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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Report scores and results to 425-339-3470 or 1-866-6-SCORES (Call after 4:30 p.m.) E-mail information including items for Tuesday's Communities Sports Roundup and Thursday's Outdoor Calendar, to sports@heraldnet.com Kevin Brown, Sports Editor kbrown@heraldnet.com   Published: Saturday, May 31, 2008 Struggling Explosion on edge Team tensions are expected to run high as Snohomish County tries to cool off the red-hot Las Vegas Stars. By Bob Mortenson Herald Writer MONROE -- The Las Vegas Stars present the Snohomish County Explosion with an opportunity to achieve something that has eluded them since March 15: Beat a team with a winning record. It's a dicey proposition. Las Vegas comes into tonight's International Basketball League clash at Monroe High School red-hot and perched comfortably atop the Southwest Division after shaking off an 0-4 start and winning nine of 10 games heading into last night's contest at West Division-leading Bellingham (12-2 and riding a sparkling 10-game victory streak). "No ifs, ands or buts, we've got to come out strong against Vegas," Snohomish County coach Randy Redwine said. "Tension is going to be high. Players and coaches are on edge." Indeed, Snohomish County (9-8) is mired in fourth place in the West Division after dropping a pair of physical games at third-place Edmonton last weekend. It was an all-too familiar outcome for a team that is a sparkling 8-2 at home, but a mediocre 1-6 on the road. The greater concern, however, is after defeating Bellingham and Vancouver in the second and third games of the season, Snohomish County is 0-7 against the division's top-three teams. The Explosion's six victories after a promising 3-0 start have come against a collection of mid-pack and bottom-feeding team's (Central Oregon, Portland, Shanxi of China and Tacoma) with an underwhelming combined record of 21-38. Now, Snohomish County welcomes a spirited Las Vegas group that is playing eight games in nine days against teams around the Pacific Northwest. "We know we've got to start winning some of these games right now," Redwine said. "We've got to gut it out and beat some of these teams with winning records in order to expect to have any success in the playoffs." Snohomish County had just nine players available for the two games at Edmonton. "If we'd had a couple more bodies, I'm positive the outcome would have been different," Redwine said. "No excuses though … Edmonton is a very good team." Point guard Jamal Miller aggravated a right shoulder injury against the Chill and is not available tonight along with center David White (back, ankle). Otherwise, the Explosion expects to have a full complement of players. They'll need it to go dancing with the Stars, who are led by the high-scoring duo of Eddie Shelby and Demerio Butler. Shelby and Butler each average 23.2 points per game. The versatile Shelby also ranks No. 9 in the league in rebounds (8.4) and assists (6.4). The Stars' Willie Hall leads the IBL in assists (9.9). Plugging holes: Former Explosion All-Stars Rashaad Powell and Justin Murray are still playing in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The pair is expected to rejoin the team sometime in June and be available for the playoffs. Meantime, Redwine is making due with the Donald Watts-led group he has. "I don't want to discount the energy and effort," Redwine said. "But, the fact is, guys are just beat up." "That's what you run across in this (physical) league," Redwine continued. "You've got to find bodies that can play." Towards that end the team added 6-foot-9 Matt Heuer, a Seattle SuperSonics front-office employee, to the roster this week. "I don't know what kind of shape he's in," Redwine chuckled. "But, he's big." Miller to the grindstone: The scrappy Miller's propensity to mix it up with big men is both a blessing and a curse for Redwine. "I love that he's so competitive," Redwine laughed. "But, he's got to figure out how to have less contact and not get physical with guys who outweigh him by 100 pounds."

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