with a final score of 121-99, in front of 2,004 fans. The Mill Rats bolted out of the gate strong opening with a three pointer from Anthony Anderson (5'11''-G-81, college: Massachusetts), and with good defense, held a 15-2 lead with 6 minutes left in the first quarter. Antonio Burks (6'6''-F-82, college: SF Austin) ended the quarter for the team locking down 5 points, one three and a layup. The Mill Rats lead the charge 26-13 over the Rainmen. The start of the second quarter, the Mill Rats pulled ahead, claiming a 20 point lead over the Rainmen. Halifax battled hard through the Mill Rats' defense and were able to narrow the double digit gap, closing the half, 51-40. In the third quarter, things started to heat up for the Mill Rats on the shooting end. Stanley Ocitti (6'8''-F/C-80, college: Binghamton) came alive while Darren Duncan racked up assists. With just over 5 minutes left, the head coach for the Rainmen, Joseph Claros Canals received a double technical. This put Darren Duncan on the line who contributed to the team's 30 point lead, 76-46, with 5:12 remaining in the game. The Mill Rats closed the third quarter 92-58, outscoring the Rainmen 41-18 in the third. The Mill Rats kept their lead for the remainder of the game, narrowing out the Rainmen on defensive rebounds, 42-33. With 5:07 left in the game, Eric Crookshank from the Rainmen was ejected. The Mill Rats were successful in defeating the team that holds the third place in the league en route to playoffs. Leading scorers for the Mill Rats were Stanley Ocitti with an impressive 20 points and 10 rebounds, Anthony Anderson with 19 points and Darren Duncan 18 points and 13 assists. All of his points and 12 of his assists were made in the second half of the game. Game high scorer was Taliek Brown (6'1''-G-82, agency: Global Sports Plaza, college: Connecticut) from the Halifax Rainmen, netting 22 points and 6 assists, Tyrone Levett with 14. Saint John rises to 15-17 on the season while the Rainmen fall to 18-12. This win was a necessary one for the Mill Rats coming off their two losses on the road last week against Oshawa Power and the London Lightning. Catch the Mill Rats in action on Thursday night as they host the Oshawa Power at 7pm. Courtesy of www.oursportscentral.com
Halifax R. - London L. 104-78 The sixth time was the charm for the Halifax Rainmen. After five failed attempts to bring down the powerful London Lightning, the Rainmen finally vanquished the first-place club on Sunday at the Metro Centre with a convincing 104-78 victory before a crowd of 4,562 at the Metro Centre. It was a dominating display, tying for the third-largest margin of victory in the National Basketball League of Canadas brief history. Thats huge we proved we could actually beat them, said forward Lawrence Wright, amid a raucous on-court celebration after the game. Going into playoffs, we know were probably going to play them (again), so getting this win, it does something to them mentally that helps us. The Rainmen allowed the opening basket 16 seconds in but proceeded to take the lead a minute later and didnt look back, storming out to a 20-4 lead. London, which won the first five meetings by an average of 11.4 points, didnt come close to mounting a comeback, losing every quarter and trailing by as many as 33 in the second half. They were assessed four technical fouls, with head coach Michael Ray Richardson taking two and earning an ejection with 2:12 left in the third quarter. The normally outspoken Richardson gave a sarcastic wave to the officials as he left the floor but declined a request for a post-game interview. We had them frustrated, said Wright, who torched the Lightning for 27 points. We just totally dominated from tip-off. The defensive effort ranks as the best in the Rainmens five-year history, bettering the 79 they allowed to the Saint John Mill Rats on March 31, 2011, in the Premier Basketball League. We came out wanting to play really hard on defence and we did that throughout the whole game, Wright said. Thats why we won so convincingly. It was all about defence. Taliek Brown knocked down 15 points, Tyrone Levett (6'5''-F-80, college: Alabama St.) and Justin Johnson (6'6''-G-86, college: Iowa) hit for 14 points apiece, and Joey Haywood (6'1''-G-84) added 10. The Rainmen (18-11) visit Saint John on Monday at 7 p.m. Courtesy of www.metronews.ca
