The IBL this Week: IBL Playoffs Tip in Bellingham on Thursday
Published on July 4, 2012 under International Basketball League (IBL) News Release
A Look Inside the 2012 IBL Playoffs
First Round Game #1: Thursday, July 5 at 5pm #3 Edmonton Energy vs. #6 Olympia Reign The preview Tuesday night at Olympia looked like the real thing; playoff basketball on both ends of the court. All tied up at 100, the game went into overtime, where the Reign pulled out a home win over the traveling Energy 118-111 in front of an intense audience. In Thursday's first round re-match, just up I-5 we will hear cheers from fans of both teams as they travel to see who will face Portland in the semi-finals on Friday.
Robbie Sihota, an IBL Player of the Week this season for the Energy was still confident after the loss Tuesday putting up 18 points and 19 rebounds off the bench, "It is good to see their team, the new addition in Bain helps them," he shared.
"Tonight we started slow, which could have been due to travel and just wasn't enough to recover in overtime. We are hungry for the playoffs and some of our returning players still have a bad taste in their mouths from losing to Vancouver last year, our team as a whole wants to bring the trophy to Canada where it belongs," the 6-foot-7 Canadian product out of the University of Calgary stated confidently.
Two years with the Energy and three in the IBL Sihota's teammate and veteran Curtis Nash from UNC-Charlotte is excited for the playoffs, "This is the most consistent atmosphere besides playing at home, good competition, full teams, full rosters, good crowds ready for intense playoff basketball," Nash shared. "We have some of the best starters in the league, but you're only as good as your bench, ours is strong and we are all on the same page looking for the championship again. This is a new year, we cannot dwell on the past, we are a better team with Bucknor, Ferguson, Sihota mixed with our vets give us, more depth and experience, leadership with Sir and many of our guys. Being a third seed we know we have to win every game and do our best, nothing comes easy and we earn everything we have. Last night was a great game they did what they had to do and win at home. Broadus is returning for the playoffs and on a neutral court the game goes to anybody; we have high hopes and expectations," stated the focused IBL veteran.
For Olympia, guard Mike Ward rose to the challenge Tuesday at his house, playing one of the best games of his career with 30 points, and he hopes to have a repeat performance in the playoffs against the same Energy team. "The momentum with a win and our team gelling at the end of the game was great in front of our home crowd. Bain was the missing piece all season, we needed a big man to help rebound and he sure did with 16. Going into the first round we are not concerned this game went into OT we know they are a great team that will make their run, that is what a great team does," Ward acknowledged. "This year versus last we play together more and are focused, coming close to the #1 seed and host, the Slam, but we are not concerned about being in their venue, it is the same everywhere you go a court, two hoops and a ball. The IBL competition is at its best this year and teams are playing harder. Next up would be Portland for us with another win over the Energy, and we are very confident we can play with them all of our games were a tough battle," the 4 year IBL veteran forecasted.
The new big man for the Reign, Bain is a hot topic in the IBL moving from the Orlando Venom to the Olympia Reign, "It was a little bit weird at first, meeting the owner, team and coaches everyone has been really welcoming here and the situation is great, the scenery is very nice here in the Pacific Northwest," the 7-footer shared. "On the court it has been surprisingly easy to adjust, after our first practice together we were gelling kind of quick and we are just having fun together playing basketball. I am excited to be a part of the IBL playoffs in my first year in the league, looking forward to playing teams again who are great competitors. Being able to finish off the season is great and I hope to get a look and opportunity to move to the next step in my career." With his height, abilities and skill still developing it is possible Bain will do just that. "The victory helps us against the great Energy team who are positive on the court as well, it gives us a confidence boost, but I know tomorrow it's going to be a dog fight like you saw Tuesday. It will be down to the wire again, we have to be physically and mentally prepared and come out and play our best as I know they will. Should we be fortunate enough to make it past the Energy, I know Portland will be a tough team too, they have a skilled big man, their guards are good and that will be a tough game as well," the Bahamian native shared honestly about the competition in the IBL Playoffs.
First Round Game #2: Thursday, July 5 at 7:30pm #4 Vancouver Volcanoes vs. #5 Salem Soldiers Leading scorer with 28.8 points per game in the IBL and tied for rebound average at 12.7, Chehales Tapscott of the Salem Soldiers likes their chances for a championship even coming off a loss to the Vancouver Volcanoes Sunday as they re-match in the first round Thursday night at 7:30pm.
