PBL Weekly Report
Published on March 2, 2009 under 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
In a battle of division leaders, both hoping to make the playoffs out of the PBL's Eastern Division, the Augusta Groove hosted Wilmington on Sunday night. Yet despite 22 points in 36 minutes from Demetrius Howard, 16 points from Donielle Davis, and 13 points from Kendrick "Modie" Johnson, the Groove watched the game slip away by virtue of the short end of a 40-22 final quarter, and with that, a 104-87 loss to the Sea Dawgs.
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
It was "Salvation Army" night at Kellogg Arena, with the charitable organization collecting non-perishable foods and goods in exchange for Knights tickets. And those who attended the game received plenty of excitement - the Knights, buoyed by Kenny Langhorne's 24 points and a 19-point, 10-rebound off-the-bench performance by Frank Phillips, not only defeated the Buffalo Stampede 114-90, but with the win, the Knights clinched the PBL Central Division title - and with that, a postseaon spot.
On Sunday night, Battle Creek took on Detroit in a road game at Birmingham Groves High School. Despite falling behind 27-13 in the first quarter, Battle Creek battled back, only to lose in the final seconds 110-108. Florentino Valencia's 19 points led all Knights in scoring; however, the Knights' top gunslingers, Kenny Langhorne and Rashi Johnson, were held to 11 and 7 points, respectively.
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
The Buffalo Stampede hoped to pick up an upset victory on their Michigan road trip, but the Battle Creek Knights pinned down the Stampede 114-90. Tyrone Rayson joined four other Stampeders in double figures with 18 points on the board; Kevin Ross' 16 points included a team-high 10 rebounds.
Chicago Throwbacks
430 East 162nd Street, Suite 507
South Holland IL 60473
Office: (219) 588-3071
Fax: (219) 884-4558
Head coach: Charles Scott
Home arena: Attack Athletics
chicagothrowbacks.com
With the season winding down to a close, the Chicago Throwbacks traveled to New Hampshire for a matchup against the Manchester Millrats. But despite 22 team-leading points off the bench from Dameon Mason, the Throwbacks fell to the Manchester Millrats 124-105. Willie Mitchell added 19 points, while Stanley Thomas (18 pts, 11 rebs) and Casey Love (13 pts, 12 rebs) picked up double-doubles for the Windy City crew.
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
Trying to keep their razor-thin playoff hopes alive, the Detroit Panthers hosted division-leading Battle Creek Sunday night at Birmingham Groves High School. In the game, Randy Gill lit the place on fire, as "White Chocolate" finished with 35 points and 14 assists in the Panthers' 110-108 upset victory over the Knights. Willie Mitchell popped 20 into the cylinder; while Chuck Bailey's 17 points were augmented with a team-high 15 rebounds.
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
As six Rainmen players sored in double figures, including David Bailey's team-high 19 points, Halifax remained in the PBL playoff hunt with a 95-84 road victory over the Quebec Kebs. In addition to Bailey's 19 points, Eric Crookshank added 17 points, while Tony Bennett put up 13 points and 9 assists. Bailey also had 10 rebounds, while Crookshank led the Rainmen with 12 boards and three blocks. Reggie George had a nice debut with 6 points and 4 rebounds in 13 minutes of play. "Reggie George just came in this week," said Halifax head coach Les Berry, "and he gave us size when we needed it."
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
With a large crowd of 1,206 cheering their Granite State stars at the Southern New Hampshire University arena, the Manchester Millrats picked up their eighth straight victory, 124-105 over the Chicago Throwbacks. Tommy Mitchell's 23 points were tops for Manchster; Mitchell was perfect from the free-throw line, hitting 10 of 10, while Al Stewart added 15 points and Marlowe Currie notched 14. Kenyon Gamble led the team in rebounds, pulling down 15 boards. "The guys are really gelling together and you could see that tonight," stated Millrats head coach Rob Spon. "There was no quit in Chicago, they played hard, but we just executed when it mattered."
Team Montreal
Contact info TBA
Head coach: Tito Destin
Home arena: Ãcole Lucien-Pagé
montrealsasquatch.com
Team Montreal did not play this week.
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
Despite 20 points apiece from Michael Anderson and the newly-signed John Ruffus, and a 34-point second quarter that gave the Kebs a 10-point lead at halftime, Quebec lost the home contest to the Halifax Rainmen, 95-84, in front of over 2,000 fans at Pavilillion de la Jeunesse. Ruffus, who began the season with the Montreal Sasquat'ch, also had 13 rebounds for a double-double. "John was outstanding in the second quarter," said Dube-Brais. "He's a good factor for us and he's going to be a great improvement for our ball club." Jean-Philippe Morin had 16 points, including 3 three-point baskets. Joining the loyal Kebs fans were several vanloads of Nova Scotia natives who traveled around the Bay of Fundy to cheer on their Rainmen, and the cheers of "Let's Go Rain-Men" and "Go Kebs Go" alternated in support and loudness.
