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: 8 p.m. today; 8 p.m. Saturday
Where: Sioux Falls, S.D.
Records: Mad Ants 8-13, Sioux Falls 6-16
Web cast: www.fortwaynehoops.com
Mad Ants leaders: Darnell Lazare (19.3 ppg), Jarrid Famous (10.1 rpg), Walker Russell Jr. (9.9 apg)
Sioux Falls leaders: Casey Mitchell (19.7 ppg), Charles Garcia (7.2 rpg), Dominique Coleman (7.0 apg)
Key matchup: The Ants have flexed some inside muscle with the 6-foot-11 Famous, who had a season-high 20 rebounds in Tuesday’s loss to Dakota. With Famous inside, Lazare is playing a natural power forward position, and he’s responded by averaging nearly 20 points per game.
The skinny: Both teams have fallen and can’t get up. The Ants are still trying to recover from a five-game losing streak earlier this season, while Sioux Falls has lost nine of its last 10 games. The Skyforce ended an eight-game slide last Saturday with a win at Bakersfield. The two teams have split two games this year, with Sioux Falls winning the most recent game, 100-96, on Dec. 22 at Memorial Coliseum.
