Skyrockets win 16th in a row at playoffs

Published on March 23, 2006 under American Basketball Association (ABA)
Minot Skyrockets News Release


Rochester, NY. The #3-seeded San Jose Skyrockets (31-5) traveled to Rochester, NY for the ABA Great Eight Playoff Tournament to face their division rival, Bellingham Slam (20-15), who had upset #5 seed Pittsburgh Xplosion to qualify for this tournament. Having a depleted roster of 8 players, the Slam put on a great fight from the start, going on a 7-0 run from the outset. Point guard Caleb Gervin of the Slam put on quite a show, scoring 14 points in the first quarter alone. The Skyrockets were down as much as 11 points, but finished the quarter with a 10-2 run, resulting in a 31-28 lead for Bellingham.

Bellingham's hot shooting continued onto the second quarter as the Slam pushed their lead to as much as 15 points. The Slam held a significant advantage from the field, shooting 57.8% vs 44% for the Skyrockets and also shot extremely well from beyond the arc (42.1% vs 30.8%). The Skyrockets had many more free throw opportunities, but failed to convert them (11/21 for 52.4% vs Slam's 5/7 for 71.4%). But amazingly, San Jose still remained close, only down by 65-59 at halftime.

San Jose came out in the second half looking more focused and determined. Matt Luedtke scored three consecutive 3-pointers for the Skyrockets, giving the Skyrockets the lead for the first time in the game, 68-65. Both teams struggled to maintain dominance, as they exchanged leads 5 times in the 3rd quarter. It wasn't until the 4 quarter, however, that the Skyrockets activated their killer instinct and outscored the Slam, 43-27, ultimately securing the victory with a score of 138-119 to advance to Saturday's semi-final contest against the hosting team, co-#1-seed Rochester Razorsharks.

As has been the norm during the season, the Skyrockets had a balanced attack with 7 players in double figures, led by Lamar Castile with 29 points, while power forward Rick Winston finished with 18 points and team-leading 9 rebounds. Luedtke scored 16, while Todd Okeson and Jason Smith each contributed 15 points. Defensive specialist Jamar Howard chipped in 14, while point Anthony Lumpkin scored 10 for the Skyrockets.

Bellingham was led by Caleb Gervin with a game-high 47 points, while Mike Parker finished with 25. Mike Bush contributed 14, and Craig Roosendall had 11 points for the Slam.

The Skyrockets continue their inaugural postseason run as they put their 16-game winning streak on the line to face the co-#1 seed Rochester RazorSharks in the ABA semis on Saturday at 12pm. For more information, call 408 293 3788 or visit www.sjskyrockets.com or www.abalive.com.

Note: OurSports Central no longer actively covers the American Basketball Association (ABA) as a professional league due in part to its inability to publish and play a schedule and the transitory nature of many of its teams. For information on professional minor leagues, please see OSC's basketball section.

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



American Basketball Association Stories from March 23, 2006


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.

OurSports Central