'Force wins OT thriller
December 10, 2005 - Continental Basketball Association 1 (CBA 1)
Sioux Falls Skyforce News Release
Sioux Falls, SD (December 9, 2005) - The Sioux Falls Skyforce defeated the Albany Patroons tonight 100-96 (5, 2) in overtime to move to 6-3 on the season. Playing the same team they handled easily the previous night, the âForce needed some late game heroics to win this nailbiter. The Patroons dropped to a league-worst 2-8 with the heartbreaking loss.
The âForce lost Stephen Graham earlier in the day as he earned a tryout with the Houston Rockets. Losing his scoring hurt the âForce as they had their share of troubles putting the ball in the hoop. The Patroons did not back down and the âForce held on to win the first quarter 26-22 behind eight points from Noel Felix. The âForce would push the lead to seven points (34-27) halfway through the second quarter, however, the Patroons battled back to force a 43-43 halftime score. The Patroons won the second quarter 21-17 as Ronald (T.J.) Thompson led all scorers with 12 points in the opening half. The score remained close throughout the third quarter and Albany led after three quarters 70-66, also winning the quarter 27-23. The Patroons were not intimidated by the tough environment and found themselves trailing 84-83 with :12 seconds to go in the game. With the shot clock turned off, Carl Mitchell dribbled the ball in front of the Patroons bench and knocked down a three-pointer with a defender in his face to give the Patroons an 84-82 lead with :04 to go in the game. After a timeout, the âForce inbounded the ball to Noel Felix and he drove in for a shot. His shot in the lane was partially blocked and fell into the hands of Brandon Hunter. Hunter bobbled the ball but somehow stayed inbounds and layed it in at the buzzer. After a brief conference the referees counted the basket and the game went into overtime. With the âForce trailing 96-95 with less than a minute to play, Hunter picked up an offensive foul. However, James Richardson was not happy with the elbow so he shoved Hunter which resulted in a technical foul. Rodney Buford made the one-shot free throw to tie the game at 96 a piece. After a defensive stop, the âForce took the lead on a dunk by Renaldo Major with :11 seconds left in the overtime. Thompson missed a driving shot and Buford knocked down two more free throws to ice the game and send the Skyforce faithful into a frenzy.
The Skyforce's next game is tomorrow night on the road against the Dakota Wizards. Tip-off is set for 7:05 at the Bismarck Civic Center.
Game Highlights:
SKYFORCE: Brandon Hunter 21 points, 10 rebounds
Renaldo Major 21 points, 10 rebounds
PATROONS: Carl Mitchell 21 points, 14 rebounds
Justin Miller 10 points, 14 rebounds
Continental Basketball Association 1 Stories from December 10, 2005
- 1st Place Steelheads Invade Rockford - Gary Steelheads
- 'Force wins OT thriller - Sioux Falls Skyforce
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