Save the Best for Last: RazorSharks Make Atlanta Vision See Double

The last game on the dance card was intended to be the crowd pleaser. When the Rochester RazorSharks game began, nearly 1,700 fans arrived at the Blue Cross Arena, many of them wearing homemade RazorSharks shirts and gear.

Although Rochester beat the Vision handily, 104-85, they received a scare in the third period, as James "Mook" Reaves came down hard on his right foot, and had to be helped off the court.  The preliminary diagnosis was that Reaves had sprained a tendon in his foot, and playing in the rest of the tournament would be dicey at best.

Semi-Finished

The first of the two semi-final matchups on the following Friday featured the home town Rochester RazorSharks and the San Jose SkyRockets.

The game started out evenly.  Mook Reaves took a nasty crash into San Jose small forward Jamar Howard.  Reaves came up limping, although he would return to the game a few minutes later. 

Both teams scrapped for points. Rochester's Keith Friel stole a pass in the backcourt, triggering the 3-D light, then got fouled in the act of shooting behind the 3-point line.  Three of his four free throws awarded were on the money. 

San Jose's Lamar Castile played like a man possessed, including recovering his own rebound off a Todd Okeson pass and hitting a jumper with it, giving San Jose a 50-49 lead.

In the third quarter, with San Jose in the lead, Rochester's Demond Stewart who had jammed his finger earlier in the game, returned to score a fallaway 3-pointer, adding to his 16 points on the night, and leading the Razorsharks back into contention. 

With three minutes left and San Jose in the lead, Rochester's Keith Friel hit a steal and a 3-pointer to cut the Skyrockets' lead to a single point. 

 

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