Central Basketball Association

An in-depth look at tonight's post-season matchups, as St. Louis faces off against Chattanooga for the second time in as many weeks, while Fort Wayne travels to Nashville to square off against the Middle Tennessee Storm. 

#1 Chattanooga Rail Runners vs. #4 St. Louis Hawks

Matchup: Saturday, May 17, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Venue: Rossville Athletic Center, 301 Williams Street, Rossville, Georgia

Regular season records: Chattanooga (8-2, 4-1 home), St. Louis (5-5, 2-3 road)

Opponents Strength of Schedule: Chattanooga (53-47), St. Louis (43-57)

Record vs. 2014 Playoff Teams: Chattanooga (5-1), St. Louis (1-2)

Record vs. .500 or better Teams: Chattanooga (6-2), St. Louis (2-2)

Matchup history: Chattanooga leads series 1-0.

Last meeting: Chattanooga defeated St. Louis 133-122 on Saturday, May 10, 2014 in Rossville, Georgia.

Head Coaches:

• Rodney English (Chattanooga) - 8-2 career record in first season as Rail Runners head coach; hired as East Hamilton High School boys head coach in March 2014; former men's assistant coach for the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga (2006-2008); former women's assistant coach for East Tennessee State University (2003-2006); former player at East Tennessee State University (1990-1992), as well as experience playing in France, China, and the Harlem Globetrotters. 
• Floyd Irons (St. Louis) - 11-7 career record in second season as Hawks head coach; won 2013 league title as Hawks head coach last season; former Vashon High School boy's basketball head coach for 33 years (1974-2006), where he led teams to 10 state championships in Missouri (1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1994, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006); recognized as the winningest head coach in Missouri high school history with 802 career victories; produced multiple players who played in the NBA, including Anthony Bonner, who was selected in first round of 1990 NBA Draft. 

Players to watch (Chattanooga):

•  #3 E'Jay Ward (Tennessee Wesleyan): 9.9 points per game, 7.8 assists per game, 3.8 steals per game
• #22 Rob Murphy (Univ. of Tennessee): 12.6 points per game, 5.5 rebounds per game
• #30 Alex Wells (Lee): 13.0 points per game, 38.5% 3-PT 
• #34 Jonathan Adams (Old Dominion): 16.6 points per game, 10.2 rebounds per game, 3.6 assists per game

Players to watch (St. Louis):

• #00 Dwayne Polk (St. Louis): 16.3 points per game, 7.0 assists per game
• #10 Lonell Johnson (Missouri Western): 22.6 points per game
• #24 Alex Jackson (Univ. of Missouri-St. Louis): 15.5 points per game
• #34 Corey Hill (Univ. of Northern Iowa): 25.3 points per game

Prediction: Chattanooga Rail Runners 119, St. Louis Hawks 114

Live Video Broadcast: http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/cba.portal

 

#2 Middle Tennessee Storm vs. #3 Fort Wayne Flite

Matchup: Saturday, May 17, 2014 at 8:00 p.m. Central Time

Venue: Fisk University, Henderson A. Johnson Gymnasium, 1000 17th Ave North, Nashville, Tennessee

Regular season records: Middle Tennessee (6-4, 1-4 home), Fort Wayne (6-4, 2-3 road)

Opponents Strength of Schedule: Middle Tennessee (61-49), Fort Wayne (41-59)

Record vs. 2014 Playoff Teams: Middle Tennessee (2-3), Fort Wayne (1-3)

Record vs. .500 or better Teams: Middle Tennessee (4-4), Fort Wayne (2-4)

Matchup history: Middle Tennessee leads series 1-0.

Last meeting: Middle Tennessee defeated Fort Wayne 98-96 on Saturday, April 12, 2014 in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Head Coaches:

• Nathan Willhite (Middle Tennessee) - 10-8 career record in second season as Storm head coach; completed 11th season as men's basketball head coach at Welch College
• Rod Wilmont (Fort Wayne) - 6-4 career record in first season as Flite's head coach; first overall year as a coach in any form of basketball competition; played 145 career games in the NBA D-League with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants (2007-2011); played all four years of college at Indiana University (2002-2006). 

Players to watch (Middle Tennessee):

•  #3 Myles Thrash (Stillman): 21.9 points per game, 6.7 assists per game, 1.8 steals per game
• #21 Brandon Springer (Cumberland): 25.1 points per game, 2.2 steals per game
• #22 Wesley Poe (Trevecca Nazarene): 9.8 points per game, 7.0 rebounds per game
• #23 Dominique Rouse (Chattanooga State): 14.2 points per game, 5.2 rebounds per game

Players to watch (Fort Wayne):

• #2 Marques Johnson (Georgia State): 19.1 points per game, 5.2 assists per game, 5.8 rebounds per game, 3.0 steals per game
• #5 Antonio Cannon (Indiana Tech): 25.0 points per game, 1.6 steals per game
• #9 Wadner Joseph (Lincoln Memorial): 11.8 points per game, 7.0 rebounds per game
• #10 James Humphrey (Univ. of Missouri-Kansas City): 15.9 points per game, 8.8 rebounds per game, 1.5 blocks per game

Prediction: Middle Tennessee Storm 110, Fort Wayne Flite 103