PBL weekly report
January 22, 2008 - Premier Basketball League (PBL) News Release
PBL TEAM REPORTS
Arkansas Impact
2600 Howard Street
Little Rock, AR 72206
Office: (501) 821-0166
Fax: (501) 821-0166
Head coach: Todd Day
Home arena: Barton Coliseum
arkansasimpactbasketball.com
Opening night at Barton Coliseum saw the Arkansas Impact get their first home victory of the PBL season, a 112-109 triumph over the Quad Cities Riverhawks before 550 fans. Jeremy Bell's 29 points were tops among all Impacters in scoring, as the Impact came from behind to take the victory and move to 3-1 on the season. Tyrone Davis finished with 22 points, while the returning Marco Cole finished the game with 16 points.
The Impact hosted the Dallas Defenders Saturday evening, and although Jeremy Bell continued his torrid scoring pace, with 23 points, the Impact fell to the Defenders, 113-105. Warren Beulah assembled 13 points and 8 rebounds, leading the Impact on gathering boards; Beulah also snatched 3 steals. Marco Cole added 16 points, while Tyrone Davis and Ryan Holmes assembled 11 points each.
Chicago Throwbacks
P.O. Box 1608
Calumet City, IL 60409
Office: (515) 208-1231
Fax: (219) 884-4558
Head coach: Donnie Boyce
Home arena: Attack Athletics
chicagothrowbacks.com
Chicago hosted the Rockford Fury on Friday night, and when four quarters couldn't decide the match, the Fury and Throwbacks battled to an overtime stanza, in which the Throwbacks lost, 119-116. The Throwbacks were down 17 points in the third quarter, but were able to mount a furious comeback behind Jimmie Miles' four three pointers in the fourth quarter. "We have to credit Rockford for coming in our house and taking it to us," said Throwbacks head coach Donnie Boyce. Stanley Thomas was the top Throwbacker in scoring, with 25 points and four blocked shots; Jimmie Miles added 20 on 7-10 shooting from the floor. William Gourke had 10 rebounds and was tops for the Throwbacks in that category. Imari Sawyer was the top assist man, with six dishes.
Jerome Harper was the leading scorer for the Throwbacks in their Sunday afternoon loss to the Quad Cities Riverhawks, 127-105. Imari Sawyer added 23 points, including three 3-pointers and a 6-6 run from the free throw line. William Gourke led the Throwbacks in rebounds, with 8 on the night. It was a close game until the fourth quarter, where the Throwbacks were outscored 43 - 20."We are going to have to make a few personnel changes so we can get this thing turned around," said Chicago owner-GM George Bellevue. "We need to improve up front and our guards need to penetrate more. The Riverhawks went to the free throw line 18 more times, that tells me that we lack aggression and are shooting way too many jump shots."
Dallas Defenders
15305 North Dallas Parkway
Suite 300
Addison TX 75001
Office: (972) 455-2883
Fax: (972) 715-2099
Head coach: Chuck Davisson
Home arena: Alfred J. Loos Fieldhouse
defendershoops.com
The Dallas Defenders earned their first win in franchise history Saturday night with a 113-105 road victory over the Arkansas Impact. Ronald Blackshear and Nicholas Gipson each garnered 21 points apiece in the Defenders victory, while O'Neal Mims had a double-double of 15 game-leading rebounds and 14 points; Mims also had two blocked shots. Lonnie Randolph assembled 18 points and seven assists, leading all Defenders in assists that night.
On Sunday night, it was Opening Night at the Alfred J. Loos fieldhouse in Addison, as the Dallas Defenders hosted the Rockford Fury. Dallas jumped out to a quick lead against the Fury and didn't let up until the game was well in hand, leading by as many as 20 points in the first quarter, and maintained a sizable lead until the fourth quarter. At one point the Defenders took the lead to 35 points, before finally coasting to a 123-105 win. The scores were extremely spread out, with nine Defenders hitting double figures in scoring, led by Nicholas Gipson with 15 points, with 14 points apiece by Ronald Blackshear, Jai Pradia and Antonio Meekings. O'Neal Mims dominated the boards with 13 rebounds, while Jai Pradia and Derek Wabbington had 12 rebounds apiece. Mims also stole the ball four times, leading all of the Lone Star crew in that category. Lonnie Randolph had six assists to go with his 10 points in the Dallas win.
Jacksonville Jam
11111-70 San Jose Blvd #188
Jacksonville FL 32223
Phone: (904) 302-5323
Fax: (813) 283-7887
Head coach: Mike Gillespie
Home arena: University of North Florida Arena
jaxjam.com
1,501 fans cheered the Jacksonville Jam as they took the floor Friday night against the Maryland Nighthawks. The Jam held a big lead through the first half, scoring the game's first seven points and building an early 16-4 lead. but the Nighthawks came back with a 10-0 run at the end of the second quarter. Still, it took Brian Greene's 17 points, including a layup in the final two minutes, to give the Jam a 101-99 victory over their division rivals. In the final seconds of the contest, Jacksonville guard Terrence Woods made two free throws to put the Jam ahead 100-99 with 49 seconds left. Forward Chad Johnson then took a charge from Maryland's Warren Jefferson on the next possession to preserve the Jam's lead.
