NBLC Recap: January 6th
A spectacular Sunday of basketball was seen in the NBL Canada, one that saw the story of the season re-written in some areas, while it was business as usual in others.
Finding better looks inside, the Saint John Riptide had the early scoreline advantage over the St. John’s Edge, who then surged ahead in the third quarter, only for the Riptide to levels the scores as regulation time wound down. It would take two periods of overtime to separate the two, when Glen Davis put the Edge in front from the field and a three from Jared Nickens would finally put the game to bed.
Frank Bartley led the Riptide with 29 points, and also grabbing 10 rebounds, while Davis and Nickens scored 24 and 23 points respectively for the Edge, who also saw double-doubles from Junior Cadougan and Obinna Oleka.
After trailing the Moncton Magic early on, the KW Titans opened the second quarter with ten unanswered points - leaving Moncton to then play catch up with them. They later tied the scoreline in the fourth quarter, to which the Titans responded by taking a double-digit lead. Just when Moncton started to find some rhythm, there was not enough time left in the game to change the result.
Corey Allmond had 23 points and Denzell Taylor was outstanding on defence for the Magic, but with Joel Friesen putting up 25 points off the bench and Justin Strings one rebound short of a double-double (18 points, 9 rebounds), the victory would be the KW Titans', 103-98.
While Moncton started the season seemingly untouchable, their place at the top of the standings is now looking more and more precarious.
There was never any more than nine points between the Cape Breton Highlanders and the visiting Island Storm at the Centre 200. The Storm had the advantage from close range, but the Highlanders were kept afloat by some amazing individual performances - Bruce Massey had 34 points and 11 rebounds in the game and Jamal Reynolds totalled 26 points and 9 boards off the bench.
The scoreline kept flipping back and forth between the teams down the stretch, and a final layup from Bruce Massey wold be the play that would decide the outcome. Winning 101-100, Cape Breton re-affirm their place at second in the Atlantic Division, handing the Island Storm their tenth loss in a row.
Finally, the latest instalment in an emerging rivalry between the Sudbury Five and the London Lightning unfolded at the London Gardens. Xavier Moon and Jaylen Babb-Harrison got the Lightning off to a great start, they led by eleven points at the end of two quarters. Cory Dixon led the fight back for Sudbury with an amazing performance of 26 points and 16 rebounds. Devin Gilligan, meanwhile, had 24 points and 9 boards off the Sudbury bench.
Turning up the pressure down the stretch, Sudbury went into the lead, but their grip of the game was short-lived. Marvin Phillips led London in ensuring the victory not get away from them, and getting the right looks when they needed it most, the Lightning saw out victory 100-93. This win for London puts them and Sudbury on equal records in the Central Division.
