Gary Captures Game One of 2006 CBA Finals
Published on March 24, 2006 under 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).
CBA Finals Notes.
- Gary head coach Jaren Jackson, making his first appearance as a coach in the CBA Finals, holds the all-time record for CBA Finals games played with 23 appearances as a player. Jackson played in the 1991, 1992, 1995, and 1996 CBA Finals, earning championship rings with Wichita Falls (1991) and La Crosse (1992). Jackson is also ranked among CBA Finals leaders in steals (5th, 27), minutes played (6th, 601) and points scored (8th, 275). The Georgetown alum was named the 2006 CBA Coach of the Year.
- Prior to the start of the 2005-06 season, the Sun Kings changed the spelling of its name from Yakima to Yakama in honor of the Yakama Nation Tribal Council who took over ownership of the team.
- Sunday's contest and Monday's, if necessary, can be heard via the website through the SportsJuice web site (www.sportsjuice.com) with Gary's play-by-play announcer Bill Hazen with the call. As always, fans can follow the action via www.cbahoopsonline.com through the "webcasting" link to the left of the front page.
2006 CBA Playoff First-Round Results (Home Team in CAPS)
Tuesday, March 14
Yakama 114, Rockford 108 (6,1)
Wednesday, March 15
Sioux Falls 106, Albany 97 (5,2)
Thursday, March 16
Rockford 108, Idaho 105 (5,2)
Gary 106, Yakama 98 (6,1)
Saturday, March 18
Albany 108, Idaho 104 (5.5, 1.5)
Gary 124, Sioux Falls 92 (7,0)
Monday, March 20
Sioux Falls 104, Rockford 93 (7,0).
Tuesday, March 21
Idaho 100, Gary 90 (6,1)
Yakama 132, Albany 114 (7,0)
2006 CBA Finals Schedule
Thursday, March 23
Gary 119, YAKAMA 103
Sunday, March 26
Yakama at Gary (3:05 p.m. CST)
Monday, March 27 (if necessary)
Yakama at Gary (7:05 p.m. CST)
Continental Basketball Association 1 Stories from March 24, 2006
- Lightning season recap - Rockford Lightning
- Boise, ID (March 23, 2006) - The Gary Steelheads took game one of the 2006 - CBA 1
- Gary Captures Game One of 2006 CBA Finals - CBA 1
- Hot-Shooting Steelheads Defeat Sun Kings 119-103 in First Game of CBA Finals - Gary Steelheads
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