JOURNAL SPORTS
Playoff basketball is right around the corner for The Basketball League but Shreveport Mavericks fans got a glimpse Sunday of what might be coming in the postseason after their first-place Mavericks fell to third-place Wichita 128-124 in the regular-season finale at Centenary’s Gold Dome.
It was only the second loss at home and first since the season opener for the Mavericks, who had their eight-game win streak snapped and finished the regular season 20-4.
Sunday was a battle the entire game with 11 lead changes and 11 ties and each team leading in the game for a little more than 20 minutes. Shreveport’s biggest advantage came with four minutes left in the first half at 49-39. Wichita was able to whittle that Shreveport lead to 59-55 at the half.
The Skykings gained their largest lead, 119-109, with two and half minutes left in the game but Shreveport cut into that down the stretch with a series of three-point possessions. Paul Parks, Jay Hedgeman and Kadavion Evans all hit shots from beyond the arc and PJ Meyers converted a three-point play. It was Evans’ shot that got the Mavericks within 125-122 with 47 seconds left. After a Skyking free throw, Meyers converted on two freebies with 36 seconds remaining to get the Mavs within 126-124. That was as close as they would get as Wichita got the final basket with 14 seconds left.
Meyers led Shreveport with a double-double of a team-high 29 points and 10 assists. Parks had game-high six 3-pointers and finished with 27 points. Ty Jordan scored 20, Evans 18 and Jay Hedgeman 11 points and snagged a team-best seven rebounds. Hedgeman and Parks both had five steals for the Mavericks.
Terrell Brown led all scorers for Wichita with 35 points. Dion Wright and Jachai Simmons both had a game-high 13 rebounds with Wright scoring 22 and Simmons 17.
