Storm Practice(12-17-11)

The Savannah Storm held practice Saturday morning at the Recreational Center in Richmond Hill.

Last season the Storm played in the ABA league and this season they will be playing in the CBL.

Storm owner, Anthony Bryan, reports the team will play 16 games and they start the season in April. Savannah will play teams from Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina. The CBL will have playoff games.

The Storm has not announced who the coach will be this season.

Savannah will play their first game of the year against the ABA Jacksonville Giants on December 30, 2011. The game will be played at the Jacksonville Veteran's Memorial Arena and the time has not been determined.

Storm Hold First Tryout

The Savannah Storm held their first tryout Saturday, June 4th 2011, at the Savannah High School Gym. Players participated in various drills, including shooting drills and fast break drills. A scrimmage was held in the afternoon. Anthony Bryan, owner, stated the second Storm tryout will be held in July.

Jacksonville Giants Tryouts

Results of the recent try outs held by the Jacksonville Giants of the ABA. Five players made the first cut in the Giants Free Agent tryouts held Saturday, May 14th, 2011. Savannah Storm guard and captain last season, Ben Chisholm, was one of five players who survived the cut. Good luck Ben in the next phase of the tryouts.

Photo courtesy of Chris Morris(chrismorrisphotography.com).

Giants lose final game in China

The Jacksonville Giants played the third game April 11, 2011 against the Olympians in the three game series in Bejing, China. The Olympians beat the Giants 98-93. Three starters for the Giants did not make the trip. It was a close game to the end, but the Olympians shot more than twice as many foul shots as the Giants.

It was announced yesterday that the two time ABA National Champions, South East Texas Mavericks, are leaving the ABA League. The Mavericks would like to join the NBA-Developement League this coming season.

Giants lose second game in China

The Jacksonville Giants of the ABA League played their second game in China on April 8th, 2011 and lost by three points to the Aoshen Olympians. The Giants final game in Bejing, China will be played on April 11, 2011.

Jacksonville Giants lose first game in China

The Jacksonville Giants of the ABA was selected to represent the ABA League and play the Bejing Olympians three game exhibition in Bejing, China.

The first game was played today(April 5, 2011) with the Bejing Olympians defeating the Jacksonville Giants 100-88. Game two of the series will be played on April 8th, 2011.

Jacob Tucker Dunks NCAA Dunk Contest 3-31-2011

Jacob Tucker Dunks NCAA Dunk Contest 3-31-2011

Jacob Tucker Dunks NCAA Dunk Contest 3-31-2011

SETX Mavericks Win ABA Championship

The SETX Mavericks (35-1) defeated the Gulf Coast Flash 109-85 in Winnie, Texas Monday evening, March 28, 2011. The Mavericks won Back to Back ABA National Championships. The Mavericks beat the Flash 2-0 in the best of 3 game series for the Championship.

The All-ABA Championship Final Team:

Nick Wallery-Jacksonville Giants

Daniel Price-East Kentucky Energy

Freeman Taylor-Gulf Coast Flash

Luther Suggs-Gulf Coast Flash

Odell Bradley-Setx Mavericks

Desmond Cambridge-Setx Mavericks

P. J. Cousinard-Setx Mavericks(Most Valuable Player)

ABA Playoffs Results

Game 1 of the ABA Championship series was played Sunday, March 27, 2011 in Winnie, Texas. The SETX Mavericks defeated the Gulf Coast Flash 114-97 to take a 1-0 lead in the best of 3 series. Game 2 is Monday March 28, 2011 @ 7:30.

Giants eliminated from the Final Four

The Jacksonville Giants played the Gulf Coast Flash in the ABA Final Four Saturday evening in Winnie, Texas. At the half the Flash led 62-53. Final score:Gulf Coast Flash 112 Jacksonville Giants 110. The Giants are eliminated from the tournament and the Flash play Sunday against the SETX Mavericks for the championship.

Giants vs.Gulf Coast Flash

The ABA Final Four continues Saturday, March 26, 2011 with the Jacksonville Giants playing the Gulf Coast Flash starting at 8:30 pm EST. The loser is eliminated and the winner plays Sunday against the SETX Mavericks.

Click link for webcast:http://www.ustream.tv/user/GoJaxGiants

Scores from ABA Final Four

March 23, 2011

Game one: Jacksonville Giants 123 Gulf Coast Flash 119 -Seven foot center Jermaine Bell led Jacksonville in scoring with 17 points.

