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Sound pony up Express, 89-82

November 26, 2006 - American Basketball Association (ABA)
Strong Island Sound News Release


Selden, NY-"It wasn't a pretty game, but it's a win," is how Strong Island Sound head coach Dytanya Mixson summed it up when speaking to his team in the locker room following the 89-82 victory over the Newark Express. Perhaps the Sound were a bit winded from their overtime loss to the Maryland Nighthawks less than 24 hours prior to tip-off on Saturday night at Suffolk Community College. But good teams find ways to win even not on their best nights, and Strong Island remains in first place in the Blue North Division while improving their record to 5-3.

Both teams started on a quick pace and there wasn't a whistle for a foul until the four minute mark of the first quarter. The Sound had a one point lead at the end of one, 22-21. The second quarter resembled a run and gun style for both clubs with sloppy playing on both ends, which included numerous turnovers and fast break baskets. 12 turnovers for the Sound compared to six for Newark resulted in a 43-39 half time lead for the Express.

Jerome "Fridge" Holman, playing in only his second game back with Strong Island, gave his team a 47-45 lead following a three-pointer and a fast break lay-up on consecutive possessions, resulting in five of his 13 points. Holman also chipped in with seven each on rebounds and assists. Greg Plummer (15 points, 3 steals) gave the Sound a 62-60 lead at the end of three with a steal and a lay-up.

End to end basketball continued and the Sound clamped down with a strong defense. With 6:36 remaining in the game and trailing 73-72, the Express were forced to use their final time out attempting to inbound the ball in the offensive zone. Elijah Thorpe (18 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists) could not find an open man and needed to call time before being penalized. That proved to be crucial as Newark had no way to stop the clock other than fouling the rest of the way.

The Express took a short-lived lead until Michael Campbell hit a three-pointer with five minutes remaining and a 78-77 Sound advantage. A steal by Plummer resulted in 1 of 2 free throws. Darren 'DP' Phillip hit one from the line with 2:12 left, then after getting a much needed stop, DP hit a bank shot with 45 seconds left and an 80-77 lead. DP remained in the game even though he committed his sixth foul at the 3:42 mark.

Following a field goal by Newark, Campbell was fouled and hit both to make the score 84-79. After another stop, the unique ABA 6th foul rule came into play, but not against the Sound. Zakee Boyd of Newark scored 19 points in the game but also committed his seventh foul against Plummer, who promptly went to the line and sank all three free throws for an 87-79 lead. The Sound retained possession and Newark was forced to keep fouling to ensure time didn't run out. Doing their job from the charity stripe, the Sound maintained their lead and prevailed, 89-82.

"As a team, we didn't shoot well," stated Campbell, who was tied with Phillip as the game high scorer with 23 points. "But we buckled down on 'D.'" Campbell completed his double-double with 15 rebounds. A monster game from Phillip on the boards with 21 was instrumental in the team getting the job done down low.

"It's an old philosophy-when offensive guys play defense, their offense dies," stated Mixson afterwards. "We're a shooting ballclub, consistent from the 'three.' We live with the shot. We showed our versatility playing defense tonight. It was a team effort."

In their next home game, the Sound host the Vermont Frost Heaves at Suffolk Community College on Friday December 1st at 7:30 p.m. Vermont, owned by Sports Illustrated senior writer Alexander Wolff, comes into the game with a 3-1 record, their only blemish being a 110-108 overtime loss on opening night at Quebec City.

For ticket information, please visit the Strong Island Sound's official team website, www.strongislandsound.com .

Listen up for the new Strong Island Sound team song by "The Illiance"while at the game! Keep your eyes out for our mascot, Sheykan Bayke, and our new dance team, the Sound Dancers!

Note: OurSports Central no longer actively covers the American Basketball Association (ABA) as a professional league due in part to its inability to publish and play a schedule and the transitory nature of many of its teams. For information on professional minor leagues, please see OSC's basketball section.



American Basketball Association Stories from November 26, 2006


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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