The Jacksonville Jam next traveled to Reading for a Sunday afternoon contest with the Reading Railers. Despite trailing 30-13 in the first quarter, the Jam came back, and eventually took the victory 112-102 to even their record at 3-3. After shooting just 28 percent in the first quarter the Jam - led by Antonio Lawrence, an active guard out of San Jose State who scored a team-high 22 points caught fire. They hit 58 percent from the field over the final three quarters, gradually whittling down that big early deficit until blowing past the Railers with a 18-0 burst to go up 92-80 early in the fourth.
Maryland Nighthawks
101 North Adams Street
Rockville, MD 20850
Office: (301) 758-1090
Fax: (301) 738-3709
Head coach: Lawrence Moten
Home arena: Hanley Center for Athletic Excellence, Georgetown Prep H.S.
marylandnighthawks.com
On the road for a Friday night game in Jacksonville, the Maryland Nighthawks lost a 101-99 heartbreaker to the Jam. The Nighthawks put themselves in a good position, building a 92-82 lead with 6:05 remaining in the game, but as been the story of this young season, the Nighthawks were unable to finish the game strong. Jacksonville closed the game on a 19-9 run, leaving the Nighthawks without a victory. Nighthawks forward Lonnie Herrell had a game-high 24 points and also earned six rebounds. Warren Jefferson had 20 points and Hugh "Baby Shaq" Jones chipped in with 19 points for the Nighthawks.
Saturday was no kinder to the Nighthawks than Friday, as Maryland fell to the Wilmington Sea Dawgs 105-89. Although the lead changed hands 12 times in the first half, by the second half the Nighthawks were playing catch-up and never surpassed their opponents. Warren Jefferson and Kevin Robinson had 12 and 13 points, respectively, to lead the Nighthawks in scoring.
Quad Cities Riverhawks
Beyond The Baseline
1540 W 12th Street
Davenport, IA 52804
Office: 1-866-694-5728
Fax: 1-800-970-2479
Head coach: LaTroy Farrow
Home arena: Wharton Fieldhouse
qcriverhawks.com
The Quad Cities Riverhawks' first trip to Barton Coliseum this season was not as successful as the team had hoped, as the Riverhawks let a lead slip away and lost 112-109 to the Arkansas Impact. Ryan Edwards finished the night with 31 points, including a trio of 3-pointers, to lead all Riverhawks in scoring. Willie Mitchell scored 18 points in the loss; he and Edwards were among five Riverhawks who finished the game in double-figure scoring.
The Riverhawks followed that game up with a matchup against the Chicago Throwbacks. With 30 points from Ryan Edwards, the Riverhawks played a strong game and took the victory 127-105. Edwards' 30 included 3 3-pointers and a 13-14 run from the free throw line. Bobby Anderson added 20 points and 9 rebounds, while Ty Johnson (17) and Anthony Hardin (16) also helped the Riverhawks to victory.
Reading Railers
35 N 6th Street
Reading, PA 19601
Office: (610) 898-9466
Fax: (610) 898-9386
Head coach: Sal Mentesana
Home arena: Sovereign Center
readingrailers.com
As the Reading Railers poured 61 points in the first half of their Friday night contest against the Wilmington Sea Dawgs, it looked to the fans as if the Railers would take their third victory. In fact, with six minutes remaining, the Railers were leading 100-81. But Wilmington went on a 20-point run in the fourth quarter, defeating the Railers 107-104 to remain undefeated. Jerald Brown had 26 points to lead all Railers in scoring. "It's unsettling," said Reading head coach Sal Mentesana to the Reading Eagle. "All the things that we did in the first half to get the lead, we didn't do in the second half. We got complacent. That's the second or third time that's happened with a big lead. If that's part of our personality, it's a personality change we have to make."
On Sunday afternoon, the Railers hosted the Jacksonville Jam at the Sovereign Center. The Railers started off strong again, with Ira Miler notching 11 points in the first period and 14 in the half - but went ice-cold in the second half, and the Railers fell to the Jacksonville Jam 112-102. Tayron Thomas scored a game-high 26 points. Aaron Williams, one on the PBL's best rebounders, grabbed a game-high 16 boards. Newly acquired forward Ben Colon added an inside spark, blocking four shots. The Railers debuted their new center, 7'3" Shagari Alleyne, in the Sunday loss.
