The New York Rollin’ Knicks needed an extra stanza to outlast the San Diego Wolfpack, 71-69, at the 2016 National Wheelchair Basketball Tournament presented by ABC Medical, at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Ky. The Knicks were in a close game down the stretch and tied the game at the end of regulation, 65-65. 

Three-time Paralympic gold medalist Patrick Anderson of Canada, provided the leadership in the five-minute overtime scoring four of his 23 points. Anderson was responsible for 12 of the Knicks’  last 16 points. Also contributing to the Knicks’ victory was Ali Faizool with 21 points, and Kevin Grant’s 18 points. 

The No. 11 seeded Wolfpack, in its second season in the Championship Division, crafted a game plan to contain the Knicks, the No. 3 seed. Earlier in the day, the Wolfpack knocked off the No. 6 Utah Wheelin’ Jazz, 58-54. Jorge Salazar scored 21 points. 

The Knicks’ Friday tip-off is against the No. 2 Milwaukee Bucks at noon. The other semi-final game in the Championship Division is No. 1 Dallas Mavericks vs. No. 4 Rogue Valley Scorpions. 

In Division III, the Detroit Diehards shocked a pair of D-III higher seeded teams to welcome in the 2016 National Wheelchair Basketball Tournament presented by ABC Medical at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Ky. Kevin Konfara and John Herndon of the Diehards contributed 22 and 20 points, respectively, in their first-round upset of No. 11 seed Fayetteville Flyers, 59-41. Konfara accumulated 29 points in two games. 

Detroit’s second game was a collective team effort with Lorenzo Gaines putting up 14 points, while Andre Edwards scored 9 and Amen Alyasiry sinking 8 points, for their 46-39 upset of No. 6 seed MAPVA Richmond Rimriders. Detroit will face MedStar NRH Punishers in the D-III quarter-final. 

Also in D-III, a back-and-forth battle between No. 8 Turnstone Bandits and the No. 9 Cleveland Wheelchair Cavaliers went down to the wire, with the Bandits outlasting the Cavaliers, 50-47. Two-time U.S. Paralympian and 2012 Paralympic bronze medalist Will Waller scored 17 of the Cavaliers’ 25 points in the first half for a one-point lead, 25-24. The Cavaliers were in the lead for the entire game, except for the last 1:10, where Turnstone utilized Justin Hosler’s 12 points in the game for the three-point victory. 

The Junior Prep, Junior NIT and Junior Varsity divisions played out per the seeds. The semi-final games are set with the following match-ups:

Junior Prep
No. 1 BlazeSports Junior Wheelchair Hawks vs. No. 5 Miami Valley Junior Minutemen
No. 2 Chicago Skyhawks vs. No. 3 Milwaukee Junior Bucks

Junior NIT
No. 1 Richmond Sportable Spokes vs. No. 5 BORP Junior Road Warriors
No. 3 Denver Junior Nuggets vs. No. 7 Nebraska Red Dawgs

Junior Varsity
No. 1 Courage Minnesota Timberwolves vs. No. 5 Dallas Mavericks
No. 2 Atlanta BlazeSports Hawks vs. No. 3 Houston TIRR Hotwheels

The 2016 NWBT is the largest ever with 88 teams and 976 athletes, and features a total of 176 games on 12 courts. The second day of games will start at 8 a.m. EDST, at the Kentucky Exposition Center, where all divisions will play into placement games, and a variety of showcase events. The day will feature 57 games. 

The NWBT features five divisions spanning four age groups from Championship to Junior Prep. The adult divisions, Championship and Division III, will see a field of 40 teams. The Championship Division, the nation’s elite athlete category with 16 teams, will play over a three-day period, April 7-9, in hopes of playing for the title on Saturday, April 9 at 4 p.m. The Division III National title game is set for Sunday, April 10 at 10 a.m. Eastern. 

Championship Saturday will start at 8 a.m., with the Junior National Invitational Tournament being the opening draw. From 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Eastern, the National Title Games for Junior Prep, Junior Varsity and Championship Divisions will be contested. All final games will be web streamed at www.nwba.org. The Div-III Championship game will be played on Sunday, April 10 at 10 a.m. 

Individual tickets are available for the 2016 NWBT presented by ABC Medical. Event tickets are for sale at Kentucky Exposition Center at $30 for adults for all sessions or $12.50 per day. Children 8-18 will be $15 for all sessions and $7 per day. Children 7 and under are free. 

On April 8-9, the NWBA’s Operation Rebound for Veterans will hold an introductory wheelchair basketball clinic at the Kentucky Exposition Center. 

In addition to the NWBT, the NWBA Hall of Fame will hold its annual induction ceremony at the Crowne Plaza Airport Hotel on Saturday, April 9 at 6 p.m. Eastern. This year’s inductees are: NWBA’s most prolific scorer Trooper Johnson of San Lorenzo, Calif.; non-competitors Barbara Radbel of Munster, Ind., and Kathy Curtis of El Paso, Texas; and posthumously recognized is women’s standout player Mary Ann O’Neill of Minneapolis, Minn.

2016 National Wheelchair Basketball Tournament presented by ABC Medical Schedule At Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Ky., April 7-10

Friday, April 8, 2016
8 a.m.-8 p.m.    2016 NWBT Games (57 Games/11 Courts)    Kentucky Expo Center
10 a.m.-6 p.m.    VA Clinic    Kentucky Expo Center
10 a.m.-12 p.m.    Celebrity Game    Kentucky Expo Center
12 -2 p.m.    Per4Max Shootout Qualifier    Kentucky Expo Center
4-6 p.m.    Top End Youth Clinic    Kentucky Expo Center
4-6 p.m.    Junior Girl’s Player Showcase    Kentucky Expo Center
4-6 p.m.    High School Senior Boy’s Game    Kentucky Expo Center
7-9 p.m.    Junior Prep Division Banquet    Galt House Hotel

Saturday, April 9, 2016
7:30-8 a.m.    2016 NWBT Opening Ceremonies    Kentucky Expo Center
8 a.m.-6 p.m.    2016 NWBT Championship Saturday (34 Games)    Kentucky Expo Center
8 a.m.-6 p.m.    VA Clinic    Kentucky Expo Center
8 a.m.    Junior NIT Championship    Kentucky Expo Center
10 a.m.    Junior Prep Championship    Kentucky Expo Center
12 p.m.    Per4Max Shootout    Kentucky Expo Center
1:30 p.m.    NWBT Championship Opening Ceremony    Kentucky Expo Center
2:00 p.m.    Junior Varsity Championship    Kentucky Expo Center
4:00 p.m.    Championship Division Championship    Kentucky Expo Center
Half Time    ABC Medical 3-Point Contest    Kentucky Expo Center
6-9 p.m.    2016 NWBA Hall of Fame Induction    Crowne Plaza Hotel
7-11 p.m.    Junior Varsity Banquet    Galt House Hotel

Sunday, April 10, 2016
10 a.m.    Division III Championship    Kentucky Expo Center