Power Surge – Oshawa Wins 115-111 Over Halifax

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Oshawa Top Performers

 

• Akeem Wright – 33 pts, 10 rebounds

 

• Kevin Francis (Toronto, ON) – 15 pts, 8 rebounds

 

 

 

Halifax Top Performers

• Joey Haywood (Vancouver, BC) – 20 pts, 4 assists

 

• Eddie Robinson – 18 pts (6-8)

 

 

 

OSHAWA, ON – It came down to the final possessions in the first matchup of the season between the Halifax Rainmen and Oshawa Power. Oshawa squeaked out a 115-111 win over the Halifax Rainmen on Sunday afternoon at the General Motors Centre in Oshawa. Philadelphia native, Akeem Wright, had his fourth double double of the season, scoring 33 points (12-19), grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing out 5 assists in the win. Wright hit a jumper off the glass in the final 30 seconds to put the Power up 115-111.

“It was a quick turnaround, we knew we had to come with more energy” said Akeem Wright. “We just got tired of talking about playing together and playing with energy. We did less talking and more showing”.

The Power put an end to the Rainmen’s three game winning streak and now move to 4-5 on the season. Oshawa was fresh off of two straight losses, including a loss to the Summerside Storm 119-97 on Friday night.

For Halifax, Joey Haywood continued with his scoring consistency, putting up another double digit scoring performance with 20 points on the night. The Vancouver native has averaged 21.0 ppg over the last four games for the Rainmen. Former NBA player, Eddie Robinson, made his Rainmen debut on Sunday, scoring 18 points (6-8 from the floor). Robinson was placed on injured reserve for the first five games of the season, and was activated prior to Sunday’s game.

Rainmen point guard, Taliek Brown, left the game in the first half with a dislocated finger and didn’t return.

Halifax’s Lawrence Wright had a few key baskets late in the final quarter to keep the Rainmen in the game but he failed to hit his three-pointer in the closing seconds. Wright put down a two-handed jam and got to the line to bring the Rainmen within three points with 2:20 left to play.

Oshawa outscored the Rainmen 63-54 in the second half, shooting an impressive 52% from the field. Oshawa guard, Brandon Robinson scored 19 pts, hitting 4 threes on the night. Kevin Francis of Toronto had 15 points/8 rebounds and Tut Ruach of Toronto had 14 pts, 5 boards and 5 assists.  Oshawa went with just an 8-man rotation on Sunday.

The Power face off against the Quebec Kebs for the fourth time this season on Tuesday.  Oshawa forward, Akeem Wright, says they will have to bring a new attitude this time around. “They know us and we know them. It’s just a matter of us executing. We didn’t come with energy in the 2nd half of the last game against Quebec,” mentioned Wright. “We missed free throws and they attacked us and got offensive rebounds so we know why we lost. Tuesday we’re going to come out and play hard with a no-lose attitude right now and we want to carry it over.

OTHER NEWS:

– Former Halifax Rainmen head coach and former Toronto Raptors assistant coach, Mike Evans, has taken over the head coaching/GM duties for the Moncton Miracles.  Former Miracles head coach, Norris Bell, stepped down earlier this week due to personal reasons.

– Halifax activated Eddie Robinson before Sunday’s matchup and released Stevy Worah-Ozimo

Upcoming for the Oshawa Power: 11/29 vs.Quebec Kebs

Upcoming for the Halifax Rainmen: 12/2 @ Saint John Mill Rats

Photo courtesy of the Oshawa Power