Montreal Matrix Played Nail-biting Back-and-Forth Game with Cape Cod Frenzy and Come Out with a Loss 109-108 - ABA Basketball

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MLN Newswire-www.mlntherawfeed.com-November 10, 2006 Montreal, Canada:  The new-look and newly renamed Cape Cod Frenzy arrived at the Pierre Charbonneau arena in Montreal fully rested and raring to go. After two weeks of training camp and a week of regular practice, the young Frenzy unit was ready to show the ABA what they can do.

However the host team, the Montreal Matrix, was less than hospitable on the court.  A quick 6-1 start by Montreal had the Frenzy on their heels.  How would their young players respond?  Dynamic 6’7 forward Rob Sanders (Providence College) responded for the Frenzy with several acrobatic interior baskets.  The older, more experienced Matrix squad pushed the lead back out to 19-10 with 4:28 left in the first quarter.  Cape Cod refused to quit, closing the quarter strong and cutting the Montreal lead to 23-21 at the end of one.  It would be the first of many such comebacks by the Frenzy in the game.
 
Early in the second, the Frenzy captured their first lead of the game at 24-23, on a slam dunk by guard Jermaine Watson (Boston College).  The Matrix decided to try and capitalize on their height advantage, rotating their 3 seven footers in and out of the game.  Cape Cod briefly tried a zone defense and paid for it, with two quick three pointers by Montreal. That and sloppy play compounded by severe ‘home cooking’ by the Canadian ABA referees, gave the Matrix a 47-37 lead.  But again the Frenzy battled back! A three pointer by guard Dustin Hellenga (Rhode Island) and a dunk by Rob Sanders brought the Frenzy all the way back to a 49-44 deficit at the half.
 
“We were feeling good about our chances at halftime,” explained Frenzy coach Angel Robinson Jr., “because they were clicking on all cylinders and we were clicking on just one, and we were still in the game.”
 
However, the confidence turned to despair rather quickly and the Frenzy came out of halftime flat, and the Matrix jumped out to a 63-50 lead at the 7:26 mark of the 3rd.  Continually throughout the game, Frenzy layups seem to bounce around and rim out, while their opponents shots bounced 3 or 4 times before settling in.  The bounces just seemed to keep going Montreal’s way.  
 
But once again, the Frenzy players refused to die.  Coach Angel Robinson Jr. implemented a diamond press which proved to be the key to a 12-0 run, capped off by a driving layup by Jermaine Watson, who also drew the foul.  The seesaw battle ended up all tied, fittingly, at 75-75 at the end of the 3rd quarter.
 
Cape Cod looked like they broke thru when they took a seemingly commanding 84-78 lead on a Steve Hailey (Boston College) to Jermaine Watson backdoor play.  But more of the same; the Matrix reclaimed control and eventual grabbed a 97-87 lead with just 5 minutes left in the game!  Game over?  Not with this group!  Fighting and clawing and trapping by the desperate Frenzy squad, led to rapid fire three pointers by Steve Hailey and Dustin Hellenga, and just like that it was a game at 100-97, Matrix, with 3:36 remaining!  In the ensuing two minutes, the Frenzy overcome the deficit and captured a 103-100 lead on a driving layup in traffic by Dustin Hellenga. But the Matrix responded with a jumper by Shawn Browne (aka “Smoke”) with 40 seconds left.  
 
The Frenzy kept the pressure on and a floating by Steve Hailey put Cape Cod up 108-105 with 18 seconds left.  The Matrix, desperate for a three pointer, heaved an errant toss from behind the arc that was caught, short of the rim, by 6’11 Frenzy center Ifesinachi Anosike.  Astonishingly, the referees answered this ‘Hail Mary’ with a call of goaltending! Tie game 108-108 with only 5.4 ticks left.
 
“End the game NOW, we’re going to finish this right now on this possession,” hollered Frenzy players in the final huddle, desperate to begin their inaugural season 1 and 0.  They took the court focused, on a mission. The ball came to Dustin Hellenga, who promptly took his man off the dribble left lane and lofted an arching floater that kissed glass…and…bumped out.  As the ball bounded up, a Matrix player tip it in an effort to grab it, and Frenzy forward Rob Sanders got a fingernail on the ball.  The result: the ball reversed direction and kissed back off the glass and fell into the hoop. Frenzy victory!  Hysteria ensued.  Quite fitting after all the near misses throughout the game, that the last made shot was a fingernail tip in.

The Frenzy were led by Rob Sanders with 27 points, Jermaine Watson and Dustin Hellenga with 24, Richmond Pittman 16, and Steve Hailey with 10 points. The Matrix were led by Shawn Browne’s 33 points.