Central Basketball Association

FORT WAYNE 105, BALTIMORE 90: (Severn, Md.) - At the beginning of this month, Baltimore and Fort Wayne faced each other in Indiana, where despite trailing by double digits in the second half, the defending champions were able to rally in the final quarter for the win. Fast forward to this evening, where Baltimore looking for their third consecutive victory, and Fort Wayne coming off their first defeat in the regular season in over two years, it appeared it was the perfect situation for Baltimore to become the second team in the league to upset Fort Wayne this season, especially considering Fort Wayne had lost their last five games on the road outside the states of Indiana and Illinois. But there is a reason why Fort Wayne, who have been to the championship game the last two seasons, is treated as the perennial favorite to repeat as champions in 2017. After an opening half featuring 14 lead changes and ties, Fort Wayne went into the midway intermission with a five-point advantage. In the third quarter, neither team could pull away, as Baltimore cut the deficit to two points at three different stages of the period. But in the final frame, Fort Wayne outscored the hosts by 11 points, leading by as many as 17, to pull away and not only win their fifth game of the year, but also earn a playoff berth for the fourth consecutive season. Fort Wayne (5-1) was led by Mikel Brigham (24 points) and Antonio Cannon (23 points), while Baltimore (2-5) was led by Antonio Wright (18 points) and Wayne Sparrow (16 points). Both teams square off against each other again tomorrow night. Fort Wayne will be looking to maintain at least a top-2 seed in the playoffs with a victory, while Baltimore will need a win in their regular season finale tomorrow night to remain mathematically alive for the postseason.