Moncton M. - Oshawa P. 100-101 Durham's team the Oshawa Power continued their quest for the fourth and final playoff spot holding on for a thrilling 101-100 road victory over the Moncton Miracles Sunday afternoon. The Power held an 82-67 lead heading into the fourth and final quarter and looked to be in full control but the Miracles won the fourth quarter 33-19, and came a layup short from putting an almost certain end to the Power s postseason dreams. League's leading scorer Brandon Robinson (6'6''-F-89, college: Clayton St.) stayed true to his season average scoring 19 points. Number one overall draft pick Morgan Lewis (6'4''-F-87, college: Findlay, OH) hit the go ahead bucket with under ten seconds remaining in the game to give him 15 points. Canadian Tut Ruach (6'2''-G-85) came through with one of his strongest performances of the year posting 18 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds. 'On offence we didn't panic when we were down one. We ran our set and Morgan made a shot I've seen him make a thousand times in practice,' said Ruach. The Miracles got an all world performance from former Oshawa Power standout Akeem Wright (6'7''-F/G-84, college: Kansas St.) who netted a game-high 35 points in the losing effort. Trayvon Lathan added a double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds. 'The last play on defence we knew Akeem wanted to shoot so we sent a double team,' added Ruach. 'We knew we might be vulnerable on the glass but with the clock on our side it worked out.' The Power have been playing their best basketball of the season having won 6-of-7 and 7 of their last 10 basketball games. They've limited turnovers and played much better defence under Head Coach Robert Brickey's guidance. The next two Power games are against the Saint John Mill Rats as both teams face each other for the biggest games of the season. The first is Thursday February 23 as the Power continue their 4 game east coast road trip to close out the season. Game time is 6:00 p.m. e.s.t. Catch it live at www.powerbasketball.ca Power Glance Record: 14-19 Courtesy of www.oursportscentral.com
Storm 114 - Kebs 123 A record crowd turned out for the Summerside Storms Islander Day matchup against the Quebec Kebs. The announced crowd of 4,017 fans were treated to a fast-paced, high scoring contest that featured the home team falling just short 123-114. Down 31-25 after the opening quarter, the Storm fought back to lead 57-52 at halftime. Quebec outscored the Storm 34-24 in the third quarter to take an 86-81 lead after three quarters. Summerside mounted a rally, but just couldnt overcome the hot-shooting Kebs. Storm head coach Joe Salerno said three-point shots played a role in the games outcome. They go 10-of-19 from three, we go five-of-27 and thats a big difference, he said. We didnt shoot the ball that well, and we ran into a very good team who played well today (Monday). Salerno said every time the Storm got within striking distance, the Kebs answered back. It just seemed like every time we were in a striking position theyd hit big shot after big shot, Salerno said. Its tough. It can get frustrating. I thought there were some calls that didnt go our way late in that game tonight. Its a tough loss to take. Quebec's Ralphy Holmes (6'4''-G-79, college: CS Fullerton) led all scorers with 32 points while James Jackson (6'9''-F-81, college: E.Michigan) contributed 30. Louie McCroskey (6'5''-G-85, college: Marist) was the Storms leading scorer with 23. Mike Williams (6'7''-F-85, college: Cincinnati), Troy Jackson (6'4''-F-84, college: Alcorn St.) and Julian Allen all had 18 points. Salerno said the Storm didnt get as many chances at the free-throw line as they normally do, and that was because of shot selection. We settled for a lot of jumpers, he said. When youre not shooting the ball well, you need to get stuff going to the rim. Kebs assistant coach Dennis Truax said he wasnt surprised at how tough the Storm played. We had a little lull and theyre a very good team, he said. Summerside is a lot better than what their record indicates. The guys can shoot the ball. Theyre all good players. We made some adjustments at halftime, and made a nice little run and were able to keep doing what we were doing. Truax said the Kebs pounded the ball inside, which led to points and rebounds. Courtesy of www.journalpioneer.com
Record crowd watches Kebs beat Storm - Feb 21, 2012 (by Eurobasket News )
A record crowd turned out for the Summerside Storms Islander Day matchup against the Quebec Kebs.
The announced crowd of 4,017 fans were treated to a fast-paced, high scoring contest that featured the home team falling just short 123-114.
Down 31-25 after the opening quarter, the Storm fought back to lead 57-52 at halftime.
Quebec outscored the Storm 34-24 in the third quarter to take an 86-81 lead after three quarters [read more]
A record crowd turned out for the Summerside Storms Islander Day matchup against the Quebec Kebs.
The announced crowd of 4,017 fans were treated to a fast-paced, high scoring contest that featured the home team falling just short 123-114.
Down 31-25 after the opening quarter, the Storm fought back to lead 57-52 at halftime.
