Steelheads Visit Michigan Holding Narrow Lead in Eastern Conference
March 8, 2006 - Continental Basketball Association 1 (CBA 1)
Gary Steelheads News Release
GARY, Indiana (March 9, 2006) - With just two games remaining in the regular season, the Gary Steelheads visit Muskegon to take on the Michigan Mayhem at the L.C. Walker Arena. The game is vital for the Steelheads, who hold a very narrow 3/100th quarter point lead over the Rockford Lightning in the final week of the CBA's regular season.
The Steelheads should be very well rested, as they have not played since their 115-109 victory at Albany last Friday night. With the win, Gary improved its record to eight games over .500 and picked up five quarter points. Albany saw its winning streak stopped at six games.
Playing for the second straight game without all stars Jimmie "Snap" Hunter and Randy Holcomb, the Steelheads closed ranks and distributed the scoring load among six players in double figures. Forward Carl Mitchell, playing against his former team, stepped up with a 24-point performance. Guard Eric Chatfield added 23 points with 11 assists, while guard Brian Chase and forward Renaldo Major tossed in 20 points. Center Chris Alexander contributed a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds, while forward Marlowe Currie added 11.
For Gary, it was their 11th win in their last 15 games and their second win in six games on their current seven-game road trip. The Steelheads shot the ball well, connecting at a .513 clip from the field and .474 from three point range. Gary missed just two free throws for the evening, hitting 24-of-26. And, different from an earlier between the two the preceeding night, the Steelheads won the boards 40-39.
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.
Thursday night's game is expected to mark Holcomb's return to the ballclub. The MVP of this year's CBA All Star Game has been sidelined with a groin injury the past eight games.
The Michigan radio feed of this game will air in Northwest Indiana through the facilities of WJOB in Hammond (1230khz) and WIMS in Michigan City (1420khz). Broadcast time will be 6:00PM CST.
The teams will meet a second time Saturday night in the regular season finale at the Genesis Center. That game will air through the SportsJuice web site (www.sportsjuice.com), with game time set for 7:00PM CST.
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