Eager to redeem themselves from their last two
losses, the Explosion triumphed over the Tacoma
Jazz last Saturday at Monroe Sports Arena, 123-109.

The Explosion were ready to play, and every
player came with their A game. Newcomer to
the Explosion, Jermaine Blackburn, lead with
21 points along with Jaime Booker, who also
scored 21 points, coming only from three-point
shots. Kyle Keyes followed with 17, with Donald
Watts and Jamal Miller both close behind at 16.
The Jazz had six players in double digits, with
Alex Adediran leading at 17 points in addition
to his 13 rebounds. The game was attended by
851 fans.

Score by periods:
1st period, Jazz 16, Explosion 37; 2nd period, Jazz 33, Explosion 32; 3rd period, Jazz 38, Explosion 31; 4th period, Jazz 38, Explosion 23.

Total: Jazz 109, Explosion 123

The team faced the Vancouver Volcanoes on the road last Friday night and for the first time in franchise history they have lost two games in a row, with a 128-120 loss to the Volcanoes. With a 98-99 one-point lead, the Explosion struggled in the fourth quarter for the second game in a row. The team had a discrepancy of fouls called against them in the fourth quarter and without a huge defensive push the Explosion gave up the most points in a season game with 128 points scored against them.

Individual points: Jermaine Blackburn 32, Jamaal Miller 25, Justin James 11, Kyle Keyes 9, Chris Keller 8, Mike Jones 2, Jackie Jones 4, David White 7, Chris Weakly 8, Milton Wright 8, Sneed Deadrick 6.

General Manager Brad Sturlaugson announced that the Explosion basketball team has signed 6’7” shooting guard for this weekends two game back to back IBL Western Conference matchup.

Jermaine Blackburn, 6'7" shooting guard from Boise State College, signed with the Explosion last Friday. He is coming off the 2007-2008 CBA season as an all-star, averaging 29 minutes per game with double digit numbers in points and rebounds. Blackburn has played with the Boise Stampede in the NBA D-League, helping his team get into the SemiFinals.

  “We still have some guards that are on the injured reserve and we did not want to have a situation like last week with Miller out of the game and be limited at the guard position.” said Sturlaugson Friday. “Our goal is clear and after last weekend's game I talked with Nathan Mumm about making sure we have the horses to be the champions in our division. Jermaine is an extremely talented left-handed player that has the ability to be very productive as an NBA guard. He has a great point-guard like ability to handle the basketball and he can create opportunities for himself and teammates off the dribble and is a great passer. In addition to being a great passer and strong offensively, Jermaine is a long paralyzing defender and rebounder.”

The Explosion will travel to Bellingham on Friday, April 4 to meet the Slam, and will face the Vancouver Volcanoes at Monroe Sports Arena on Saturday, April 5.

Explosive guards revitalize lineup

The Snohomish County Explosion are off to a 4-2 start, and currently sit a half game out of first place in the IBL’s West Division.  The Explosion’s victory over the Jazz of Tacoma in their last outing ended the first two-game losing skid in team history.  The outstanding play of newcomers Jermaine Blackburn and Jamie Booker played a key role in getting Snohomish County back on track.

Booker, 6’4”, has been on the Explosion’s roster all season, but saw his first action of the year against the Jazz because of an injury.  Booker is a familiar face to area basketball fans, as he was a standout for the University of Washington during the 1993-1996 seasons.  Booker’s pro career has taken him across the globe, including stints in Brazil and Mexico—and also with the Harlem Globetrotters.  The sharp-shooting Booker made his season debut against the Jazz with a 21 point effort—going 7 of 13 from behind the arc.

Blackburn, 6’7”, averaged 15.4 points per game as a senior at Boise State University, before beginning his pro career in 2005.  Blackburn has played in the NBDL, USBL, and, most recently, with the Yakama Sun Kings in the CBA, where he earned All-Star honors this season.  In his first two contests, Blackburn has led the Explosion in scoring, and is currently averaging 28.0 points per game.

Explosion Head Coach Randy Redwine – “There’s no question that having those guys in the line-up makes us stronger.  They both create match-up problems.  At 6’7” Jermaine is probably the tallest two guard in the league.  Besides being a great shooter, Jamie is strong and physical enough to post guys up and defend the two, three or four spots.”