
National Conference wins 109-107 over American Conference in CBA All-Star Game
January 23, 2008 - Continental Basketball Association 1 (CBA 1) News Release
ALBANY, NY (January 22, 2008) -With over 4,000 Sun Kings fans in attendance, Yakama Sun Kings head coach Paul Woolpert won his third consecutive All-Star Game, as his National Conference-coached team won 109-107 over the American Conference squad. With the win, Woolpert ties Eric Musselman for most All-Star wins in CBA play. Although Woolpert had a starting lineup of four Yakama Sun Kings - Jermaine Blackburn, Jason Sasser, Desmond Ferguson and Tim Ellis - as well as a former Sun King, Nate Green - it was the Butte Daredevils' Odell Bradley who was named Most Valuable Player, garnering 22 points off the bench.
Bradley was also joined in scoring by Desmond Ferguson, who scored 20 points, including four of six from beyond 3-point range. Earlier in the day, Ferguson won the Long Distance Shootout with a last-second "money-ball" 3-pointer that relegated Aaron Cook of the Butte Daredevils to second place in the skills competition.
Marvin Phillips of the Oklahoma cavalry was the top rebounder for the National Conference, notching 14 boards. Demorris "Toby" Smith of the Rio Grande Valley Silverados was the leading assist man, dishing out six assists for the National Conference squad. Nate Green, a former Sun King now suiting up for the Great Falls Explorers, finished the night with 14 points, 13 rebounds and three blocked shots.
The American Conference squad, led by Minot Skyrockets head coach Chris Daleo, came up short by two points, despite five players scoring in double figures. The East Kentucky Miners' Josh Pace led his All-Star squad in scoring with 19 points, while the Atlanta Krunk's Zach Marbury scored 16. John DeGroat of the Pittsburgh Xplosion was responsible for 13 points, including a trio of three-pointers, while the Albany Patroons' Nat Burton scored 11 points off the bench. Pittsburgh's John Strickland racked up 15 points and dished out five assists, but was a woeful 3-for-9 from the charity stripe James "Boo" Jackson of the East Kentucky Miners was the top rebounder for the American Conference, with eight boards. Sidney Holmes of the Minot Skyrockets led the team in steals, robbing the National Conference three times.
While Yakama's Desmond Ferguson won the Long Distance Shootout, his teammate, Harvey Thomas, won the Slam Dunk Championship with a thunder-slam that surpassed a behind-the-back jam from Oklahoma's Marvin Phillips. This makes the fourth consecutive All-Star Classic in which the host city's team won both the Slam Dunk and Long Distance Shootouts.
The event included a traditional invocation and performance by the members of the Yakama Nation tribe, as well as the Beale Street Tumblers troupe.
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