Sports stats



Sound ready to make some noise in Rochester

March 18, 2006 - American Basketball Association (ABA)
Strong Island Sound News Release


Harlem, NY - The Strong Island Sound are headed to Rochester for the ABA's Great Eight Championship Tournament after defeating the Harlem Strong Dogs 112-107. The last month and a half for the Sound has been one of sensational highs and unbelievable runs. The Sound is now 7-0 in the last month (including playoffs) and will head to Rochester to face the winner of the Toledo Ice vs. Indiana Alleycats match up.

The Strong Dogs won the Roger Brown Division for the regular season with a 19-13 record, but Strong Island split the season series 2-2 all being close games. An energized crowd turned Hunter College into a great playoff atmosphere as both teams went back and forth at each other early on. Strong play from Chris Sandy (12p) and Roberto Gittens (11p) in the first half weren't enough to pull away from Harlem as the Sound committed 12 turnovers.

The team entered halftime with a tenuous 53-51 lead, knowing that Harlem was not going away. The team knew they had to re-focus on rebounding, especially on the offensive end as the Strong Dogs had 11 of their 18 first half boards on the offensive glass. The second half started out dead even as the teams traded baskets. Heading into the fourth 74-72 the Sound knew that this game would be no different from any other they had played down the stretch of the season - a nail-biter. The fourth quarter was brilliantly played by the Sound; they hit free throws, rebounded and broke Harlem's pressure time and time again. After building up a 10 point lead the Sound had to withstand a flurry of foul calls against them which slowed the game and kept Harlem around a little longer than necessary. For Harlem John Halas missed crucial free throws down the stretch and Reggie Roberson could not hit the shots that had killed Strong Island earlier in the season.

Fridge Holman iced the game at the line with an and-one lay-up with under a minute left. The victory was especially sweet for former Strong Dog Donald "Spyder" Harrison who was released by Coach Kenny Charles but has been an amazing addition to the Sound. Harrison had 14 of his 18 points in the second half, dominating his former team in the paint and on the perimeter. For Strong Island Chris Sandy once again hit the long-range threes that take the life out of his opponents and lead the team with 24 points on 9-15 shooting (4-6 3PT). For Harlem, who came down and scouted Strong Island in their first round playoff game against Birmingham, Kyle Williams and Kenya Caruthers lead the team with 22 points a piece.

SOUND: C. Sandy (24p+5as+5to+4st), R. Gittens (21p+11rb), F. Holman (18p), D. Harrison (18p+11rb+4bk)

STRONG DOGS: K. Williams (22p+7rb), K. Caruthers (22p+6rb), J. Halas (15p), R. Roberson (14p)

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.

• Discuss this story on the American Basketball Association message board...

American Basketball Association Stories from March 18, 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.

Other Recent Strong Island Sound Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central