Los R-R-R-R-R-Rainmen Lose To Puerto Rico - CAPITANES 108, RAINMEN 101

CAPITANES 108, RAINMEN 101
Rainmen record: 5W - 2L

Ok....I thought “Mavs” Gillis was energetic on Haligonia's Rainmen broadcasts but you have to check out the Puerto Rico Capitanes' games online. The Puerto Rico broadcast team may be some of the most exciting play-by-play guys online and what makes it even more enjoyable is the fact that it’s in Spanish. The rolling R's and the occasional "EN FUEGO!!" kept me entertained.  On top of that, the broadcast also has the NBA on NBC theme playing into the breaks.

The crappy part about last night's online feed? It died in the final minute of last night's game.

First off, the Rainmen were shorthanded in Puerto Rico. Eric Crookshank didn't make the trip as he and his girlfriend were expecting the birth of their first child. They were also short another body as Marlowe Currie did not travel with the team (and is no longer a member of the Rainmen due to passport issues).  As a result, John Strickland got the start at power forward.   And, for a shorthanded squad, Halifax put out an excellent effort against the undefeated Capitanes, but just came up short.

It was a tight matchup all the way down the stretch until a Gary Ervin turnover with 1:32 to play that led to a David Cortes basket to put the Capitanes up four. The Capitanes tightened down on defense in the final minute and went on a mini 7-1 run.

The bulk of the Capitanes's offense came from their starting five of Elias Ayuso, David Cortes, Jeffrion Aubry, Angelo Reyes and Andres Rodriguez. Two of the starters finished with double doubles, Aubry (18 pts, 14 rebounds) and PBL rebounding leader Reyes (14 pts, 19 rebounds). Puerto Rico guard, Andres Rodriguez ran the Puerto Rico offense and finished with a season-high 13 assists.

Halifax got excellent production from their reserves as Jevohn Shepherd and Adris DeLeon were sparks off of the bench.  Toronto native, Jevohn Sheperd, led the Rainmen in scoring with 24 points in just 18 minutes of play.  DeLeon followed Shepherd with 20 points in just 16 minutes of play.  Tony Bennett had his lowest point total of the season finishing with 11.

The Capitanes continue to roll over the competition and are an impressive 7-0.

Key Notes:

• Bench Production:  The Halifax bench scored 51 of the Rainmen's 101 points with Adris Deleon and Jevohn Shepherd combining for 44 of them 
• Crookshank was definitely missed:  Halifax was outrebounded 45-33, Crookshank, the Rainmen's leading rebounder, would have made an impact on the glass
• Sharing the Wealth:  Puerto Rico had 27 dimes to Halifax's 10
• Points in the Paint: 42-36 Puerto Rico
• Canadian Watch:  Jevohn Shepherd 24 pts, 6 rebounds, Garry Gallimore 2 pts, 3 rebounds, 2 assists

Post Game Links:

Chronicle Herald

"Like two heavyweights in the ring, the Halifax Rainmen and Puerto Rico Capitanes traded body blows and absorbed each other’s best shots Thursday night in the season’s first major showdown for first place in the Premier Basketball League."

Metro Halifax

"The Rainmen slugged it out with the best team in the Premier Basketball League on Thursday night in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, but saw their five-game winning streak come to an abrupt halt with a 108-101 loss to the unbeaten Capitanes."

PBL.com

"Then in the fourth quarter, Halifax managed to take the lead again 86-89. Then Puerto Rico got an offensive push from Jeff Aubry, which reached 8 points in a row, of the 16 he had on the quarter. With 1:36 left in the game, Andrés Rodríguez won a great defensive bout with Gary Ervin and manage to steal the ball, and David Cortés converted in a quick transition basket to extend the lead of the Capitanes and put the game in a safe place. On the next play Jeff Aubry hits two free throws and sealed the victory for Puerto Rico 108-101. "

The Rainmen are back home on Sunday to face off against two-time PBL champs, the Rochester Razorsharks...

Will the Rainmen remain undefeated at home this Sunday?  Let us know your thoughts!

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