March 25, 2015

ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis RiverSharks moved to within a half-game—at least temporarily—of first place in the Midwest Professional Basketball Association standings with a convincing 115-86 win over the visiting Windy City Groove, a team which beat the RiverSharks in Chicago just eleven days ago.

                    The RiverSharks were shorthanded because backup point guard Dwayne Polk was out for the birth of his child, and starter Terry Leake was injured last week against Bloomington.  Couple that with star center Keith DeWitt suffering from the flu and unsure of his contribution, and the Groove had a chance to upset St. Louis for the second time in a row.

                    However, Jerrold Brooks’ four first half three-pointers buoyed the RiverSharks to a 37-25 halftime lead, a lead which was never seriously threatened throughout the game.

                    The third quarter ended with St. Louis up 70-51, and they continued the onslaught in the fourth.

                    DeWitt led the RiverSharks with 24 points, one of three ‘Sharks scoring 20 points or more.  Brooks had 22 on 5-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc, and Brandon Provost added 21.  Marcus Goode had 17 points and 11 rebounds for St. Louis, which raised its record to 12-4.

                    Kenyon Smith and Lavante Douglas each had 16 for Windy City, which fell to 3-14.  Despite the loss, the Groove are still alive for the fourth and final playoff spot.

                    The RiverSharks host the Chicago Force on Saturday, while the Groove play at Gateway on Sunday.