Breaking Down The Boxscore - WEEKEND EDITION

Rainmen Record: 12W-7L
FROST HEAVES 107, RAINMEN 98
If Puerto Rico still had a team in the league, this would have been the game to decide whether Halifax held a playoff position.  But with both Vermont and Halifax locked into playoff spots, this game will play a part in this year's playoff seeding.  The Rainmen had a 12-point with 4:46 to play in regulation and then the Frost Heaves went off.  Vermont scored 18 straight points to take a 6-point lead with just 58 seconds to play.  Dwuan Rice scored 11 of his 20 points in that span as the Rainmen could not close out the Frost Heaves. 

2010 PBL All-Star, Dwuan Rice, led all scorers with 20 points.  Two Frost Heaves finished with double doubles, Jawan Bailey had 17 points and 16 rebounds, Ross DeMasi finished with 12 ponts, 15 rebounds, 2 blocks and three steals.

On the Halifax side, Desmond Ferguson had 19 points while Eric Crookshank finished with 12 points and 15 rebounds.

RAINMEN 124, STAMPEDE 105
In the Rainmen's second road game in two nights, the Rainmen faced off one of the worst teams in the PBL, the Buffalo Stampede.  After a terrible loss from the previous night, the Rainmen had a chance to bounce back against the Stampede.  The Rainmen put out a balanced attack to defeat the Stampede 124-104 with seven Rainmen players in double figures.  Tony Bennett scored 20 points and dished out 13 assists.  Gregory Plummer had his best game of the season, dropping 19 points on the Stampede.

Buffalo had two players with 30+ points in the loss, Corey Herring scored 34 points while Mike Norwood finished with 33 points.

Next up, the Rainmen are back home to face off against the Quebec Kebs in their last regular season home game on Wednesday night, watch it live here on Haligonia.ca!

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

The Fatigue Factor - RAINMEN 111, STAMPEDE 90

(Shaun "Mavs" Gillis with Tony Bennett post-game)

RAINMEN 111, STAMPEDE 90
Rainmen Record: 7-2

A back to back situation must be tough in the PBL, especially with an eight-man roster and without a head coach to lead the way. This was the case for the Buffalo Stampede who were without key players Mark Price and forward, Damone Brown in their back to back games in Canada. Buffalo pulled out the win against the Quebec Kebs on Saturday night but unfortunately had the tough task of travelling to Halifax the next day for another matchup.  And fatigue was a huge factor for Buffalo in yesterday's game as the Stampede collapsed in the second half resulting in a Rainmen victory, 111-90.  The Rainmen were able to capitalize on the tired Buffalo roster with an 11-0 run early in the third quarter to build a 12-point lead.  From that point on, Halifax let their bench close the game out.

The 21-point margin of victory was impressive but it wasn't exactly a pretty game for the Rainmen as they struggled to make shots early on.  The most glaring stat from the boxscore was how poorly Halifax shot from three point land.  Halifax was an atrocious 7 for 30 from beyond the arc as both Desmond Ferguson and Tony Bennett who are normally deadly shooters were cold from three.  It was the Rainmen defense that proved to be the difference maker as Halifax struggled on the other end.  Halifax held the tired Buffalo team to just 46% shooting with Buffalo committing 19 turnovers.

The Rainmen bench also came up big in this one with 52 points coming from the reserves.  Adris DeLeon was the lead spark off of the bench, leading the Rainmen in scoring with 17 points.  Eric Crookshank finished with the double double with 15 pts and 15 boards.  Rainmen newcomer and former member of the Buffalo Stampede, Cameron Stanley, made his Rainmen debut and finished with 11 points and 4 rebounds.

For the Stampede, Andy Robinson and Greg Gamble led they way with 29 points and 22 points respectively.  Gamble also finished with 11 rebounds.

Shaun "Mavs" Gillis and Romy Aquino's Player of the Game
Tony Bennett 16 pts, 5 rebounds, 2 assists

Hat-tip to the Stampede
Andy Robinson 29 pts, 4 rebounds, 3 assists

Key Notes:

• Shorthanded Stampede:  Not only were the Stampede short a few players but they were also without a head coach.  Assistant coach Jordan Ellis took over the head coaching duties for Buffalo.
• Huge Third Quarter:  Halifax blew the game open with a strong third quarter, outscoring the Stampede 29-15
• Hustle Board Stats:  Halifax had 8 team blocks and 4 steals.  Buffalo on the other hand, had just 1 block and 0 steals.
• Points in the Paint:  66-40 in favour of the Rainmen
• Canadian Watch:  Jevohn Shepherd 8 pts, Garry Gallimore 4 pts
• Movin' On Up: Halifax moves to 7-2 and holds the second spot in the standings behind the undefeated Puerto Rico Capitanes
• If you missed yesterday's game, watch the replay here.
• The Halifax crowd donned the nickname "Big Country" for Buffalo's Garrett Schmidt, who had a striking resemblance to the former Vancouver Grizzly, Bryant "Big Country" Reeves
• Make sure you check out "Mavs" Gillis' interview with Heckler's Row

Post Game Links:

RainmenBasketball.ca

"The win over the visiting Buffalo Stampede improved the Rainmen’s record to 7-2 on the season, securing the team’s hold on second place in the Premier Basketball League."

