Super League Playoff Field Decided - Full Recap
With the playoffs looming, there was still everything to play for in the final weekend of the Basketball Super League regular season.
In particular for the Sudbury Five, who needed to win both of their fixtures over the weekend to guarantee a playoff place. First they had to see off the league leaders, the KW Titans on the road.
After trailing by eight points early on, Sudbury were sparked by Landon Kirkwood off the bench and surged into a double-digit lead. Led by 23 points from Kirkwood, 24 from AJ Mosby and a further 21 by Ja'Myrin Jackson, they downed the Titans 127-100, keeping their hopes alive.
The next day saw a showdown between the Five and the Windsor Express, the winner between them would play in the post season while the other would be eliminated. In this match-up Kirkwood and Mosby again gave the Five an edge in a high-scoring game against the Express. There was no let up from the home team as they tried to regain control of the game, but
The big story of the night was on the home end of the court: Shadell Millinghaus scored a record 50 points on the night on 17 for 26 shooting, and was close to a triple-double as he also dished eight assists and grabbed nine total boards in what was simply one of the most extraordinary individual performances of the year.
Even so, it was not enough to save the season for Windsor, as Sudbury produced when they needed it most, winning their last game 135-130. Mosby led the team with 30 points, while 25 came from JD Miller, 22 from Kirkwood and 21 and 10 rebounds by Ja'Myrin Jackson. It was jubilation for Sudbury and heartbreak for the Express as the result meant they would miss out on the post-season.
The first night saw an early nine-point London lead cut down to two by the end of the first quarter, but whenever the Rogues narrowed the gap the Lightning reinforced their lead. London led by double digits but suddenly Newfoundland were threatening after an 11-2 run, with Armani Chaney giving them the lead by Q3.
After six lead changes in the quarter, London retained the lead though only a single possession stood between the teams until the Lightning ended the third with an 11-0 run. Chaney and Shandarious Cowart led the Rogues as they threw everything at their opponents at the end but London continued their high-percentage play right to the end to win this exciting match-up 113-108.
The following night was a very different story: an early offensive from Marquis Collins helped the Rogues into a first-quarter double-digit lead, which reached 21 points in the second quarter. Despite the best efforts of Jeremiah Mordi (23 points) and Jermaine Haley (15 points and total rebounds), the Lightning could not come back from such a heavy deficit.
With 31 points from Collins and Armani Chaney - who also had 10 assists - Newfoundland win the final game of the regular season 113-104 and book their place in the post-season.
Check back here for more on the Super League as the playoffs get underway, while more can be found over on the official league website.
