Portsmouth Herons 37-45 (3-3)

Andes Mountaineers 47-35 (3-3)

Score (click for boxscore)	Game MVP	Hi Points	Hi Rebounds	Hi Assists
1. Mountaineers 102, Herons 94	Bill Laimbeer	26 Bill Laimbeer	22 Bill Laimbeer	10 John Bagley
2. Mountaineers 128, Herons 110	Byron Scott	30 Byron Scott	11 Adrian Dantley	11 Ennis Whatley
3. Herons 115, Mountaineers 107	Chuck Person	31 Chuck Person	18 Sam Perkins	10 Ennis Whatley
4. Mountaineers 136, Herons 130 OT	Byron Scott	36 Dale Ellis	14 Chuck Person	10 Leon Wood
5. Herons 109, Mountaineers 100	Sam Perkins	32 Sam Perkins	16 Dale Ellis	12 Leon Wood
6. Herons 115, Mountaineers 104	Sam Perkins	31 Sam Perkins	12 Chuck Person	15 John Bagley
7. Mountaineers 103, Herons 95	Bill Laimbeer	26 Dale Ellis	22 Bill Laimbeer	8 Byron Scott

Game 1 – Portsmouth traveled to Andes for game one of their playoff series. Chuck Person and Sam Perkins got in foul trouble very early, so Danny Schayes and Kenny Walker each tallied 9 first period points to give the Herons a 33-30 edge. Dale Ellis kept PMH up with 7 points in the 2nd and the visitors increased their lead to 54-49 at the half. Ellis and Bill Laimbeer led their respective teams with 15 each. Laimbeer continued to dominate in the low post with the Herons in foul trouble, scoring 8 more points in the 3rd and leading the Andes’ comeback. We had a 76-76 game heading into the 4th quarter. Portsmouth was up 85-78 with 8:26 to go, but the Mountaineers scored 11 unanswered points to take a 4-point lead. The Herons pulled within one, but Andes went on a 9-0 run to ice the game. Final score: Andes 102, Portsmouth 94. Laimbeer was game MVP with game highs of 26 points, 22 rebounds and 5 blocked shots. Pearl Washington added 20 off the bench. Walker and Ellis had 20 for PMH.

Game 2 – Portsmouth jumped out to a 6-2 lead, but that would be their only lead as there was only one lead change and Andes took over, eventually building a 27-point lead and winning 128-110. The Herons were successful in stopping game one hero, Bill Laimbeer, holding him to 15 points and 4 rebounds. They couldn’t stop Byron Scott, who had a game-high 30 points, 8 boards, 5 assists and 2 steals for game MVP. Adrian Dantley tallied 24 points and had a game-high 11 rebounds. Kenny Walker topped the visitors with 24 points. 

Game 3 – The game was tied once at 2-2 and from there, the Portsmouth Herons never trailed. They built a 23-point lead right before the end of the 3rd quarter. Andes tried a valient comeback in the 4th, outscoring the Herons 35-24, but ran out of time. Final score: PMH 115, ADM 107. Chuck Person pulled down 9 rebounds and had a game-high 31 points to get the MVP nod. Sleepy-eyed Sam Perkins added 21 points and a game-high 18 boards. Dale Ellis chipped in 21 as well. Byron Scott’s 18 topped the Mountaineers and Bill Laimbeer had 15 rebounds. 

Game 4 – Portsmouth got 8 points from Derek Smith in the first quarter to take a 32-26 lead. They expanded their lead to 65-48 at the half as Dale Ellis tallied 10 points in the 2nd frame. Bill Laimbeer’s 9 points led a 39-29 third quarter in favor of the visiting Mountaineers. Ellis had 15 in the period for the Herons. Andes capped off a 33-26 fourth period with Laimbeer tying the game with 2/10 of a second remaining to force overtime. The Mountaineers scored the first 9 points in OT then Portsmouth pulled within 3, but that’s as close as they’d get. Andes takes a 3-1 series lead with the 136-130 victory. Byron Scott was named game MVP again with 22 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals. He was also a perfect 10-10 from the free throw line. Adrian Dantley had 20 points and 8 board, Cliff Robinson 23/11. Dale Ellis scored 36 and Derek Smith 20 for PMH.

Game 5 – Sam Perkins scored 9 of his 11 first period points in the first 8 minutes of the game, boosting Portsmouth to a 24-10 lead. Andes came back to narrow the gap to 26-18, but PMH boosted it back to 30-20 at the end of the period. Perkins added 9 more in the 2nd as Portsmouth expanded their lead to 16 before Jerome Whitehead’s dunk made the score 53-39 at the half. The third was more of the same, with Perkins tacking on 10 and Dale Ellis matching him. It was 83-61 after three. Andes got a big team effort, outscoring the Herons 39-26 in the final period, but ran out of time. The Portsmouth Herons stay alive with a 109-100 victory. Perkins was game MVP with 32 points and 7 rebounds. Ellis had 19 points and a game-high 16 rebounds. Whitehead led the home team with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Adrian Dantley tallied 15 points. Bill Laimbeer (5-18 FGA) and Byron Scott were held to 10 points each. The series moves back to Portsmouth for game 6, with the Herons once again facing elimination.

Game 6 – Andes wanted to put Portsmouth away, so they closed out the first period on a 12-2 run to go up 27-19. They expanded their lead to 12 points in the second behind Ennis Whatley’s 10 points, but the Herons closed the gap a little; it was 57-50 Mountaineers at the half. Sam Perkins had 11 points in a third period that saw PMH go on a 17-6 spree to pull within three, then they rolled off another one of 13-6 to go up by two. Andes scored four of the period’s last six points and it was an 86-86 game heading into the 4th. Perkins tallied 10 more in the final period and the Herons scored the first six points and never let the Mountaineers closer than 4. The series is now tied at 3 games each and is headed back to Andes for a decisive game 7. Perkins finished with 31 points and 10 boards for game MVP honors. Dale Ellis tallied 27 points and 3 blocked shots. John Bagley had 15 dimes. Bill Laimbeer had 20 points and Whatley ended up with 18 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists. 

Game 7 – Portsmouth took the first two periods 25-22 and 30-23 to lead 55-45 at the half. Byron Scott had 11 points to top Andes, three Herons had 8 points each. Dale Ellis had 11 points in the 3rd quarter, but Adrian Dantley’s 7 points led Andes to a 25-21 frame. The Mountaineers opened the 4th on a 17-9 run to take an 87-85 lead. PMH kept it close until there was 1:23 left. Andes scored 8 of the game’s last 10 points to win game 7 and advance to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. Bill Laimbeer was named game MVP with 22 rebounds, 20 points and 3 blocked shots. Ellis led all scorers with 26. Dantley went 12-14 from the stripe to lead ADM with 24. Laimbeer averaged 17.4 points and 12.3 rebounds for the series. Ellis averaged 23.1 in a losing effort.