Breaking Down the Boxscore – CAVALRY 102, RAINMEN 87

CAVALRY 102, RAINMEN 87

Halifax Rainmen Record: 0-1
The Rainmen made their regular season debut on Sunday against one of the newest teams to the PBL, the Lawton-Fort Still Cavalry. The Cavalry, formerly of the CBA and located in Oklahoma, displayed an excellent showing Sunday as they defeated Halifax 102-87. The Rainmen on the other hand, were short-handed as they were without recently released forward Mark McCarroll and guards, Lonell Jones and local flavour, Devon Norris, who did not make the trip to Oklahoma.  The leading scorer for the Rainmen was Tony Bennett with 17 points, 4 assists and 5 boards.

Without a live feed for the Rainmen road game, Halifax fans can only break down the boxscore from Sunday’s game.

• Glaring stat of the boxscore: Rainmen shot 16% from three-pt range (4 for 25), Desmond “Moneyball” Ferguson 1/8 and Tony Bennett 3/10 from the three pt line
• Rainmen’s Sunday Starting Five: Coach Les Berry went with Bennett, Crookshank, Ervin, Malone and Ferguson
• Rainmen Defensive Highlight: Great defensive effort from Gordon Malone: 8 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 blocks to go along with his 10 pts all in 23 minutes of play...and if you didn’t see this, ShamSports.com did a “Where Are They Now” piece on the 1997 NBA Draft class, Gordon Malone was drafted 44th overall between Stephen Jackson (#43) and Toronto Raptor assistant coach, Alvin Williams (#48) back in '97
• Balanced Effort from the Rainmen: Five Rainmen scored in double figures
• Bench scoring: 39-23 in favour of the Cavs
• Weak first half: Rainmen scored only 34 points in the first half while the Cavs scored 31 pts in the first quarter alone
• Halifax fan fave, John Strickland, got some extended run with his 18 minutes of playing time 
• Rainmen turned the ball over 19 times to the Cavs’ 15 turnovers
• Canadian Watch: Gallimore 19 minutes, 6 pts, 3 rebounds, Shepherd 8 minutes, 8 pts, 2 rebounds
• Hat-tip to the Cavs: Brandon Dean - 19 pts, 4 threes, 2 rebounds, 3 steals, Wayne Marshall: 18 pts, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks, 1 steal
• Other News: Rainmen have added new faces to the roster: Greg Plummer (formerly of Vermont) and Cory Underwood (former player for the NBADL), both should be ready to play against Quebec on Thursday

Post Game Links:

The Chronicle Herald

The Cavalry captured their second straight Continental Basketball Association title last winter but jumped to the PBL in the summer when the Continental league crumbled around them. They have their starting five back from a season ago and have also recruited several other top former CBA players.

The Metro Halifax

The Cavalry gained separation when they went on a 15-0 run at the end of the first quarter and the Rainmen’s shooters went ice-cold, connecting on just 30 per cent of their shots and going an abysmal four-for-25 from beyond the arc.

USBasket.com

Another new team, the Lawton-Ft. Still Cavalry, showed all its strength by defeating, 102-87 the Halifax Rainmen.

For photos from the game, check out the Cavalry's Facebook Page.

And in case you missed it, Ray of RaptorsHQ.com caught up with Rainmen owner, Andre Levingston:

RaptorsHQ.com

Probably the best kept basketball secret on the Canadian east coast, the Halifax Rainmen are poised to take the PBL by storm this season. We recently caught up with owner Andre Levingston on the eve of their first game to talk about the team. 

Up Next: The Rainmen are still on the road and face off against the Quebec Kebs in Quebec this Thursday.

Who do the Rainmen have to watch out for? Cordell Jeanty 19.5 ppg, 9 rpg, 3 steals

Will the Rainmen bounce back in Quebec?  Let us know what you think in the comment section below!

Romy Aquino covers the pro basketball game (the Canadian Flavour of the NBA, the PBL's Halifax Rainmen) from a fan's perspective.  He also can be found at NBA hoops blogs, Hip Hoop Junkies (A Member of TheScore.com's Sports Federation) and Hoop Heads North.  Follow him on Twitter: @romyaquino