Skyforce wins 2005 CBA title
April 3, 2005 - Continental Basketball Association 1 (CBA 1) News Release
Rockford, IL (April 2, 2005) â The Sioux Falls Skyforce defeated the Rockford Lightning 135-126 in Game Four of the CBA Finals Saturday night at the Rockford MetroCentre behind the hot shooting of guard David Jackson and consistency of forward Corsley Edwards. The win captured the 2005 CBA Title three-games-to-one for Sioux Falls, giving the franchise its first CBA Championship since winning the title in 1996.
"I am just very blessed and fortunate to be around a group of guys that really care about each other," stated Skyforce Head Coach Dave Joerger, after receiving the Jay Ramsdell trophy during the post-game celebration. "They put the team in front of their individual goals, which is very rare to see. As far as the Sioux Falls community and the Skyforce owners and staff, they deserve this as well. They have worked hard and are very deserving of a title."
The Lightning jumped out to an early lead in the game, and held a 38-33 advantage after the first quarter behind 15 first-period points by Jermaine Walker. Rockford increased its lead to as many as 14 points (51-37) during the second stanza, before the Skyforce closed the gap to 65-60 at halftime.
After the intermission, the game belonged to Sioux Falls, as they posted 76 second-half points by shooting 55.1 percent (27 of 49) from the floor. The Skyforce outscored the Lightning 39-30 in the third period, and closed out the game by taking the fourth quarter 37-31.
"Sometimes when you want something so bad, you get away from your strengths, and you just start scrapping," stated Skyforce guard David Jackson. "Coach gave us a great halftime talk and we settled down in the second half."
Jackson led all scorers with 35 points, including eight of 14 from the behind the three-point line. Teammate Corsley Edwards added 29 points and 16 rebounds, and received 2005 CBA Playoff Most Valuable Player honors after averaging 21.1 points and 12.4 rebounds per game in nine postseason contests. David Bailey chipped in 26 points and 11 assists, while Jerome Beasley posted 24 points and 11 rebounds, giving the Skyforce three players with double-doubles in the game, much to the enjoyment of the Sioux Falls fans who made the trip to Rockford to witness the championship.
That was a big boost for us," remarked Joerger about the Skyforce fans. "When you have that many people who come that far to be behind us in our corner of the arena, it really helped our guys play well."
Joerger now boasts three CBA Titles in four seasons in the CBA, after winning two championships as head coach of the Dakota Wizards (2002, 2004) before taking over in Sioux Falls.
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Continental Basketball Association 1 Stories from April 3, 2005
- Skyforce wins 2005 CBA title - CBA 1
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