January 23, 2016

CHICAGO – For the second time in as many nights, the Chicago Blues looked to take down an undefeated Midwest Professional Basketball Association team at the Kroc Center.  But unlike Friday, when they were able to pull out a one-point overtime victory against Pontiac, the Blues did not connect on a last-second shot that would have sent the game to overtime against the Windy City Groove, and fell 112-110 for their third loss on the season.

The Groove (3-0) jumped out to an eight-point lead after the first quarter, 35-28, on the strength of Duke standout Sean Dockery’s 19 points.  Chicago answered with a 7-0 run in the second quarter to take a 42-39 lead on back-to-back three-pointers by Jarrell Thomas and Kansas product Sherron Collins with 7:26 left in the half.

The Blues (1-3) stretched the lead to ten at 55-45 as their run reached 21-6.  The Groove then responded with a late 9-2 run of their own to end the half down just three, at 61-58.

The teams exchanged the lead throughout the third quarter, with the biggest lead by either team only reaching five.  The third ended with the Groove up 86-85.

Windy City appeared to be pulling away in the fourth, as Dockery hit one of his six three pointers with 7:02 left in the game to put the Groove up 101-87.  But like the previous night, the Blues refused to go quietly.

An 8-0 run by the Blues got the lead down to six with 5:47 to play, and then a bucket by Tremell Adams cut the lead to three at 105-102 with 3:05 remaining.

The Groove were clinging to a two-point lead when C.J. Hampton was called for a charge with 2:08 to play, and on the ensuing possession, Antoine Ware scored to tie the game at 108.  A pair of Groove free throws by Deveon Jenkins and another basket by Adams tied the game at 110, and then with 1.6 seconds to play, Dion Cooksey hit a pair of free throws after getting fouled by Ryan Jackson on a jumper from fifteen feet.

Jackson’s attempt to tie the game at the buzzer missed, and the Blues were denied a chance to win in overtime.

Cooksey and Dockery led all scorers with 29 points, as four other Groove players also scored in double figures.  Sherron Collins, in his second game with Chicago, scored 24 points and dished out four assists.  Ryan Jackson added 20.  Antoine Ware, Al Rapier and Jarrell Thomas all scored in double figures for the Blues.