Slam Look to Keep Win Streak Alive this Weekend
May 24, 2012 - International Basketball League (IBL)
Bellingham Slam News Release
BELLINGHAM, Wash. - The Bellingham Slam, off to their best start in franchise history, look to keep things going with a pair of home games over the long holiday weekend.
The Slam will play host to the Olympia Reign on Friday at 7 p.m.before welcoming the Japan Tornadoes on Monday at 5 p.m. Both games will take place at Whatcom Pavilion.
The Slam heads into this weekend's action with a 7-1 record and a six-game winning streak. The start is the team's best ever through its first eight games, improving on its previous best, a 6-2 start to the 2008 season, the year the Slam won the IBL Championship.
Friday's match-up will feature the first of two visits to Bellinghamfrom their I-5 rivals, the Olympia Reign. The Slam have already faced the Reign twice on the road this season, coming away with a pair of 29-point victories.
On Monday in their annual Memorial Day game, the Slam will welcome the Japan Tornadoes, a squad competing in the International Basketball League comprised of players from top teams in the Basketball Japan League as well as American players. The Slam last played the Tornadoes during the 2009 season.
Bellingham continues to be led by veteran guard Paul Hafford, who just received the IBL's Player of the Week award and is averaging 23.3 points per, ranking him third in the league's scoring race. He also currently places second on the team in rebounding (6.3 per game) and steals (1.8). Morris Anderson, the team's pass-first point guard, has also emerged as one of the team's scoring leaders at 16.9 points per game and is coming off a 20-point night in the Slam's 112-107 win over Edmontonlast Friday. Another player to watch out for this weekend is rookie forward Jeremy Green, who has enjoyed his best games this season against Olympia. He scored a season-high 28 points in the two teams' last meeting on May 12, and over 70 percent of his total scoring output this season has come against the Reign.
Olympia, which has struggled to a 2-6 record to start the season, is being led a trio of former Evergreen State College standouts, guards Mike Ward (21.0 points per game) and Marcus Whittaker (14.1 points, 3.4 assists) and forward Nicholas Moore (17.0 points, 8.3 rebounds).
Monday's game for the Tornadoes, whose import players just arrived from Japanthis week, will be their second game of the season after they open at Vancouverthis Saturday.
Both home games this weekend will be broadcast live on KBAI 930 AM.
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International Basketball League Stories from May 24, 2012
- Slam Look to Keep Win Streak Alive this Weekend - Bellingham Slam
- IBL Report - May 24/12 - IBL
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