PBL Weekly Report
February 16, 2009 - Premier Basketball League (PBL) News Release
PBL TEAM REPORTS
Augusta Groove
2332 Rutherford
Augusta, GA 30906
706-737-5550 ext 310
fax:706-739-0219
Head coach: Rick Brown
Home arena: Richmond Academy
augustagroovebasketball.com
Despite the loss of AJ Millien, the Augusta Groove garnered another victory Saturday night, taking a road win against Buffalo 129-119. Demetrius Howard scored a game-high 33 points, while Donielle Davis added 23 and Cory Sims put up 20 and dished out 10 assists. Augusta shot 56.3% from the field and added 13 3-pointers in the match. Calvin Roland was the top Groover in rebounds, with 11; he added those to his 10 points.
Battle Creek Knights
McCamly Place
50 Capital Ave. SW
Battle Creek, MI 49017
Phone: (269) 965-5001
Fax: (269) 965-5004
Head coach: Terry Sare
Home arena: Kellogg Arena
bcknights.com
Making their first trip of the season into Canada, the undefeated Battle Creek Knights upped their record to 10-0 with a 94-86 road win against the Quebec Kebs. The victory tied a PBL record, set by last year's Rochester Razorsharks, for most consecutive wins in a season. Kenny Langhorne led the Cereal City Crew with 23 points, along with four 3-pointers. Florentino Valencia's 18 points included a team-high 14 rebounds.
Buffalo Stampede
3498 Sheridan Drive
Amherst, NY 14226
Phone (716) 834-3498
Fax (716) 834-3544
Head coach: John Fitzpatrick
Home arena: Koessler Athletic Ctr.
buffalostampedepbl.com
With new players in the lineup, the Buffalo Stampede hoped to bring a win to the Koessler Center against the Augusta Groove. Yet even with an amazing 30-point, 14-board performance by Tyrone Rayson, the Stampede were trampled 129-119 by the Groove. Rayson's 30 points included going five-for-five from long-distance range. Markus Price added 25, while the newly-signed Derick Payne put 20 on the board. Chuck Reed led the Stampede in assists, dishing out 13 gifts.
Chicago Throwbacks
430 East 162nd Street, Suite 507
South Holland IL 60473
Office: (219) 588-3071
Fax: (219) 884-4558
Head coach: Donnie Boyce
Home arena: Attack Athletics
chicagothrowbacks.com
Stanley Thomas hit for a season-high 32 points to go along with nine rebounds as the Chicago Throwbacks went on to defeat the Mid-Michigan Destroyers 121-108. Chicago was lights out early on, shooting 61.2% from the field in the first quarter. Stanley Thomas hit for 13 of his 23 first half points in the stanza on 5-5 from the field; this included 3-3 from three point range as Chicago held a 30-24 lead. Thomas would later be held to three points in the second half, but Casey Love picked up the slack, finishing with 19 points and helping Chicago take another victory - and as Jim "InTheJim" Smith, the Throwbacks' PA announcer, would say, "Put it on the bo-o-o-o-oard, YES!"
Detroit Panthers
199 W Brown Street, Suite 110
Birmingham, MI 48009
Phone (248) 645-2278
Fax (248) 920-0482
Head coach: C. Bill Jones
Home arena: Wiley Groves HS
detroitpanthers.com
Despite Randy "White Chocolate" Gill nearly hitting a triple-double for his new teammates, the Detroit Panthers could not hold onto a lead on the road, and lost to Halifax on Friday night, 100-89. Gill finished with 18 points, 11 assists and 9 rebounds; Stane's Bufford and Chuck Bailey each finished with 22 points apiece. Detroit would take the lead several times in the match, including leading 24-19 in the first quarter and 49-41 at the half.
The Panthers tried to regroup in Wilmington on Sunday afternoon against the Sea Dawgs, but despite the lead changing hands several times in the match, the Panthers came up short 101-95. Stane's Bufford finished as the top pointmaker for the Panthers, with 27 points; Randy Gill added 19 points, including a trio of three-point baskets. Chuck Bailey pulled down 13 rebounds to lead all Panthers in boards; Bailey also had 10 points in the game for a double-double.
Halifax Rainmen
1888 Brunswick Street, Suite 611
Halifax, NS B3J 3J8
Phone: (902) 444-RAIN, (902) 444-7246
Fax: 1-866-424-4267
Head Coach: Les Berry
Home arena: Halifax MetroCentre
rainmenbasketball.ca
Returning to the Metro Centre for a two-game weekend stint, the Halifax Rainmen hosted Detroit on Friday night. The Rainmen started the game out strong with an 11-2 run, but both teams swapped the lead seeral times. In the end, however, the Rainmen pulled off a 100-89 victory, as Tony Bennett notched a team-high 21 points; Eric Crookshank had a double-double of 19 points and 12 rebounds; Brian Silverhorn (17 points) and Jimmy Twyman (13 points) also scored in double figures for the Nova Scotia crew.
