February 10, 2015

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – They’re separated by about only fifty miles of Interstate 74 and by only a tiebreaker in the standings.  But when the Bloomington Flex and Champaign Swarm are finished playing Thursday at U.S. Cellular Coliseum in Bloomington, one team will sit alone at the top of the Midwest Professional Basketball Association standings.

                    Both teams enter the contest at 6-1.  The Flex lost their season opener on January 4 to the St. Louis RiverSharks, and have since rattled off six straight wins.  The Swarm’s only loss came after a 3-0 start, when they were routed by the Flex 102-81 on January 29 in Champaign.

                    “We played a great game that night, but they’re tough,” said Flex head coach Carlnel Wiley.  “They made a couple roster moves, got bigger and faster, and they’re going to be hungry to prove our win was a fluke.  We have to be prepared to take their best punch.”

                    Since the loss to the Flex, Champaign has released guards Matt Neaville and Tiger O’Neil, and have brought on guard Avery Smith and former Creighton center Livan Pyfrom.  Forward Arnold Louis has also gone on a tear.  Last week, Louis put up 43 points and 10 rebounds against the Chicago Force on Thursday, then followed that up with 27 and 10 in a huge comeback win Sunday against the Windy City Groove, earning him MPBA player of the week honors.

                    Justin Bocot continues to lead the Flex offensively.  After Sunday’s 30-point game, his fourth of the year, his league-leading scoring average ticked up to 27.6 per game.  Fabyon Harris and C.J. Hampton have also made significant contributions offensively as of late.  Hampton now leads the MPBA in three-point field goals made with 16.  Harris, while increasing his scoring average to 16.4, is third in the league in assists.

                    Anthony Slack and Matt Salley average just under nine rebounds a game, while Terrence Green and Slack are second and third in the league in blocks, respectively.  Louis leads the Swarm with a 9.6 rebound average.

                    Tipoff is set for 7:05 p.m.  Tickets are available by calling the U.S. Cellular Coliseum box office at (309) 434-2843, or by going to the Flex website at www.flexbasketball.com/schedule.