April 1, 2015

In a critical game for both teams, the St. Louis RiverSharks defeated the Gateway Steam 130-121, only pulling away in the final minutes of a tight contest.  The win moves the RiverSharks into a tie for first place with the Bloomington Flex at 15-4.  If the Flex lose Thursday at Windy City, or if the RiverSharks beat the Steam on April 7, St. Louis will finish first by virtue of a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Flex.

After the loss, the Steam are clinging to fourth place.  If the Flex beat the Groove Thursday, the Steam are in the playoffs, regardless of what happens April 7.  If the Groove beat the Flex, Gateway must beat St. Louis next week in order to lock up the fourth and final playoff position.

Gateway’s Jake Anderson had a career night with 37 points, 12 rebounds and 17 assists.  Tarvin Gaines pitched in a double-double, with 16 points and 11 rebounds.  Chris Babbitt scored 23 points and pulled down nine rebounds coming off the bench for the Steam. 

But Gateway’s trio wasn’t enough to match the RiverSharks’ combination of Jerrold Brooks, Marcus Goode and Keith DeWitt, as each scored 24 points.  DeWitt also pulled down 21 rebounds.  Recent signee Harry Marshall contributed 20 points and eight rebounds. 

The April 7 rematch is set for 7:00 p.m. at Center St. Louis, in the final game of the inaugural regular season of the Midwest Professional Basketball Association.