Sioux Falls Skyforce Open Showcase with Convincing Win
On a day when Yante Maten was recalled to Miami Heat it was Jarnell Stokes that put together his own monster game to lead Sioux Falls Skyforce past the Canton Charge 108-95 Thursday at the G League Showcase at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
A nip and tuck game through the first half swung heavily to the Skyforce (12-7) after intermission as the 4-point advantage at the break ballooned to 21 points as events unfolded in the third quarter. The Charge (7-9) did whittle the deficit to 9 points by the middle of the fourth, but that was as close as the two teams would get.
Stokes and Briante Weber took over in the third quarter with both scoring a majority of their points in that frame. Weber was perfect from the floor and Stokes hit 5 of 6 shots each scoring 12 points along the way. As a team the Skyforce hit 70 percent of their field goals in that quarter while holding Canton to 41 percent.
In all Stokes led Sioux Falls with 23 points, 8 rebounds, 5 blocks, and 4 steals while Weber contributed 21 points and 7 assists. Additionally, the Skyforce welcomed the return of Charles Cooke III and Malik Newman from injury to add depth to the squad.
For Canton, their leader was Kobi Simmons with 17 points and Emanuel Terry had 15 points and 12 rebounds off the bench. Sioux Falls is back on the court Friday for a showdown with the Maine Red Claws to finish their Showcase schedule. Canton gets a day of rest before meeting Santa Cruz on Saturday.