LocalSportsJournal.com

The West Michigan Lake Hawks will continue their trek toward an American Basketball Association championship Saturday when they host the Motor City Firebirds in a second round playoff game.

And if they win on Saturday, they will have the advantage of playing in front of a home crowd again on Sunday.

That’s because the Lake Hawks are hosting the ABA North Central Division’s “Final Four” on Saturday and Sunday at Muskegon High School. All four participating teams qualified for the tournament by winning first round playoff games last weekend.

The Chicago Steam will meet the Chicago Fury Saturday at 5 p.m. in the first game at Redmond-Potter Gymnasium. The Lake Hawks will play the Firebirds at 7 p.m.

The winners of the two games will meet for the title on Sunday at 6 p.m., with the survivor advancing to the ABA regionals in Rhode Island later this month.

The Lake Hawks (13-4) will definitely be looking for revenge this weekend. They were knocked out of the playoffs by Motor City last season in a two-point game, and lost twice to the Chicago Steam earlier this season.

The Lake Hawks, who beat Oakland County last Saturday, would have to win seven more playoff games to capture the ABA title. The league playoffs have a single-elimination format, so a loss by any team will signal the end of its season.