NBLC Recap: February 23rd & 24th
The NBL Canada's last weekend in February saw two games won by big margins and a third that, though seemed to be going the same way, took a dramatic turn at the end.
On Saturday, the KW Titans had an amazing 11 three pointers in the first quarter, at the end of which they led the St. John’s Edge by 15. The Edge did their best to claw their way back form the field - Glen Davis and Junior Cadougan both had 24, while Obinna Oleka took care on the defensive end, but they could only make up so much ground.
Damon Lynn finished with an outstanding 34 points for the Titans, who tallied 20 threes in the 117-105 win over the Edge.
The following night, the Saint John Riptide ended the first quarter with a seven-point run, which led to a rampant second quarter where they outscored the Cape Breton Highlanders 35-18. Though the Highlanders saw Jamal Reynolds almost manage a double-double off the bench, 17 points and 9 rebounds, there was no way back for them.
TJ Maston was the stand-out with 23 points and 11 rebounds for the Riptide, who also saw good work from Frank Bartley, Bryce Washington and Kemy Osse off the bench, as they send the Cape Breton Highlanders packing with a 111-87 defeat.
Finally, it was a battle of top and bottom in both the Atlantic Division and the league - where the team with the best win record, the Moncton Magic, took on the one with the worst, the Island Storm.
It was the Storm, though, who came out firing - an early 14-point run gave them a comfortable buffer, reaching as high 19 points, up to the pivotal final quarter, when the Magic started to close the gap. Guillaume Boucard and Alex Campbell both passed the thirty-point mark for the Storm, while Tyree White had 26 and grabbed 17 total rebounds.
The scoreline became tighter and tighter, and then the Magic tied the scores with just over half a minute remaining. Boucard put the Storm back up by a bucket seconds later, only for Trey Kell to sink a three and block a final attempt by Boucard on the other end in the remaining time.
Kell’s three was the last of his 40 points, while he also grabbed 11 rebounds and gave Moncton the incredible victory, the final score being 121-120.
Picture: Jacinthe Leblanc
