Finals Hopes Fall Short as Lightning Fall to 'Force

March 21, 2006 - Continental Basketball Association 1 (CBA 1)
Rockford Lightning News Release


Rockford came up short in the final game of their 20th anniversary season as they lost on the road to the Sioux Falls Skyforce 93-104 in the third game of the Lightning's fourteenth straight playoff appearance.

Roger Powell led the team with 23 points while shooting 13-for-15 from the free throw line in the loss. Marlon Parmer added 22 points while Cordell Henry finished with 19 points for the Lightning.

Rockford scored a season low 93 points in the loss. It was the only game this season in which the team failed to score over 100 points in a game. The team shot just 41.1% from the field, also a 2005-06 low, while connecting on 30-of-73 field goals. Rockford was without leading scorer Ronnie Fields for the second time in three games who was home with his sick father, and forward Sidney Holmes who is sidelined with a strained knee.

While the outcome was negative, the team battled in every quarter and was in the game until the end. The Lightning lost the first quarter 25-27, but had a chance to win it when Henry's shot hit off the rim in the closing seconds. They lost the second quarter 19-20 with near déjà vu for Lightning fans as Henry's shot missed to close the half.

Rockford lost the third 23-25 and headed into the final quarter down by 5 points. The team refused to go down without a fight and battled back to take an 81-77 lead with 7:36 remaining in the game. Sioux Falls took control of the game in the closing minutes and won the final quarter 32-27 for a final of 104-93. "No luck," said Lightning Head Coach Chris Daleo. "We were in it ‘til the end. It was no different than the Yakama game."

The Skyforce took all 7.0-quarter points in the game, and added a little pressure to the Yakama Sun Kings and Albany Patroons game that takes place tonight.

If Albany can take 5.0-quarter points on the road against Yakama tonight, they will face off against the Gary Steelheads in the 2006 CBA Finals next week. If Yakama can score 5.5-quarter points over the Patroons, they will face off against the Steelheads in the Finals. Rockford and the Idaho Stampede have been eliminated with 2 playoff losses each.



Continental Basketball Association 1 Stories from March 21, 2006


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.

OurSports Central