Rochester Razorsharks
39 State Street, Suite 100
Rochester NY 14614
Office: (585) 232-9190
Fax: (585) 232-8086
Head Coach: Rod Baker
Home Venue: Blue Cross Arena
razorsharks.com
The Razorsharks did not have any games this weekend.
This coming Thursday, January 24, 2008, the Razorsharks will honor one of their most important and respected players from their first two years by retiring Lazarus "Laz" Sims' (2005-07) #3 jersey on Thursday, January 24, 2008 at 7:05pm vs. Quad Cities Riverhawks at the Blue Cross Arena.
Laz was a leader as he was always willing to help his coaches and teammates as a player/coach. Coach Rod Baker attributes much of his recent success because of the profound impact Laz had, "Over my last 5 years I have not had a second of success where Laz was not involved...I am a better coach because I have had the chance to coach Lazarus Sims."
Lazarus grew up in Syracuse, NY and attended Henninger High School. He went on to play at Syracuse University ('92-'96) and was a key member of the 1996 Men's basketball team that reached the National Championship game against Rick Pitino's Kentucky Wildcats. Laz would go on to play in several leagues including USBL, IBL, CBA, and ABA and played overseas with Poland and Venezuela. He also played with the Harlem Globetrotters under Coach Baker. Currently, Laz has now moved on to further his dream of coaching basketball. He is on the Syracuse Men's Basketball staff as the Director of Player Development/Manager working along side legendary coach, Jim Boeheim.
Rockford Fury
5301 East State Street, Suite 114
Rockford IL 61108
Office: (815) 399-4222
Fax: 1-800-970-2479
Head coach: Dave Knickelbein
Home arena: Seaver Gymnasium, Rockford College
rockfordfury.com
Another win for the Rockford Fury, this time in overtime as the Fury defeat their in-state rivals, the Chicago Throwbacks, 119-116. Frank Richards led all Rockford players in scoring, notching 30 points on 12-16 shooting from the floor. Daniel Artest led the Fury with a double-double of 14 rebounds and 12 points, while Zach Ramey's 1 points and Amir Major's 11 boards were solid contributions for the Fury. Coleco Buie, a recent signee, added 15 points in his Fury debut.
The Fury then took a Sunday trip to Dallas to welcome the Defenders in their home debut. Unfortunately for the Fury, the Defenders took an early lead, and poured on the points en route to a 123-105 win. Frank Richards and Zach Ramey each scored 16 for the Fury, while Daniel Artest pulled down nine boards to lead Rockford in that category.
Wilmington Sea Dawgs
430 Eastwood Road, Suite 200
Wilmington NC 28403
Office: (910) 791-5523
Fax: (910) 256-4589
Head coach: Kevin Whitted
Home arena: Joe and Barbara Schwartz Center, Cape Fear CC
goseadawgs.com
On Friday night, the Wilmington Sea Dawgs were in Reading for a game against the Railers, their division rivals. Down by 18 in the fourth quarter with six minutes left, the Sea Dawgs rallied to a 107-104 victory to keep their unbeaten streak alive. Alex Harper led in scores with 29 points, closely followed by Cedric McGinnins with 22 points. Other high scorers were Charles Ward with 15 points and Zack Herman with 13 points. "We were playing miserably. We had 15 turnovers. We didn't value the basketball in the first half," coach Kevin Whitted said to the Wilmington Star-News. "They really did all their scoring in the third quarter. It was quite remarkable because we were so far out of it. I didn't feel like we would possibly get back into it."
On Saturday, the undefeated Sea Dawgs took on the winless Maryland Nighthawks - but once Wilmington took the lead at halftime, they never gave it up, cruising to a 105-89 victory. "(Saturday) was different with the fact that we was able to actually take control of the game early and actually maintain it for the rest of the game," said forward Alvin Jefferson to the Wilmington Star-News, whose 10 points made him one of six Sea Dawgs to score in double figures. "The other game we kind of was slow starting off and we had to come on strong in the end." Charles Ward's 19 points and 14 rebounds were tops for the Wilmington hoopsters, while Jason Pryor and Alexander Harper each scored 18 points.
Game reports compiled via team press releases, and from articles appearing in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, the Reading Eagle, the Rockford Register-Star, the Quad City Times, the Wilmington Star-News, and other newspapers.
TRIVIA
The Rockford Fury's first four games included three games that went to overtime - and one of those was a double-overtime loss.
TRIVIA
Brian Greene has been the Jacksonville Jam's leading scorer in four of the Jam's first six contests.
TRIVIA
Nine players scored in double figures in Dallas' 123-105 victory over the Rockford Fury.
Premier Basketball League Stories from January 22, 2008
- PBL weekly report - PBL
- RazorSharks Issue "Laz Night" Early Attendance Reminder - Rochester RazorSharks
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.
