Slam Face Two Tough Opponents This Weekend
Published on June 10, 2010 under International Basketball League (IBL)
Bellingham Slam News Release
BELLINGHAM, Wash. - The Bellingham Slam are heading south this weekend for a pair of key divisional games against the Yamhill Highflyers and Vancouver Volcanoes. With six games remaining in their International Basketball League season, the Slam will likely need to win the rest of their games if they are to receive one of the coveted top playoff tournament seedings and a resulting first-round bye.
On Friday, the Slam will face the Yamhill Highflyers at 7 p.m. at Linfield College in McMinnville, Ore., a team that edged the Slam in dramatic fashion in their only previous meeting on May 22 at Whatcom Pavilion. Yamhill's Cheyenne Moore hit a pair of free throws with two seconds left in the game to give his team a 115-114 win over Bellingham. But since that game, the Highflyers have struggled, losing four straight.
On Saturday, the Slam will take on a resurgent Vancouver Volcanoes squad that has won ten of their last 13 games after opening their season with a 127-108 loss in Bellingham. Jacob Stevenson led the Slam in that game with 36 points, his second-highest total in a game this season. Since then, the Volcanoes have added several key players that should make them a threat in this year's playoffs.
A pair of wins can create some space for the Slam in the tightly-packed International Division of the IBL. Currently in second place with a 9-5 record, just one loss separates Bellingham from Vancouver (10-6) in third place and Yamhill (8-6) in fourth place. Olympia continues to hold on to the division's top spot with a 12-2 mark.
The Slam will be heading into this weekend's games a bit shorthanded, as guard Derrick Webb and center Zach Bruce will miss both games to participate in commencement ceremonies at Western Washington University. As a result, the Slam have signed 6-foot-9 center Ken Ottrix for the weekend's contests. Ottrix, who played for the University of Ohio and Slippery Rock University, recently competed in the IBL with the Seattle Mountaineers.
Following this weekend's road trip, things don't get much easier for the Slam as they will have two more road games in Tacoma and Olympia next week. They will return home for the final two games of the season, starting with a match-up with the Oregon Waves on June 20 at Whatcom Pavilion.
Both games against Yamhill and Vancouver will feature a live statistics webcast, which may be accessed through the Slam's website at www.bellinghamslam.com.
International Basketball League Stories from June 10, 2010
- Slam Face Two Tough Opponents This Weekend - Bellingham Slam
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