PBL Weekly Report
April 19, 2010 - Premier Basketball League (PBL) News Release
PBL TEAM PLAYOFF REPORTS
Halifax Rainmen
1888 Brunswick Street, Suite 611
Halifax, NS B3J 3J8
Phone: (902) 444-RAIN, (902) 444-7246
Fax: 1-866-424-4267
Head Coach: Les Berry
Home arena: Halifax MetroCentre
rainmenbasketball.ca
Halifax has had several professional basketball teams over the years, but in 2010, the Halifax Rainmen became the first Nova Scotia-based professional basketball team to play in the postseason. First thing they needed to do was defeat the Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry. With Game 1 Thursday night at the MetroCentre, the Rainmen started the game off with a 30-27 lead. But the second quarter, in which Halifax was outscored 31-14, was their undoing. Despite coming back in the third and fourth quarters, Halifax finished Game 1 with a 108-104 loss. Gary Ervin was the top scorer for the Rainmen with 26 points; Desmond Ferguson's five "Moneyball" 3-pointers helped him amass 25 total points. Eric Crookshank was the team's top rebounder with 13 boards.
On Sunday night, with their season on the line, Halifax traveled to Lawton-Fort Sill for game 2 of their playoff series. Despite 19 points from Gary Ervin and 15 points off the bench from Greg Plummer, the Rainmen were sealed 135-104 by the Cavalry, ending Halifax's postseason. Desmond Ferguson had 14 points, followed by Larry Turner's 11 points and 10 from John Strickland.
Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry
#14 Central Mall
Lawton, OK 73501
Phone: (580) 353-2287
Fax: (580) 353-1619
Head coach: Micheal Ray Richardson
Home arena: Great Plains Coliseum
lfscavs.com
After finishing the regular season with a league-best 18-2 record, the Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry secured the #1 playoff seed and with it, a three-game series against the Halifax Rainmen, one of the only teams to give the Sooner State crew a loss. In Game 1, the Cavalry rode a strong effort from Tim Ellis (29 pts), as well as from bench players Eddie Smith (20 pts) and Jamaal Davis (20 pts) in a 108-104 Game 1 road triumph over Halifax.
Both teams traveled to the Great Plains Coliseum for Game 2 of the series, and with 24 points from Elvin Mims, 22 from Brandon Dean and 18 from Jamaal Davis, the Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry advanced to the PBL finals with a commanding 135-104 victory over the Halifax Rainmen. Eddie Smith came off the bench to add 17 points, while Tim Ellis put 16 points on the board.
Puerto Rico Capitanes
José R. Irizarry #152
Arecibo, PR 00612
phone: (787) 880-1530, (787) 880-1531
fax : (787) 880-1536
Head coach: David Rosario
Home arena: Coliseo Manuel Iguina Reyes de Arecibo
capitanesdearecibo.net
After completing a 14-4 season in the PBL, the Puerto Rico Capitanes hosted the Rochester Razorsharks in Game 1 of their three-game playoff series. The Arecibo crew got off to a fast start, leading the Sharks 33-23 after one quarter. But despite 27 points from Jeffrion Aubry, the Capitanes lost speed and power, and eventually lost the game 119-95 to the Sharks. The Capitanes did find strength in their bench players; Antonio Latimer had 19 points, while 2010 PBL first round draft pick Haakim Johnson had 12 points.
Puerto Rico would not have several of their top stars for Game 2 of the series, as Elias Ayuso, Angelo Reyes and Jeffrion Aubry were scheduled to participate in the BSN All-Star Game. Still, the Capitanes did show up in Rochester and played hard, and even led 27-23 after the first quarter. But the team eventually ran out of gas, and lost 132-108, ending the Capitanes' PBL season. Omar Alvarado scored 27 points in 48 minutes of play; he also had 5 three-pointers. Raul Rivera had 21 points and 13 rebounds for a double-double; Jose Rosario also had a double-double of 24 points and 11 boards. Rafael Cruz had nine assists.
Rochester Razorsharks
39 State Street, Suite 100
Rochester NY 14614
Office: (585) 232-9190
Fax: (585) 232-8086
Head Coach: Rod Baker
Home Venue: Blue Cross Arena at Rochester Community War Memorial
razorsharks.com
The first obstacle Rochester has to surpass in order to reach the PBL finals for the third consecutive season are in the form of the Puerto Rico Capitanes. With Game 1 Wednesday night in Puerto Rico, the Sharks received strong play from Derik Hollyfield (23 points, including four 3-pointers), Keith Friel (18 pts, including 4 three-pointers) and Jerice Crouch (15 points) in a 119-95 Game 1 victory over Puerto Rico. In the game, Rochester outscored their opponents 74-49 in the second quarter.
On Sunday afternoon at Blue Cross Arena, the Razorsharks punched their ticket for the PBL finals, defeating the Puerto Rico Capitanes 132-108 for their fourth consecutive triumph over the Capitanes this season. Glen Dandridge was the top scorer for the Sharks, amassing 22 points, including six three-point shots. Lincoln Smith added 18 points, while Jerice Crouch had a double-double of 17 poitns and 13 assists.
FINALS - LAWTON-FORT SILL CAVALRY v ROCHESTER RAZORSHARKS (BEST OF 3)
Thu. April 22 - Lawton-Fort Sill at Rochester
Sun. April 25 - Rochester at Lawton-Fort Sill
Tue. April 27 - Rochester at Lawton-Fort Sill (if necessary)
Premier Basketball League Stories from April 19, 2010
- RazorSharks Face Cavalry In PBL Finals - Rochester RazorSharks
- PBL Weekly Report - PBL
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