Game two: SETX Mavericks 122 East Kentucky Energy 91 -Daniel Price led the Energy with a game high 37 points.

March 24, 2011

Game Three:

Gulf Coast Flash defeated the East Kentucky Energy which eliminated the Energy from the tournament.

Game Four: SEXT Mavericks 109 Jacksonville Giants 87

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Game Five:

The Jacksonville Giants will play the Gulf Coast Flash at 8:30pm. The loser is eliminated from the tournament and the winner plays Sunday against the Mavericks.

ABA Final Four

Results of the ABA Final Four played March 23, 2011 in Texas.

#2Jacksonville Giants defeated #16Gulf Coast Flash. #1Texas Mavericks defeated #4East Kentucky Energy.

Games schelduled for March 24, 2011:

7:00pm Energy vs. Flash

9:30 Giants vs. Mavericks.

Walker drives to the basket

Walker drives to the basket

"Goal by"

"Basket by Henley"

Energy defeats Storm in ABA Playoffs.

The Savannah Storm traveled to Pikeville, Kentucky for the ABAplayoff game Saturday evening with the East Kentucky Energy. The Energy won 119-97.

After the first quarter, the Energy led 33-18. The half time score was 65-45 in favor of the Energy. At the end of the third quarter, it was Energy 94, Storm 74.

Savannah Storm guard, Ben Chisholm, led his team in scoring with 20 points. Center Bernard Dixon was high rebounder for the team with 9.

Energy 6'-10" center, J.R. VanHoose scored 4 three point shots and scored in the low post several times.

Sunday afternoon the East Kentucky Energy defeated the Lake Michigan Admirals 119-97 to advance to the ABA Final Four to be played in Texas starting on March 23.

Storm arrive in Pikeville.

The Savannah Storm left Savannah yesterday and arrived in Pikeville, Kentucky at 5:30 in the morning Saturday. It is after 2:00pm Saturday and the Storm players are resting in their rooms. The 7-City Knights are staying at the same hotel as the Savannah Storm and I had the opportunity to talk with the coaches. The coaches said they were 1-1 this season against the East Kentucky Energy,
The ABA playoffs continue Saturday at Pikeville High school with the Lake Michigan Admirals playing the 7-City Knights at 5:00pm. At 8:00pm the Savannah Storm play the East Kentucky Energy.
The winner of the game Sunday advances to the Final Four in the ABA championship in Texas.

Storm vs. Energy

The Savannah Storm will play the East Kentucky Energy on Saturday at 8:00pm in Pikeville, Kentucky as the ABA playoffs continue. The Lake Michigan Admirals will play the 7-City Knights in the first game starting at 5:00pm.

Energy forward, J. R. VanHoose, played in the ABA All-Star game in Jacksonville, Florida on February 26, 2011. The 6'-10" VanHoose scored 6 points and grabbed 9 rebounds playing 24 minutes. He also won the three point shooting contest at the All-Star game.

Cruz dunks at practice at Port Wentworth 3-15-11.

ABA Playoffs continue Saturday for the Storm

The Savannah Storm travel to Pikeville, Kentucky Saturday to play the second game against the East Kentucky Energy in the ABA playoffs. The Power rankings rank the Energy as the #4 ranked team and the Storm is ranked 13th. The first game starts at 5:00pm features the Lake Michigan Admirals facing the 7-City Knights. The Admirals are ranked #12 in the Power Rankings. The winner Sunday advances to the Final Four.

One other team and the winner at the Pikeville tournament will advance to the Final Four along with the Jacksonville Giants and the SETX Maverics who, because of their record, received byes into the Final Four. The ABA Final Four will be held March 23-24 at Nutty Jerry's Entertainment Center in Winnie, Texas. The Chamionship game will be the best two out of three.

Xavier Blain-Cruz dunks during practice

Zack Davis dunks before practice.

Walker drives to the Basket for two points

Henley hits a 3-point shot.

Chris Morris photo shoot with Josh Reese

Chris Morris Photo Shoot with Sherard Reddick

Coach Huisinga after Prowl game

Savannah Storm 163 Heartland Prowl 153

The ABA championship game between the Heartland Prowl and the Savannah Storm was played Sunday afternoon at Savannah High School Gym. Fans saw an exciting game as both teams played well. The Prowl got into foul trouble with several players with 6 fouls or more(ABA rules: if a player picks up his sixth foul, he may remain in the game. However, each time he commits an additional foul the other team will receive two free throws PLUS the ball out of bounds).

