Rainmen Rally in the Second Half to Defeat Quebec - RAINMEN 112, KEBS 87

(photo courtesy of Romy Aquino)

RAINMEN 112, KEBS 87
Adris DeLeon led the Rainmen to victory in Halifax's regular season home opener at the Metro Centre on Sunday afternoon.  DeLeon came off the Rainmen bench to lead all scorers with 23 points on 6/9 shooting in only 17 minutes of play.  It was a tight game up until the Rainmen finished off the third quarter on an 11-0 run, up 77-64 after three quarters.  As the Rainmen continue their search for their starting centre, coach Les Berry went with the new kid in town, Cory Underwood, to start at the five.  Underwood, formerly with the Albuquerque Thunderbirds of the D-League, finished with 11 points, 7 rebounds, a steal and a block.

The Rainmen continued to pound on the Kebs in the final quarter as Halifax's offensive weapons, Tony Bennett and Desmond "Moneyball" Ferguson, helped Halifax go on another run in the fourth.  Ferguson nailed back to back threes and then Bennett made three consecutive baskets midway throught the fourth quarter to give Halifax a 25-point lead.

For the Quebec Kebs, former PBL MVP, Jeremy Bell led the Kebs with 21 pts and 7 rebounds but also had 7 turnovers.  Former Halifax Rainmen, Cordell Jeanty finished with 18 pts.

Shaun "Mavs" Gillis & Ryan Dickison Player of the Game: 
Adris DeLeon  23 pts, 1 steal in 17 minutes of play

Romy Aquino's Player of the Game:
Tony Bennett  15 pts, 4 rebounds, 1 steal

Hat-tip to the Kebs:
Jeremy Bell  21 pts, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 three balls

Key Notes:

• Hot Shooting: The Halifax Rainmen shot an impressive 57% while Quebec shot 44%
• Halifax's bench had a field day as they outscored Quebec's bench 54-16
• Points in the Paint: 58-34 in favour of the Rainmen
• Canadian Watch: Garry Gallimore - 6 pts, 2 assists, Jevohn Shepherd - 11 pts on 4/4 shooting
• Strong Second Half: Halifax outscored Quebec 64-43 in the second half
• Canadian pop singer, Elise Estrada performed at halftime of the Rainmen home opener
• "WE WANT STRICK!" - Fan fave, "The Franchise" John Strickland got some run yesterday, 15 minutes, 6 pts
• In case you missed it, be sure to check out Haligonia.ca's interview with the newest member of the team, Cory Underwood

Post Game Links:
The Chronicle Herald

In their home opener before 3,276 fans, the Rainmen used an explosive fourth quarter to swamp the visiting Kebs 112-87 at the Metro Centre, completing a sweep of a home-and-home series that has them on their first winning streak of the young Premier Basketball League season.

Canada Basketball

Guard Adris DeLeon (New York) led the Rainmen scorers with 23 points, while Tony Bennett (Chicago) had 15 points. Desmond Ferguson (Lansing, Mich.) added 14 points, as the hometown team piled up 37 points in the final quarter.

The Raw Feed

Cordell Jeanty who sat out last game against the Rainmen because of injuries fought hard in fourth to keep the Kebs in the game. The Quebec City Kebs played a great game, but fatigue overcame them in the fourth, with three of their strongest players out due to injuries Jonas Pierre (shoulder) Louis Patrick Levros (ankle) and JP Morin (abdomen). The Quebec City Kebs are optimistic that two of the players will return in the next two weeks to play.

Next up, the Rainmen take on the Vermont Frost Heaves at the Metro Centre this Saturday night @ 7pm, live on Haligonia.ca!

Let us know your thoughts on the Rainmen home opener...what areas can the Halifax Rainmen improve on?  Put down your thoughts in the comments 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