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Boise, ID (March 23, 2006) - The Gary Steelheads took game one of the 2006

March 24, 2006 - Continental Basketball Association 1 (CBA 1) News Release


Boise, ID (March 23, 2006) - The Gary Steelheads took game one of the 2006 Continental Basketball Association Finals Thursday night with a 119-103 victory over the Yakama Sun Kings in Yakima, Wash. The CBA Finals are a two-out-of-three game series using a (1-2) home-court format, with the lower seed hosting game one and the higher seed hosting games two and three (if necessary). Quarter points will not be used in the CBA Finals.

The road victory for the Steelheads was the first of the 2006 CBA postseason after all nine first-round games were won by the home team.

Only four Sun Kings reached double figures while Gary's Eric Chatfield scored a game-high 26 points on 11-of-13 shooting from the field. Chatfield was 3-for-3 from behind the 3-point arc while contributing eight assists and four rebounds. His backcourt teammate, Brian Chase, pitched in 21 points with a team-high 11 assists. Carl Mitchell (21), Randy Holcomb (19), Marlowe Currie (15) and Robert Griffin (11) also hit double figures for the Steelheads.

After a tight first quarter, in which Gary finished with a one-point lead (24-23), the Steelheads took control in the second quarter. Gary went into the halftime break with a 10-point advantage (54-44). The visitors stayed strong in the second half, extending their lead to 11 points after three quarters (82-71) and then scoring 37 points in the final quarter.

Forward Leonard White paced the Sun Kings with a team-high 19 points, while Anthony Miller had a game-high 22 rebounds with 15 points. The 2006 CBA Most Valuable Player, Anthony Goldwire, was held to 13 points and 12 assists.

Gary shot nearly 60 pct. from the field for the game (48-of-82, 58.5 pct.), while Yakama shot 44.2 pct. (42-of-95). Gary's bench outscored Yakama's, 47-32.

Gary finished the regular season with a 29-19 record and a league-best 197.0 quarter points (4.10 avg.), capturing the Eastern Conference title and the overall No. 1 seed for the CBA Playoffs. Yakama finished the regular season with a league-best record of 31-17 with 195.5 quarter points (4.07 avg.), good enough to win the Western Conference and earn the No. 2 seed for the CBA Playoffs. The Sun Kings have won their three previous CBA Finals appearances (1995, 2000 and 2003).

The series will now head East to Gary, Indiana, where the Steelheads could clinch their first league championship in the franchise's six-year history. Game two of the finals is scheduled for Sunday, March 26, at the Genesis Convention Center with tip-off at 3:05 p.m. (CST). Game three, if necessary, will be played in Gary on Monday, March 27, at 7:05 p.m. (CST).

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Continental Basketball Association 1 Stories from March 24, 2006


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