
National Basketball League of Canada Weekly Report
January 23, 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
In four games with the London Lightning this season, the Halifax Rainmen are 0-for-4, including last Thursday's 111-94 road loss to the Lightning. Justin Johnson and Joey Heywood finished with 22 and 21 points, respectively, while Taliek Brown added 14.
Halifax returned to their winning ways on Saturday night with a 100-88 win over the Quebec Kebs at Harbour Station. Justin Johnson picked up 18 points in the win; Tyrone Levett added 17 for Halifax; Abdullahi Kuso returned to the Rainmen lineup from the injured list, and scored 9 points and blocked two shots.
The Rainmen kept going with another victory at the Metro Centre, defeating the Summerside Storm 113-99. Joey Heywood claimed top scoring honours for Halifax in the game with 20 points; Tyrone Levett snagged 18 points. Richard Anderson had 15 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
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 marched one step closer to the postseason by defeating the Halifax Rainmen 111-94 Thursday night in front of another large crowd at the John Labatt Centre. It was another double- double night for Gabe Freeman, with 23 points and 12 rebounds; while Shawn Daniels notched a double-double of 16 points and 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
Moncton's season continued to struggle, as they lost a defensive battle Sunday afternoon on the road in Saint John, 78-71. The Miracles had two players with double-double efforts - Trayvon Lathan had 18 points and 11 rebounds; while Akeem Wright added 16 points and 11 rebounds.
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
The Oshawa Power traveled to Prince Edward Island on Friday night for a matchup with the Summerside Storm; and although the Power did hold a 65-58 halftime lead, they could not stop a surging Summerside squad and eventually lost, 129-121. Tut Ruach's 26 points were the most scored by the Power in the game; Omari Johnson (25) and Brandon Robinson (23 pts, 10 rebs) also had strong 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)
With the Kebs still fighting for a final playoff spot - as well as home- court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, Quebec went on the road through the Maritimes. First up was a Friday night contest against Saint John; despite 18 points from Jermaine Blackburn and 16 from Royce Parran, the Kebs lost a road heartbreaker 102-100.
It got rougher in Halifax the next day, as Quebec fell behind by 20 points in the first quarter and could never catch up. In the 100-88 loss to the Rainmen, James "Boo" Jackson was the top scorer with 17 points for the Kebs; Yannick Anzuluni added 17 rebounds to a double-double of 12 points.
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
Saint John ended a four-game losing streak with a 102-100 victory over Quebec in front of the home crowd at Harbour Station. Darren Duncan earned a double-double of 24 points and 14 assists in the Mill Rats' win; Antonio Burks added 18 off the bench.
The Mill Rats continued their forward motion with a 78-71 defensive triumph over the Moncton Miracles. Isaac Kuon's 15 points paced the Bay of Fundy crew; Darren Duncan added 14 points and 10 assists.
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
What a way to win a game. On Friday night, the Summerside Storm had a 35-22 lead over Oshawa; only to watch Oshawa outscore them 43-23 in the scond quarter. But in the end, the Storm pulled away with a 129-121 victory that sent the 3,090 fans at Consolidated Credit Union Place home happy. Mike Williams (29) and Stephen McDowell (25) both put up dominant points on the board for Summerside; Julian Allen had a double-double of 11 rebounds and 17 points; Al Stewart also had a double-double of 15 points and 17 assists.
Unfortunately for Summerside, they could not keep this momentum up - and lost a tough one 113-99 on the road in Halifax. Troy Jackson led Summerside with 22 markers and 10 boards; Al Stewart added 17 points for Summerside. Game reports compiled via team press releases, and from articles appearing in newspapers from the teams' home locations.
NBL CANADA TRANSACTIONS
January 10, 2012 - London Lightning activate Michael King from Injured Reserve list. Release Tristan Martin.
January 11, 2012 - Oshawa Power signed Papa Oppong and Kevin Shand. Released Jerome Brown and Dwain Williams.
January 12, 2012 - Halifax Rainmen signed Richard Anderson.
January 13, 2012 - Quebec Kebs placed Shaun Fountain on Injured Reserve List. Signed Carl Krauser.
January 16, 2012 - Halifax Rainmen release Eddie Robinson.
January 17, 2012 - London Lightning signed David Harrison. Released Taylor King.
January 17, 2012 - Halifax Rainmen activate Abduhalli Kuso from Injured Reserve list.
NBL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
The National Basketball League of Canada is pleased to announce that Darren Duncan of the Saint John Mill Rats has been named Player of the Week for the week ending January 12, 2012. Duncan joins Anthony Anderson as the second Mill Rat player to receive this honour. Darren, a 5'11" guard from Merrimack, had a double-double average of 21 points and 12 assists in Saint John's two wins - a 102-100 home victory over Quebec, and a 78-71 win over Moncton. The two wins kept Saint John in the hunt for a postseason berth.
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.
January 22, 2012 - Darren Duncan, Saint John Mill Rats.
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 23, 2012
- Miracles Battle to a Win Over the Storm - Moncton Miracles
- Darren Duncan Named NBL Canada Player of the Week - NBL Canada
- Mill Rats' Darren Duncan Named Player of the Week - NBL Canada
- National Basketball League of Canada Weekly Report - NBL Canada
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