After the first quarter, the Storm led 42-31. At the half the Storm led 78-70. The end of the third quarter saw the Storm with a led 117-111. The final score: Savannah Storm 163, Heartland Prowl 153.

J. B. Smiley had a game high 46 points for the Prowl and teammate Dwayne Jackson scored 45 points.

Leading scorer for the Storm was D. J. Henley with 41 points. Josh Walker scored 39 points. Ben Chisholm added 25 points. Center Sherard Reddick had a double-double with 19 points and 18 rebounds. Henley scored 20 points in the first quarter and Walker had 15 points in the first half.

The Storm advance next weekend to play in the ABA playoff in Kentucky.

Cruz scores against the Makos.

ABA Playoffs at Savannah High

The ABA playoffs began Saturday at Savannah High with the first game at noon between the Florida Makos and the Fayetteville Flight. At the end of the first quarter, the Flight led 38-26. The Flight led at the half, 58-56. In the third quarter, the Makos took the lead and led 91-83 at the end of the 3rd quarter. The Makos won 131-119 which advanced them to play the Savannah Storm in the evening game.

The Makos were led in scoring by Cori Gaither with a game high 36 points. Flight leading scorer was Terry Sumter with 30 points.

The 3:30 pm playoff game saw the Heartland Prowl defeat the Columbus Riverballers 147-127. The Prowl got off to a fast start and built a lead and led 40-28 at the end of the first quarter.

Leading scorer for the Riverballers was 2011 ABA All-Star guard, Anthony Jackson, with 29 points. The Prowl win was impressive because they had 5 players for the game.

The Prowl was led in scoring by #1Dwayne Jackson with 51 points.

#3J.B. Smiley scored 33 points

#2Tyrell Harper added 25 points.

#5Mike Floyd contribured 20 points.

#34Eugene Pride scored 18 points.

Savannah Storm 102 Florida Makos 94

The ABA playoffs started Saturday at Savannah High School Gym with the Savannah Storm playing the Florida Makos.

After the first quarter, the Makos led the Storm 27-17. One point seperated the teams at the half. Storm led at the end of the third quarter 71-70. The final minutes saw the Storm take the lead and hang on for a 102-94 win.

Leading scorer for the Florida team was Cori Gaither who scored a game high 30 points.

D. J. Henley(#10) led the Storm in scoring with 22 points. Josh Walker(#30) scored 21. Ben Chisholm(#5) added 18 points.

The championship game between the Heartland Prowl and the Savannah Storm will be played Sunday(3-13-11) at 2:00pm at Savannah High School Gym.

Chris Morris photo shoot

ABA Playoffs in Savannah Saturday

The ABA playoffs begin Saturday(3-12-11) at Savannah High School Gym.

At 12:00 pm the Gainesville Makos vs. the Fayetteville Flight.

At 3:30 pm the Heartland Prowl vs. the Columbus Riverballers. The Prowl is ranked #19 in the Power Rankings and the Riverballers are ranked #11.

At 7:00pm the winner of the Makos/Flight game will play the Savannah Storm. The Storm is ranked #13th in the Power Rankings.

On Sunday, March 13th, the Championship game will start at 2:00pm.

Reese-Dunk 11(3-10-11)

Reese dunks in practice

Reese dunk 3 9 11 at practice

Chisholm helps Dixon with a dunk

Reddick helps Dixon with a dunk

Dixon@PortWentworth

Reddick helps Dixon with his dunk at practice

Coach Huisinga after Storm/Hilton Head game

Savannah Storm 136 Hilton Head 61

The Savannah Storm played an exhibitation game with a team from Hilton Head Sunday afternoon at Savannah High School Gym. The Storm won 136-61.

In the first quarter, the Storm outscored Hilton Head 35-17. Storm forward/guard, Josh Walker, did not start the game, but scored 15 points in the first quarter. Hilton Head turned the ball over several times due to the Storm tenacious defense.At half time the Storm had an ample lead:69-25.

High scorer for the game and the Storm, was Josh Walker with 25 points. Guard Richard "Speedy" Green scored 20 points.

The ABA playoffs begin Saturday, March 12, and will be played at Savannah High School Gym. At 12:00pm Gainesville Makos vs. Fayetteville Flight. At 3:30pm Heartland Prowl vs. Columbus Riverballers. The Savannah Storm will play the winner of the Makos/Flight game and that game will start at 7:00pm.

