Steelheads look to continue hot play against Lightning
Published on December 11, 2005 under Continental Basketball Association 1 (CBA 1)
Gary Steelheads News Release
The Gary Steelheads hit the road to face the Rockford Lightning in a rematch of Thursday night's game at the Genesis Center in Gary, won by the Steelheads 125-117. Today's game is the fourth meeting between the two teams this year, with Gary having won two of the previous three meetings.
The Steelheads started quickly Thursday night, winning the first quarter 34-17. The teams played to a standoff in the second quarter, only to see Gary outscore Rockford 42-30 in the third quarter for a 103-74 going into the final quarter. Rockford's full court press took hold in the fourth quarter, and the Lightning shaved the lead to 8 points. But they could get no closer.
The Steelheads were paced by CBA Player of the Week Jimmie "Snap" Hunter, who scored 28 points and handed out 5 assists. Forward Randy Holcomb added 26 points, with 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 blocked shots. The Lightning were paced by Marlon Parmer, who scored 27 points. Cordell Henry tossed in 22 points, with 4 assists and 3 steals.
The Steelheads have won six of their last nine games, surging back into first place in the Eastern Conference of the CBA with a quarter point average to 4.0. The Lightning lost their fourth straight game Saturday afternoon, falling to the Yakama Sun Kings at the MetroCentre 132-129. The Lightning sit in second place in the East with a quarter point average of 3.6.
Fish Hooks
- Today's game is the 52nd meeting between the Steelheads and the Lightning, with Rockford holding a 30-21 edge. Last year, the teams met 11 times with Gary winning 4. This year, the teams have split two previous meetings.
- The Steelheads have the best road record in the CBA at 3-1. With their next road win, Gary will equal the total number of road wins achieved by the franchise during the entire 2004-05 season.
- The Steelheads are being outrebounded by 9.2 rebounds per game, but they have still found a way to win. Against the Lightning Thursday night, Rockford won the boards by 19. Against the Dakota Wizards on December 12th, Gary overcame 30-rebound deficit to win in overtime, 137-127. Gary has outrebounded its opposition only twice this season.
- The Steelheads have moved to strengthen their front line by adding CBA veteran forwards Shelly Clark and Kevin Frey. Clark is a fan favorite who has represented the Steelheads in the CBA All-Star Game the past two seasons. He is the team's career leader in rebounding. Frey played his first game against the Lightning Thursday night, scoring 17 points and grabbing 4 rebounds in 17 minutes.
- The Steelheads have committed 43 turnovers in their past two games, up from their average of 13.9 per game.
- Rookie coach Jaren Jackson has lead the Gary Steelheads to top of the Eastern Conference during the opening weeks of the 2005-06 CBA season. He started the season with only one returning player from last year's team, and with the loss of three Gary players that appeared in last year's CBA All-Star Game. With the return of Shelly Clark, a second player has been added from last year's team to the roster.
- The Steelheads' Jimmie "Snap" Hunter is the reigning CBA Player of the Week. He received the honor for averaging 29.0 ppg. and 5.8 apg. the previous week. This week, Hunter is averaging 23.0 ppg. and 5.5 assists.
- Steelheads' forward Randy Holcomb is averaging 29.0 ppg. this week, along with 8 rebounds. He scored a CBA career-high 32 points Tuesday night in a 102-99 loss to the Yakama Sun Kings. He has three double-doubles on the season.
Continental Basketball Association 1 Stories from December 11, 2005
- Steelheads Fall At Rockford, Narrowly Retain First Place - Gary Steelheads
- Sioux Falls' Stephen Graham Becomes Third CBA Call-Up to the NBA - CBA 1
- Steelheads look to continue hot play against Lightning - Gary Steelheads
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