With the arrival of former Augusta Groove shooting sensation and PBL leading scorer AJ Millien to the Rainmen lineup, Halifax hosted Quebec for a Sunday afternoon matchup. Unfortunately, the Kebs defense held Millien to a paltry 12 points; and outside of Tony Bennett's team-leading 23 points, Halifax couldn't get the ball in the hoop. In the end, the Rainmen were washed away 95-78 by the Kebs. David Bailey had a solid game for the Kebs, finishing with 12 points and 9 rebounds on the day.
Manchester Millrats
816 Elm Street, PMB #182
Manchester, NH 03101
Office: 888-646-RATS (7287)
Fax: 866-321-2821
Head coach: Rob Spon
Home arena: Southern New Hampshire University
manchestermillrats.com
The Manchester Millrats welcomed the Montreal Sasquat'ch to Southern New Hampshire University for a Friday night matchup. In the game, however, the Millrats started out with a 23-19 lead after one quarter, then built on the strength of a 41-17 second quarter to eventually pound the Sasquat'ch into submission, 137-85. Of the ten players suiting up for Manchester that evening, eight scored in double figures, led by Scott Hazelton's 24 points. Charles Mason finished with a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds; Desmond Ferguson's 19 points included five "Moneyball" 3-pointers; and both Al Stewart and Lincoln Glass finished with 7 assists apiece.
The Millrats improved on Sunday afternoon to a 10-3 positive mark, as they took another win, 102-89, against the Vermont Frost Heaves. Desmond Ferguson led all Millrats in scoring, putting up 24 points; while Kenyon Gamble was the top rebounder for Manchester, pulling down 13 boards. Five of Ferguson's scores came from beyond 3-point range; every time Ferguson or any of the other Millrats hit a 3-pointer, a free "Moneyball" T-shirt got launched into the crowd. On Sunday afternoon, twelve "Moneyball" shirts - one for each three-pointer scored by the Millrats - were thrown to lucky fans.
Mid-Michigan Destroyers
1000 Second Street
Bay City, MI 48708
Phone: (989) 244-1156
Fax: (248) 393-2572
Head coach: T.J. Newsham
Home arena: Bay City Western HS
mmdestroyers.com
Odgra Bobo's 24 points and Luke Lloyd's 13 rebounds were not enough to help Mid-Michigan on the road against the Chicago Throwbacks; as the Bay City crew tumbled 121-108 against their divisional rivals. Melvin White added 21 points, including going 6-for-8 from the floor.
Montreal Sasquat'ch
Contact info TBA
Head coach: Tito Destin
Home arena: Centre Pierre Charbonneau
montrealsasquatch.com
Les Sasquat'ch de Montreal returned to the road Friday night with a new lineup and a new attitude, for a game against the Manchester Millrats. Unfortunately for the Sasquat'ch, they were dominated by their hosts 137-85. Despite the loss, both Freddy Petkus (22 pts, 12 rebs) and David Dubois (26 pts, 19 rebounds) had strong nights for the Sasquat'ch, with Dubois' 19 boards a new team record.
Quebec Kebs
300 rue Métivier,
Québec, QC G1M 3Y9
Office: 418-780-4850
Fax: 418-780-4858
Head coach: Charles Dubé-Brais
Home arena: Pavillon de la Jeunesse
kebsdequebec.com
The last time Quebec and Battle Creek met, the Kebs almost stole a road victory from the Knights. But on Friday night, despite keeping the crowd of nearly 2,000 excited with chants of "Go Kebs Go" and cutting down double-digit deficits to one-possession margins, the Kebs were tagged for costly turnovers, and were cut down by the Knights 94-86. In the loss, Jean-Philippe Morin led the Kebs with 20 points, while Alfred Neale added 19 points and Jonas Pierre pulled down 11 team-high rebounds. In the third quarter, Quebec's Charles Fortier, while fighting for the basket, crashed down on the floor. Blood streaming from near his eye socket, he had to leave the game; he would later return to the bench, but was not called to re-enter the game.
Fortier and the Kebs had little time to treat their wounds; they had to travel to Halifax for a Sunday afternoon matchup with the Rainmen. In the second quarter, however, the Kebs took off, outscoring the Rainmen 28-11, with Fortier hitting the first seven points of the quarter (a 3-pointer, an 18-foot jumper and two free throws). Jean-Philippe Morin led the Kebs in scoring with 28 points, while Dominique Soucy's pair of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter - part of his 13-point overall tally - put the game on ice and gave the Kebs the win. Michael Anderson finished the night with 23 points, while Larry House had a "Perfect Ten" double-double - ten rebounds and ten points.
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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
By defeating the Vermont Frost Heaves 113 to 103 in front of a sellout crowd Saturday afternoon at the Barre Municipal Auditorium, the Rochester Razorsharks improved their lead in the PBL's Eastern Division - but the victory may have come at great cost, as the Sharks' top scorer, James "Mook" Reaves, was injured in the first quarter when teammate Aaron Williams crashed into him. Reaves was taken to the hospital, where preliminary reports determined a sprained MCL; he would return to the Barre Municipal Auditorium with his leg wrapped in bandages and ice. Keith Friel's 7 3-pointers helped him score a team-high 33 points in the Sharks' victory; Marlin Johnson's 13 rebounds gave him a double-double to go with his 14 points; and newly-signed Xavier Morton added 12 points and 9 rebounds in his Razorsharks debut.