ABA Playoffs in Savannah

The playoff schedule for next week has been announced.

Saturday, March 12

12 pm Gainesville Makos vs. Fayetteville Flight

3:30 pm Heartland Prowl vs. Columbus Riverballers

7 pm Winner of Makos/Flight vs. Savannah Storm

Sunday, March 13

2;00 pm Championship Game

Tickets are still $10. Season ticket holders can use their tickets.

First Round of ABA Playoffs

Savannah Storm owner, Anthony Bryan and Storm General Manager, Ed DeVita, have been working with the league to schedule games for the playoff season. It looks like at the moment, the first round of the playoffs will start Saturday(March 12, 2011) and will be held at the Savannah High School Gym in Savannah, Georgia. When I am told the teams which will be participating and the time of the games, I will post on my blog.

Dunks from aba all star dunk contest

Dunks from aba all star dunk contest

MEET THE 2011 ABA NATIONAL ALL-STARS BY MILLER ON SPORTS

Cazzie Russell

Congradulations to Cazzie Russell for being one of the newest members of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

Russell was a star for the University of Michigan(1964-1966) averaged 27 points and 9 rebounds for 3 years while leading Michigan to three straight Big Ten championships. With 2,163 points scored for his career, he was the leading Michigan scorer for over 40 years and currently ranks 5th on the all time list. Two out of three years, Russell led his team to the Final Four.

For twelve seasons, Russell coached the Savannah College of Art and Design basketball team in Savannah, Georgia. SCAD dropped the basketball program this season.

Picture of Cazzie Russell was taken in January, 2011 at a Savannah Storm professional basketball game.

ABA All-Star 3-point Shooting Contest

The ABA All-Star game between the East and the West team was played Saturday afternoon at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. A 3-point shooting contest was also held. Winning the 3-point contest was 6'-10" forward, J. R. VanHoose(E. Kentucky Energy). The contest was narrowewd to 4 players, and VanHoose was the winner.

Savannah Storm guard, Leon Frazier, Jr. finished fifth in the contest. Xavier Blain-Cruz, Savannah Storm PG/SG was a last minute entery.

Each contestant shot five balls from the left corner, five balls from the right corner, and five balls at the top of the key. Basketball racks were not used-staff handed the basketballs to the players to shoot. Each contestant had 45 seconds to shoot 15 basketballs.

Reese Wins Dunk Contest

Savannah Storm forward, Josh Reese, won the dunk contest yesterday at the ABA All-Star game held at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena.

Picture of the high flying Reese(#33) dunking easily during the early round of the contest.

For his final and winning dunk, Reese jumped over me while I was sitting in a chair near the basket with my camera in hand ready to take a picture-he forcefully dunked the ball.

Congradulations to Josh on his outstanding array of dunks during the competion.

East All-Stars 123 West All-Stars 122

Basketball fans saw a great game between the East All-Stars and the West All-Stars Saturday afternoon at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. The ABA All-Star game was a success thanks to Giants owner Ron Sholes and the team staff for their administration of the event.

The West All-Stars jumped out to a big lead in the first quarter, out scoring the East 37-22. The East made a comeback in the second quarter when they outscored the West 38-20 and led at half time 60-57. The score was tied 8 times and the lead changed 14 times during the game. The outcome of the game was deceided in the final seconds-East defeated the West 123-122.

Leading scorer for the West was Marlo Sanders(W. Texas Whirlwind) with 23 points. Freeman Taylor(Gulf Coast Flash) added 20. The only double-double for the West, was by 6'-11" C/F RaSean Dickey(Colorado Kings) with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

The East was led by Kayode Ayeni(New Jersey Express) with 25 points and 12 rebounds-he was named Most Valuable Player of the game. Jaleel Nelson(Seven City Knights) scored 20. Sherard Reddick(Savannah Storm), played good defense, scored 12 points, and grabbed 8 rebounds.

The announced attendance was 4,488.

ABA All-Star 3-point Shooting Contest

The ABA All-Star event features the East team versus the West team on February 26, 2011 at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. Besides the slam dunk contest, fans will get to watch the 3-point shooting contest.

Representing Savannah Storm in the 3-point shooting contest is 6'-3" guard from Durham, N.C. Leon Frazier, Jr.

The regular season is over for the Storm and the playoffs will begin next week in Savannah. Will announce the teams and schedule when they become available.

