Everett, Wash.
Published: Saturday, July 4, 2009

Waves wash away Explosion's title hopes

Oregon's near perfect night at the free-throw line helps beat Snohomish County 148-135 in the National Bracket championship game.

By Aaron Lommers
Herald Writer

 MONROE -- Free throw shooting may not get the glamour or exposure of a dunk or a 3-pointer, but without question it can be just as crucial to winning basketball games.

Oregon missed only one free throw Friday and outscored Snohomish County by 12 points at the line, defeating the Explosion 148-135 to advance to the International Basketball League championship game. The Waves face the Los Angeles Lightning on July 18 for the IBL title..

"We lost by how many points? There you go," Explosion point guard Anthony Slater said.

The Waves shot an impressive 29-for-30 from the foul line, while the Explosion made 17 of 28. Oregon was 19-of-19 from the line in the second half.

It also didn't help that Snohomish County shooters had an off night from the field, making just 41.7 percent of their shots while the Waves connected on 53.6 percent.

"Oregon, they are tough," player/coach Chris Weakley said. "They did everything it took to win."

With the game a blowout late in the third quarter, the Explosion made a run. Trailing 99-77, Snohomish County cut that 22-point deficit to eight with time winding down in fourth. But then the Explosion had to start fouling to stop the clock, and the Waves couldn't miss at the line.

One key to the the Waves' overall success was their ability to slow the usually fast-paced Explosion attack and Snohomish County's inability to slow Oregon, Slater said.

"We thought that was our game, but it seemed like it was more their game than it was ours," Slater said.

Oregon had three players hit 30 points. David Jackson scored 34 points, David Lucas had 32 and Lamar Hurd had 30. Hurd went to the free-throw line a game-high 16 times, converting each attempt. No other Oregon player shot more than six free throws, and no Snohomish County player shot more than seven free throws.

IBL leading scorer Devon Greene paced the Explosion with 32 points. Ike Ohanson chipped in 23 and Richard Ford had 22. But Greene, usually a marksman from long range, missed 11 of his 13 3-point shots, and Ford, also usually a solid shooter, managed to make just eight of his 27 shots from anywhere in the field.

The Explosion finished the regular season 9-11, the first time in franchise history they finished the regular season under .500. The playoffs, however, were a different story. In the first round the Explosion beat the Vancouver B.C. Titans, earning the franchise's first ever playoff victory. On Thursday, the Explosion surprised again, defeating the top-seeded Edmonton Energy to earn a spot in the National bracket championship.

Part of the reason for the Explosion's playoff success was the return of Richard Ford.

"There are no words to describe the heart that Richard has," associate head coach Quantez Gurley said.

Greene also was a huge asset for the team.

"Guys like Devon only come along once in a blue moon," Gurley said.

"For us to be here, playing in the conference title game for one is a blessing, two it is a huge accomplishment for the Explosion," Slater said. "I have no complaints. We did what we did and we had a great season."

"It's been a good season. It started out slow, but we had a great run in the playoffs," Weakley said.

Weakley said he will return next year as head coach, but hasn't decided if he will play again. "I don't know, I'll think about it," he said.

Los Angeles 132, Bellingham 121

Darrick Martin led the Lightning with 28 points and Lamond Murray chipped in 20. The defending champion Slam were led by Jacob Stevenson's 30 points and Paul Hafford's 28.
© 2009The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA