The Birmingham Squadron’s Saturday started with news that center Trey Jemison had signed a 10-day contract with the Washington Wizards – taking an average of 13.6 points and 12.3 rebounds per game with him to the NBA.
It ended with the New Orleans Pelicans’ G League affiliate scoring an impressive 126-105 victory over the Cleveland Charge in front of 1,664 fans at Legacy Arena.
Playing small(er) ball in the absence of Jemison, Birmingham got several good performances on the night, especially in the second half. The effort improved the Squadron to 5-5 in the regular season and marks the club’s third consecutive victory.
The Charge, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ developmental team, fell to 4-5.
“I just told them that was the most impressive win of our season, in my opinion,” Birmingham coach T.J. Saint said moments after the game. “We’ve come a long way and we have a long way to go, but to keep your head when all those about you are losing theirs, we did that. The timeout midway through the third quarter, we watched Cleveland walk to their bench distraught, and we told them we’re gonna press where it hurts.
“These guys are unbelievable.”
Izaiah Brockington had 29 points and 11 rebounds to register the double-double, while Malcolm Hill continued his hot shooting with a game-high 30 points.
“I came out wanting to be aggressive,” Brockington said. “I just wanted to get downhill and build off of that … make threes, and make plays for my teammates.”
E.J Liddell added 16 points, Devin Cannady scored 14 and Jalen Crutcher finished with 10.
“I think Izaiah deserves a chance in the NBA,” Saint said. “I think he’s a Bruce Brown (Toronto Raptors small forward) type player, but he can shoot better. Just give him a chance.”
Birmingham crushed Cleveland on the boards, 54-39.
“We’ve been emphasizing our defense, and with Trey being called up, we changed a few things,” Saint said. “But NBA basketball … you can’t practice a lot, you can only walk through, go to film sessions, and adjust. And they did that – they adjusted.”
Sharife Cooper topped Charge scorers with 22 points, followed by Isaiah Mobley (20), Aleem Ford (20), Emoni Bates (14), Devontae Shuler (12) and Malik Fitts (10).
Brockington and Cannady had hot hands for Birmingham in the first quarter, scoring 10 and nine points, respectively, to help the home team grab a 32-25 lead after 12 minutes.
But Bates and Mobley got busy for the Charge in the second frame, allowing the visitors to quickly erase the deficit and surge ahead.
The biggest boost for Cleveland came from Ford, who came off the bench to net 14 points.
But even after allowing the Charge to lead by as many as eight, the Squadron rallied in the waning moments of the quarter to take a 64-63 lead into the locker room.
Hill – who started off slow by Hill standards – finished the first half with 14 points to tie Cannady for high-point honors across the opening 24 minutes.
Liddell opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer, and Birmingham scored the first nine points of the period to go up by 10. It started a trend, and with Cleveland struggling from the inside and outside, Birmingham was able to gain some breathing room and take a 99-85 lead into the final quarter.
The Squadron turned it into a blowout in the fourth, leading by as many as 26 points before settling on a 21-point blowout.
As of late Saturday night, Birmingham was just a half game out of playoff position and one and a half games out of first place in the Eastern Conference.
The Long Island Nets lead the East with a 7-4 record.
“We try to take every game as it comes, and focus on the task at hand, which is winning the next game,” Brockington said.
“But we knew with this home stretch we needed to capitalize on it, so we definitely want to stack wins on top of each other.”
The Mayor goes to Washington: Sad news for Birmingham basketball fans was very good news for one of their favorite players as Jemison – nicknamed “The Mayor” – got his NBA shot with the Wizards.
The former UAB standout played 24 games with the Squadron, recording 11 double-doubles over the last 14 contests.
A 10-day contract means a free agent signs a contract that lasts 10 days or three games, whichever comes later. A player can also be signed to a second 10-day contract by the same club.
Shortly after Jemison’s departure was announced, the team added forward Josh Nzeakor, who has played for three G League teams this season and appeared in a Squadron jersey 15 times in 2022-23.
Last year he averaged 5.6 points and 3.3 rebounds for Birmingham.
OTD in 1948: The Birmingham Vulcans of the Southern Professional Basketball League lost to the Young Men’s Hebrew Association Bluejackets, 39-33, in a March of Dimes charity game played at the Municipal Auditorium.
Former Vulcans Ben Browdy and Abe Epsman led the YMHA upset with 12 points each.
Shag Williams was the high-scorer for Birmingham with 13 points.
OTD in 1992: The Birmingham Bandits of the Continental Basketball Association defeated the Rockford Lightning, 112-98, in front of 654 fans at State Fair Arena.
Despite dressing just eight players – two players left the Bandits to play internationally and one was suspended – Birmingham dominated the game.
Skeeter Henry scored 37 points on seven-of-21 shooting, and Jim Farmer added 25.
Next up: The Squadron hits the road for a two-game set against the Wisconsin Herd, the G League affiliate of the Milwaukee Bucks. The first game is Monday, 6 p.m., at Oshkosh Arena and the teams meet again on Wednesday, January 24, at 6 p.m. Birmingham returns home on Sunday, January 28, when the Windy City Bulls come to Legacy Arena for a 3 p.m. game.
