NBL Canada National Basketball League of Canada

National Basketball League of Canada Weekly Report

January 16, 2012 - National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada) News Release


NBL TEAM REPORTS

Halifax Rainmen

1888 Brunswick Street, Suite 611

Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 3J8

Phone: (902) 444-RAIN, (902) 444-7246

Fax: 1-866-424-4267

Head Coach: Josep Claros

Home arena: Halifax MetroCentre

rainmenbasketball.ca

The fight to keep in the top four in the NBL - thus assuring a postseason berth - seems to have brought out the best in the Halifax Rainmen. Joey Haywood, who is playing his way to Most Valuable Canadian status, poured in 23 points as Halifax defeated Moncton 101- 91 Tuesday night. Tyrone Levett (18) and Lawrence Wright (16) also scored in double figures for the Rainmen. Taliek brown led the Rainmen with five steals in the game.

Lawrence Wright continues to make his argument for the league's Most Valuable Player, as his 24 points off the bench gave Halifax a 121-104 vwin over Saint John at the Metro Centre. Wright went 9-for-12 from the floor, scorfed a couple of three-pointers, and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. Meanwhile, Joey Haywood led Halifax in scoring with 25 points, and Tyrone Levett had 10 rebounds as part of a double-double with 14 points.

London Lightning

358 Horton Street E.

London, Ontario N6B 1L7

Phone: (519) 433-0634

Fax: (519) 433-9849

Head Coach: Micheal Ray Richadson

Home arena: John Labatt Centre

lightningbasketball.ca

The London Lightning continued their tight grip on first place in the NBL, by gathering up a 124-113 victory Thursday night against the Moncton Miracles. DeAnthony Bowden's 26 points paced all Lightning players on the scoreboard; Bowden also had a team-record eight 3- point conversions. Gabe Freeman continued to lead the NBL in double- doubles with 13 rebounds and 14 points.

Twice this season, the Lightning have achieved five-game winning streaks. But their hopes for a sixth consecutive win were clobbered in Quebec Saturday night, as the Lightning fell to the Kebs 102-91. Gabe Freeman continued his double-double onslaught, with 24 points and 17 rebounds. Eddie Smith and Tim Ellis each had 16 points; Smith's 16 points included a 10-for-11 run from the free throw line.

So what happens when a five-game winning streak is snapped? Start a new one. And that's what the Lightning did the very next day, by winning a Sunday afternoon road contest 100-91 against the Saint John Mill Rats. DeAnthony Bowden paced the London crew with 22 points, while Shamari Spears and Tim Ellis each added 18. Ellis also led the team in rebounds, pulling down 11 boards.

Moncton Miracles

740 Rue Main Street

Moncton, New Brunswick E1C 1E6

Team phone: (506) 204-7730

Team fax: (506) 204-7840

Head Coach: Mike Evans

Home arena: Moncton Coliseum

miraclesbasketball.ca

The Moncton Miracles are remaining competitive in this inaugural NBL season, and even in their losses, their opponents aren't taking the team lightly any more. Although the Miracles lost 101-91 to Halifax on Tuesday night, their new acquisition, Akeem Wright, had 20 points and 9 rebounds to lead his teammates in scoring. Boubacar Coly was the top rebounder for Moncton with 11 boards and 16 points; Jazzmar Ferguson added 13 points for the Miracles.

Next up was a road game Thursday night in London, and again Akeem Wright was the dominant scorer for Moncton; his 22 points led Moncton in their 124-113 loss. Seven of ten Miracles players scored in double figures, including 19 poitns from Jazzmar Ferguson and 16 points and 14 rebounds from Trayvon Lathan.

Oshawa Power

99 Athol St. East

Oshawa, Ontario L1H-1J8

Phone: (289) 315-0520

Phone: 1-877-554-8457

Head Coach: Robert Brickey

Home Arena: General Motors Centre

powerbasketball.ca

Oshawa and Summerside are trying to snag that fourth and final playoff spot, and a Thursday night battle between the two teams could give the winner an upper hand at that final playoff berth. And thanks to an amazing 38-point effort from Morgan Lewis, combined with a triple- double of 23 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists from Marcus Johnson, Oshawa defeated Summerside 131-122 in overtime. Brandon Robinson (25) and Tut Ruach (20) also had 20+ point nights for the Durham Region Crew.

Québec Kebs

300,rue Métivier

Quebec City, Quebec G1M 3Y9

Office: 418-780-4850

Fax: 418-683-3232

Head coach: Rob Spon

Home arena: Pavillon de l'éducation physique et des sports de l'Université Laval

kebsdequebec.com/en

(English)

kebsdequebec.com (Français)

In a tremendously hard-fought battle between two of the NBL's top teams, the Quebec Kebs rode Royce Parran's triple-double of 20 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists to win 102-91 over the London Lightning. Ralphy Holmes had a double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds, while James "Boo" Jackson added 51 points. Ricky Volcy's 10 points included two blocked shots.

