BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—The second day of competition at the 20^th annual Pioneer Classic Wheelchair Basketball Invitational saw the Division I teams dominate the college teams in the Division I/College Challenge.  As well, University of Illinois and the University of Alabama advanced to the Women’s Division championship game and the Houston Rockets continued undefeated into the Division II championship game.  Houston awaits the winner of Sunday morning’s showdown between the Arkansas Rollin’ Razorbacks and the Magee Sixers.

Division I/College Challenge

The teams from Division I showed their clear dominance over those from the Intercollegiate Division on the second day of the Division I/College Challenge.  The Division I teams won all but one contest on Saturday, with the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater managing the only win for the college teams, defeating the Milwaukee Bucks, 81-59.  Matt Scott led all scorers with 26 points.

 

“We had some breakdowns mentally after our loss to Dallas on Friday and we didn’t bounce back from that well,” said Whitewater’s head coach Tracy Chynoweth.  “It was important for us to come out against Milwaukee and show what kind of character our team really has.”

 

The Dallas Mavericks finished the Challenge with a perfect 3-0 record and the Denver Nuggets aim to do the same when they take on the University of Illinois in the final game of the 2007 Division I/College Challenge on Sunday.

 

Division II

The Houston Rockets earned the first berth in the Division II championship game with a solid 46-37 win over the Magee Sixers.  The Rockets clung to a slim 19-18 lead at halftime, but were able to edge out to a 25-20 lead just five minutes into the second half.  Cold shooting from both teams made that five point margin just enough for Houston to hang on for the win.  Juan Rio led the Rockets with 14 points.

 

“Confidence and hard work brought us to where we are,” said Houston’s Jeff Williams.  “Playing together as a unit and lots of defense will bring us what we need on Sunday.”

 

The Arkansas Rollin’ Razorbacks and the Magee Sixers will square off on Sunday morning to earn the right to face Houston for the 2007 Pioneer Classic championship and the title game will be played at 1:00 PM CST.

 

Women’s Division

The University of Illinois and the University of Alabama will face off at 11:00 AM CST on Sunday for the Pioneer Classic Women’s Division championship.  The Fighting Illini earned a spot in the title game with a 63-45 victory over the University of Arizona and the Crimson Tide defeated the Lady Mavericks 55-36 to earn their place in the championship.

 

Illinois defeated Alabama 46-38 in pool play on Friday, but it was a close contest throughout and winning against Illinois on Sunday would clear a huge mental hurdle for the Tide says Alabama’s Karla Tritten.

 

“Sometimes just seeing a certain name on your opponents jersey can be a big mental block,” Tritten said.  “Our young guys have to step up and our team has to put together a full 40 minutes of basketball.  If we do that, we’ll be right there.”

 

In the Women’s Division consolation game, the Lady Mavericks defeated the University of Arizona, 52-51.

 

Youth

The Youth Division competition was in full swing on Saturday with teams from the Prep, Junior Varsity, and Varsity divisions all taking the court.

 

In Prep Division action, the Charlotte Rollin’ Bobcats defeated the Georgia Blazers, 24-10, and the host Lakeshore Sharks also came up with a big win against the Blazers, 18-10.

 

The Charlotte Rollin’ Bobcats were the top team in Junior Varsity play, completing an undefeated weekend with wins over the Music City Thunder, 34-22, and the Georgia Blazers, 42-18.

 

The Lakeshore Lakers easily cruised to a 56-13 win over the Georgia Blazers in the weekend’s only Varsity Division action.

 

20^th annual Pioneer Classic Day 1 Results

Division I/College Challenge

Dallas Mavericks 77, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater 68
Milwaukee Bucks 90, University of Texas-Arlington 37
Denver Nuggets 85, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater 75
Milwaukee Bucks 89, University of Illinois 63
Denver Nuggets 68, University of Texas-Arlington 47
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater 81, Milwaukee Bucks 59  

Division II

Chicago Bulls 57, University of Alabama 49
Arkansas Rollin’ Razorbacks 58, Florida Force 39
Lakeshore Storm 58, Charlotte Rollin’ Bobcats 53 (OT)
Arkansas Rollin’ Razorbacks 58, Lakeshore Storm 43
Houston Rockets 46, Magee Sixers 37  

Women’s Division

University of Illinois 63, University of Arizona 45
University of Alabama 55, Lady Mavericks 36
Lady Mavericks 52, University of Arizona 51  

Varsity Division

Lakeshore Lakers 56, Georgia Blazers 13  

Junior Varsity Division

Georgia Blazers 30, Music City Thunder 9
Charlotte Rollin’ Bobcats 34, Music City Thunder 22
Charlotte Rollin’ Bobcats 42, Georgia Blazers 18
Georgia Blazers 24, Lakeshore Stingers 23
Music City Thunder 38, Lakeshore Stingers 29  

Prep Division

Charlotte Rollin’ Bobcats 24, Georgia Blazers 10
Lakeshore Sharks 18, Georgia Blazers 10