Steelheads and Lightning set to spar again
February 7, 2006 - Continental Basketball Association 1 (CBA 1)
Gary Steelheads News Release
After consecutive wins over the Rockford Lightning last weekend, the Gary Steelheads travel to the MetroCentre in Rockford for a third straight meeting Tuesday night. The Steelheads stand at a high water mark for the season of four games over .500 at 19-15, with a quarter point average of 3.9. Gary has won 4 of its last 5 games.
The back-to-back wins over the Lightning Friday and Saturday night capped a very solid week for the Steelheads, in which Gary won three of four games and picked up 20 quarter points for their efforts. In addition to the two Lightning wins, the Steelheads picked up their first 7-point road win of the season at Dakota last Wednesday night.
In the most recent meeting between the Steelheads and the Lightning, Gary prevailed at the Genesis Center, 120-110. The Steelheads started quickly, scoring 13 of the first 15 points in the game. But the Lightning fought back and took the lead at 22-20. Gary then outscored Rockford 7-2 in the final 1:14 to take the first quarter. Gary won the second quarters as well, before the Lightning hit stride for a 36-28 quarter win. But the Steelheads bounced back and fought off Rockford's comeback with a 37-31 fourth quarter win.
The Steelheads benefitted from balanced scoring, with six players in double figures. Guard Jimmie "Snap" Hunter paced Gary with 28 points, while Brian Chase scored 25 and Robert Griffin added 16 points. Newly-acquired forward Carl Mitchell contributed a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds.
The Lightning were paced by All Star guard Ronnie Fields, who scored a season-high 33 points with 10 rebounds. He committed only one turnover in one of his finest overall performances for Rockford. Guard Cordell Henry, always tough on the Steelheads, scored 22 points, while rookie forward Roger Powell added a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Fish Hooks
- Tonight's game is the 57th CBA meeting between these Eastern Conference rivals, with the Lightning having a 32-24 edge. This is the 9th meeting between the two teams this season, with Gary having a 5-3 lead. Both teams have won once on the other team's home court. The last Rockford meeting between the teams took place at the MetroCentre on January 26th, with the Lightning prevailing 116-108.
- On Wednesday of last week, the Steelheads traded forward Edmund Saunders to the Albany Patroons for All Star forward Carl Mitchell. Mitchell is one of the more intriguing players in the CBA, possessing quickness, strength and shooting skill. He currently averages 13.6 ppg. and ranks 5th in the CBA in rebounding at 8.6 rpg. During the season he has ranked among the leading three point shooters in the league, currently hitting at a .415 clip. Mitchell also shoots .497 from the field and .804 from the foul line. Against the Lightning on Saturday night. Mitchell picked up his first double-double in a Steelheads' uniform with 11 points and 13 rebounds. He also added 2 steals and a blocked shot.
- Center Chris Alexander's streak of double-double ballgames was stopped at four on Saturday night against the Lightning, as he scored 2 points with 4 rebounds in 27 minutes. He now has six double-doubles on the season, tied for the best on the team. During his double-double string, he averaged 13.3 ppg. and 12.3 rpg. Since joining the Steelheads, Alexander has averaged 9.5 ppg. and 11.0 rebounds. He currently ranks second in the CBA in rebounding at 9.3 rpg., and he is third in the league in blocked shots at 1.5 bpg. Alexander was the Steelheads' nominee for CBA Player of the Week three weeks ago. He turned in two double-double performances in Gary's victories over Idaho and Yakama. He averaged 16 ppg. and 13.5 rpg. for the week. Rockford guard Marlon Parmer won the award that week, averaging 23 ppg. and 11 apg. for the week.
- The Steelheads received a big lift as the second half of the CBA season began. Forward Randy Holcomb finished a ten-day call-up with the Chicago Bulls prior to the All Star Game. He flew to Boise for the mid-season classic and was named the game's MVP, the first player in Steelheads' history to earn an MVP award in the mid-season classic. Holcomb earned the honor, even though his Eastern team fell to the Western stars, 119-110. The 6-foot-8 forward scored 22 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in a losing cause. Holcomb has anchored the Steelheads' front line from the beginning of the season. The last player cut in the Chicago Bulls' training camp, Holcomb ranked 9th in the CBA in scoring (20.2 ppg.) and 7th in the league in rebounding (7.8 rpg.) when he was signed to a 10-day contract. His six double-doubles is tied for the team.
- Guard Jimmie "Snap" Hunter leads the CBA in scoring with a 27.0 ppg. average. "Snap" now has logged three of the CBA's top seven individual game scoring performances this year, including his 41-point effort at Rockford a week ago Thursday night. "Snap" has also logged 40 and 39-point scoring efforts against the Lightning this year. Hunter also ranks among the league leaders in assists (5.3 apg.), steals (1.8 spg.), three point shooting (.434) and blocked shots (1.0 bpg.). "Snap" was nominated for CBA "Player of the Week" this week. The award went to forward Kasib Powell of the Dakota Wizards.
- Steelheads' coach Jaren Jackson believes "Snap" is ready for the NBA. "Snap has proven that he belongs in the NBA," said Jackson, an NBA veteran himself. "He has improved his defensive game to compliment his great scoring ability. Since the beginning of this season, he has shown that he is the best guard in the CBA. I am happy to have been a part of his improved play this season. I have been in awe of Snap's basketball skills since becoming his coach. I mention him in the same light as many of the top NBA guards I played against in my own NBA career. Any NBA team will be lucky to have him."
- Guard Brian Chase now ranks third in the CBA in three-point shooting with a .455 percentage. He is the league's leading free throw shooter at .962, having hit 51-of-53 on the year. He went 8-for-8 from the line in two games against the Lightning last weekend.
- Don't look now, but Lonnie Randolph is starting on a roll. After scoring 3 points in 6 minutes at Dakota on Wednesday night, the Steelheads' rookie turned in 17 solid minutes Friday night in the victory over the Lightning. Randolph scored a career best 8 points, with 4 assists and 3 rebounds. He also had a steal and a blocked shot.
- The Steelheads' victory over the Lightning Friday night marks the second time this year that Gary has broken a Lightning win streak. Friday night's win broke an 8-game streak, while the Steelheads' 118-102 win over the Lightning on December 30th ended a 7-game streak for the Bolts.
- The Lightning have shown tremendous balance, with four players ranked in the CBA's top 16 in scoring. Marlon Parmer leads the Lightning with a 22.0 ppg. scoring average, ranking 3rd in the CBA. Roger Powell is right behind him at 21.9 ppg., ranking 4th in the league. On the strength of his 33-point effort on Saturday night, Ronnie Fields has moved up to 5th in the CBA in scoring at 20.9 ppg, and Cordell Henry has moved up to 11th in the league in scoring at 15.8 ppg. He scored 49 points against the Steelheads in two games over the weekend.
- The Lightning have four of the top eight field goal shooters in the CBA. Kenyon Gamble leads the CBA at .660, with John Jackson third at .631, Sidney Holmes sixth at .573 and Roger Powell eighth at .568.
- The CBA's four leading offensive rebounders will be in action tonight. Sidney Holmes of Rockford leads the league at 3.7 rpg, while Chris Alexander is second (3.6 rpg.), Roger Powell of Rockford is third (3.4 rpg.) and Carl Mitchell of the Steelheads is fourth (3.2 rpg.).
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