Central Basketball Association

Last night marked the first international competition for the Central Basketball Association, as they squared away against the top athletes from the Canadian-based North of the Border Basketball League. 

In front of several hundred fans and nearly a dozen scouts at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, the two teams battled back and forth in a very evenly matched and competitive game. The game was operated under FIBA international rules, consisting of a much faster-tempo atmosphere with four ten-minute quarters, as opposed to the four twelve-minute quarters of the CBA and NBA.  

The first quarter was a very low-scoring affair, 14-14, as both teams attempted to eliminate the initial nervousness and anxiety. In the second frame, the CBA started on a 12-0 run to quickly take a 26-14 lead, and held on to that lead entering halftime at 42-38. 

The third quarter; however, did not start well for the United States-based CBA, as the NBBL started the period on a quick 9-0 run, prompting Coach Thompson to call timeout and regroup. The Canadians took as much as a twelve-point lead, which matched the largest lead by the CBA in the first half, and it appeared as if the game would slip away from the visitors. 

However, the CBA would slowly chip away at the deficit, and regained the lead at 66-65 late in the third quarter, which ultimately would be their only lead for the remainder of the game. The NBBL put together a furious series of three-point shooting and dunks to wrestle the game back and hold a double-digit lead into the fourth. 

Again, the CBA staged a late rally and came as close as 89-87, before errant shots and decision-making enabled the home team to pull away in the final seconds with a 100-92 victory. 

Tyrone Watson (New Mexico State University), and 2014 NBBL Most Valuable Player, won the Player of the Game award for Team Canada. 

Team USA and the CBA had five players in double digits, led by Rockie Robinson (River City Panthers) and Antonio Wilson (Fort Wayne Flite) with 13 points each. Kalen Kimberland (Bowling Green Hornets) and Brandon Lee (River City Panthers) led the team with 5 assists each. John Paul Nyadaro (Bowling Green Hornets) led the team with 6 rebounds and 2 blocked shots, and Justin Taylor (Bowling Green Hornets) led the team with 2 steals. 

The CBA roster consisted of four players from the Bowling Green Hornets, three players from River City Panthers, three players from the Fort Wayne Flite, and two players from the Memphis Soul Kings, as this competition was an attempt to provide a majority of the all-star players from the three CBA teams that did not qualify for the post-season in 2014. 

The competition will move to the United States in 2015, as the Central Basketball Association will host the North of the Border Basketball League in the second annual "Battle of the Border"