NBLC Finals 2019 - Game 2
Moncton Magic came into the second game of the finals looking to double their advantage in the series - in the same place where they drew first blood, their home court of the Avenir Centre - while the St. John's Edge came into game two looking to avenge their 103-94 loss on Wednesday.
An early run of twelve unanswered points from the Edge coupled with scoring inertia from Moncton found the home team down by fifteen shortly after the start of the second quarter. Trey Kell's response was to post twelve points in Q2, with Jason Calliste adding nine off the bench in the same period. This helped the Magic cut the deficit to six at the half.
Putting in the best performances for the Edge in the first half were Murphy Burtanowski and Desmond Lee, whose scoring form all distances saw them finish the first half respectively with 11 and 10 points.
Moncton's improved field shooting saw them reduce the gap more when the game resumed. Freddie McSwain twice gave Moncton a two-point lead late in the third, only for the Edge to level the scores both times. St. John's ended the period with eight points, which gave them a 77-71 lead ahead of the decisive final quarter.
The Magic had eight points to start the fourth, at the end of which they led by two points, and another five-point run gave them their biggest lead of the gave at seven.
Lee and Burnatowski continued the pressure on offence, which kept the scoreline tight, and Russell Byrd tied the scores part-way through the period, only for Jason Calliste to put Moncton back on top with a three.
After four successive three-pointers, the Magic still led by four, and with the Edge missing multiple close-range attempts, the conclusion started to feel more and more inevitable. Desmond Lee was the stand-out for the Edge with 26 points, but it was cold comfort for the visitors from St. John's.
Two Moncton players finished one rebound short of a double-double: Trey Kell (29 points, 9 rebounds) and Jason Calliste (26 points, 9 rebounds) - who came off the bench - and Billy White had 23 in the contest. These efforts were a big part in the Magic going 2-0 up in the series with a 107-100 win over the Edge.
The series moves to St. John's for game three, which will be played on May 13th.
Picture: Jeff Parsons