Vermont Frost Heaves
4049 Williston Road
South Burlington VT 05403
Phone: (802) 860-0082
Fax: (802) 860-0085
Head coach: Will Voigt
Home arenas: Burlington Memorial Auditorium; Barre Municipal Auditorium
vermontfrostheaves.com
The Vermont Frost Heaves took an earlier victory in Rochester, and now the Sharks were visiting Barre for revenge. Despite 21 points off the bench from Benson Callier, 19 points from John Williams and 16 points - including four 3-pointers - from Joe Nixon, the Heaves fell 113-103 to the Razorsharks. "For us, most of our preparation was (Rochester forward James) Reaves," said Frost Heaves head coach Will Voigt. "When Reaves came out of the game (with a knee injury), it disjointed us a little bit. They stayed with their small lineup most of the game, and we had a hard time guarding them."
Undaunted, the Frost Heaves - and their loyal contingent of cowbell-ringing fans - regrouped for a Sunday afternoon road contest against the PBL Eastern Division-leading Manchester Millrats. Although Vermont lost the game 102-89, they had a strong scoring run from their bench to keep the game as close as they could. Greg Plummer, who put 21 points on the board, led all Frost Heaves in scoring; while Benson Callier scored 20 points of his own.
Wilmington Sea Dawgs
430 Eastwood Road, Suite 200
Wilmington NC 28403
Office: (910) 791-5523
Fax: (910) 256-4589
Head coach: Dale Kuhl
Home arena: Joe and Barbara Schwartz Center, Cape Fear CC
wilmingtonseadawgs.com
In the Sea Dawgs' only game of the week, a Sunday late-afternoon matchup with the Detroit Panthers, Alex Harper lead five Sea Dawgs in double figures with 24, and Wilmington held off a late run from Detroit to pick up a 101-95 triumph. The score bounced back and forth between both teams, but Harper's 24 points, as well as 18 from Cedric McGinnis and a 13-point, 11-rebound run by Brian Leggett, were too much for the Panthers to handle.
Game reports compiled via team press releases, and from articles appearing in newspapers from the teams' home locations.
PBL TRIPLE DOUBLES
1/4/09, Jonas Pierre, Quebec vs. Manchester, 12 pts, 14 rebs, 11 blocks
PBL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jan 4 - Brian Silverhorn, Halifax
Jan 11 - AJ Millen, Augusta
Jan 18 - Cedric McGinnis, Wilmington
Jan 25 - James "Mook" Reaves, Rochester
Feb 1 - Rob Sanders, Halifax
Feb 8 - Kris Clark, Wilmington
PBL COACH OF THE MONTH
January - Terry Sare, Battle Creek
PBL "FOUR SCORE" HALFCOURT BASKETS
A "Four Score" shot occurs when a player completes a successful field goal from beyond halfcourt. The team receives four points for such a basket, while, for statistical purposes, the player is credited with two completed two-point field goals. A list of all successful "Four Scores" for the 2008-09 season are listed below.
1/2/09, Willie Mitchell, Detroit v. Mid-Michigan (4th quarter)
1/8/09, Alex Harper, Wilmington at Battle Creek (4th quarter)
1/9/09, Randy Gill, Montreal at Vermont (3rd quarter)
PBL TRANSACTIONS
February 11 Halifax Rainmen - Announced the release of Rob Sanders for the purpose of allowing him to sign an overseas contract.
February 12 Augusta Groove - Releases AJ Millien.
Manchester Millrats - Signed C Aaron Spears.
February 13 Wilmington Sea Dawgs - Signed F Joe Buck.
Halifax Rainmen - Signed AJ Millien.
Buffalo Stampede - Signed Gallo Cham, Derick Payne and Corey Herring. Released Donovan McMullen and Anthony Slater. Places Charles Easterling on Injured Reserve.
Rochester Razorsharks - Signs Xavier Morton.
Mid-Michigan Destroyers - Signs Anthony Steward. Released Otis Williams.
February 15 Chicago Throwbacks - Announced the resignation of coach Donnie Boyce. Named Charles Scott as interim head coach.
PBL BROADCAST SCHEDULE
@SPORTSTV (http://www.at-sportstv.com)
Monday, February 16 Augusta at Rochester, 5:05est
Friday, February 20 Vermont at Halifax, 6:00est
Saturday, February 21 Mid-Mich. at Rochester, 2:05est
Sunday, March 22 Manchester at Halifax, 1:00est
Saturday, March 14 Augusta at Rochester, 2:05est
Tuesday, March 17 Wilmington at Rochester, 7:05est
Sunday, March 22 Buffalo at Rochester, 1:05est
Saturday, March 28 Montreal at Halifax, 6:00est
Saturday, March 28 Chicago at Rochester, 2:05est
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Premier Basketball League Stories from February 16, 2009
- Friel's 35 Points Helps Rochester Win Close Game vs Augusta, 121-119 - Rochester RazorSharks
- Panthers Waive Giovanni Riley - Detroit Panthers
- PBL Weekly Report - PBL
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