Slam face toughest challenge yet in Friday's IBL Championship
July 15, 2010 - International Basketball League (IBL)
Bellingham Slam News Release
ALBANY, N.Y. - The Bellingham Slam will face perhaps their toughest challenge in franchise history as they play the Albany Legends in the 2010 International Basketball League Championship game on Friday. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. local time at the Washington Avenue Armory in Albany.
The Slam, seeded sixth at the start of the playoffs, upset the Los Angeles Lightning in the second round of the IBL's postseason tournament in Portland, Ore., before easily dispatching the Yamhill Highflyers in the third round on July 3.
Bellingham finished the regular season with a 13-7 record, but six of their losses were by three points or fewer. Despite finishing with the most losses in the team's three-year stint in the IBL, the Slam appear to be peaking at the right time as they have won their last four games by an average margin of nearly 27 points.
Albany, who finished the regular season with a league-best record of 16-3, were fortunate to escape the second round of the playoffs as they needed a buzzer-beating bucket in regulation to force overtime and eventually eliminate the eighth-seeded Battle Creek Knights with a 119-117 win. The next day, the Legends dominated the Vancouver Volcanoes, 124-105, in the third round to earn a spot in the title game. Finishing with the league's best record gave Albany to right to host the title match.
The Slam have faced plenty of tough challenges while playing in the IBL, most notably in 2008 when they defeated the two-time defending champion Elkhart Express in the title game, but this game will certainly be their toughest yet as not only is the opponent as or more formidable than the Express, but the game must be won away from the friendly confines of Whatcom Pavilion. Never before has a road team won the IBL Championship game in the league's five-year history.
This season, the Slam have been led by guard Jacob Stevenson, a Bellingham native who has played for the team since it started in 2005. Stevenson is the team's leading scorer, averaging 25.8 points per game, best in the league among players who appeared in at least 20 games. He also ranks fifth in the league in assists, at 6.7 per game.
Guards Paul Hafford and Ryan Diggs finished as the Slam's second and third best scorers in 2010 with 17.4 and 16.4 points per game averages, respectively. Hafford, a co-MVP of the 2008 Championship game, and Diggs, the MVP of this season's conference playoff tournament in Portland, both have the ability to take over games with their offensive ability.
Center Ike Ohanson and forward Lukas Henne have been dependable options in the post, with Ohanson averaging 14 points and a team-leading 11.3 rebounds per game. Henne saved his best for the playoffs, as his defensive efforts against Los Angeles, punctuated by five blocked shots, helped the Slam pull off the second-round upset.
Guards Morris Anderson and Derrick Webb have proven to be important contributors in their rookie professional seasons. Anderson has been one of the IBL's top point guards, averaging 12.9 points, 6.8 assists, and 5.1 rebounds per game. Webb has demonstrated to be a reliable option off the bench as of late for Bellingham, averaging 17.8 points in the team's last four games.
Another player the Slam may need to play an important role is forward Tyler Amaya, who returned to the team in June after a stint on New Zealand. Amaya suffered an ankle injury in just his second game back, but that has fully healed and he should be ready to go on Friday.
The Albany Legends boast a roster with seven former NCAA Division-I athletes. They are led by ex-NBA and Cincinnati guard Kenny Satterfield, who comes in averaging 19.0 points and 8.2 assists per game. Two other key contributors are forward Gordon Klaiber, who leads the team with 19.5 points per game and also averages 7.5 assists, and center DeAndre Thomas, who at 6-foot-8 and 300 pounds, is averaging 16.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per contest and provides an imposing presence in the post for the Legends. Overall, Albany sports a balanced attack with eight players averaging double-digits in scoring.
KBAI-AM 930 will broadcast the game live from Albany with Doug Lange and Mark Scholten handling the play-by-play. A live internet stream of the broadcast will also be available at www.930kbai.com. The broadcast will begin at 4:35 p.m. Pacific time.
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International Basketball League Stories from July 15, 2010
- Slam face toughest challenge yet in Friday's IBL Championship - Bellingham Slam
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