"We beat them before and we can beat them again," Tapscott stated. The Soldiers are the only team this season who have taken a win on Bellingham's home court, the Volcanoes have never won at Whatcom. "The win in Bellinghamwas earlier in the season and is an advantage over the Volcanoes, but this is the playoffs and we will bring our game," the college graduate stated confidently.
With two rings in the NWAACC for Clackamas Community College before moving on to Portland State University, he knows what it takes to be a champion, but what will it take to take out a champion? "We beat them two times this season, they are the defending champs, but we did it and can do it again. We are playing at our best right now and have been together all season. I feel like we have a coaching advantage with the best in the league because he is a player's coach, trusts us and has a game plan."
An IBL veteran, 5-foot-6 point guard Jeremiah Dominguez is ready for the playoffs. "We have a good chance against them, we learned a lot from that (Sunday's) game, it was a good practice game for the playoffs. We have some things to change and will for the playoffs, we missed half of our free throws Sunday and if we rebound more we should win. It helps to be the only team that beat the Slam at their place, but they do have home court advantage in the semi-finals Friday," Dominguez shared about being the team who took the home opener from the host.
A teammate with Andre Murray at Portland State, Dominguez knows they have to direct more attention to the second-leading scorer in the IBL to win, "On Murray we will change it up to focus more on shutting him down; me and Tapscott are going to play our game and see if it works. In the semi-finals we match up well with Bellingham and our bigs can get up and down the court, which gives us some advantage especially with Tapscott," the quick moving guard shared about his teammate also from Portland State.
Josh Tarver who was in the NBA Development League this winter has not won a game in Bellingham on this team but has with the Yamhill Highflyers, "You have to keep pushing to win at Whatcom Pavilion, minimize fouls as they can decide the game and we have keep the momentum going our way," is the advice from the third-year IBL player. "In the last two games we have been playing together, better defense and the win against Salem at our final home game of the season Sunday helps give us the momentum. If they are playing that same zone like they did again they will be taking their chances, we have shooters that will knock it down and get open. We have to maintain them as they move the ball well around as we do, and contain them, especially Tapscott and Dominguez. We are not the same team we were back in those 2 losses against Salem, it is a different environment, we have figured out our rotation and have learned who we are which is totally different from what they have seen. I feel like our coach is the best coach in there, he is around the NBA all the time and college to help us transition as he knows both. Coach Navarro knows his stuff, everyone on our team respects him, we put our trust in him and he knows what we have to do to adjust in the game and this high level of pro players. It will be tough to face Bellingham in their house for the playoffs in the semi finals after we take on Salem. It would take smart basketball on the court to take a game from them in their house. Right now all I am thinking about is Salem," shared a focused Tarver looking to help his team win.
Dominguez and Murray played with each other at Portland State for two years, "I know his game that is why I chose to guard him," shared Andre Murray, a part of the 2011 Champion Volcanoes looking to defend this weekend. "We beat Salem as well and although we have not won in Bellingham against the Slam, this is not the game against them yet, it is the Soldiers first. I feel good about the whole playoffs, not looking past them as they are a good team. The key is if we have the contributions from everybody I feel we can win. Having Tarver and Hartman back helps. Some of the games we have had against them we didn't have our guys and we are all back together now, after a tough regular season schedule. We were the fourth seed last year, the only difference is we hosted at the end of the day it is just basketball, either we are going to get it done or were not. Something has to change, Bellingham is due. You have to stay confident; I respect many of the players in our league. We still feel like we are the best team top to bottom and like our chances to repeat," was Murray's outlook to start the championship tournament.
Semi-Final Game #1: Friday, July 6 at 5pm #2 Portland Chinooks awaits either Edmonton or Olympia Jared Cunningham of the Portland Chinooks had a standout performance Tuesday in their last home game versus the Nippon Tornadoes and is looking forward to the IBL Playoffs. On a nine-game winning streak, the Chinooks beat Bellingham last weekend within that streak and will be enjoying the bye with a day off from playing, but will be on the sidelines to preview their opponent.
