Strong Dogs spoil Sound home opener

Published on November 27, 2005 under American Basketball Association (ABA)
Strong Island Sound News Release


Patchogue, NY. After playing their first four games on the road, the ABA Strong Island Sound took on the Harlem Strong Dogs in front of excited crowd on Long Island. The Sound started off slow and trailed by 15 points at halftime. A big run to start off the 3rd quarter put them back into the game. But, at the final buzzer, a hard fought contest resulted in a 109-104 loss in their home opener at St. Joseph's College.

The Sound came out of the locker room for the second half on fire and dominated the game in the third quarter. A back and forth final stanza kept the game close until the end. The Sound would not go away even when Harlem would hit a big shot to keep it from a one-possession game. The 3-D Rule helped the Sound cut the deficit, but the Strong Dogs scored on the fast break to seal their first victor of the season after four losses. Both teams are 1-4.

Point guard Charles Jones had 17 points. "We had a good run," Jones stated when asked about the comeback made in the second half. "But we didn't do enough because we lost. We beat ourselves. We have be be more aggressive and play smarter."

Forward/center John Strickland, who scored 20 points, commented on the game by stating, "We had a good run but we have to put four quarters together. We didn't run out of gas at the end. We have the talent, but we need to stay together as a unit." When asked about the next game against the Rochester Razorsharks, Strickland stated, "They're a good team fighting for first place. We had a win against them before. When we lose, it's about us. Chemistry beats talent. We have to put two halves together. We can't play one half."

Gary Williams shook off a knee injury suffered in the second half to score 26 points. Raphael Edwards had 21 points. For the visiting Strong Dogs, Andre Sweet had a team high 23 points. John Halas showed accuracy from the 3-point line and free throw ling while chipping in ten.

For more information, email dcioffi@strongislandsound.com or visit www.strongislandsound.com or www.abalive.com.

Note: OurSports Central no longer actively covers the American Basketball Association (ABA) as a professional league due in part to its inability to publish and play a schedule and the transitory nature of many of its teams. For information on professional minor leagues, please see OSC's basketball section.

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American Basketball Association Stories from November 27, 2005


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