Montreal hits a wall in Manchester
February 22, 2009 - Premier Basketball League (PBL)
Montreal Sasquatch News Release
(Manchester, NH)-The Manchester Millrats moved to 6-0 in February, and 11-3 overall, by decimating the Montreal Sasquatch 82-121.
Facing the best defensive team in the league, the Montrealers couldn't afford any mistake if they hoped to walk out Manchester with a victory.
The Millrats busted out of the gates early, gaining a 0-10 lead within the first two minutes of play. Montreal came back thanks to the effort of Mark Flavin, Freddy Petkus and David Dubois, three former Maine University teammates reunited under the Montreal jersey.
But Manchester would not go away, speeding up the pace to build a comfortable 38-56 halftime lead.
Montreal showed signs of hope in the third quarter, exchanging basket for basket with the Millrats. That was by far Montreal's best quarter of the game (25-27). But unfortunately for their fans, it was not enough.
Manchester kept the best for last, scoring 38 points in the last quarter and giving up only 19, en route to an easy 82-121 win at home.
Eight Millrats scored in double figures led by Sam Carey with 15 points.  Desmond Ferguson added 14, while Tommy Mitchell and Al Stewart had 12 apiece. Â
Mark Flavin and Freddy Petkus scored 14Â each for Montreal. David Dubois had another strong outing at the defensive end with 12 rebounds to go with 9 points. Buster Perkins also had a good game for Montreal with 13 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists.
After the game, head coach Tito Destin found some positive regardless of the 39 points loss.
«Manchester is one of the best teams in the PBL and they made it tough on us tonight, stated Destin after the game. Our guys are still getting accustomed to each other; it will take us some time to get it all together. But the effort was there. If you take away a couple of awful sequences, I think we proved we could play with the best in this league. It will take a little more for us to enjoyed success against teams of that caliber.»
After a stellar game (26 points, 19 rebounds) last week against those same Millrats, David Dubois was a little more quiet this time with only 9 points. He still dominated the defensive end with 12 boards, but the 6'10'' center would have liked to do more offensively.
«I can't be happy with a performance like that, said Dubois after the game. We missed too many opportunities offensively when we needed it, that's what costs us the game. We'll have to regroup quickly and get ready for a must win game in North Carolina Saturday night.»
With the win, Manchester solidifies it's lead in the Atlantic division with an 11-3 record, while Montreal's loss put their season record at 3-7. After a game against the Wilmington Sea Dawgs (7-4) Saturday, the Montrealers will renew with their fans next week-end when Halifax and Wilmington come to Montreal.
For more information, visit the www.montrealsasquatch.com.
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Premier Basketball League Stories from February 22, 2009
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- Sea Dawgs run over Montreal - Montreal Sasquatch
- Montreal hits a wall in Manchester - Montreal Sasquatch
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