Mill Rats Keep Playoff Hopes Alive with Big Win
March 3, 2013 - National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada)
Saint John Riptide News Release
(Saint John, NB): The Saint John Mill Rats, presented by Rogers, battled it out on the hardwood on Sunday afternoon for their Rogers Game Day in front of 3,265 fans at Harbour Station. The 121-111 win over the Halifax Rainmen was needed for the team to continue en route to playoffs.
Saint John opened up the game going on a 7 point run early on, leading 9-2, but Halifax was able to battle back, tying the game a couple of minutes later, and closing the first, leading over the Mill Rats 25-28.
Mill Rats' Antonio Burks and Jerice Crouch came alive in the second quarter dropping 13 points and 8 points respectively. With 8:26 before half, Rainmen's Hilary Haley dropped 2, giving Halifax a 12 point advantage, 25-37. Coming in off the bench, Antonio Burks was able to drop a three pointer, helping close the gap for the Mill Rats, 30-39.
An assist from Jerice Crouch to Antonio Burks with just under a couple minutes to go, resulted in a 3 pointer, making it a 1 point game, 46-47. Halifax drained a couple more baskets from Joey Haywood and Tyrone Levett, while Burks was able to drain 2 more, closing the half with the Mill Rats still trailing the Rainmen, 48-51.
Saint John kept their hustle into the third. With 3:48 left in third quarter play, a free throw from Crouch gave the Mill Rats a 1 point lead, 73-72. The Rainmen were able to get their lead back but only by 1 point, closing the half ahead of the Mill Rats 81-82.
Fourth quarter, Saint John turned up the heat, gaining the lead and never looking back. With 6:11 on the clock, Crouch dropped a three giving the Mill Rats a 98-93 lead. Another 3 from Crouch and some free throws from Kenny Jones, gave Saint John an 11 point lead with 3:10 left in the game.
A great play from Cavell Johnson to Kenny Jones on the inside for the slam dunk, made the crowd go wild with 1:28 left in the game. Saint John now had the double digit lead 113-104 over the Rainmen.
Final score was 121-111 for the Mill Rats, who move up to 18-18 on the season while the Rainmen fall to 18-18.
Leading scorers for the game were Jerice Crouch with 30, Antonio Burks with 29 and Kenny Jones with 26 points and 10 boards, getting a double double tonight.
Leading the Rainmen were Melvin Goins with 30 points and Tyrone Levett with 20.
A big thank you to all the sponsors for the 'For the Kids' event. Harbour Station was packed today with lots of smiling children. More info will be available on our website on the sponsors who donated and how to be involved next season.
Today's win was critical for the Mill Rats playoff hopes because of an unsuccessful road trip in this past weekend in Ontario, where they dropped two games at London and Windsor. The Lightning narrowly edged out Saint John 100-95 on Thursday night and the weary Mill Rats were crushed in Windsor 104-74 on Friday night.
The Mill Ras are on the road for their next four games as they battle to hold their playoff spot. Stay tuned for links to watch the team as they battle it out on away territory. The team plays Summerside on March 5th, Montreal on March 8th, Oshawa on March 13th and the Windsor Express on March 15th.
The next few games will be nothing short of intense as 5 teams fight for only 3 playoff spots. The outcome of the next few games between Moncton, Oshawa, Saint John and Windsor will determine which teams move onto playoffs.
With Halifax, Windsor and Saint John all sitting at 18-18, it will come down to who has the tie breaker. Moncton also sits at 20-20 on the season while Oshawa is sitting at 18-17.
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National Basketball League of Canada Stories from March 3, 2013
- Mill Rats Keep Playoff Hopes Alive with Big Win - Saint John Riptide
- Miracles Win Last Regular Season Game against Jazz - Moncton Miracles
- Rainmen Lose Big Game on the Road - Halifax Rainmen
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