The Rochester RazorSharks went on the road and defeated the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Steamers 110-108 for the second win in six days against their newest Premier Basketball League rival. The RazorSharks improve to 2-0 after a 107-98 New Year’s Eve victory against the Steamers in Rochester.
As with the last game, it was a back and forth battle until six minutes left in the third quarter, when the RazorSharks went on a 23-10 run to end the quarter and go up by 12.
During that stretch, forward Aaron Williams scored nine of the RazorSharks points, as he finished with a team high 20 points and also picked up four rebounds off the bench. However, the Steamers would not give up so easily.
“They are a great shooting team,” said RazorSharks head coach Rod Baker, “and at times we let them get open.”
That time was the start of the fourth quarter, as the Steamers went on a 22-12 run of their own, bringing them within two points of tying the RazorSharks with four and a half minutes left. This run included four made 3-point baskets.
After a Jerice Crouch drive and offensive rebound missed, the Steamers’ Chris Matthews was called for a foul, sending Williams to the line with 23 seconds left in a tie game.
“In that situation, you have to play like you always play,” said Williams. “I couldn’t care any less about the crowd noise.”
The 680 screaming fans in attendance packed into an echoing Lackawanna College Student Union, making it sound like thousands, but Williams proved he could ignore them all as he made both free throws, giving the RazorSharks the lead.
Matthews tried making up for his foul by throwing up the game winner, but it missed, helping preserve the RazorSharks’ 110-108 hard fought victory over the Steamers.
“Winning on the road is always tough,” said forward Jamaal Davis, who finished with 17 points and four rebounds. “But it always feels good to leave with that ‘W’.”
Pierre Darden, Demetrius Howard, and Johnny Mayhane all had 10 points off the RazorShark bench, which saw all 11 of their active players score at least four points and play 12 minutes.
Chris Commons lead the way for the Steamers with a game high 23 points, followed by Vincent Simpson’s 22 point effort. Matthews scored 12 points in his Steamer debut and two others had double digit points.
The RazorSharks will be able to enjoy the comforts of their own home, as their next three games are all at the Blue Cross Arena, beginning on January 14th against the Dayton Airstrikers.
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