"The Shark Tank"
Written by Ben Rawdon
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Keith Friel on the move, photo courtesy of Razorsharks
Razorsharks: January Ends on Down Notes
Feb. 3rd - Looking to win their second straight game at home and fifth straight to start the 2010 season, the Rochester Razorsharks returned to Blue Cross Arena on Thursday, January 28th when they took on the Maryland GreenHawks, who were known as the Maryland Nighthawks prior to this season. Led by a second half scoring surge, the Sharks prevailed with a 138-113 win over Maryland on their home court, improving their record to 5-0 on the season.
Turnovers were the name of the game in the first half as Rochester recorded 14 points off Maryland turnovers and power forward Marlin Johnson picked up four steals as the Sharks led 58-44 at halftime.
After a slugglish start to the second half by both teams, the Sharks picked up the pace once again as small forward Glen Dandridge and point guard Jerice Crouch each recorded 9 points in the third quarter to give Rochester a 96-80 lead after three. Power forward Eric Walton would help put the GreenHawks away as his 13 second half points helped lead the Sharks to their 23rd consecutive victory dating back to last season.
Dandridge led all Rochester players in scoring with 17 points, while also chipping in with three assists, a rebound, and a blocked shot. Eight other players reached double figures in scoring for the Sharks—power forward Lincoln Smith (14 points), shooting guard Keith Friel (13), point guard Melvin Council (13), Walton (13), Johnson (12), power forward David Bailey (11), Crouch (10), and point guard Randy Gill (10).
With the loss, the GreenHawks’ overall record dropped to 2-5, but that would not matter two days later when their head coach, Otis Hailey, passed away due to kidney failure at the age of 59. Hailey had taken over as Maryland head coach on January 19th when then-coach Rob Spon was fired after a 1-4 start to the season. In two games as coach, Hailey went 1-1 with a win over Quebec and the loss to Rochester. Assistant coach Chad Warren was promoted to the head coaching position on February 2nd, becoming the third GreenHawks coach less than a month into the season.
The Razorsharks returned to the road on Sunday, January 31st as they paid a visit to Halifax, Nova Scotia for a game against the Halifax Rainmen in a battle for second place in the Premier Basketball League standings. Led by resilience and key baskets from three-point range, the Rainmen held on to defeat the Sharks by a score of 102-99, handing Rochester their first loss of the season and ending the Sharks’ 23-game win streak.
Down 52-39 at halftime, the Sharks continued to follow Halifax closely and battled back to eliminate the home team’s lead and tie the game at 90-90 with four minutes remaining in regulation. Small forward Desmond Ferguson, who led all scorers with 26 points on the afternoon, would hit key jumpers and free throws down the stretch along with forward Eric Crookshank, whose 21 points and 14 rebounds were enough the hold the Sharks down and send the crowd at the Halifax Metro Centre home happy.
Lincoln Smith led all Rochester players in scoring with 18 points, 16 from the paint, while also contributing five rebounds. Jerice Crouch (15 points), Keith Friel (12), and Glen Dandridge (12) were the other Sharks to reach double digits in scoring while Eric Walton led the team in rebounding as he picked up six boards in the losing effort.
With their 23-game win streak snapped, the Razorsharks (5-1) sit in a second place tie with Halifax (6-2), two games behind the undefeated Puerto Rico Capitanes (8-0) and one game ahead of the fourth place Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry in the PBL standings.
Keith Friel continues to lead the team in scoring as he averages 20.2 points per game and is shooting 47.6% from the floor, 44.1% from three-point range, and 92.0% from the charity stripe. Marlin Johnson is the team leader in rebounds, averaging 8.5 boards per game, and also leads in steals with an average of 1.8 per game. Wrapping up the major individual statistics, Jerice Crouch leads in assists with 5.7 per game and David Bailey leads in blocked shots with 1.2 per game.
The Razorsharks will begin a five-game home stand on Saturday, February 6th when they host the Vermont Frost Heaves at 7:35 p.m. The home stand continues over a three week period as they battle the Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry on February 11th, the first place Puerto Rico Capitanes in a Martin Luther King Jr. Day matinee on February 15th, the Quebec Kebs on February 20th, and the Buffalo Stampede on February 27th.
Razorsharks: Sharks Need Comeback to Defeat Stampede
Jan. 28th- After raising their 2009 Premier Basketball League championship banner to the rafters of Blue Cross Arena, the Rochester Razorsharks took to the court for their home opener on Saturday, January 23rd against the Buffalo Stampede. Two weeks after winning by 29 points, the Sharks struggled and needed big shooting nights from point guard Jerice Crouch and shooting guard Keith Friel to come back from a 10-point deficit at halftime and defeat the Stampede by a 131-110 margin.
Buffalo led the game by as many as 18 points in the first half as Rochester’s shooting proved to be less than stellar and the Stampede took advantage with their key scorers, small forward Cameron Stanley (24 points) and former Syracuse standout and Philadelphia 76ers draft pick Damone Brown (20 points), shooting well as they took a 62-52 lead into the locker room at halftime.
In the second half, Crouch and Friel took control as Rochester tallied 47 points in the third quarter and took the lead for good with 4:47 left in the quarter to make the score 77-75 in favor of the Sharks. The scoring barrage continued in the fourth and Rochester escaped their home opener with a win over their Thruway rivals.
Crouch led all players in scoring with 32 points, shooting 80% from the field and going 5-for-6 from three-point range, while also picking up five assists and two rebounds. Friel chipped in with 29 points, 21 from beyond the arc and four at the free throw line, and two rebounds of his own. Other players who reached double digits in scoring for the Razorsharks were small forward Glen Dandridge (17 points) and power forwards Lincoln Smith (14 points) and David Bailey (12 points).
After picking up their 22nd consecutive win overall, the Razorsharks (4-0) find themselves tied with the Halifax Rainmen (5-1) for second place in the PBL standings, one game behind the first place Puerto Rico Capitanes (6-0) and 1.5 games ahead of the fourth place Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry (3-2).
Rochester’s leader in scoring after the first four games of the season is Keith Friel, who averages 24.0 points per game, is shooting 50% from both two-point range and three-point range, and is 89.5% from the charity stripe. Power forward Marlin Johnson currently leads the team in rebounding with an average of 9.5 boards per game, Jerice Crouch leads in assists with an average of 5.8 per game and steals with 1.8 per game, and David Bailey leads in blocked shots with an average of 1.8 per game.
The Razorsharks return to action on Thursday, January 28th when they host the Maryland GreenHawks (2-4) for a 7:05 p.m. tip-off at Blue Cross Arena. The team then travels to Halifax, Nova Scotia for a game on Sunday, January 31st at 1:00 p.m. against the Halifax Rainmen at the Halifax Metro Centre. This will be the team’s last game on the road before starting a five-game home stand on Saturday, February 6th against the Vermont Frost Heaves.
nship banner to the rafters prior to tip-off and will celebrate their third league championship in franchise history throughout the afternoon.
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