Rainmen players lead East All-Star Team

05/03/2010 11:30 AM

While the Western All-Stars may have boasted six players from the league’s top two teams, the Halifax Rainmen were not to be denied in leading the Eastern All-Stars to 144-135 victory in the first Rogers PBL All-Star Game Sunday.
The game was important for the Rainmen as it was hosted at the Metro Centre in front of their hometown fans.
All four Rainmen players hit double-digits in scoring, including Game MVP Gary Ervin with a team-high 20 points. Desmond Ferguson was right behind him with 19, while Eric Gilchrese had 18, and Saturday’s slam dunk champ, Eric Crookshank, had 13.
All four Rainmen players were selected as Eastern All-Stars, including Gilchrese, who was a replacement for Tony Bennett, who was unable to play due to injury.
While the Eastern squad started slowly Sunday, their eventual first quarter surge was led by some fancy lay-ups by Ervin and a couple of late three-pointers by Ferguson to lead 33-21 after one.
The Eastern All-Stars continued to pad their lead, albeit in small increments, as the game progressed. Vermont Frost Heaves’ Ross Demasi came off the bench to make some nice plays in the second quarter, including a fine dunk on a hand-off from Ferguson as the East led 65-62 at the half.
The two sides traded baskets throughout the third quarter until a late rally by the East, who nailed a basket at the buzzer to build a seven-point lead, 99-92, after three.
The East sensing they had a victory in sight continued to build their lead, win the fourth quarter by two points, and the game by nine. Lincoln Smith of the Razrosharks led the West with a game-high 33 points.
The Eastern win in the Rogers PBL All-Star Game ended on a positive note to what was a bittersweet season for the Rainmen.
The Rainmen made definite progress during their second PBL season, compiling a 13-7 record and making the playoffs by finishing fourth. Their season ended, however, in a two-game sweep by the league-leading West division Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry. The Cavs went on to win the PBL title over the two-time defending champs, the West’s Rochester Razosharks, who finished second overall.