ABA All-Star Dunk Contest

The ABA All-Star game is February 26, 2011 held at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.

The East All-Stars will play the West All-Stars. Fans will also get an opportunity to watch a 3 point shooting contest and a dunk contest.

Two players from the Savannah Storm have been nominated to participate in the slam dunk contest: Josh Reese and Bernard Dixon. Picture of Reese at the finish of a 360 dunk.

2010-2011 All-Star Teams

The ABA has announced the All-Star teams to be played in Jacksonville, Florida at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena on February 26, 2011.

East All Stars:

G-Anthony Jackson, Columbus Riverballers

G-Ramar Smith, Georgia Gwizzlies

G-Daniel Price, East Kentucky Energy

G-JaLeel Nelson, Seven City Knights

G-Anthony Muse, Chicago Steam

G-Edward Horton, Jacksonville Giants

F-Odgra Bobo, Lake Michigan Admirals

F-Freeman Taylor, Gulf City Flash

F-Sherard Reddick, Savannah Storm

F-Kayode Ayeni, Jersey Express

C-Jermaine Bell, Jacksonville Giants

C-J. R. VanHoose, East Kenticky Energy

Head Coach: Kevin Waters, Jacksonville Giants

Alternates:

G-Eric Ruffin, Seven City Knights

G-Ralon Alman, West Virgina Blazers

G-Germaine Williams, Fayetteville Flight

F-Gus Chase, Lake Michigan Admirals

Picture of 6'-8" Storm center/forward, Sherard Reddick, taken by CFL-sports.com.

Savannah Storm 128 Florida Makos 120

The Savannah Storm defeated the Florida Makos 128-120 Sunday afternoon in Gainesville, Florida.

Leading scorer for the Storm was Josh Walker with 36 points. Leon Fraizer, Jr. scored 30 points and Josh Reese contributed 14 points.

For the Makos, Cori Gaither led the way with a game high 39 points. Fred Meeks scored 22 points.

Storm Head Basketball Coach, Patricia Huisinga, "We had a tough loss on Saturday night, but regrouped and played our game on Sunday."

Heartland Prowl 150 Savannah Storm 120

The Heartland Prowl defeated the 7th ranked Savannah Storm 150-120 Saturday evening at Avon Park, Florida. It was the most points scored this season by the Prowl.

After the first quarter, the Prowl held a two point lead 33-31. At the half, Heartland led 66-58. The third quarter saw the Prowl outscore the Storm 42-23.

Leading scorer for the Prowl was Dwayne "Action" Jackson with a game high 37 points and J. B.

Smiley added 26 points.

The picture of Josh Walker was taken by CFL-sports.com

Sunday afternoon the Storm play in Gainesville, Florida against the Gainesville Makos

Thanks to Tonya Marshall, Director of Community Relations of the Heartland Prowl Basketball Team for her assistance. Thanks to the CFL-sports.com for the pictures of the Prowl/Storm game.

Storm play the Prowl Saturday

The 7th ranked Savannah Storm play the Heartland Prowl Saturday in Florida.

This past Saturday , the Prowl defeated the Florida Makos by a score of 137-126. JB Smiley scored a game-high 41 points for the Prowl and Mike Floyd, Jr. added 33 points.

On Sunday the Storm travel to Gainesville, Florida to play the Florida Makos.

Jacksonville Giants 150 Savannah Storm 126

The Jacksonville Giants defeated the Savannah Storm 150-126 Sunday afternoon at Savannnah High School.

At half time the Storm led 65-61. In the third quarter, the Giants outscored the Storm 45-24. Jacksonville bench outscored the Storm bench 83-61. Jacksonville made 48 out of 68 free throw attempts, while Savannah made 26 out of 38 free throw attempts.

Leading scorer for Savannah was D. J. Henley with 26 points. Leon Fraizer, Jr. scored 25 points and Xavier Blain-Cruz scored 24. The only double-double of the game was by Antoine Dublin with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Nick Wallery led Jacksonville in scoring with 25 points and Renoldo Norman scored 22. Seven foot center, Jermaine Bell added 19.

I had an opportunity after the game to talk with, Kevin Waters, head coach of the Jacksonville Giants, who praised the Storm. "It was a tough game. The Storm have a great team and a great coach. At half time we made some adjustments and came out playing with more intensity."

Columbus Riverballers 115 Savannah Storm 107

The Columbus Riverballers defeated the Savannah Storm 115-107 Saturday evening at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah.