Quebec outscored the Storm 34-24 in the third quarter to take an 86-81 lead after three quarters. Summerside mounted a rally, but just couldnt overcome the hot-shooting Kebs.
Storm head coach Joe Salerno said three-point shots played a role in the games outcome.
They go 10-of-19 from three, we go five-of-27 and thats a big difference, he said. We didnt shoot the ball that well, and we ran into a very good team who played well today (Monday).
Salerno said every time the Storm got within striking distance, the Kebs answered back.
It just seemed like every time we were in a striking position theyd hit big shot after big shot, Salerno said. Its tough. It can get frustrating.
I thought there were some calls that didnt go our way late in that game tonight. Its a tough loss to take.
Salerno said the Storm didnt get as many chances at the free-throw line as they normally do, and that was because of shot selection.
We settled for a lot of jumpers, he said. When youre not shooting the ball well, you need to get stuff going to the rim.
Kebs assistant coach Dennis Truax said he wasnt surprised at how tough the Storm played.
We had a little lull and theyre a very good team, he said. Summerside is a lot better than what their record indicates.
The guys can shoot the ball. Theyre all good players. We made some adjustments at halftime, and made a nice little run and were able to keep doing what we were doing.
Truax said the Kebs pounded the ball inside, which led to points and rebounds.
Mill Rats set team record for margin of victory by beating Halifax Rainmen 121-99 - Feb 21, 2012 (by Eurobasket News )
The Saint John Mill Rats, presented by Rogers, set a team record for margin of victory by beating the Halifax Rainmen on Monday evening at Harbour Station with a final score of 121-99, in front of 2,004 fans.
The Mill Rats bolted out of the gate strong opening with a three pointer from Anthony Anderson (5'11''-G-81, college: Massachusetts), and with good defense, held a 15-2 lead with 6 minutes left in the first quarter [read more]
The Saint John Mill Rats, presented by Rogers, set a team record for margin of victory by beating the Halifax Rainmen on Monday evening at Harbour Station with a final score of 121-99, in front of 2,004 fans.
The Mill Rats bolted out of the gate strong opening with a three pointer from Anthony Anderson (5'11''-G-81, college: Massachusetts), and with good defense, held a 15-2 lead with 6 minutes left in the first quarter. Antonio Burks (6'6''-F-82, college: SF Austin) ended the quarter for the team locking down 5 points, one three and a layup. The Mill Rats lead the charge 26-13 over the Rainmen.
The start of the second quarter, the Mill Rats pulled ahead, claiming a 20 point lead over the Rainmen. Halifax battled hard through the Mill Rats' defense and were able to narrow the double digit gap, closing the half, 51-40.
In the third quarter, things started to heat up for the Mill Rats on the shooting end. Stanley Ocitti (6'8''-F/C-80, college: Binghamton) came alive while Darren Duncan racked up assists. With just over 5 minutes left, the head coach for the Rainmen, Joseph Claros Canals received a double technical. This put Darren Duncan on the line who contributed to the team's 30 point lead, 76-46, with 5:12 remaining in the game. The Mill Rats closed the third quarter 92-58, outscoring the Rainmen 41-18 in the third.
The Mill Rats kept their lead for the remainder of the game, narrowing out the Rainmen on defensive rebounds, 42-33. With 5:07 left in the game, Eric Crookshank from the Rainmen was ejected. The Mill Rats were successful in defeating the team that holds the third place in the league en route to playoffs.
Leading scorers for the Mill Rats were Stanley Ocitti with an impressive 20 points and 10 rebounds, Anthony Anderson with 19 points and Darren Duncan 18 points and 13 assists. All of his points and 12 of his assists were made in the second half of the game.
Game high scorer was Taliek Brown (6'1''-G-82, agency: Global Sports Plaza, college: Connecticut) from the Halifax Rainmen, netting 22 points and 6 assists, Tyrone Levett with 14.
Saint John rises to 15-17 on the season while the Rainmen fall to 18-12.
This win was a necessary one for the Mill Rats coming off their two losses on the road last week against Oshawa Power and the London Lightning.
Catch the Mill Rats in action on Thursday night as they host the Oshawa Power at 7pm.
Copyright (c) 1998-2012 Eurobasket Inc. Disclaimer
WARNING:
Do not copy, redistribute, publish or otherwise exploit information that you download from the site !
Do not encumber, license, modify, publish, sell, transfer or transmit, or in any way exploit, any of the
content of the site, nor will you attempt to do so.
USA Basketball
Canadian Hoops
