BELLINGHAM, Wash. - The Bellingham Slam nearly fumbled away a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter, but still prevailed over the Vancouver Volcanoes, 107-106, in a back-and-forth International Basketball League game at Whatcom Pavilion on Friday.
The win marked the first ever single-point victory in the team’s six-year history.
After guard Morris Anderson connected on one of two free throws with 16 seconds left to give the Slam a one-point lead, Vancouver guard Andre Murray played for the last shot and had two would-be game-winning shots miss.
Bellingham began the game shooting well, and put up 34 points the first quarter to lead 34-26.
But it was nearly all Vancouver in the second quarter, as they held the Slam to 15 points and took a 55-49 lead into halftime.
In the third quarter, the momentum shifted back to Bellingham thanks to a combined 13 points from forwards Blake Poole and Michael Duty, with the Slam outscoring the Volcanoes 37-23 to go up by eight, at 86-76.
After a Poole three-pointer put the Slam up by 11, at 95-84 with 7:39 to play, the Volcanoes began chipping away at the lead and tied the game at 106-106 with 29 seconds left on a dunk by Lawrence Blackledge, leading to the dramatic final moments.
Anderson led the Slam with 21 points, while Ira Graham had another strong game with 19.
Blackledge finished with a game-high 26 points for Vancouver.
The two teams will battle in the second game of a home-and-home series on Saturday, with a 7 p.m. tip-off scheduled for Vancouver’s O’Connell Sports Complex.