Season 42 for the Oklahoma City Lariats was bittersweet. The team was coming off of back-to-back championships and appeared to be chugging toward a third.
On this date, January 11 of 2019, they destroyed the Sacramento River Dogs in a 70-46 playoff-clinching victory that shattered the single-game rebounding record. The Lariats pulled down 42 boards, snagging 21 in each half. They had 30 rebounds after three quarters and got the record-tying 39th with 18 ticks remaining when Hall of Fame center Max Payne hauled down his game-high 13th. (One short of tying the individual rebounding record of 14). Then it was Oklahoma City forward Sloppy Dollop who got No. 40, on the way to the eventual record of 42, which still stands to this day. The R-Dogs could manage but 15 caroms.
The previous record was established by this same Sacramento franchise when they hauled in 39 against Charleston in Season 38.
Four Lariat players had at least 5 rebounds. Payne (who would tie for the league lead that season) led with 13, followed by Bang-Bang Reiner with 9, Dollop with 8 and point guard Ginger Vampire with 7.
Oklahoma City would go on to finish first in the West with an 8-2 mark, but were ambushed in the SemiFinals round of the playoffs by the Dallas Demons, 2 games to 0.
Dallas met its match in the Finals, losing 3 games to 1 to the champion Charleston Mountaineers, who were unbeaten in the regular season.
No comments:
Post a Comment