MONvsHAL - Game 4 Recap

Game Four in the 2019 Atlantic Division finals added to the drama seen in this series so far, as the Moncton Magic and the Halifax Hurricanes continue their jostle for a place in the final.

This match-up was the second to be held at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, where the Hurricanes had taken a 2-1 lead in the series days earlier.

Moncton opened the game with eight unanswered points and behind the offence of Marcus Lewis led the Hurricanes by 32 points to 15 at the end of the first quarter.

It was then Malcolm Duvivier’s time to shine for the home team, scoring his first points shortly after entering the game and going on to score 11 in the second period. Even so, with Trey Kell leading Moncton’s superior close-range offence, the visitors had a double-digit lead at half-time.

Halifax started to eat into Moncton’s lead when the game resumed, but with Kell still leading the Magic’s offence they were able to hold on to their advantage. A lapse in concentration saw Terry Thomas and Mike Poole keep up the pressure in the paint - the latter making it a one-point game in the final minute.

Trey Kell drew a foul and made the last two of his game-high 24 points and Marcus Lewis added a final layup to close out the game with Moncton in the winner’s column.

Halifax saw great production from their bench and Thomas led the team with 16 points, but the all-important win belonged to the Moncton Magic, who saw Denzell Taylor notch up a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds. Winning by a final score of 94-89, they even the series at two games a piece.

This unpredictable series returns to Moncton for game five, which will tip off on May 1st.