After the first quarter, the Storm held a one point lead, 31-30. At the half, Savannah led 59-52. In the third quarter, Columbus outscored the Storm 33-17. For the game, the Riverballers made 30 out of 38 free throws.

Josh Walker and Leon Fraizer, Jr. led Savannah in scoring with 31 points each.

Dominique Hicks had an outstanding game for Columbus scoring 49 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. D. J. Hicks scored 33 points. Anthony Jackson added 15 points.

After the game, I met with Columbus Riverballers Head Coach, Alton Hicks, who made the following comments. "Savannah Storm played a good game. Not having a 24 second shot clock was the difference in the game. Are team was more patient with no shot clock."

Storm plays two games this weekend

Savannah Storm General Manager, Ed DeVita, filming Storm center, Sherard Reddick, for the weekly Storm television show.

Saturday the Storm will play the Columbus Riverballers at 7pm at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah. The Storm won games over the Riverballers in Savannah 134-122 and 156-146. The ABA Power Rankings list Columbus as the 8th best team and lists Savannah as the 9th best team.

The Jacksonville Giants return to Savannah Sunday to play the Storm at 3pm at Savannah High School. Ranked #2 in the ABA Power Rankings, Jacksonville is undefeated so far this season. The Storm have lost three games this season, all defeats were by the Giants.

3 Point Shootout

Last evening the annual 3 point shootout was held at the Recreational Center in Richmond Hill. Kids from ages 5 to adults tried their luck at shooting 3 point baskets. Their were different age bracketes and the winners won a trophy. Three Savannah Storm players, Josh Reese, Chris Morris, and Zach Davis entertained the fans during their dunk contest.

Savannah Storm 132 Fayetteville Flight 100

The Savannah Storm defeated the Fayetteville Flight 132 to 100 Saturday evening in Fayetteville, North Carolina. On 12-18-10 the Storm beat the Flight 107-99 in Savannah.

For the second straight game, the Storm was led in scoring by 6'-3" guard from Durham, N.C. Leon Fraizer, Jr.with 27 points. Josh Walker, 6'-3" guard from Spartenberg, S.C. scored 24 points. Xavier Blain-Cruz, 6'-2" PG/SG added 21 points.

The Storm/Flight will play again today(Sunday) with the game starting at 5pm in Fayetteville.

Storm Travels to Fayetteville

Leon Frazier, Jr. is coming off a stellar performance this past Sunday against the Columbus Riverballers. The 6'-3" guard from Durham, North Carolina scored 41 points and had 11 rebounds, both high for the team.

This weekend the Storm hit the road with back to back games with the Fayettville Flight in Fayetteville, North Carolina. The game Saturday evening starts at 7pm. The Storm will play the Flight Sunday before heading home.

On December 18, 2010, Savannnah beat Fayetteville 107-99 at Savannah High School.

Savannah Storm 156 Colunbus Riverballers 146

The Savannah Storm defeated the Columbus Riverballers 156-146 Sunday afternoon at Savannah Hign School. The score was tired 14 times and the lead changed 27 times. The last couple of minutes the Storm was able to get the lead and hold on at the end to preserve the win.

Leon Frazier, Jr. was the leading scored for the Storm with 41 points and he grabbed a team high 11 rebounds. Josh Walked scored 29, D. J. Henley 24, Xavier Blain-Cruz 21, and Ben Chisholm 14.

Columbus 5'-10" guard, Anthony Jackson led his team in scoring with 36 points. Dominique Hicks scored 24 points and collected 13 rebounds(Mike Davis also grabbed 13 rebounds). The Columbus bench outscored the Savannah bench 51-27.

Comments by Storm head coach Patricia Huisinga after the game: "The general strategy that we had today against the Riverballers was to come out with a lot of intensity, play good, solid defense, and get to the rim. We had a hard fought battle against the Giants last night and took a tough loss, so our philosophy was to come out and play are kind of ball. We wanted to be physical and get to the free throw line and get up and down the floor. The Riverballers are good shooters, especially #3(Anthony Jackson), so we wanted to come out, be disruptive and play hard man-to-man defense".

"I'm proud of how my guys came back from a deficit in back to back games. Today, we got over the hump and learned that we can overcome any obstacle. We're a deep. talented group and we got good, quality minutes from everyone that played".

Caught up with Columbus Riverballer Head Coach, Alton Hicks after the game. Coach Hicks had praise for the Storm: "The Storm is an outstanding team and they don't give up. They pressure the whole game. Coach Huisinga is a great coach. Are only two losses this year are by the Storm".

