NBL Canada Finals Review - Halifax Hurricanes vs London Lightning
For the third year in a row, the NBL Canada finals were contested by the Halifax Hurricanes and the London Lightning. The 2018 finals would see a new chapter written in both the rivalry between the two and the league's history, as one would walk away champions.
London were the defending champions, but Halifax had the easier route to the finals and their team unity is as strong as it has ever been. The Lightning were now without Royce White, but have seen great development from their players up to this point. There was little to choose between these teams, and no telling how the series was going to end up.
Threes from Garrett Williamson and Ryan Anderson put London in the lead after three minutes, but Halifax responded with a ten-point run to go five in front. Halifax had to hold back Julian Boyd, but they maintained their lead in the game at six points. Seven of the Hurricanes’ twelve total threes in the game came in Q1, and for the rest of the game Tyrone Watson and Billy White both had double-doubles in which they both scored 29 points, while Antoine Mason added 25 of his own.
London’s top scorer Doug Herring Jr (26 points) gave them lead back in the third quarter, but Halifax showed strength from close range to put themselves back in front and keep the Lightning from building any rhythm. The Hurricanes ended the third period with eight unanswered points, and held on to their advantage to the final buzzer, winning the first game of the series by thirteen.
Both teams played tight defence throughout in game two. Good early work on offence from Mo Bolden and Julian Boyd put London up by six, but twelve first half points off the bench from Ta’Quan Zimmerman saw Halifax up by eight late in the second quarter. The Lightning equalised seconds from half time with some good inside looks.
Billy White, Rhamel Brown and Tyrone Watson all worked hard to keep Halifax afloat in the second half, each on their way to a double-double in the game, and the Hurricanes soon found themselves with a sixteen-point lead. Led by their top scorer Garrett Williamson (21 points), London threw everything to try and respond. Continuing their good work on offence, Halifax ran home winners of game two by 100 points to 91. Brown had five blocks in the game, a new record amount for a player in the NBLC Finals.
London took a big lead early in game three, their first home game of the finals. Good work from Antoine Mason in the field early on kept the scores tight, bringing Halifax's deficit down from double digits. Garrett Williamson led all scorers with 27 points and also grabbed ten rebounds, one of four London starters to finish with a double-double.
Playing well on defence, the Hurricanes turned around a ten-point deficit in the third to lead by one. With London hitting from close range and Halifax equally effective from outside, the teams jostled for the lead until midway through the fourth quarter: London took an eight-point lead that Halifax could not come back from, despite the best efforts of Tyrone Watson late in the game. London get their first win of the series by ten points.
Both teams evenly matched throughout the first half in game four. London looked to steal it in the third, with a concentrated effort from close range they took their biggest lead of the game, thirteen points, just before the quarter’s end. Antoine Mason and the Hurricanes had other ideas, though - and later took a one-point lead after nine unanswered. Kyle Johnson put London up by three with thirty seconds left, but Ta’Quan Zimmerman answered with a three seconds later. The scores were tied, and this game went to overtime.
After initially matching each other basket-for-basket, three layups in a row from London, after which they were ahead by three. Doing well to draw fouls and hit from the line, London saw out victory in what was the most tense and unpredictable game of the series, the final score being 122-114 in their favour.
After an uncertain start to game five, nine unanswered points from London had them in front by the end of ten minutes. Joel Friesen-Latty opened the scoring in what would be a dominant second quarter for London, at the end of which they led by 12. Tyrone Watson did all he could on both ends of the floor for Halifax, on his way to 38 points and 11 total rebounds. Along with consistent scoring from Billy White they took the Hurricanes to within one point of London in the fourth. Great scoring efforts from Doug Herring Jr and Julian Boyd - 27 and 22 points respectively - helped see London out to victory in game five by eight points and take the lead for the first time in the series.
Image: NBLCanada.ca
Kirk Williams Jr gave London an early lead in game six, but seven points in the last minute of Q1 from Antoine Mason put Halifax up by eight. Led by Garrett Williamson, who had 27 points in the game, London went back in front in the third thanks to some good three-point shooting, but Halifax’s inside looks kept the scoreline tight.
Ten unanswered from Halifax in the fourth put them up by six and they grew their lead to double figures down the stretch. After too many mistakes and easy attempts missed from the Lightning, Halifax forced a deciding game after winning here by eleven. Mason scored 22 for Halifax while Mike Poole had a huge impact off the bench with 20 points and 7 rebounds, while Tyrone Watson and Billy White both finished with double-doubles.
Cliff Clinkscales and Billy White attempted to fight back for the Hurricanes after the Lightning took an early lead in game seven. Doug Herring Jr was getting it done early and often for London, on his way to a game-high 29 points to go with 11 assists. A jump shot from him early in the second put London up by ten, a lead which Marcus Capers later maintained. Halifax responded with nine unanswered points, taking them to within one, but Herring made sure London had the half-time lead with seconds to go.
Halifax would not let up, and the second half was tense and tight throughout, with no more than four points separating the teams until the final minute of the game. Kirk Williams gave the lead back to London after the scores were tied, and Halifax began fouling in an attempt to slow down the game. Cool and composed shooting from the line saw London go even further into the lead, and with Halifax’s shot attempts falling short, London win the series and the title of 2017/18 NBL Canada champions.
It was a highly exciting, unpredictable series with great basketball on show from both sides throughout. At the end of which, Garrett Williamson was rightly named MVP of the Finals, he will be taking home both that and the record fourth league championship along with the rest of his team. Will they be able to make it five next season?
