Jamestown Semi-Pro Basketball Wins League Title; Next Stop San Antonio
JAMESTOWN - The Jamestown Jackals offensive firepower led the way against the Chautauqua Hurricane in a decisive two- game sweep of their Northeast Division Championship Series, winning Sunday's match-up, 115-105.
The Jackals, meanwhile, secured a spot in the North American Basketball League Championships, which will be held in San Antonio in July.
The Jackals received 28 points a piece out of Latrell Alford and Michael Davenport, and 14 points from both Damien Harris and Brandon Mcclester.
"We just had to be aggressive,” said Mcclester. "It's all the little things that got us here that eventually got us to this point. I am so excited. I am ready to win a national championship."
Jamestown used a familiar recipe in its pursuit of a sweep; solid perimeter defense and fast break basketball. Davenport, a benefit of that formula, dropped 53 points in the series.
"All credit goes to our front court; those guys were amazing," said Davenport. "We limited Chautauqua to one basket or one opportunity, pretty much all night."
The Jackals captured their first title since arriving in Jamestown, an accomplishment that Coach Ken Crosby sees as significant.
"I feel so good for those guys," said Crosby. "They've worked so hard to get here and they finally accomplished their goals."
According to the league's Facebook page, the scheduling is a basic adjustment the league had to make when they expanded last year.
"We didn’t want to disrupt their tradition because they didn’t have time to properly warn their fans, therefore only this season, we allowed them to start early," the league said.
"Next season, they will play the same time as all other NABL Teams," the league added.