NBL Canada Playoffs Review - London Lightning vs St. John's Edge
The unprecedented debut season of the St. John's Edge continued into the Central Division finals, but to have a chance at the title they had to overcome defending champions London Lightning, who were pulling out all the stops to retain their title. What followed was an exciting, tense and unforgettable series of games.
Game one at the Gardens, and the Lightning took an early seven-point lead over the Edge. Knocking down threes, Charles Hinkle and Coron Williams responded for the visiting team, and after an eleven-point run in the second quarter, the Edge led by ten. The Lightning then had to play catch-up, but thanks to their bench and front court duo of Garrett Williamson and Royce White, they re-took the lead in the fourth by three points. Now it was St. John's who had to play catch-up - which wasn't going to be easy after they found themselves nine down with five minutes left. However, they did recover and at the end of a twelve-point unanswered run they led London by three. After Julian Boyd tied the scores from the foul line and Desmond Lee missed a final layup, the game was not over yet.
Image: Derek Ruttan/London Free Press
London stamped their authority in overtime, but composed, intelligent play from Ryan Reid and Carl English kept St. John's alive, then put them up by three points. A three from Kyle Johnson in the closing seconds saved the Lightning , forcing a second OT period. English opened the scoring early in added time, and the Edge went four points clear after two minutes. Doug Herring Jr then levelled the scoreline, and after some mistakes and fouls given away from the Edge, London made good on their chances and saw out a hard-earned win in this exemplary game, 140-133.
The Edge began game two with a ten-point run, and with the Lightning coming up short on offence, they led by seventeen at the end of the first quarter. London slowly got themselves back into the game behind a great all-around showings from both Mo Bolden (20 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks) and Royce White (29 points, 9 rebounds). They went from twenty-three down to two up ahead of the fourth quarter. St John’s front court quickly turned the lead back around in their favour, and by making the most of their time in possession - which saw the team making 13 three-pointers in the game and Wally Ellenson putting up 20 points off the bench - and outplaying London on defence, they tied the series with a 112-104 win.
After a tight-knit opening to game three, Carl English and Lee Desmond gave the Edge an eight-point lead early in the second quarter. Having a great game off the London bench, Kyle Johnson led his team in narrowing the gap, but with English and Lee still doing well to find the basket, St John's were not going to give up their lead easily. Two shots from the foul line from Garrett Williamson put London ahead for the first time just before the half, then the team went looking for open looks to bolster their lead. Ryan Reid gave back the advantage to the Edge, but London re-took the lead after a jumper from Johnson, and working hard on the defensive end they were able to hold on to it for the remainder.
Johnson was the stand-out in the game with 22 bench points, while Royce White contributed 24 for London in their 101-86 win in game three. Desmond Lee, meanwhile, had 24 points for St. John's, while Carl English led all scorers with 25 points in the loss.
In game four London had the early advantage behind good looks on both ends from Mo Bolden, but then came a flurry of three-pointers from the Edge which, along with a few good looks in the field, put them up by eight. The Lightning levelled the scores after playing catchup throughout the second quarter, but Charles Hinkle made sure the Edge had the half-time lead.
As the second half got underway, the Edge went frantic from the field - Ryan Reid and Charles Hinkle put up a lot of points from the field, with Coron Williams having a great game off the bench, with 28 total points which included six threes. London tried to narrow the gap towards the end of the game, but there was only so much they could do. Royce White had 32 points and Ryan Anderson had 21, but their efforts would not be enough to save game the game for them. The series was tied once more after the Edge's 123-110 win here.
St. John’s overturned London’s early thirteen-point lead in game five to leave a gap of just two between the teams at half time. London saw big efforts from Royce White, who had 37 total points, Mo Bolden and Ryan Anderson, who both finished with 24 points apiece, as well as fourteen total threes in the game. The Edge’s front court duo of Carl English and Charles Hinkle, and their contesting of every possession, keeping it a close contest.
Desmond Lee gave the Edge their first lead of the game in the fourth quarter, but threes from Kyle Johnson and Ryan Anderson put the Lightning back up by a single point. Four lead changes followed, at the end of which London went up by four. A three from Carl English with seconds left made it a one point game, but a foul on Ryan Anderson by Wally Ellenson sent him to the line, and two free-throws from Anderson put the game to bed. London took their biggest step toward the final with a three-point win in game five.
Game six was tight throughout the first half, but with Garrett Williamson and Doug Herring Jr hitting from the field, London had the advantage, but only just. The Lighting were playing here without Royce White, who had been suspended for the remainder of the post-season. St. John’s started to push at the start of the second half, and Carl English gave them their first lead of the game, which grew to six following a layup from Wally Ellenson. On three occasions late in the third, London tied the scores, only for Ransfrod Brempong to put St. John’s back up by two.
Mo Bolden put London back in front seconds into the fourth, and a three from Joel Friesen-Latty gave the Lightning a more comfortable lead. Carl English handled the pressure on offence, and along with the Edge doing all they could to slow down the Lightning’s offence, they got to within two late in the game. However, after six unanswered points from London with under a minute to go, the game, the series and the place in the final was theirs.
It was a valiant effort from the St. John's Edge, but this year's NBLC Finals will be a rematch between the London Lightning and the Halifax Hurricanes. Stay tuned for more from us as the final series approaches, and for regular news and updates, visit the official NBL Canada website.
