Central Basketball Association

INDIANAPOLIS 110, FORT WAYNE 94: (Indianapolis, Ind.) - It was fitting that two teams, separated by approximately 125 miles, and no love lost for one another, would be battling for first place this evening in the final regular season game. After Fort Wayne edged out their cross-state rivals Indianapolis in the season opener, the hosts were looking for revenge on their home court. Things did not begin well for Indianapolis, as the defending champions stormed out the gate, building an early 15-point lead in the first quarter, and went into halftime with a 54-40 lead. But the second half was all Indianapolis, as they erupted for 70 points in the final two quarters, including outscoring Fort Wayne 38-12 in the third frame to not only hand Fort Wayne its third defeat overall in the last four games, but also earn its first victory versus Fort Wayne in their fifth attempt over the last two years. Indianapolis (6-2) was led by Anthony White (29 points) and Willliam McClure (18 points), while Fort Wayne (5-3) was led by Antonio Cannon (33 points) and Greg Foster (18 points). By virtue of the victory, Indianapolis earns the top seed for next weekend's postseason tournament in Danville, Illinois, while Fort Wayne will either be the second-seed or third-seed for the playoffs. Both teams will have a chance to play each other potentially in the championship game should they advance in their semifinal matchups next Saturday.

MISSISSIPPI 103, BOWLING GREEN 90: (Memphis, Tenn.) - Bowling Green, who had won four of their last five games, had one objective tonight: win and clinch a playoff berth. Mississippi, on the other hand, who had lost three consecutive games, would be eliminated from playoff contention with a defeat tonight. The hosts, who were 0-4 all-time against Bowling Green, did not look like a team, though, who had been trending downward, as they dominated the first quarter of play, and held Bowling Green to a league-record six points in the second quarter, en route to a 21-point halftime lead. Bowling Green tried to make a comeback in the second half, but Mississippi held their ground by maintaining their double-digit lead and cruising to a comfortable 13-point victory. Just like Indianapolis did with Fort Wayne earlier, this was Mississippi's first victory over Bowling Green in their fifth attempt over the last three years. Mississippi (4-4) was led by three players with 20 points or more: Jermell Abram with 29 points, Jerry Hampton with 26 points, and Anthony Jones with 20 points. Bowling Green (4-3) was led by Jared Stephens with 23 points and Damarius Smith with 15 points. By virtue of their large margin of victory, not only did Mississippi eliminate Baltimore from the playoff race, but also clinched a playoff berth in a dramatic turnaround from last year's 1-7 record. Bowling Green, through the defeat, will be in a win-or-go-home matchup tomorrow afternoon in Illinois for the final playoff spot.

ILLINOIS 108, MIDDLE TENNESSEE 104: (Nashville, Tenn.) - Needing two victories this weekend to clinch a playoff spot for the postseason tournament next weekend on their home court, Illinois tried to handle half of their weekend task this evening against a Middle Tennessee squad playing for pride. After a back-and-forth first half, featuring 12 lead changes, Middle Tennessee pulled away right before halftime and led by 10 points at the break. In the third quarter, the hosts extended their lead to to 13 points at 56-43, before Illinois executed a critical 19-5 run to regain the advantage late in the period. In the final frame, both teams again made things competitive with five lead changes. But with the score tied up at 91-91 with less than three minutes remaining, Illinois went on a 9-0 run to put the game away and earn their fourth victory of the season. Illinois (4-3), who has won three out of their last four games, was led by Kashif Watson (27 points) and Brandon Greene (24 points), while Middle Tennessee (1-7), who finished the season with a seven-game losing streak, was led by Torye Pelham (29 points), Fabien LaRonde (22 points) and George Stanberry (20 points). With the victory and Bowling Green loss earlier in the evening, it puts tomorrow afternoon's sole game in the league as the ultimate event, with the winner of the Illinois-Bowling Green matchup clinching the final playoff berth and the loser being eliminated from playoff contention.

2017 CBA POSTSEASON TOURNAMENT

May 13 & 14 (Danville, Ill.)

With a league-best, 6-2 record, Indianapolis has earned the top seed in the postseason.

Fort Wayne, via their 5-3 record, can either be the second seed or third seed, depending on the results of tomorrow afternoon's game between Illinois and Bowling Green. The winner of tomorrow's matchup will finish with the same record as Fort Wayne. Illinois and Fort Wayne split the season series, while Bowling Green and Fort Wayne did not play each other. Fort Wayne's current point differential is +9, Illinois' point differential is +7, and Bowling Green is -14. Regardless of the seedings, Fort Wayne will either play Illinois or Bowling Green next Saturday in the semifinals. 

With their victory, Mississippi finished the season with a 4-4 record. If Bowling Green loses tomorrow afternoon, they would also finish with a 4-4 record. Both teams split the season series, therefore, the next tie-breaker would be point differential. Mississippi (+8) who has a better point differential than Bowling Green (-14), would win under this tie breaker. If Illinois loses tomorrow afternoon, they would finish with a 4-4 record, identical to Mississippi; however, Mississippi defeated Illinois 96-84 earlier this season to win the head-to-head tie breaker. Therefore, because Mississippi owns the tie breaker over both Bowling Green and Illinois, they have clinched a playoff berth for next weekend. Due to their 4-4 record, they would at best be the fourth seed and will play Indianapolis in the opening round, whom they lost to 90-87 in the season opener. 

Semifinal matchups:

Indianapolis v. Mississippi

Fort Wayne v. Bowling Green/Illinois