Attempt at Three-Peat Begins this Weekend for Slam
Published on June 27, 2014 under International Basketball League (IBL)
Bellingham Slam News Release
BELLINGHAM, Wash. - The Bellingham Slam will be looking for their third straight International Basketball League championship when the team takes the court at the 2014 IBL Playoffs this weekend in Vancouver, Wash.
A successful weekend will earn the Slam a slice of IBL history, becoming the first team in league history to win three consecutive titles. With their 2011 and 2012 triumphs, the Slam tied the Elkhart Express with two championships in a row. The Slam earned their first IBL title in 2008, when they defeated the Express to deny them their third straight championship.
For the fourth straight season, the Slam enters the single-elimination tournament as the top-seeded team thanks to a 13-3 regular season record. As the top ranked team the Slam will receive a first round bye and will play their first game in the semi-finals at 7:30 p.m. against either the Salem Sabres or Seattle Flight, who will face off in the quarter-finals.
The other semi-final game Saturday features the #2 and #3 ranked teams, the Vancouver Volcanoes and Portland Chinooks, respectively. The winner of that game, and the winner of the Slam's contest, will advance to the IBL Championship game on Sunday at 5 p.m.
Bellingham enters the tournament as one of the league's hottest teams, winners of 12 of their last 13 games, and narrowly missed out on a team-record 13th straight win last Sunday, falling to the Volcanoes in overtime in their regular season finale.
Bellingham heads to the playoffs being led by a trio of veterans. Center Blake Poole and guards Morris Anderson and Jacob Stevenson are each averaging at least 18 points per game, with Anderson leading with a 21.9 point scoring average and is one of the team's top three-point threats, connecting on just over 47 percent of his long-range shots. Poole continues to impress as one of the league's top big men with a league-leading 15.4 rebounds per game, in addition to his team highs in assists, blocks and steals. Stevenson, who has been with the team since its inception and has played a role in all three of the Slam's previous championships, continues to impress with a scoring average of 20.4 points per game.
The Slam has also received an offensive boost from Amaya, who returned to the court as a player several weeks ago and is currently averaging 19 points a game and is one of five on the Slam to shoot over 50 percent from the floor.
Two additional contributors in 2014 have been guards Rico Wilkins and Sam Freeman. After a slow start to the season, Wilkins has started to heat up and picked up an IBL Player of the Week award after a pair of big games to close out the regular season. He was a key contributor in last season's playoffs, scoring a game-high 27 points in the 2013 title game against Vancouver. Freeman, in his first season with the Slam, has been a steady contributor and a consistent threat from three-point range, and ranks first in league in rookie scoring with 16 points per game.
All IBL playoff games are being played at the O'Connell Sports Complex at Clark College in Vancouver. Saturday's semi-final match for the Slam will be broadcast on KGMI 790 AM and www.kgmi.com, and should the Slam advance, Sunday's championship game will be aired on KPUG 1170 AM and online at www.kpug1170.com. A live video webcast of all games will also be available at www.ibl.com.
For more information, contact the Slam at (360) 734-SLAM or visit their website at www.bellinghamslam.com.
International Basketball League Stories from June 27, 2014
- IBL Results - IBL
- Attempt at Three-Peat Begins this Weekend for Slam - Bellingham Slam
- IBL Results - IBL
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