Albany Patroons head coach Derrick Rowland was happy to be sitting at LaGuardia Airport on Wednesday morning.
The alternative was taking a bus for a 1,000-mile trip to St. Louis and The Basketball League’s East Regional finals.
Patroons vs. Griffins
Game 1:Â 8 p.m. Thursday, Jennings, Mo.
Game 2: 3 p.m. Sunday, Washington Avenue Armory
Game 3 (if nec.): 7 p.m. Monday, Washington Avenue Armory
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“We’re waiting to board the plane now!!!” Rowland texted. “A huge relief!!” He added a praying hands emoji to emphasize his point.
The Patroons changed their plans and flew rather than drove to Game 1 against the St. Louis Grffins at 8 p.m. Thursday at Jennings (Mo.) Senior High & College Prep, just outside St. Louis.
The best-of-3 series will head to Albany for Game 2 at 3 p.m. Sunday at Washington Avenue Armory. Game 3, if necessary, would be played at 7 p.m. Monday at the Armory.
The Patroons punched their ticket to the regional finals by beating the Newfoundland Rogues in a two-game sweep for the East Conference title. They wrapped up the series with a 135-108 victory on Monday at the Armory.
“It feels great,” Patroons guard Jamil Hood said. “The job’s not done, though. We’re not satisfied. We’re going for it all. That’s where we are right now.”
Immediately after that game, Patroons co-owner Sam Clifford and Rowland indicated the Patroons would probably bus to St. Louis because of the difficulty of buying plane tickets on such short notice.
Instead, they drove down to LaGuardia on Wednesday to catch their flight.
“That (a bus trip to St. Louis) would be brutal and exhausting,” Clifford said in a Facebook message. “Especially for only one game.”
Asked if he got a “decent” price on plane tickets, Clifford responded, “I think decent is a relative term.”
The…
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