Blaze peaking at right time
March 26, 2002 - National Women's Basketball League (NWBL)
Chicago Blaze News Release
CHICAGO, IL - When the Chicago Blaze left the windy city on March 1 for a five-game road trip, spirits where sky high as they had just won 8 consecutive games. Battling travel and fatigue, the Blaze played five games in seven days and ended the road trip with a record of 10-3. They then lost their first home game of the season in a first-place battle against their nemesis the Birmingham Power and dropped to 10-4 (their third consecutive loss). While Blaze fans may have gotten worried, the players remained confident. Blaze captain E.C. Hill (Whitney Young High School / Northern Illinois University) thinks that losing actually helped the Blaze, "we hit a tough stretch and we lost a few games. Many teams would begin to doubt themselves but we realized that we had to make adjustments as teams had adjusted to us. We put the time in and we are closer as a unit now than ever before."
Since losing to Birmingham on March 9, the Blaze seem to have righted the ship by winning their final six regular season games. Their 74-62 regular season win over the Atlanta Justice on Sunday afternoon assured the Blaze a first-place regular season finish and the number one seed at the 2002 NWBL Pro Cup Championship which will be played in Uncasville, CT. Blaze GM Robert Graham believes that losing those games jumpstarted the team, "I have been very pleased with our effort thus far. I am particularly impressed with the way the team dealt with losing a few games and I think that they are peaking at the right time. They know that everyone is gunning for us and that we have to play our best to win this thing."
The Blaze have been without starting forward Tamika Catchings the last three games and she will likely miss the remainder of the season. Catchings, who was leading the Blaze in scoring, rebounds and steals is one of 10 players selected to try out for the six remaining spots on the USA Basketball Team. "Tamika gave us tremendous energy when she was with us and her desire to win made everyone around her better. While we definitely miss her, her teammates are confident that they can bring the championship home without her, said Graham. Starting guard Felecity Willis, who led the Blaze in scoring the last three games echoed Graham's sentiments, "everyone knows that without Meek, we all have to pick up the slack. Even though she is not with us physically, we know that she is with us in spirit."
For more information on the Chicago Blaze, please contact the Chicago Blaze Front Office at 312-808-1414 or visit the Blaze online at www.ChicagoBlaze.com.
National Women's Basketball League Stories from March 26, 2002
- Blaze peaking at right time - Chicago Blaze
- NWBL Playoff Results - NWBL
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.
