The Enid Outlaws easily put away Omaha’s Finest in the first round of the TBL playoffs. Game one saw the Outlaws win 130-109 on the road, while Game 2, at home, the Outlaws pulled away from the beginning and won 164-110. In game 2, Tavares Sledge scored 39 points and pulled down 14 rebounds. Not to be outdone, League MVP Chance Comanche scored 30 (on 12-15 shooting) and had 12 rebounds. Wayne Runnels also had an outstanding game scoring 34 points (also on 12-15 shooting).
The Outlaws find themselves in the conference finals against the tough Houston Push. The Push tied with the Outlaws for the best record in the league at 22-2 (which Enid won via tie break). The Push went 2-0 against their first round opponent, the Shreveport Mavericks, winning 102-99 and 129-98. In those two games, Houston showed that they were deep and could get production from several players. Houston was led by PF Javonlean Hedgeman (#10), who scored 29 points and had 15 rebounds in game 1. SF Ruston Hayward (#9) had 27 points and 8 rebounds in game 1, and 15 points and 13 assists in game 2, showing he can facilitate as well as score. SG Tyronne Jordan (#4) had a poor game 1, but showed why he is a tough guard in game 2 by going for 23 points. As an aside, the Push are owned by NBA legend Steve Francis.
On the season, the Push and the Outlaws split their two matchups with Enid winning 109-99 in Houston and the Push winning 98-96 in Enid. In Game 1, Houston was led by Tyronne Jordan with 20 points. Jordan Allen had 31 points in that game, but he is no longer with the Push. PG Alanie Moore had a good game in game 2 with 23 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds.
For the Outlaws, Chance Comanche scored 36 points and pulled down 14 rebounds in Game 1 and 16 points and 12 rebounds in game 2 against Houston, showing that the Push will likely have a hard time keeping him away from the ball. Charlie Marquardt had a good game in game 2, scoring 28 points. Wane Runnels had a typically solid game 2 with 20 points and 9 rebounds.
The bottom line is that this is a solid matchup between the top two teams in the league, and should not be missed. Game 1 is Tuesday, July 6th at 6 p.m. in Houston. You can watch the game by logging on to http://live.thebasketballleague.net and purchasing a playoff subscription (currently $9.99).
UPDATE: The Houston Push took care of business at home in Game 1, winning 118-98. Houston had 3 players score 20 points, Marcus Bell, Tyree Crump and Tyronne Jordan. Alanie Moore dished out 11 assists and Bell had 13 rebounds in the win. For Enid, Chance Comanche had 26 points and 11 rebounds and Lindy Waters III had 25 points.
UPDATE 2: The Enid Outlaws took game three by jetting out to a big lead and having a 27 point advantage at halftime. The Push came out, ahem, very pushy and physically aggressive after halftime and made a game of it, but the Outlaws held on 109-95 to tie the series 1-1 forcing game 3.
Winner take all Game 3 is scheduled for Saturday, July 10 at 4:00 p.m. at the Stride Bank Center (if necessary). Tickets start at $10 and can be purchased at the door. Your Outlaws need your support so be there!
