Steelheads Host Mayhem in Regular Season Finale: Hold Lead in CBA East

March 10, 2006 - Continental Basketball Association 1 (CBA 1)
Gary Steelheads News Release


GARY, Indiana - For the first time in franchise history, the Gary Steelheads lead the Eastern Conference of the CBA going into the final weekend of the regular season. That sets the stage for the season finale Saturday night against the Michigan Mayhem, a rematch of a game won by the Steelheads in Muskegon on Thursday night, 100-80.

With Rockford's 120-108 loss at Albany Friday night, the Steelheads moved within striking distance of the Eastern Conference title. Gary has earned 191.5 quarter points for the season, while Rockford has 186. Each team has one game remaining. The magic number stands at two quarter points for the Steelheads to win the conference outright.

Gary remains in the running for the best quarter point average in the league. The Sioux Falls Skyforce have 192 quarter points with two road games remaining at Idaho and Yakama Saturday and Sunday. The Skyforce have won 11 straight games, improving their quarter point average to a league-best 4.17. The magic number for Sioux Falls currently stands at 6½ quarter points to secure the top playoff position.

Gary returns home after completing a challenging seven-game road trip. The Steelheads went 3-4, including back-to-back overtime losses at Rockford and Sioux Falls. They stand nine games above .500 at 28-19, with a quarter point average of 4.07. The Steelheads now have the second best home court record in the CBA at 18-5.

The Steelheads earned six quarter points with their victory in Muskegon Thursday night. The Steelheads placed six players in double figures, with three of them registering double-double performances in the win. Forward Carl Mitchell paced all scorers with 20 points and a team-high 11 rebounds. Guard Brian Chase added 19 points, while handing out 11 assists. Forward Renaldo Major contributed 15 points with 10 rebounds, while forward Randy Holcomb returned to the roster and added 14 points, swingman Robert Griffin 13 and forward Marlowe Currie 10. The Steelheads outrebounded Michigan 58-47 and committed only 14 turnovers.

Michigan was paced by forward Dubrey Black, who fired in 19 points. Former Steelheads' center Lonnie Jones scored 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, while Jamar Brown and Keith Salscheider each added 11 points.

Historically, the Mayhem have always given the Steelheads a challenge. Michigan has just seven wins on the season, but three of those have come against Gary in Muskegon. During their expansion season last year, Michigan posted a winning record against the Steelheads, claiming 6 of the 11 meetings.

Saturday night's game will be airing in Northwest Indiana over WJOB in Hammond (1230khz) and WIMS in Michigan City (1420khz), following high school tournament basketball coverage. SportsJuice (www.sportsjuice.com) will air the game live to Internet listeners, beginning at 7:00PM CST. The final regular season game is Post-Tribune Night at the Genesis Center.



Continental Basketball Association 1 Stories from March 10, 2006


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