The Kebs continued their strong push toward the postseason with a double-overtime battle for the ages against the Summerside Storm. With Ralphy Holmes' 28 points and 9 rebounds leading the way, followed by 21 points from Ricky Volcy and 20 from Aaron Spears, Quebec defeated the Storm 145-136 (2 OT). New acquisition Carl Krauser had 18 points; 11 assists and four steals; Royce Parran added 19 points in the Kebs victory.

Saint John Mill Rats

133 Prince William Street, Suite 9

Saint John, NB E2L 2B5

Office: (506) 214-4454

Fax: (506) 652-1562

Head Coach: Jaren Jackson

Home Venue: Harbour Station

millratsbasketball.ca

Anthony Anderson's hand injury has affected the Saint John Mill Rats, as the New Brunswick crew struggled in a Saturday evening matchup against the Halifax Rainmen. In the 121-104 loss, Isaac Kuon led the Mill Rats in scoring with 21 points; Darren Duncan added 14 points and 11 assists, and PJ Young earned 15 points off the bench.

The Rats continued to struggle, as the London Lightning defeated them on the Harbour Station court, 100-91. Darren Duncan was the top scorer for Saint John with 25 points; Steve DeLuca added 17 points and 10 rebounds in the Mill Rats loss.

Summerside Storm

511 Notre Dame Street

Summerside, Prince Edward Island C1N 1T2

Phone: (902) 432-1234

Fax: (902)-436-4596

Head Coach: Joseph Salerno

Home Venue: Consolidated Credit Union Place

stormbasketball.ca

Al Stewart scored the first triple-double in Summerside Storm history; on Thursday night, in Summerside's 131-122 loss to the Oshawa Power, Stewart finished the night with 28 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists, leading the Prince Edward Islanders in all three categories. Stephen McDowell added 25 points, while Julian Allen scored 20. Mike Williams finished with a double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds for Summerside.

Summerside played a second "extended" game on Sunday afternoon, as the Prince Edward Islanders took the Quebec Kebs to two overtime periods before finally succumbing 145-136 on the road. Troy Jackson and Xavier Hansbro each scored 20 points in the Summerside loss; Jessan Gray finished with 17 poitns and 10 rebounds, while Al Stewart had 13 points and 12 assists. Game reports compiled via team press releases, and from articles appearing in newspapers from the teams' home locations.

NBL CANADA TRANSACTIONS

January 4, 2012 - Halifax Rainmen activate Christian Upshaw from Injured Reserve.

January 4, 2012 - Moncton Miracles trade Andrew Francis to Oshawa Power for Akeem Wright.

January 4, 2012 - NBL Canada announces that Oshawa Power's Jerome Brown has been fined and suspended one game for throwing a punch during a game on January 1 against Halifax. Announces that Oshawa Power's Paul Campbell has been fined for leaving the bench during the altercation.

January 4, 2012 - Saint John Mill Rats place Anthony Anderson on Injured Reserve. Signed Courtland Bluford. Signed Darren Duncan. Released Calvin Cage.

NBL PLAYER OF THE WEEK

The National Basketball League of Canada is pleased to announce that Morgan Lewis of the Oshawa Power has been named Player of the Week for the week ending January 15, 2012. This is the first player from the Power to receive Player of the Week honours.

Lewis, a 6'5" guard from Painesville, Ohio, scored a team-record 38 points, along with 10 assists, in Oshawa's January 12, 2012 131-122 double-overtime win against Summerside. Lewis' scoring included 5 three-point plays, to keep the Durham Region team in contention for a playoff berth this season.

Previous NBL Player of the Week Honours:

November 6, 2011 - Gabe Freeman, London Lightning.

November 13, 2011 - Joey Haywood, Halifax Rainmen.

November 20, 2011 - Anthony Anderson, Saint John Mill Rats.

November 28, 2011 - Chris Cayole, Summerside Storm.

December 4, 2011 - Ralphy Holmes, Quebec Kebs.

December 11, 2011 - Justin Johnson, Halifax Rainmen.

December 18, 2011 - Darrell Wonge, Moncton Miracles.

December 25, 2011 - Ralphy Holmes, Quebec Kebs.

January 1, 2012 - Gabe Freeman, London Lightning.

January 8, 2012 - Stephen McDowell, Summerside Storm.

January 15, 2012 - Morgan Lewis, Oshawa Power.

NBL COACH OF THE MONTH

The National Basketball League of Canada is pleased to announce that Josep Claros has been named Coach of the Month for December 2011. In December, Claros guided Halifax to a 7-1 record, the best winning percentage of any NBL Canada team. The 7-1 record includes a current 6-game winning streak.

November, 2011 - Micheal Ray Richardson, London Lightning.

December, 2011 - Josep Claros, Halifax Rainmen.



National Basketball League of Canada Stories from January 16, 2012


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