NBLC Recap: January 5th
There must have been something in the air on Sunday, as all three NBL Canada games were close encounters that came down to the final moments of each.
St. John's Edge vs Halifax Hurricanes
The Edge had the slight advantage over the Hurricanes early on, though there was little to choose between the two. In the third quarter, though, Antoine Mason and Marvell Waithe combined to put the Hurricanes up by seventeen.
Cane Broom led the response from St. John’s, and the game became a far closer affair, the scores tied ahead of the final minute of regulation. Broome gave the lead back to the Edge, Karrington Ward added to the scoreline and a last-second tip in from Joel Kindred would not be enough for Halifax to avoid the loss by the closest margin, 109-108.
Mason led all in the game with 31 points for the Hurricanes, while Waithe posted 21 points and 12 rebounds, while Ward was the top scorer for the Edge in a game where seven players finished in double digits, including Montay Brandon who had 11 rebounds to go with his 16 points off the bench.
Sudbury Five vs London Lightning
Sudbury and London were evenly matched throughout the first half of their encounter at the Gardens, until the third quarter, when London took the game’s largest lead of nine points. Sudbury, though, quickly found their way back into the game, and London had to fight to protect their lead in the fourth quarter.
Dexter Williams made it a one-point game with seconds left, but Garrett Williamson made the free-throws which determined the final outcome: London get their fourth win in a row, 139-136 over the Sudbury Five.
Williamson led London with 30 points and 9 assists, followed by Randy Phillips with 28 off the bench as well as three others who finished over the twenty-point mark. Williams had 21 points and 10 rebounds for Sudbury, behind Marlon Johnson with 31 and an outstanding 44 from Jaylen Bland - none of these would be enough to save Sudbury in this one.
Moncton Magic vs Island Storm
Robbie Robinson and Nathaniel Wright combined early on to 14-point lead after only 2:30 played. Moncton found themselves uncharacteristically finding themselves on the back foot, getting to within one point of the Storm numerous times throughout the game’s remainder.
With a point separating the teams down the stretch, Robinson and Keith Shamburger made the decisive plays which saw the Storm hand Moncton their first loss of the season. Corey Allmond and Billy White led Moncton with 26 and 24 points respectively, while Alex Campbell led all on the floor with 27 points in the Storm's 113-108 defeat of the Magic.
Picture: Jason Malloy
