Slam Seeks to Return to Winning Ways Friday vs. Olympia
Published on May 8, 2014 under International Basketball League (IBL)
Bellingham Slam News Release
BELLINGHAM, Wash. - The Bellingham Slam looks to get back on track with a home-and-home series against the Olympia Reign this weekend. The Slam hosts the Reign at Whatcom Pavilion in International Basketball League play on Friday, with a 7 p.m. scheduled tip off.
The Slam is coming off a 119-116 loss to the Portland Chinooks at home on May 2. Competing with just eight available players, the Slam rallied from a 19-point second half deficit to tie the game late, only to see Portland eek ahead at the end. The setback snapped the Slam's 22-game home court winning streak which had dated back to the 2012 season.
The Reign, playing their first game of the season Friday, will find themselves facing off against a Slam team in an unusual position. For the first time since early in the 2009 season, Bellingham will come into a game with a losing record, at 1-2. It's a stat anyone in a Slam uniform will be eager to rectify.
The Slam offense currently features a pair of 20-point scorers, with guards Mo Anderson and rookie Sam Freeman averaging 22 and 20.5 points per game, respectively. Veteran guard and IBL all-time leading scorer Jacob Stevenson isn't far behind with a 19 points per game scoring average, while center Blake Poole is currently averaging a double-double with 15 points and 12.3 rebounds per contest.
Despite the gaudy scoring numbers, the Slam will likely come into Friday's match with a renewed emphasis on defense. Bellingham is currently allowing an average of 113 points per game, up significantly from the 100 points allowed per game in 2013, when the team captured its second of back-to-back IBL championships.
To provide additional roster depth, the Slam has added 5-foot-10 guard Robert Harris, Jr., formerly of the University of Idaho and WWU, to the roster for this weekend's games. He replaces guard Richard Woodworth, who left the team last week.
Olympia will have a bit of star power on its bench as the team is coached by former NBA first round draft pick of the Seattle Sonics, Vladimir Stepania. Stepania played six seasons in the NBA from 1998 to 2004.
Friday's game at Whatcom Pavilion will kick off a busy stretch for the Slam, as the team will play back-to-back games every weekend for the next five weeks.
Next weekend, the Slam host their annual game at Lynden High School against the Salem Sabres on May 16 before returning to Whatcom Pavilion to face the Reign again on May 17.
For more information contact the Bellingham Slam at (360) 734-SLAM or visit their website at www.bellinghamslam.com.
International Basketball League Stories from May 8, 2014
- Slam Seeks to Return to Winning Ways Friday vs. Olympia - Bellingham Slam
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