Summerside S. - London L. 116-97 The Storm posted a 116-97 victory over the National Basketball League of Canada-leading London Lightning, who came into Summerside with an overall record of 23-2 (won-lost) and a 9-0 resume on the road. 'I'm very pleased,' said Storm head coach Joe Salerno. 'This was going to be a measuring stick for us, playing the best team in the league.' The Atlantic Division-leading Storm improved to 16-10 in what can be described as a bounce-back game before an announced crowd 1,353 fans. It was the Storm's first game since allowing a 20-point halftime lead to evaporate in a 117-114 home-court loss to the Oshawa Power on Sunday afternoon. 'We had 31 assists, we were moving the ball,' said Salerno in assessing his team's play against London. 'I thought Brandon Robinson (6'6''-F-89, college: Clayton St.) played one of the best games he's played for us all season. 'He had 36 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and just hit tough shots. We had a steady production out of our starting five, and we extended their minutes a little more tonight (Thursday). 'We didn't go to the bench quite as much tonight, but when we did I thought the bench came in and played well also. 'We wanted to push the tempo, and I thought we were very good in transition. I thought we made good decisions, and most of that started on the glass.' Omari Johnson (6'9''-F-89, college: Oregon St.) (24), Greg Plummer (22) and Antonio Ballard (14) were the other leading scorers for the Storm. Johnson hauled in 10 rebounds to also notch a double-double. Tim Ellis (6'4''-G-81, college: Kansas St.) (25), Rodney Buford (6'5''-G-77, college: Creighton) (14), Elvin Mims (13) and Jeremy Williams (13) were London's top point-getters. Josiah Turner made his Storm debut after signing with the team earlier this week. Turner shot 1-for-5 from the field, was 0-for-2 from beyond the arc, chipped in with eight assists and had one defensive rebound in approximately six minutes of playing time. Salerno liked what he saw in the 20-year-old, especially his vision on the court. After the Lightning jumped out to an early 6-2 lead, the Storm went on to build a 13-point lead, 33-20, late in the first quarter, which ended with the Storm in front 33-22. The Lightning scored the first six points of the second quarter, and although they closed to within 45-44 London never led in the period. Brandon Robinson banked a buzzer-beating three-pointer off the glass to send the Storm into halftime in front 54-47. The Storm came out of the locker room on fire, scoring the first 13 points of the third quarter to go up 67-47. After Buford scored the Lightning's first basket of the quarter to make it 67-49, Plummer hit from downtown to give Storm 70-49 advantage. However, the veteran Lightning did not panic and went on a 23-6 run to cut the Storm lead to 76-72. The Storm answered back with two clutch free throws by Robinson and a dunk by Johnson to take a 80-72 cushion into the final 12-minute period. The Lightning was within striking distance, down 94-87 with just under five minutes remaining, but Robinson continued to deliver key shots as he sank his first of two three-pointers down the stretch to make it a 10-point game. 'We said in the third quarter, Listen, this team is 23-2 for a reason, and they are going to make a run at us and we have to withstand that run,'' said Salerno. 'We knew they were going to make it, and we had to punch back. 'Last Sunday was a real tough loss for the guys, and they weren't going to let that happen. London threw a lot of punches at us, and we punched back.' The Storm had very little time to celebrate Thursday night's win. That's because the Storm is right back on the court at Eastlink Arena this evening (Friday), hosting the Halifax Rainmen in the opening game of a home-and-home series between the two Atlantic Division teams at 7 p.m. The teams meet again at the Halifax Metro Centre on Sunday. The Storm brings a 16-10 (won-lost) record into the game while Halifax, which is coming off a 110-82 win over the Windsor Express on Thursday night, is 13-14. Courtesy of: journalpioneer.com
St.John M.R. - Moncton M. 133-122 OT The Saint John Mill Rats presented by Rogers, battled out for a huge overtime win over the Moncton Miracles at Harbour Station on Thursday night in front of 2, 875 fans with a final score of 133-122. The Miracles got an early lead in the first but the Mill Rats were able to tie it up, 17-17 with 5 minutes left. After some clutch baskets from Steve DeLuca (6'6''-G/F-86, college: Brandeis) and a great play from Anthony Anderson (5'11''-G-81, college: Massachusetts) out to Mike Anderson for a three, the Mill Rats jumped ahead of the Miracles, closing the first, 35-25. The Miracles battled back in the second quarter to close the spread but still were not able to edge out the Mill Rats before half. By half time, Mill Rats Deluca had already drained 17 points, contributing to the 54-50 lead for Saint John. The third quarter, the Miracles came out blazing, outscoring the Mill Rats 42-29. Just over 3 minutes into the third, the Miracles were able to take back the lead. The Miracles started the quarter down by 4 points but were able to widen their lead and close the third, 83-92. A few minutes into the fourth quarter, it looked as though the Mill Rats were going to lose the battle as the Miracles pulled into a double digit lead. With 5 minutes left in play, Taneiko Robinson pumped some life into the game, dropping a three pointer, closing the spread 98-106. After a three from Jerice Crouch and a basket from Cavell Johnson, the Mill Rats slowly chipped away at the Miracle's lead. With 2:16 to go, a lay-up from Johnson and three points from Kenny Jones (6'6''-PF-84, agency: Dream Team Management, college: Kentucky St.)' And 1 play, made it a three point ball game, 110-113. With 10.5 seconds to go, Kenny Jones got the ball down low, pretended to make the play in towards the basket but passed off to Cavell at the top of the key for a basket that tied the game, 115-115, bringing it into