OurSportsCentral.com

"The Stampede kept it close till the third quarter when the fresh Halifax team pulled away. The Rainmen were led by Adris DeLeon who had 17 points and Tony Bennett who had 16. Eric Crookshank had a good game for the Rainmen with 15 points and 15 rebounds."

The Rainmen will celebrate Valentine's Day next week with a matchup against the Manchester Millrats at 4pm here in Halifax. 

What did you guys think of the game?  What aspect of this Rainmen team has impressed you so far?  Where do you think the Rainmen can improve?  Let us know 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

Rainmen-Stampede Game Preview with Buffalo Stampede GM, Roosevelt Bouie

The 6-2 Halifax Rainmen face off against the 2-5 Buffalo Stampede this Sunday at the Halifax Metro Centre (Game time 2pm AST, watch it live here on Haligonia.ca!)  Buffalo is fresh off of a 114-111 win over the Manchester Millrats while the Rainmen are also off of a close victory, a three-point win against the defending champs,  Rochester Razorsharks.  Buffalo made their debut in the PBL last season and finishing with a 1-19 record.  This year, they look to make an improvement from last season but have a tough February schedule ahead of them with four of their five games on the road.

Roosevelt Bouie who is originally from New York,  is the GM of the Buffalo Stampede and was also a star centre for Syracuse from 1976 to 1980.  He had an outstanding career at Syracuse before continuing his professional basketball career overseas in Italy.   I had the chance to ask Roosevelt a few questions about the Stampede's matchup with the Rainmen, his thoughts on Cameron Stanley and his thoughts on a famous Canadian basketball family.

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Romy (Haligonia.ca):  For those who don't much about Buffalo, who are some of the standouts on this team?

Roosevelt Bouie:  Some of our standout players this year have been: Derick Payne who is no longer with us, Andy Robinson, Markus Price, Kevin Ross and Greg Gamble have all done a great job growing into a team that has confidence when they take the court.

Romy (Haligonia.ca): What does Buffalo have to do to prepare for their matchup against the Rainmen?

Roosevelt Bouie:  That is a good try for a sneak preview, our roster is constantly changing in an attempt to field a confident team. The Rainmen are a very good team and we will have our hands full.

Romy (Haligonia.ca): You have back to back games in Canada, first Saturday in Quebec and then in Halifax on Sunday, what does the travel schedule look like for the team?

Roosevelt Bouie: There is always someone who gets a tough shake every now and then, it happened to me in every league and country. We try to worry about things we can control and travel schedule isn't one of them.

Romy (Haligonia.ca): Former member of the Buffalo Stampede, Cameron Stanely, recently signed with Halifax. What's your take on Stanley's game?

Roosevelt Bouie: I am extremely focused on our team. At this present time he is on the opposing team. I do not wish to sound rude, this is developmental league basketball. There will be numerous players pass through the doors. As a player, I want them to do well.

Romy (Haligonia.ca): After your time in Syracuse, you went on to have a successful basketball career in Italy. What are your thoughts on how much the international game has grown, especially within the NBA?

Roosevelt Bouie:  The international game has come to the NBA in full force. One of the ways that I personally add value to playing for the Buffalo Stampede is by taking our team to tour Italy in June. I have booked tournaments for our players to be seen and invited GM's, Coaches and Scouts to attend the games. I also send bio information to each of the interested parties so they can do their homework on each player arriving.

Romy (Haligonia.ca): You are a Syracuse alumni, what do you think about the Canadian kid at Syracuse, Andy Rautins? Did you ever work with his dad, the Canadian National team head coach Leo Rautins?

Roosevelt Bouie:  Leo and I are ex-teammates at Syracuse. It was his Red Shirt year so he did not play in the games, but he practiced with the team. Years later we met up again in Italy and played against one another for 4 years. We were united again in Spain, where we were teammates again. I have known Andy and all the Rautins boys for most of their lives, his oldest son was born in Rome. Since Syracuse we have met in Italy, Spain and Toronto. From time to time, I travel to Canada to work with some of their promising young big men. I have a room at their house in Syracuse.

Romy (Haligonia.ca): Do you ever break out the jersey and shorts and teach some of the players a thing or two?

Roosevelt Bouie:  I break them out from time to time to break a sweat. At that point, I get a few "How To.." requests from the post players.

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The Buffalo Stampede come to the Halifax Metro Centre this Sunday to face off against the Halifax Rainmen at 2:00pm.  We want to thank Roosevelt for taking the time to chat, be sure to check out more about the Buffalo Stampede at their official website.

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