Slam Advance to Championship Game with Dominant Win over Salem
Published on July 4, 2013 under International Basketball League (IBL)
Bellingham Slam News Release
PORTLAND, Ore. - The Bellingham Slam used a big second half effort to defeat the Salem Sabres, 138-103, in the semi-finals of the International Basketball League playoffs at Eastmoreland Court on Thursday.
The Slam advance to the Championship game on Friday against the Vancouver Volcanoes, who eliminated the Portland Chinooks on their home floor in Thursday's other semi-final match, 117-109.
Bellingham, who swept the Sabres in their three regular season meetings, had trouble shaking Salem this time around. Center Blake Poole came out of the gate on fire, accounting for the Slam's first nine points on three-pointers before Bellingham ended the first quarter 25-18.
Salem battled back to take a brief lead, at 37-35 with 3:34 left in the second quarter, before the Slam responded with ten of the next twelve points to build up a five-point lead, at 47-42, heading into halftime.
It was all Bellingham to start the second half, rattling off ten straight points early to build a double-digit lead for the first time, at 57-44. Salem briefly narrowed the deficit to single digits, at 64-56 on a Sergio Rosario three-pointer with 5:57 left, but that would be as close as they would get at Bellingham ended the third quarter with a barrage of baskets to lead by 26, at 94-69.
The Slam continued to apply pressure in the fourth quarter, scoring 44 points to ensure Salem wouldn't make a comeback. They extended their lead to 30 for the first time with 9:43 left, at 102-72, and Salem was never able to eat into the lead much after that.
In a game in which every Slam player factored in the scoring, Poole led the way with 28 points while rookie guard Rico Wilkins had 24.
Salem was led by the 34 points of guard Jeff Dunn, who went 8-for-14 from beyond the arc. Forward Daniel Deane finished with a double-double of 14 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.
The Slam may have played the game with added motivation after learning the team had been shutout from the league's individual awards, ranging from league MVP to Rookie of the Year, which were announced prior to the start of the game.
With Bellingham and Vancouver advancing to the Championship game, it will mark the fourth time the two teams have met in the postseason. Their last meeting was in the semi-finals of the 2012 playoffs in Bellingham, with the Slam prevailing 127-98.
Friday's title game is set for 7 p.m. at Eastmoreland Court in Portland. The contest will be broadcast live on KGMI 790 AM and a live video stream will be available at www.ibltv.com.
International Basketball League Stories from July 4, 2013
- Slam Advance to Championship Game with Dominant Win over Salem - Bellingham Slam
- Today the Portland Chinnooks Make Their Move for a Championship - Portland Chinooks
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