Playoffs Set

Published on March 25, 2002 under United Indoor Football Association (UIF)
Ohio Valley Greyhounds News Release


Boise, Idaho (March, 25, 2002)— The Continental Basketball Association announced that the 2002 Playoffs will tip-off at 7:05 p.m. CST Tuesday, March 26 in the Fargo Dome (Fargo, N.D.) when the Fargo-Moorhead Beez host the National Conference regular season champion Dakota (Bismarck, N.D) Wizards. The Rockford (Ill.) Lightning, the American Conference regular season champs, will begin their quest for their first CBA championship in 16 seasons Thursday, March 28 when they host the Sioux Falls Skyforce at the Rockford Metro Centre. Tip-off is also set for 7:05 p.m. CST. See the complete playoff schedule listed below.

The top two teams in each conference qualified for the best-of-five conference championships. Regular season conference champs Dakota and Rockford have home-court advantage. The team with the highest regular season quarter-point average will host the one-game championship. Due to arena availability in Bismarck the series will take on a 1-3-1 format (as apposed to the 2-2-1 format in the American Conference) and the Wizards will be unable to host the final game should they win the conference championship.

The fate of the American Conference playoff contenders was determined on March 23. Grand Rapids kept its hopes momentarily alive with a 126-111 victory (6,1) over the Flint Fuze. Those hopes were extinguished, however, when the Lightning took five quarter points in a 117-109 win over the Gary Steelheads. Dakota then helped clinch Rockford's fourth American Conference regular season title with a 94-87 (6,1) victory in Sioux Falls. Rockford and Sioux Falls each finished with 213.5 quarter points, and even though Sioux Falls won the season series 7-6, Rockford won the tie-breaker by capturing more quarter points (47.5-43.5) in their head-to-head matchups.

This marks just the second time since the CBA implemented the quarter point system in 1981 that a regular season conference champ has been determined by a tie-breaker. Rockford and the Quad City Thunder each finished with 227 quarter points in the 1995-96 regular season, but Rockford won the tie-breaker and, subsequently, the Mideast Division and American Conference regular season titles.

Rockford has now made it to CBA postseason play in nine straight seasons, while the Skyforce is in the postseason for the eighth consecutive season. Sioux Falls has reached the CBA Finals three times ('96, '98, '99), winning its lone title in 1996. This is the first time the Lightning and Skyforce have met in postseason play.

The Lightning will enter the playoffs behind the frontcourt duo of Dickey Simpkins (20.5 ppg, 11.9 rpg) and four time Player of the Week Jeff Sanders (18.4 ppg, 10 rpg). The Skyforce will counter with a host of recent acquisitions in Carl Thomas (17.1 ppg), Eric Taylor (15.9 ppg), Ricky Moore (15.1 ppg) and veteran sharp shooter Henry James (12.4 ppg).

In the National Conference, the top-seeded Dakota Wizards are led by CBA leading scorer and four-time Player of the Week award winner Miles Simon (23 ppg, 5.1 apg). The Beez will answer with the high-octane backcourt of Ruben Nembhard (22.1 ppg, 6.6 apg), Rico Hill (14.6 ppg, 6 rpg) and Billy Keys (15.7 ppg, 5.6 apg).

The Beez won the season series 5-3, including a 93-90 victory in the regular season finale on March 24.

NATIONAL CONFERENCE SERIES

Fargo (#2) vs. Dakota (#1)

Day Date Visitor Home Time Tuesday March 26 Dakota Fargo 7:05 Wednesday March 27 Fargo Dakota 7:05 Friday March 29 Fargo Dakota 7:05 Sunday March 31 Fargo Dakota 7:05 Tuesday April 2 Dakota Fargo 7:05

AMERICAN CONFERENCE SERIES

Sioux Falls (#2) vs. Rockford (#1)

Day Date Visitor Home Time Thursday March 28 Sioux Falls Rockford 7:05 Saturday March 30 Sioux Falls Rockford 1:05 Sunday March 31 Rockford Sioux Falls 7:05 Tuesday April 2 Rockford Sioux Falls 7:05 Thursday April 4 Sioux Falls Rockford 7:05

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United Indoor Football Association Stories from March 25, 2002


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