Xplosion Goes Inside to Defeat StingRays

The Colorado Xplosion pounded Long Beach in the low post Friday night, something no other American Basketball League team has done this season, and ran off with an 89-78 victory in front of 2,938 at the Denver Coliseum.

Colorado (10-10), in third place in the ABL West, put five players in double figures for the first time this season and all of them got at least some of those in the low post, which infuriated StingRay Coach Maura McHugh.

“They killed us in the low post,” she said.

“We didn’t press the ball outside and we didn’t force the lob pass. You can’t play on the back of any post player in this league because they can all score on you. You’ve got to at least partially front them and get help from the weak side.”

Colorado got significant offense inside from 6-foot-1 Vicki Hall (17 points), 5-11 Crystal Robinson (18) and 6-3 Tari Phillips (21).

Hall, who played at Texas and then for five years in Europe, made two big plays to start the second quarter, a three-point shot and a spinning hook seconds later to give Colorado a 28-20 lead.

“We’re getting more aggressive on offense, we’re using our screens much better and I’m getting much better shots,” Hall said.

“We wanted to let Long Beach know tonight that no one is assured of that second-place playoff spot yet.”

Two Beverly Williams free throws got Long Beach to within 71-70 with 5:17 to go, but from there until the final minute, Long Beach scored only five points.

The clincher seemed to be 5-3 guard Debbie Black’s two free throws, which created an 83-74 lead with 2:40 left.

“I think Long Beach would be foolish to think that we’re not knocking on their door,” Black said.

Countered the StingRays’ Williams: “Debbie Black knows how good a team we are, and she knows when she comes to Long Beach [Sunday], she will know for sure who the better team is.”

Long Beach got a season-high 23 points from Clarissa Davis-Wrightsil. Yolanda Griffith, the league’s leading rebounder, added 12 to her total.

For Colorado, Phillips had 14 rebounds with her 21 points, her ninth double-double.

StingRay Notes

The Xplosion, like San Jose and New England, has two home courts. The team is averaging 3,052 in seven games at Denver Coliseum (9,600 seats) and 3,303 in four games at McNichols Arena (17,298). At San Jose and New England, the Lasers and Blizzard also draw better at their larger venue, which is why the ABL is eager to learn if the same is true when Long Beach plays New England at the Pond of Anaheim on Jan. 10. The Pyramid seats 4,200, the Pond 16,696. . . . Colorado plays Long Beach again at the Pyramid Sunday at 4 p.m.