Duane Ticknor, a minor-league coaching veteran who led the Dakota Wizards to back-to-back playoff appearances from 2007 to ’09, will be the next head coach of the Mad Ants.FORT WAYNE – When: 5 p.m. today
Where: Memorial Coliseum
Records: Mad Ants 4-8, Canton 7-5
Webcast:
Mad Ants leaders: Ron Howard (20.6 ppg), Marvin Phillips (7.9 rpg), Walker Russell (10.4 apg)
* Canton leaders: Tyrell Biggs (20.9 ppg), Dante Milligan (10.8 rpg), Keith McLeod (5.3 apg)
Key matchup: In an earlier game at Canton, the Mad Ants blew a 14-point lead and fell to the Charge 112-104. The Charge is a team of streaks. It began the season losing its first two, won three straight, lost three straight, then took a four-game winning streak into its New Year’s Eve game against Erie.
The skinny: The Ants have lost four straight games and are desperately in need of a victory. They rallied from 13 points down to take a four-point lead over Los Angeles on Friday, only to lose in overtime. Center Chris Hunter, recovering from an Achilles injury last season, made his home debut with 16 points, eight rebounds and five blocked shots against the D-Fenders.
Note: The Mad Ants acquired Gilbert Brown on Saturday and waived Corey Allmond. Brown, a 6-foot-6 forward out of Pittsburgh, participated in training camp with Boston. As a senior, he started all 34 games for the Panthers and averaged 11.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. He began this season with S. Oliver Wurzburg in Germany before being waived. Allmond was averaging 15.5 points per game in his second season as a Mad Ant. Brown is expected to play today against Canton.
* – Canton records, statistics through Dec. 30
