Jam not sticky for Snowbears

TAYLORSVILLE — To recap the Snowbears game Wednesday night sounds like a strange nursery rhyme: "The Worm" didn't show, "The Show" stole the show, and Master P assisted after all.

Wednesday's contest between the Utah Snowbears and the Long Beach Jam certainly didn't lack nicknames for the players, and didn't lack any drama either.

In the end the Snowbears pulled away from the two-time ABA champion Long Beach Jam winning 130-115.

Harold "The Show" Arceneaux certainly deserves much of the credit in the win.

Arceneaux's 42-point effort in the game made the difference for the Snowbears pushing it past a much more difficult opponent than Monday night.

"Basically I didn't want (Master) P to call home and tell on me." Arceneaux said after the game.

Arceneaux and Master P — Percy Miller is his actual name —are both from New Orleans, and Harold remembers a time when he couldn't get a game with Miller.

"I was like the neighborhood brat running around," Arceneaux said, "I always tried to get in on their games."

This time Arceneaux schooled everyone else in a dominating performance that carries Utah into the ABA Final Four.

Arceneaux scored early and often after tip-off. His team though, needed some time to catch up.

Utah looked a little sluggish from the outset. Several missed shots by Utah left the Snowbears down one by the end of the first quarter, 26-25.

Coach Ike Austin attributed his team's slow start to pre-game butterflies."They were just nerves early. Clay (Tucker) felt a little dizzy during the game and he missed a few of his shots early," Austin said.

Utah got its feet back and carried on into the second quarter.

Arceneaux scored four straight points and Curtis Millage added 3 points of his own and the Snowbears found itself up 15 points midway through the second quarter.

Sloppy passes and poor hustle by Utah opened the door wide for Long Beach and it capitalized cutting the lead back to three points by the end of the first half.

Joaquin Hawkins led the Jam at the half with 12 points, including a three-pointer with one minute remaining that had the Snowbears on tilt.

Hawkins play worried Utah at the half but the headache brewing for the Snowbears was guard Derrick Dial.