It seems appropriate – although disappointing for most of the 1,477 fans in the building – that on Star Wars Night at Legacy Arena, the force was with the visiting Sioux Falls Skyforce.
I mean, it’s literally in their name.
But for T.J. Saint and company, it was a timeout that was forced upon them that contributed to their undoing.
The Miami Heat affiliates entered the G League clash against the Birmingham Squadron with a circuit-best 4-0 record and exited with a 5-0 mark after topping the New Orleans Pelicans’ developmental club (1-4), 121-116.
With the Squadron trailing 115-111, the home team forced a turnover thanks to a Malcolm Hill steal with 24 seconds remaining and were headed for a transition bucket.
Instead, an official said the Birmingham bench had called a timeout.
That was news to Saint.
“I have no idea,” said Saint, obviously frustrated. “(The official) said he heard a player call a timeout, but I don’t see how he knew who it was because he wasn’t looking. He just guessed.”
The Squadron still managed to pull within one at 117-116 – and with the score 119-116, Kira Lewis Jr. had a chance to tie it with three seconds left – but his 3-pointer wouldn’t fall.
Lewis, on assignment from the parent club, led Birmingham with 29 points.
Trey Jemison had a career-high 21 points to go with 17 rebounds. It was his fourth double-double in a row and eighth in the last 10 outings.
“I’ve played more basketball this year than I’ve played my entire life,” Jemison said. “I’m just in a rhythm now.”
Hill also had 21 points, and Jalen Crutcher contributed 14.
Despite solid numbers, Saint was disappointed in his side’s unforced errors.
“This is the first time in 20 games I had no clue who that team was,” Saint said. “It wasn’t a physical energy thing because we improved in the second half, but it was a mental thing. And you can’t do that and be a good team.”
Center Orlando Robinson had a monster game for the winners, tallying 41 points – included a trio of baskets from 3-point range – and snatching 13 rebounds.
Justin Champagnie scored 26 points, followed by Alondes Williams, Jamaree Bouyea (17), and Caleb Daniels (12).
Sioux Falls took control of the game early, racing out to a 42-25 first quarter lead. Robinson had already amassed 15 points and six rebounds after just 12 minutes, and registered a double-double (23 points and 10 boards) by intermission.
Birmingham rallied in the second quarter, slicing the Sioux Falls lead to just six points at the 8:11 mark. But Robinson got busy again and allowed his team to get most of those points back, and at halftime the visitors held a 65-50 advantage.
The Squadron regrouped after the break and got right back in the game in the third period.
A Lewis layup made it a three-point game (75-72) with 5:32 left in the frame, and Hill’s 3-pointer at 4:05 cut the deficit to 77-75.
When the buzzer sounded the Skyforce was clinging to a 91-86 lead, and Birmingham still had a quarter to flip the script.
They almost did – but wound up on the losing end of a game in which they led only once (6-4).
Road weary: Friday was the regular season home opener for Birmingham, who played two games at Indiana and then a pair of back-to-back days against Grand Rapids.
The team has logged a lot of minutes in a short time, and it showed – especially early in the loss to the Skyforce.
“We got back (Thursday morning), some of us were under the weather and we got some meds and got right but man, it was a long trip,” Jemison said. “We’ve played five games in seven days, and it’s my first time to do that as a rookie to play that many games so fast, so I’m just trying to adjust to the flow.
“You want to keep playing at your top level every day, but it’s kinda rough. You could tell today we were exhausted the first 20 minutes.”
Honoring legends: As part of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday celebration – and as a salute to Birmingham’s role in the civil rights movement – the Squadron will wear Birmingham Black Barons specialty jerseys for games against Raptors 905 on January 13 and January 15.
The jerseys have a black torso design and BBB across the chest, as well as the outline of the Magic City skyline on the shorts.
A tribute to the Negro League baseball team that played here from 1920-1960, the jersey was designed to “honor the players and history of this part of the cultural heritage of the Birmingham community.”
“We are honored to celebrate and recognize the Birmingham Black Barons with the donning of these specialty jerseys,” Squadron general manager Leslie Claybrook said. “The history of the Black Barons in the Magic City and nationally is quite remarkable and needs to continue to be told. These specialty jerseys play a small role in keeping the legacy top-of-mind.”
Game-worn jerseys will be auctioned at Legacy Arena during both games and proceeds of the jersey will benefit the Negro League Baseball Museum.
OTD in 1948: The Birmingham Vulcans of the Southern Professional Basketball League lost to the Jackson (Mississippi) Senators, 48-47. Jackson’s Charley Ward hit two free throws in the waning seconds to secure the victory for the hosts.
Birmingham was led by Shag Hawkins’ 12 points.
OTD in 2022: The Squadron fell to the Stockton Kings, 103-80, at Stockton Arena.
Tra Holder led Birmingham with 15 points, while Joe Young and Riley LaChance finished with 14 points apiece.
OTD in 2023: The Squadron dropped a 113-107 decision to the South Bay Lakers at the UCLA Health Training Center.
Kelan Martin and Javonte Smart each pumped in 28 points, with Kalob Ledoux chipping in 22.
Zylan Cheatham had 10 points to go with 11 rebounds for the double-double.
Next up: Birmingham is back on the road Thursday for a matchup with the Memphis Hustle at the Landers Center in Southaven, Mississippi.
Tip time is 7 p.m.