Florida Flight Drop Season Opener To Gainesville Galaxy

Published on May 9, 2011 under Continental Basketball League (CBL)
Florida Flight News Release


(Orlando, FL) - The Florida Flight fell to the Gainesville Galaxy 100-90 in overtime, in the season opener for both teams Saturday, May 7, 2011.

The Flight dominated the first half on the defensive end, carrying a 47-37 lead into the locker room.

"We wanted to make a defensive statement immediately," said Flight Head Coach Mark King. "Our goal this game was to hold the Galaxy under 100, and we accomplished what we needed to in the first half."

It was the tale of two halves, as the Flight gave up 50 points in the second half and saw their 10 point lead diminished. The game was tied at 87 with less than 38 seconds remaining. Neither team was able to capitalize on the opportunity to go ahead. Flight guard Jacob Carver missed a long corner three pointer with 7 seconds remaining, and Galaxy guard Brandon Armistead threw up a long floater at the end of regulation that fell hard against the back iron.

The Galaxy outscored the Flight 13-3 in overtime, with the help of an aggressive full-court press that kept the Flight out of sync offensively for the rest of the game.

Returning players Garvin Gordon and Ernest Jones paced the Flight with 20 and 18 respectively. Jones narrowly missed a triple double by one assist, adding nine assists, 10 steals and six rebounds in the best statistical night of his professional career.

"It was a bittersweet day for me," said Jones. "I played particularly well and we worked hard as a team, but a loss is a loss; and when you lose, individual stats are irrelevant."

The Flight played without high-profile recruit Mike Dean, who was forced to return to his hometown of Rome, GA after a deadly round of tornados ravaged his hometown. It is unclear whether or not he will rejoin the team.

"When you have a team with seven rookies, you need veterans like Jones and Dean to provide that leadership," said King. "Family must always come first, though. We ask that people keep him and his family in their prayers."

Forward Kene Anusionwu, a recruit from Bethune-Cookman, was also missing from the Flight line-up. Anusionwu is recovering from a bladder infection, and will re-join the team for the 3-game stretch during Memorial Day weekend.

The Flight will host the Heartland Prowl Saturday, May 14 in their season home opener at Avalon Middle School in Avalon Park community of Orlando, their home venue for the 2011 season. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:00pm. Tickets are $10 at the door, and can also be purchased online by visiting www.flighthoops.com or visiting www.floridaflight.ticketleap.com directly.

The Florida Flight is a member team of the Continental Basketball League. Its mission is to utilize the platform of professional basketball to invest in the lives of others. For more information, please visit www.flighthoops.com. Visit www.cblhoopsonline.com for more information regarding the league and its sponsors.

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Continental Basketball League Stories from May 9, 2011


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