Quebec's woes continued on Sunday night, as only eight healthy players took the court against Vermont on Sunday night, leading to the Kebs' 126-72 road loss. John Ruffus was again the high scorer for the Kebs, putting in 20 points and nine rebounds; while Michael Anderson added 19 points of his own. The 54-point margin of loss was the second-largest spread in PBL history; the Rochester Razorsharks defeated Mid-Michigan 141-86 on February 7, 2009. The 72 points Quebec scored amounted to the second-lowest scoring output in league history; surpassed only by the 71 points scored by the Reading Railers in a February 9, 2008 loss to Rochester.
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 Rochester Razorsharks did not play this week.
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
In front of a boisterous Sunday night at the Burlington Memorial Auditorium, the Vermont Frost Heaves decimated the Quebec Kebs 126-72. The Heaves, who have never lost a home game at Burlington in their franchise history, dominated their opponents on virtually every offensive category, averaging 58% from the floor (52 of 89), while holding the Kebs to a second-half limit of 22% shooting (7 for 31) in field goals. In the win, eight of Vermont's eleven dressed players scored 10 points or more, with Benson Callier's 19 points leading the team. Richard Millsap also had a strong night, with a double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds. John Williams added 18 points, while Thomas Sanders had 15 points and three steals. "The guys did a tremendous job," said Vermont Head Coach Will Voight. "We got a little sloppy in the second quarter, and we wanted to come down in the second half and set the tempo. Any time you can hold a team to 22% shooting, it's impressive."
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
Wilmington traveled to Augusta for a Sunday night battle of PBL wild card contenders, and thanks to a 40-point final quarter, augmented by a 29-point, 10-rebound night by Alex Harper, Wilmington defeated the Groove 104-87. Cedric McGinnis added 19 points in the win, while Jermaine Williams added 16. The Sea Dawgs bench outscored Augusta's bench 52-18; Wilmington shot 47.0 percent from the floor, to just 38.8% for the Groove.
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
Feb 15 - Desmond Ferguson, Manchester
Feb 22 - Randy Gill, Detroit
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 23 Halifax Rainmen - Signs Reggie George. Releases Kevin Hammack.
February 25 Quebec Kebs - Signs John Ruffus and Daryl Hill. Releases Simplice N'Joya.
Manchester Millrats - Signs Jamaal Wise. Places Aaron Spears on Injured Reserve.
February 26 Vermont Frost Heaves - Selects Luke Lloyd in the Mid-Michigan Destroyers dispersal draft.
February 27 Buffalo Stampede - Signs Mackenzie Clark. Releases Karl Rainey.
PBL BROADCAST SCHEDULE
@SPORTSTV (http://www.at-sportstv.com)
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
PBL PLAYOFF FORMAT AND DETERMINATIONS:
The division winners in each of the three PBL divisions will receive an automatic bid to the playoffs. The two teams with the next best overall regular season record will play a one game wildcard playoff game to determine the fourth team. The wildcard game will be played on the home court of the best record between the two competing teams.
The teams will be seeded 1-4 based on regular season records. If there is a tie for a seeding, the tie breaker system described below will be implemented. Seed #1 will play Seed #4 and Seed #2 will play Seed #3 in a best of three format. The higher seed will have home court advantage and host games 1 and 3 (if necessary). Game two will be played at the lower seeds home court.
The two winners of the 1st Round of Playoffs will advance to the best of three Championship Finals. Home court advantage will belong to the club with the higher seed and they will host games 1 and 3 (if necessary). Game two will be played at the lower seed's home court.
The "Magic Numbers" shown indicate the number of wins by the leading wild card team, combined with the number of losses by the team not in the wild card lead, that will eliminate that team from playoff contention. The two numbers shown are the comparisons between the first and second wild card teams, and the team outside of the wild card lead.
TIE-BREAKER SYSTEM: In case of a tie, the winner of the division or a playoff position will be determined by (1) winning percentage; (2) if still a tie, head-to-head record shall determine the winner; (3) if still a tie, head-to-head record against each team in their division will determine the winner; (4) if still a tie, points scored in head to head competition will determine the winner; (5) and if still a tie, average margin of victory in head to head competition will determine the winner.
Premier Basketball League Stories from March 2, 2009
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.
