Slam Wrap up Regular Season on Sunday
June 24, 2011 - International Basketball League (IBL)
Bellingham Slam News Release
BELLINGHAM, Wash. -The Bellingham Slam welcome the Kankakee Soldiers of Illinois to town as they wrap up the 2011 International Basketball League season with a home game on Sunday. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m.at Whatcom Pavilion.
The game will feature two of the top teams in the IBL, with Bellingham sitting in third place with a 13-5 record, and Kankakee just a half-game behind at 12-5. The Slam will need a win to have a chance at finishing in one of the top two spots in the IBL standings, currently being held by the Albany Legends and Edmonton Energy, respectively.
Bellinghamis looking to finish first or second in the league, as that would afford the Slam the luxury of receiving a first round bye in the IBL Championship Tournament, which tips off in Vancouver, Wash.on July 1. The single-elimination tournament will feature the top six teams in the league, with the bottom four teams playing first round games on July 1, with the winners joining the first- and second-place teams in the semi-finals on July 2. In a departure from the playoff format of previous seasons, the IBL championship game will be played the following day on July 3, and will feature the winners of the two semi-final games. All games will take place at the O'Connell Sports Complex at ClarkCollege.
The Slam are playing their first home game in over three weeks, after squeaking by the Vancouver Volcanoes, 107-106, atthe Pavilion on June 3. Since then, Bellinghamhas posted a pair of road victories against the Olympia Reign, most recently a 125-107 triumph on Tuesday. In that game, Slam leading scorer Jacob Stevenson torched the Olympiadefense for 32 points, while forward Lukas Henne posted totals of 16 points, ten rebounds and five blocks. Starting center Blake Poole missed the game due to food poisoning, but will be back in the lineup on Sunday.
Sunday's tilt with Kankakeewill be the one and only chance for local fans to catch forward Tyler Amaya in action at home this season. Amaya missed most of the season recovering from a knee injury he suffered while playing in Syriathis winter. He only recently re-joined the Slam roster, and will be playing his third game of the IBL season on Sunday, making him eligible to participate in the playoffs.
Tip-off for Sunday's game will be at 5 p.m.at Whatcom Pavilion. The game will be broadcast live on KGMI 790 AM and online at www.kgmi.com.
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International Basketball League Stories from June 24, 2011
- Slam Wrap up Regular Season on Sunday - Bellingham Slam
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