NBLC Recap: January 12th
Big stories in the season unfolded in dramatic night in the NBL Canada:
In an encounter between the NBL Canada’s two closest neighbours, home team Windsor Express had an early double-digit lead over the London Lightning, who began the fight back in the second half, leading to both teams jostling for the lead. Regulation would not be enough to separate the two, and as the game went into overtime mistakes from London and Windsor’s play in the paint would be the clincher.
With 85 points from their starters, Windsor get the win 122-119, which sends them to third in the Central Division - and at the same time London fall to last place.
In his return to the Halifax Hurricanes, Terry Thomas dropped a game-high 29 points, getting the team off to a strong start against visitors, the Moncton Magic. On top for the first half, the Hurricanes also saw 25 points and 9 rebounds from Jordan Washington off the bench and a double-double (20 points, 11 rebounds) from Mike Poole.
Isaiah Tate began the second-half comeback for the Magic, who were also sparked by Gentrey Thomas, who finished as team leader with 23 points, as Moncton’s superior shooting would force overtime, where they built an early lead the Hurricanes could not overcome. Moncton get the win by 114 points to 111.
The scoreline kept flipping between the Sudbury Five and the visiting Cape Breton Highlanders, with little to separate the teams on both ends of the floor. Sudbury saw 31 points from Braylon Rayson and 28 from Jaylen Bland, but their players could not quite get it done for them at the crucial closing stages of the game.
Bruce Massey finished with 43 points and 9 rebounds for the Highlanders, while bench players Chris Johnson and Jamal Reynolds both left their mark on the game, with Johnson dropping 22 points and Reynolds scoring 14 and grabbing 15 total rebounds. Cape Breton get the win 121-116.
These two results in the Atlantic Division see the Highlanders and the Magic tied at the top of standings, each with a 13-7 record.