JACKSONVILLE GIANTS 164 SAVANNAH STORM 128

The Savannah Storm(9-3) have lost three games this year all defeats by the Jacksonville Giants. The Giants defeated the Storm Saturday 164-128 at Savannah High School.

The first quarter was nip and tuck with the Giants holding a one point edge(34-33) at the close of the quarter. The second quarter saw Jacksonville score 26 points before Savannah scored a point-the Storm played hard but could not recover from the defecit.

Leading scorer for the Storm was Josh Walker with 31 points. Leon Fraiser Jr. added 28 points. Xavier Blain-Cruz scored 17 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and had a game high 7 assists.

Seven foot center, Jermaine Bell, led Jacksonville with 34 points, had 7 blocked shots, and collected 15 rebounds. Nick Wallery scored 27 points and tied Bell with game high rebounds with 15. Antonio Lawrence scored 22 points and Anthony Lumpkins scored 21 points.

Savannah Head Coach, Patricia Huisinga, stated, "We knew we were in for a battle against the undefeated Giants and we were excited to face them at home. Unfortunately, we lost our big guy, Sherard Reddick to injury and were without another post player, Bernard Dixon, but we never backed down. Lacking matching size, we threw a small, fast line up against them and outrun them. We did a good job fighting back in the third quarter, but couldn't quite close in on them in the end. The final score definitely does not depict the effort and the heart that the Storm displayed. I'm proud of how my team faced adversity tonight and I'm happy with their unrelenting effort. We'll take the knowledge of what we learned and use it to improve each and every game, starting tomorrow".

Before leaving the gym, I met with Jacksonville Giants Head Coach, Kevin Waters. Coach Waters praised the Storm, stating "the Storm is a great team, they showed lots of energy, and they provided good competition."

Storm vs. Giants

The Jacksonville Giants are in town Saturday at 5:30 pm to play the Savannah Storm at Savannah High School. Undefeated Jacksonville(12-0) won their last home game on 1-16-11 defeating the Orlando Kings 129-104(this was the closest game this season for the Giants). The ABA ranks Jacksonville #2 in the Power Rankings.

The Storm(9-2) lost both of their games to the Giants at beautiful Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville. Currently the ABA ranks Savannah as the #8 team in the Power Rankings(they move up two spots).

Prior to the last Storm game in Jacksonville, I had my picture taken with Jermaine Bell, the 7 foot center for the Giants. The lefty Bell, has a deadly, soft, jump shot in the paint and if he gets the basketball close to the rim it is an easy dunk for him.

Gator

At the Savannah Storm game against the Columbus Riverballers Sunday was the Harlem Globetrotter legend, Larry "Gator" Rivers.

Prior to the game, "Gator" briefly entertained the fans with his dribbling and ball handling skills. He then went out to close to half court, dropped the ABA ball to the floor, and kicked the ball into the basket.

Savannah Storm 134 Columbus Rivreballers 122

The Savannah Storm defeated the Columbus Riverballers 134 to 122 Sunday afternoon at Savannah High School. The Riverballers played well considering they spent 4 hours traveling Sunday morning arriving in Savannah around noon for the 1pm tip off.

The Storm hot shooting in the first half gave them a 22 point lead at the end of the half. They shot 62.2% from the field and made 10 out of 15 from the 3 point range(66.7%).

Josh Walker led the team in scoring with 32 points. D.J. Henley added 23 points. Center Sherard Reddick had a double/double with 17 points and a game high 14 rebounds. Xavier Blain-Cruz scored 13 points and had a game high 11 assists.

The Riverballers were led in scoring by 5'-10" guard Anthony Jackson with 37 points. D.J. Hicks scored 25 points and Mike Davis added 21 points.

After the game, Storm head coach, Patricia Huisinga, made the following comments:"Our preimeter shooting was a key factor for our victory today against the Columbus Riverballers. Anytime your team shoots almost 60% from the field, it's going to be a good day."

"Getting D.J. Henley back from injury was huge, as he was especially hot from behind the 3-point line, hitting 6-9 shots(7-11FG overall). He's an exciting player to watch and he adds even more intensity and confidence to our talented team".

"All of our players are beginning to understand their roles in our lineup, which adds to our already unselfish play. By understanding their roles, it makes it possible to continuosly feed a guy when he is on fire and it makes it fun for everyone. On any given night, any one of our players can go off and have a big game".

