Steelheads Defeat Michigan in Historic Win
March 12, 2006 - Continental Basketball Association 1 (CBA 1)
Gary Steelheads News Release
GARY, Indiana (March 11, 2006) - The Gary Steelheads made franchise history in front of nearly 4,000 fans at the Genesis Center Saturday night. The Steelheads defeated the Michigan Mayhem 104-94. In the process, Gary won its first CBA Eastern Conference crown.
The moment came at the end of the third quarter, when the Steelheads earned ý of a quarter point when they played the Mayhem to a 23-23 tie. In the process, the Steelheads reached 193 quarter points, tying the maximum number that the Rockford Lightning could earn in their upcoming Sunday game with Dakota. With the tiebreaker favoring Gary, the Steelheads won the East.
Gary then went on to win the fourth quarter, 26-24, getting the victory and 5ý quarter points. The Steelheads finished the regular season with 197 quarter points and a 4.10 quarter point average.
Once again the Steelheads placed six players in double figures, paced by guard Brian Chase with 21 points and guard Eric Chatfield with 17. Forward Randy Holcomb tossed in 16 points with 9 rebounds, forward Carl Mitchell contributed a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds, swingman Robert Griffin added 14 and forward Renaldo Major chipped in 11 points. Center Chris Alexander grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked 2 shots, along with his 7 points.
The Mayhem lost their 16th straight game, but they didn't play like it. Forward Jamar Brown scored 21 points to lead the Mayhem, while former Steelheads' center Lonnie Jones added 18 points and guard Marcus Wallace added 14 points in a losing cause. The Mayhem finish their season Sunday, hosting the Albany Patroons at the L.C. Walker Arena in Muskegon, Michigan.
Going into the final day of the regular season Sunday, Gary still remains in the running for the best quarter point average in the league. The team with the highest average earns the preferable seed for the upcoming playoffs.
The Sioux Falls Skyforce had their 11-game winning streak snapped at Idaho Saturday night, 114-101. The Skyforce picked up one quarter point, increasing their season total to 193 with one game remaining at Yakama on Sunday night. Sioux Falls must win this game, or Gary wins the top seed.
Yakama also needs the win in order to assure the Sun Kings of the third playoff seed. The team that finishes fourth in the seeding order (either the Sun Kings or the Rockford Lightning) must play two road games in the upcoming first round of the CBA Playoffs. Yakama has 189ý quarter points, while Rockford has 186 quarter points. The Lightning host the Dakota Wizards at the MetroCentre in their final regular season game Sunday.
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Continental Basketball Association 1 Stories from March 12, 2006
- 2006 CBA Playoff Seedings Announced - CBA 1
- Steelheads Earn Top Seed in CBA Playoffs - Gary Steelheads
- Playoff tickets on sale Monday - Sioux Falls Skyforce
- Streak ends at 11 games - Sioux Falls Skyforce
- Steelheads Defeat Michigan in Historic Win - Gary Steelheads
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