Slam Eye Top Playoff Spot Heading Into Season's Final Month
Published on June 2, 2011 under International Basketball League (IBL)
Bellingham Slam News Release
BELLINGHAM, Wash.- Heading into the final month of the 2011 International
Basketball League season, the Bellingham Slam still have a shot at securing the
league's best regular season record and the coveted number one seed in the IBL's
championship tournament.
The Slam will face a big step in reaching that goal this weekend as they face
the division-leading Vancouver Volcanoes in a home-and-home series this
weekend. The two teams play each other at Whatcom Pavilion on Friday, before
heading to Vancouverfor a re-match on Saturday. Both games tip-off at 7 p.m.
The Slam come into Friday's game in fourth place in the IBL with a 10-4 record,
while Vancouversits in third place with a 9-3 record. A pair of wins would
vault Bellinghaminto third place and within striking distance of first,
currently held by the Albany Legends, the defending league champions.
But grabbing a pair of wins won't be easy for the Slam, particularly on Saturday
in Vancouverwhere the team has historically not played well. The Slam holds a
5-0 lifetime record against the Volcanoes in games played in Bellingham, but are
just 1-4 in games played in Vancouver. So far this season, the Slam hold a 2-1
edge in the season series with the Volcanoes, with both teams taking care of
business on their respective home courts.
In the first three games of the series so far, the Slam have used a rotating
cast to power the offense, with guards Mo Anderson, Paul Hafford, and Ira Graham
each finishing as a leading scorer in one of the three games. On the other
side, guard Andre Murray has shouldered much of the scoring burden for
Vancouver, averaging 24.7 points in his three games against the Slam.
Following the weekend series against the Volcanoes, the Slam head to Olympiafor
a pair of road games before closing out the regular season at home against the
Kankakee Soldiers of Illinois on June 26. The Soldiers are currently ranked
second in the IBL, making it likely that the outcome of that game will also have
an impact on playoff seeding.
CURRENT IBL STANDINGS
1. Albany Legends 12-3
2. Kankakee Soldiers 10-3
3. Vancouver Volcanoes 9-3
4. Bellingham Slam 10-4
5. West Coast Hotshots 7-4
6. Edmonton Energy 5-4
7. Gary Splash 8-7
8. Olympia Reign 5-7
9. Portland Chinooks 5-8
International Basketball League Stories from June 2, 2011
- Slam Eye Top Playoff Spot Heading Into Season's Final Month - Bellingham Slam
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