Steelheads welcome Patroons
Published on December 30, 2005 under Continental Basketball Association 1 (CBA 1)
Gary Steelheads News Release
The Gary Steelheads host the Albany Patroons at the Genesis Center Friday night, hoping to build on the momentum of one of their most impressive wins of the season. The Steelheads climbed back to .500 Wednesday night, solidifying their hold on second place in the CBA's Eastern Conference with a 118-102 victory over the conference-leading Rockford Lightning. The win ended Rockford's seven-game winning streak.
It was one of the most dominant performances in memory for Gary, which seized control of the game from the opening tip. The Steelheads scored 24 of the first 27 points in the game, building their lead to as large as 30 points in the third quarter.
In a true team effort, Gary placed six players in double figures. Guard Eric Chatfield contributed a double-double with 15 points and 12 assists, and three other players came within one digit of double-doubles themselves. Guard Jimmie "Snap" Hunter tossed in a game-high 23 points with 9 assists, newly-acquired forward Edmund Saunders added a career-high 20 points and 9 rebounds and new-acquired center Chris Alexander grabbed 12 rebounds to go with his 9 points.
Rockford returned home to meet the Patroons at the MetroCenter Thursday night. The Lightning prevailed 128-127, when a final shot by Ronald Thompson at the buzzer missed the mark. Albany was paced by James Thomas, who scored 28 points in defeat. It was the Patroons' third consecutive loss.
Fish Hooks
- This is the third meeting between the Steelheads and the Patroons, and the second meeting at the Genesis Center. The series is tied at 1 apiece, with each team winning on the other team's home floor.
- Memories of the first meeting in Gary will be fresh for the Steelheads. On November 27th, Albany guard Ronald Thompson set a CBA rookie record by scoring 53 points as the Patroons prevailed 102-101. The performance ranks as the top scoring effort in the league this year.
- Going into tonight's game, the Steelheads are the best three-point shooting team in the CBA. Gary has connected on 144-of-365 shots (.395). The Steelheads hit 10-of-22 three-pointers in the victory over Rockford, while the Lightning hit 1-of-5. Albany is tied for second in three-point shooting, hitting 102-of-278 (.367).
- The win over Rockford marked the first time the Steelheads have been outrebounded since Chris Alexander and Edmund Saunders joined the team. It was close, however, with the Lightning edging the Steelheads just 42-40. Rockford came into the game with a 9.8 average rebound advantage on their opponents.
- The Steelheads' Jimmie "Snap" Hunter continues his incredible season. Hunter enters tonight's game as the second-ranked scorer in the CBA at 26.7ppg. He has turned in three of the five top scoring performances in the league this year. He is 3rd in the league in steals (2.1 spg.), 4th in three-point shooting (.432) and 8th in blocked shots (0.9 bpg.). Against the Patroons this season, he is averaging 25.5 ppg., 6.0 rpg. and 6.5 apg. The Steelheads nominated "Snap" for CBA Player of the Week, an honor he won the second week of the season. Center Eric Chenowith won the honor this past week.
- Fox Sports Net is preparing a feature on the Steelheads and "Snap" Hunter. A video crew recorded several practices and covered a Steelheads' game at Rockford, won by the Lightning 124-123. The feature will appear within the program "Hoops," which is scheduled to air nationally on January 13th.
- Forward Randy Holcomb registered his team-leading fifth double-double of the season in the loss at Idaho. He scored 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Two of his double-doubles have come against the Patroons. He is averaging 23.5 ppg. and 11.5 rpg. against Albany this season. Holcomb was the last player cut by the Chicago Bulls in their camp. He currently ranks 8th in the CBA in scoring (20.4 ppg.) and 7th in rebounding (8.0 rpg.).
- Steelheads' forward Kevin Frey continues to suffer from a wrist injury and has been placed on injured reserve. The Steelheads re-signed forward Corey Minnifield.
- Gary's 137-127 overtime win over the Dakota Wizards is the CBA's top scoring performance to date this season. Incredibly, Gary was outrebounded by 34 in this game but still managed to win. Gary has also been involved in the lowest CBA score of the year, holding the Michigan Mayhem to just 81 points.
Continental Basketball Association 1 Stories from December 30, 2005
- CBA To Take On New Web Site Host - CBA 1
- Fields Hits Game Winner - Rockford Lightning
- Skyforce Flying High in Overtime Win - Sioux Falls Skyforce
- Steelheads welcome Patroons - Gary Steelheads
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