"I was very pleased with how our team handled adversity today. Whenever you're playing a talented team that is undefeated, you know they are capable of making a run at any time. I"m glad to see that we took their best shot, stayed focused, regrouped, and continued to play smart basketball."

Storm vs. Columbus

Savannah Storm General Manager Ed DeVita, Head coach Patricia Huisinga, and Owner Anthony Bryan confer at Storm practice Wednesday evening at Savannah High School Gym.

The Storm announced a special home game will be played Sunday, January 16, 2011, starting at 1pm against Columbus at the Savannah High School Gym. The ABA Power Rankings list Columbus as the 13th beast team in the ABA. The Storm have moved up two spots and now are ranked #10 in the ratings.

Savannah Storm 136 Florida Makos 112

The Savannah Storm defeated the Florida Makos from Gainesville, Florida 136-112 Sunday afternoon at Savannah High School Gym.

Once again the leading scorer for the Storm was Josh Walker who scored 38 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Leon Fraizer Jr. added 30 points and had 9 rebounds. Bernard Dixon had a double/double with 12 points and 13 rebounds.

The Makos brought 8 players to the game-the Storm bench outscored the Makos bench 42-11. Leading scored for the Makos was Cori Gaither with 28 points and Mike Welch was the leading rebounder for the game with 19.

Comments by Storm Head Coach Patricia Huisinga after the game: "I am very proud of how my guys are playing basketball. We are a very unselfish team that is improving practice after practice and game after game. We are beginning to play fantastic team defense and move the ball well on offense. We need to polish a few of our rough spots, but they are simple fixes."

"I'm excited about our defense, in particular, right now. By playing good, aggressive team defense, we are causing a lot of confusion for the opponent and creating a lot of turnovers. That is especially important in this league, because of the 3D bonus. Our defense is also giving us momentum and helping us get into a good flow for our offense."

"We have a very deep and talented roster. On any given night, any of our players can go off and score a lot of points. In fact, in the six games that we've played, thirteen of our guys(out of 16) have scored in double digits at least once. This is a testament to our fantastic team chemistry and unselfish play".

Xavier Blain-Cruz

Xavier Blain-Cruz returned to the Storm team this week after spending the Holidays with his family and friends in New York.

The 6'-3" PG/SG has plenty of assets.

Xavier is an excellant ball handler and can bring the ball up the court against pressure. He sees the court well and distrubates the basketball to his teammates to give them good shot opportunities.

He can shoot the 3-point shot with ease. If a defender guards him to close, he can drive past the defender and can finish at the rim. Xavier has the ability to create his own shot off the dribble.

Xavier jumps well, gets his share of rebounds, and can dunk.

Because of his strengths, he gets a lot of playing time, has a good attitude, and can play defense.

National Anthem

Lon Forbes is leaving center court escorted by Hooter girls after singing the National Anthem at the last Storm home game against the Grizzlies. Fans can see the Hooter girls at the Storm home games.

The next Storm game is Sunday at 3:00pm against the Florida Makos form Gainesville, Florida. The game will be played at the Savannah High School Gym.

On January 4, 2011, the Jacksonville Giants defeated the Florida Makos 187-123(the game was played in Gainesville, Florida).

Storm Game Saturday Cancelled

The Savannah Storm announced that their game with the Heartland Prowl scheldued for Saturday has been cancelled.

Yesterday evening(Wednesday) the Storm practiced for two hours at the Savannah High School Gym. The practice was vigorous. The team spent part of the time working on defensive schemes.

The Storm will play the Florida Makos from Gainesville, Florida on Sunday at Savannah High School Gymnasium. The afternoon game will start at 3:00 pm.

Two Games This Weekend for the Storm

Savannah Storm General Manager Ed DeVita with Head Coach, Patricia Huisinga, prior to the game with the Georgia Gwizzlies. DeVita also helped as assistant coach in the game.

Storm has a busy weekend hosting two games against Florida teams. On Saturday at 7pm the Storm will play the Heartland Prowl. The Florida Makos from Gainesville, Florida will play the Storm Sunday at 3:00pm at Savannah High.

Week #8 has the Savannah Storm ranked #11 in the ABA Power Rankings. Moving up to #2 in the ratings is the undefeated Jacksonville Giants(7-0). The Giants recently set an ABA scoring record when they scored 206 points to defeat the Georgia Gwizzlies who scored 102 points.