"We are pretty confident right now, as long as we go in there and do what we know how to do," shared the first-year IBL player. "Olympia is a good team, if they catch a streak and get hot no telling what they can do. Their addition in Bain isn't going to stop what we have to do. The talent on Edmonton is really good, but it doesn't matter who we play we have a mind set to come out with a Championship. We have our goal set and nothing is going to stop us. Our plan is to stick together, which is something we have been doing over the past weeks to get all those wins. My first season in the IBL has been good, I am staying in shape, get film, good competition and would like to go to China, so I am getting ready for the CBA draft," Cunningham shared about his goals for the next steps.
Semi-Final Game #2: Friday, July 6 at 7:30pm #1 Bellingham Slam, playoff host, awaits Vancouver or Salem With the best record in the IBL this season, the Slam are poised to take advantage of hosting on their home court. But only one team has beat the Slam this season in their house and that is the Salem Soldiers, who they could face in the semi-finals Friday if they can get past the 2011 Champion Vancouver Volcanoes, who have never won a game at Whatcom Pavilion.
Coach Rob Ridnour has a talented roster, with three IBL Players of the Week in Morris Anderson, Blake Poole and Paul Hafford all comfortably awaiting the arrival of their opponents for the weekend. Hafford and Anderson are both enjoying their best seasons in Slam uniforms, with Hafford leading the team in scoring with 23.7 points per game and Anderson not far behind with 21.4 per game.
Center Blake Poole is also impressing in his second season in the Slam frontcourt, with averages of 18 points and 13 rebounds per game. He also finished with double-doubles in 13 of the Slam's 18 games during the regular season.
Despite having all the pieces in place, the Slam still face a difficult road in a league that has proven any team is capable of winning on a given night. Should the Slam win on Friday, they would advance to Sunday's championship game at 5 p.m. with a chance to pick up their second IBL title since 2008.
IBL Week in Review
Friday, June 29: Salem Soldiers 121 at Portland Chinooks 123 Portland continued their hot streak, winning their seventh straight game with the 123-121 victory over visiting Salem on Friday night. Salem was trailing by nine headed into the fourth quarter but in the end strong play from Jared Cunningham (31 points and 12 rebounds) and Everett Spencer (25 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists) proved to be too much. Salem point guard Jeremiah Dominguez added 34 points and 10 assists, but the Soldiers shot only 10-22 from the free throw line.
Friday, June 29: Yamhill Highflyers 119 at Vancouver Volcanoes 123 The Vancouver Volcanoes were able to snap a four game losing streak - critical before the playoffs begin - with a 123-119 win against the Yamhill Highflyers. Vancouver got balanced scoring and double doubles from Alex Hartman, Josh Tarver and Devin Uskoski and held on late for the close victory in Vancouver. The difference in the game, as we so often see late in the season, was free throws with Vancouver only missing 6 (shooting 81.8%) and Yamhill missing 13 (65.8%) Steffen Harvey poured in 26 points for the Highflyers who fell to 0-6 with their final loss of the season.
Friday, June 29: Nippon Tornadoes 110 at Edmonton Energy 152 Saturday, June 30: Nippon Tornadoes 84 at Edmonton Energy 145 There may be no hotter team heading into the playoffs than the Edmonton Energy who took out the Nippon Tornadoes Friday and Saturday to get their ninth and tenth straight victories. Friday night Edmonton used balanced scoring (eight in double figures) and strong defense - their formula all season - to take out the Tornadoes 152-110. Rashaun Broadus led them with 23 points while Masa Kataoka led the Tornadoes with 24 points and 11 assists.
Saturday, Edmonton was at it again with even stronger defense holding the Tornadoes under 90 points with the 145-84 victory. Kataoka had 25 points again for the Japanese team but they didn't get much else against a stifling Energy defense. As a team Edmonton scored 63 field goals to only 27 for the Tornadoes - an astounding number in any league. The Energy got 27 points from sharp shooter Steve Sir and 21 points and 12 rebounds from Robbie Sihota. They moved to 14-3 with the win and can match league leading Bellingham (who has wrapped up the number one seed due to a tiebreaker) with a win on Tuesday night. Saturday, June 30: Bellingham Slam 129 at Portland Chinooks 132 The Portland Chinooks handed the Bellingham Slam only their third loss of the season on Saturday with a 132-129 win at home. Bellingham had previously only dropped two games to Salem, but the Chinooks eighth straight win before the playoffs has to give them confidence moving forward. Everett Spencer and Ryan Scott combined for 69 points for the Chinooks who managed to shoot 53% despite only playing six players. Bellingham got 31 points and 10 rebounds from Morris Anderson, but it wasn't enough as they turned the ball over 19 times. The loss dropped Bellingham to 14-3, but they still look forward to hosting the playoffs July 5-8 as the number one seed.
