Final Report Card: KW Titans
There was much uncertainty surrounding the KW Titans this season - every winning streak was followed by a losing skid of equal length. However consistent high-scoring performances saw them pick up important wins that kept them in contention in a Central Division where there was no margin for error in the season.
Playoff places were becoming more and more scarce as the regular season started to wind down, and it came down to the Titans and the Windsor Express fighting for the final spot in the Central Division. A win in late March over Windsor earned the Titans their second-ever post-season berth.
They faced top-seeded and defending champions London Lightning in round one of the playoffs, and stunned all of the NBLC by winning the first two games away. The series became even more heated when London won the next two, forcing a deciding game at the Gardens, which KW went on to win 109-93 – completing one of the biggest shocks in playoffs history.
They moved on to face the St. John’s Edge in the Central finals, but found themselves on a knife edge after losing games one and two. When the series moved on to Kitchener they levelled things up, only to be the ones who fell short in game five this time, the Edge bringing their opponents' season to a close, beating them 108-100.
What They Did Right: It was an uncharacteristically fierce show on offence from the Titans this season, where eight players finish the season with double-digit scoring averages. They were also were the best team from three-point territory and the best defensive rebounding squad in the 2018-19 season.
What They Could Have Done Better: Despite that, there were times when it looked like it wasn’t going to Defensive areas such as stealing and blocking shots, while also not having big enough depth for when more active players had to be sidelined.
MVP: By far, Akeem Ellis was the standout in the Titans’ 2018-19 season, the leading scorer with an average 17.6 points per game as well as 7.4 rebounds, while across the whole league he finished as a top ten scorer, rebounder and three-point shooter.
Final Thoughts: The Titans' impressive offence coupled with their inconsistency made it hard to tell which way they were going to go, but they were obviously saving their best for last, producing one of the most memorable moments in all of the 2018-19 season during the playoffs.
