It was hard not to be confused at tipoff of Game 1 of the second round of The Basketball League playoffs. The Enid Outlaws were scheduled to play Dallas Skyline, however the Outlaws took the court against what appeared to be…the Wichita Prestige? Alas, the Skyline left their uniforms back home in Dallas, along with a couple of players, and apparently their jump shot. Dallas was able to borrow the uniforms of the Wichita and begin the game, albeit shorthanded.
Dallas came out firing, but missed their first 8 shots on the way to a 23-11 deficit at the end of the first quarter and it did not get better for them from there, eventually losing 114-100. Skyline’s best player, Guard Alexander Cooper scored 24 points, but it took him 23 shots to do it, showing the Outlaws excellent defense on the night.
The Outlaws were paced by Guard Daylon “Chuck” guy, who scored 37 points, had 17(!) assists and 7 rebounds against his former team. Four other Outlaws scored in double figures, including double/doubles from both Kierra Moore (17 pts/10 reb) and Ricardo Artis II (19 pts/11 reb).
The two teams will match up again tonight (June 9th) at 7 p.m. at the Stride Bank Center where we can presume Dallas will be more organized (at least in the right uniforms) and present a stiffer challenge. An Outlaw win will propel them to the 3rd round of the playoffs against the winner of the series between the Potawatomie Fire and the Shreveport Mavericks. The Fire is currently leading that series 1-0 after a 113-100 win last night. An Outlaw loss will tie the series at one all and force a deciding Game 3 Friday at 7:00 p.m.
Tickets begin at $10 and are available at www.stridebankcenter.com or at the door. The Outlaws would love to have a great crowd!
