Welcome to Blowout City. Halifax Rainmen has a big win over the Kentucky Stallions
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HALIFAX, NS–Welcome to blowout city. On Saturday night, the Halifax Rainmen laid a 115-83 beatdown on the Kentucky Bluegrass Stallions. The Stallions, who were added to the PBL this season, were overwhelmed by the Rainmen offense from the start, scoring only 29 points in the first half. The Rainmen looked eager to correct their mistakes after the tough loss against the LFS Cavs on Tuesday night.
Looking at the boxscore, it was apparent that Halifax wanted to put on an overall team effort against Kentucky, as they had seven players in double figures. The Rainmen were led by Tommy Mitchell who came off of injury reserve to make his debut. The former Siena product, put up 19 points, going 5-5 from the FT line. “It felt real good to be out with my team. These guys worked hard, it’s hard sitting out on the side, even if I’m in a nice suit.” said Mitchell. By the half, Halifax had a 66-29 lead on the Stallions. The Rainmen offense got hot early, including three early three-pointers from Desmond Ferguson. They continued to push the ball in the third quarter, building up a 40-point lead after three quarters.
Rainmen point guard, Taliek Brown, emphasized the need for a good performance after Tuesday’s loss. “We had to come back after that Oklahoma game, we had a lot to prove to our fans and to ourselves. We had to come out and play hard.” Brown had 18 points (8-9), 7 assists and 6 rebounds for Halifax.
Coach Les Berry switched up the Rainmen starting lineup for this matchup, inserting Rainmen veteran, Eric Crookshank, and Marshall Brown in the starting lineup. And the roster change worked, as the starters got the offense clicking early with Crookshank working the boards. Halifax shot 51.9% from the floor, and also put on a great defensive effort, holding the Stallions to just 38% shooting.
As for Kentucky, the Stallions struggled in every category. They were outrebounded by Halifax (57-48) and also struggled from three-point land, making only 4 of 21. The lone bright spots for Kentucky were Kenny Jones who scored 17 points and former Halifax Rainmen, Jason McLeish, who scored 15 points.
Saturday night also marked the debut of the newly-acquired Halifax Rainmen centre, James “Boo” Jackson, formerly of the CBA and the NBA D-League. Jackson had an impressive debut off of the bench for Halifax, scoring 11 points and grabbing 5 boards. Jackson plans to be the big body that the Rainmen have been missing. “You can expect me to bring it every night, play strong. I’m physical.” Jackson said “I’m a big winner, I love to win so I’m going to give it my all when I get on the court.” Halifax holds the top spot in the PBL’s East Division with a 3-1 record.
The Rainmen are on the road for two games, playing the expansion Dayton Air Strikers on Wednesday and then have a rematch against the Stallions on Sunday in Georgetown. They return home when they face off against their Maritime rival, the Saint John Mill Rats on January 29th.
Photo Courtesy: Halifax Rainmen