Sunday, July 1: Salem Soldiers 129 at Vancouver Volcanoes 140 Vancouver got their second win in a row, after a four game losing streak, to head into the playoffs the right way with a 140-129 win over Salem in both team's regular season finale. Andre Murray finished out his strong regular season with 35 points and 10 rebounds for the Volcanoes while Salem's Chehales Tapscott added 22 points and 12 boards. Vancouver fans were treated to two of the best individual players in the league after the team's Fan Fest took place earlier that day. The team's combined for 35 turnovers, but Vancouver was able to take advantage on the boards. The Volcanoes two late season wins got them two games above .500 at 10-8 to finish the season, while Salem finished at 8-10. Vancouver finished 3-2 head to head with Salem on the year.
Sunday, July 1: West Coast Hotshots 103 at Bellingham Slam 149 Bellingham won their final game of the season and locked up the number one overall seed with a 149-103 victory against the West Coast Hotshots. All seven Bellingham players finished in double figures and four finished with double doubles (Stevenson, Poole, Hafford, and Anderson). The Hotshots were led by Brandon Striplin who had 24 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists. But Bellingham came out on a mission to get that number one seed in the playoffs that they will be hosting. They shot 57% from the field and had 12 steals. The win moved them to 15-3 on the regular season - which only Edmonton can match, but Bellingham took the one matchup versus the Energy this season.
Tuesday, July 3: Nippon Tornadoes 128, Portland Chinooks 178 The Nippon Tornadoes suffered another setback and the Portland Chinooks kept winning with as both teams closed out their regular seasons with a 178-128 Portland victory. All but one player scored in double figures for Portland, who was led by David Lucas with 35 points. Yasuo Iijima has another impressive game for the Tornadoes with 41 points, including 7 three-pointers.
Tuesday, July 3: Edmonton Energy 111, at Olympia Reign 118 The final game of the 2012 IBL regular season proved to be a thriller as the Olympia Reign upset the Edmonton Energy, 118-111 in overtime. Mike Ward and Nate Menefee both had outstanding games and were game-changers in the extra session, combining for 58 points, while Steve Sir, who tied the game with 30 seconds left to force OT, led Edmonton with 22 points. Both teams will now face each other in Bellingham on Thursday in the first round of the IBL Playoffs, with a semi-final berth on the line.
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Co-Players of the Week Spencer and Scott help Chinooks to nine game win streak
Until they faced the Portland Chinooks last Saturday, the Bellingham Slam only had two losses, both to the Salem Soldiers. In the first half it seemed like the Slam would come out on top, but the Chinooks came back in the second half ready to play, where Everett Spencer and Ryan Scott led their team to their ninth victory in a row.
The 6-foot-7 Spencer had 36 points in the win against the Slam, familiar with the team as he was with the Battle Creek Knights in the IBL last season. Head Coach Terrance Dickens has had both on his team with the Knights and now Chinooks, "I am proud that there the only two players from out of town on our team and they are great guys who worked hard for me in 2010 and again this year. They have been the missing link, to our championship run here in 2012 and we're lucky to have them," Coach Dickens shared.
Scott, contributing 33 points and 13 assists, says he is not big on points as he is trying to get wins. "It means a lot to win against Bellingham, they are a very good team as is Salem. It is a big deal because we lost to them early in the season and didn't put our best foot forward, when they came back to our house we wanted to let everyone know we could be with the number one team. We are starting to get on the same page, many of us are from different places and we are starting to come together, things are falling in place and we are ready to make a push in the playoffs," the 6-foot-3 guard gave as an outlook. "We always want to play but a day off is nice to get our legs back, we will get up there early to watch Olympia versus Edmonton. I am working hard to go overseas, always ready to play ball! Spencer is my roommate and we have been talking all season about getting this run together, shooting the ball like we knew we could."
You can catch Scott and Spencer taking on either the #6 Olympia Reign or #3 Edmonton Energy on Friday at 5pm in the IBL Championship Tournament semi-finals at Whatcom Pavilion in Bellingham.
International Basketball League Stories from July 4, 2012
- The IBL this Week: IBL Playoffs Tip in Bellingham on Thursday - IBL
- Wide Open Field as IBL Playoffs Come to Bellingham - Bellingham Slam
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