NBLC Playoffs - May 3rd
One night, two game sixes in the NBL Canada division finals, and two very different outcomes that have a big impact on the remaining playoff picture.
St. John's vs KW - Game 6
The Titans had the lead most of the way through the first quarter, with Ashton Smith and Akeem Ellis finding the best looks from close range and Derek Hall accurate from three-point territory.
The Edge started to fight back after falling behind by seven in the second quarter. After seven lead changes in the second quarter, they led by four points at the end of the half.
St. John’s continued their superior close-range shooting in the third, where they took their biggest lead of the game at fifteen points. Then for KW, Ellis, Joel Friesen and Damon Lynn made it a one-point game in the fourth quarter, and kept the pressure on the Edge after taking the lead as the game started to wind down.
The Edge stepped up their defence and after ten unanswered points, put the final result beyond doubt. Akeem Ellis finished the game with a team-high 25 points for the Titans, while Derek Hall put up an impressive 19 off the bench for the Titans.
St. John’s starting five all scored in double digits, with Glen Davis leading all on the floor with 31 and Desmond Lee grabbing 12 rebounds to go with his 13 points. Winning 108-100 in front of the home crowds, the Edge become the first team to reach the finals with a 4-2 series victory over the KW Titans.
Moncton vs Halifax - Game 6
Returning to their home court, the Moncton Magic were looking to put this series to bed and move on to the finals, but the Halifax Hurricanes have proved their high levels of determination and were not about to go down without a fight.
Halifax came firing out of the gate, behind first-rate work on offence from Terry Thomas they led by ten points early on. Tyler Thornton joined in Thomas’s scoring groove in the second quarter, giving the Hurricanes the biggest lead of the game at 19.
Moncton, meanwhile, were uncharacteristically poor in this game, making only 31.5% of all their field goal attempts all night. Nick Evans had the biggest impression on the front court, with 17 points off the bench, while Billy White took care of the Magic’s defence. Otherwise, the team were lacking all the way through.
At the end of a stilted second half, with only 64 points scored in total, Terry Thomas emerged as the most noteworthy performer with 28 points and 13 rebounds in the contest.
This saw Halifax win the game 86 points to 70 and tie the series at three games each. A deciding seventh game will be played on May 5th, the winner of which will join the Edge in this year's finals.
Picture: Jeff Parsons
