Florida Pitbulls top Orange County Buzz in overtime thriller
November 21, 2005 - American Basketball Association (ABA)
Miami Majesty News Release
Sunrise, FL. Some say Sunday's game between the ABA Florida Pit Bulls and the Orange County Buzz could be a preview of the ABA Finals. Traveling up and down the California coast and off to Florida for a cross-country inter-division battle at the opening of the Pit Bulls home season, many wondered if the Buzz's recent road schedule would leave the team tired. Trying not to repeat the lack of effort the Buzz had against San Jose, things were not looking good at the start of the game. Falling behind early at that time by 14 points, things were looking hopeless for the Buzz. By halftime, the Buzz regrouped and were able to get the margin down to single digits.
The second half was a different story with the outstanding play of Robin "Sik Wit It" Kennedy (31 points) and Ronnel Mingo (27 points), the Buzz kept it close and sent the game into overtime. In overtime, the Pit Bulls took a quick lead but the Buzz scratched back after Kennedy fouled out with big blocks and rebound tips by Keith Closs. With Tim Hardaway's free throws (35 points), the Buzz found themselves down by 4 points with 8 seconds left in the game. Coach Burrel Lee called for the little known rule from the ABA Rule Book that allows a 4 point half court shot rule. With Deon "BO" Williams getting a good look at the basket, the half court shot rattled in and out leaving a heart breaker for the Buzz.
After the game, Burrel Lee talked to Buzz Play-by-Play announcer Grant McHill and had this to say: "It was a tough loss, the guys fought hard in the second half, but we have to think about this one and how we let it slip away. If we would have played a full 48 minutes of Buzz basketball, we should have had the W. Perhaps we'll meet them again in March.
Don't forget to listen on Wednesday for Buzz Talk Live with Buzz play-by-play announcer Grant McHill. Remember, you can chat with Grant live with either MSN Messenger, AOL IM, or Yahoo with the screen name "BuzzTalkLive." You can also send your questions via email to grant@ocbuzz.net.
After Thanksgiving, come out to the Buzz's home opener on Nov 25th as they face the SoCal Legends, tip off at 735pm. All tickets except courtside seats are only $5 for the home opener. Don't forget if you can't make it to the game, you can listen to the Buzz live on Buzz Cast Radio starting with the pregame show at 705pm. For more information about the Orange County Buzz, please contact them at info@ocbuzz.net or visit www.ocbuzz.net or www.abalive.com. -
Note: OurSports Central no longer actively covers the American Basketball Association (ABA) as a professional league due in part to its inability to publish and play a schedule and the transitory nature of many of its teams. For information on professional minor leagues, please see OSC's basketball section.
American Basketball Association Stories from November 21, 2005
- Slam debuts at home Tuesday - ABA
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- Indiana AlleyCats improve to 6-0 - Indiana AlleyCats
- Legends defeat Dragons twice - Southern California Legends
- RazorSharks ready to knock the stuffing out of Niagara - Rochester RazorSharks
- ABA introduces Power Rankings - ABA
- Gallup Talons make history with opening night win - Gallup Outlaws
- ABA salutes wounded warriors and John D. Folsom - ABA
- Indiana Alley Cats make it 6-0 - Indiana AlleyCats
- Atlanta Vision wins season opener - Atlanta Vision
- Tacoma Navigators debut with big win over Bellevue Blackhawks - Tacoma Navigators
- Florida Pitbulls top Orange County Buzz in overtime thriller - Miami Majesty
- Montreal Matrix defeats Long Island Sound - Montreal Royal
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