NBLC Recap: December 8th
Two teams flipped the script of the NBL Canada season so far with some amazing scenes on Saturday night.
Aaron Redpath started for the visiting Cape Breton Highlanders, and scored 23 points. Kenny Jones, meanwhile, had 25 along with 14 rebounds, with Jamal Reynolds putting up 15 points and 11 rebounds off the bench. For the Island Storm, Russell Byrd and Jarrell Tate both scored 24 points, with Tate, Sampson Cater and Tyree White all making double-doubles.
Though the teams were evenly matched, the Storm’s scoring advantage kept them in front. A ten-point run down the stretch from Cape Breton gave them a four-point lead, only for Tate and Tyler Scott to tie the scores and force overtime.
The Highlanders took an early lead in overtime, but finding the best scoring opportunities, Russell Byrd kept the scoreline in the Storm’s favour. The Storm went up by one on the final play of the game, where Reynolds found Bruce Massey for the layup which won the game for Cape Breton, 116-115.
The Saint John Riptide started off on the back foot against the London Lightning, but in the second quarter Frank Bartley began what would be an outstanding performance from the Riptide rookie. Scoring 14 points in the second quarter, on his way to a total 27 in the game, took the Saint John from down by nine to up by four at half-time. Taking advantage of a lapse in offence from the Lightning, the Riptide continued to build their lead in the second half, which reached as high as 26 points.
With six double digit showings, Saint John score a big win over London, and their second in a row, 111 points to 87.