overtime. In overtime play, the Mill Rats were able to drain their shots but hold the Miracles off from getting more than one shot off at the other end. They outscored the Miracles in overtime, 18-7. A dunk from Johnson at the end, solidified the win at home for Saint John, 133-122. For his debut game with the Mill Rats, Kenny Jones led the team in scoring with 25 points. Anthony Anderson played a huge game, getting a double double with 20 points and 14 assists while Steve DeLuca contributed 20 points. Leading the Miracles was Oliver McNally (6'3''-G, college: Harvard) with 28 while Devin Sweetney had 26. Head Coach David Cooper comments on the debut of Kenny Jones in tonight's game: "Kenny Jones brought a lot to us tonight. He can score down low and give us a low post presence. He opens up the floor which can make a lot of things happen for us." This win comes after a losing stretch for the Mill Rats and the pressure is on. Coach Cooper needs to make a couple of cuts this week. "I'm really proud with the effort they put in tonight - the guys have been working hard in practice. Taneiko Robinson came out to play and Kenny Jones - what can I say about him - he came here for one reason. That kid's a beast." The Mill Rats are back in action tomorrow night to host the Windsor Express at Harbour Station. Courtesy of: oursportscentral.com
Halifax R. - Windsor Exp. 110-82 On Thursday night the Halifax Rainmen got back to their winning ways, beating the Express 110-82 in front of a crowd of 1737 at the Metro Centre. In the first quarter the Rainmen went on a 14-0 run to give them a 20-10 lead midway through the quarter and continued their torrid pace, as the finished the 1st leading 34-19 on 60% from the field and 80% from 3 in the quarter, led by Quinnel Brown (6'6''-F-83, college: Auburn) with 11 points. The Express narrowed the score to 37-29 but the Rainmen went on a 25-13 run to finish the quarter, and led 62-42 at the half. The Rainmen won the 3rd quarter 27-19 and took a 89-61 lead into the fourth quarter led by Quinnel Brown with 24 points. In the fourth quarter the bench took care of business, as the Rainmen were able to secure the 110-82 win, and improve to 13-14 on the season. The Rainmen were paced by a balanced effort, as every player scored and they had 6 players score in double figures, led by Brown with 24 points, Trayvon Lathan (6'7''-G-84, agency: Elite Talent Exchange, college: Chowan) with 15 and 10 rebounds, Antoine Tisby with 13 and 10 rebounds, Joey Haywood with 13, Cedric Moodie with 11, and Hillary Haley with 10. The Express were led by Kevin Loiselle (6'6''-F) with 15 points and 8 rebounds, Lester Prosper (6'10''-F/C-88, college: Old Westbury) with 14 points and 18 rebounds and Mike Helms finished with 14 points. Courtesy of: oursportscentral.com
Oshawa P. - Montreal J. 127-102 The Oshawa Power went wire-to-wire for a win over the Montreal Jazz Wednesday night at the General Motors Centre. Oshawa built up a seven-point lead after one quarter and was ahead by 31 after three en route to cruising to a 127-102 victory over the visiting Jazz. Mark Gomillia (6'5''-F-87, college: SF Austin) led the offence for the Power, scoring a team-high 29 points, while five other players scored in double figures. William 'Bo' Harris has 19 points along with eight assists, while second-string point guard Larry Diamond shone with an 18-point, seven-assist and seven-rebound effort in the win. Reigning NBL Canada player of the week Nick Okorie (6'1''-PG-88, college: Texas Tech) added 14 points and five assists, while Oshawa native Courtney Small dropped in 12 points on an efficient six-for-eight shooting from the floor. Pickering's Papa Oppong chipped in with 10 points and seven rebounds. On the glass, both Shamus Ferguson and Jushay Rockett were impressive, with Ferguson hauling down 12 rebounds and Rockett a game-high 14. As a team, the Power distributed the ball well, finishing with 31 assists. Montreal, as a team, had just eight. The two teams will meet again this weekend, but in Montreal as the 2-23 Jazz host the 16-11 Power Friday night. Following Friday's game the Power is off until Feb. 6 when they will pay a visit to the Windsor Express. Courtesy of: durhamregion.com
Hurricanes erase big deficit to take opener of Atlantic Division Final over Moncton - 2 hours ago
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The Halifax Hurricanes performed some fourth-quarter magic over Moncton at home Thursday night, overcoming a 17-point deficit to take the opener of the National Basketball League of Canada Atlantic Division Final 107-97. The Hurricanes trailed 35-17 at the end of the first-quarter as the Magic were led by hot-shooting guard Terry Thomas, who finished with a game-high 36 points. Halifax slowly cut the lead on the strength of 33 points from guard Antoine Mason (6'3''-G-92, college: Auburn),... [read more]
The Halifax Hurricanes performed some fourth-quarter magic over Moncton at home Thursday night, overcoming a 17-point deficit to take the opener of the National Basketball League of Canada Atlantic Division Final 107-97. The Hurricanes trailed 35-17 at the end of the first-quarter as the Magic were led by hot-shooting guard Terry Thomas, who finished with a game-high 36 points. Halifax slowly cut the lead on the strength of 33 points from guard Antoine Mason (6'3''-G-92, college: Auburn), who shot 50 per cent from the floor, before the team went on a 34-16 fourth-quarter run to tie the game and eventually take the lead. Also leading the comeback, a number of three pointers in the fourth quarter off the bench from guard Ta'Quan Zimmerman (6'2''-G-91, college: Monroe CC),, who finished with 29 points, one of six Hurricanes to score in double figures. He finished 4-for-7 from behind the three-point line. Forward Mike Poole (6'6''-G/F-92, college: Iona) also scored 15, collected six boards and grabbed three steals on the night for Halifax. Game 2 of the Atlantic Final goes on Saturday at Scotiabank Centre before the series shifts to Moncton for games 3 and 4. Courtesy of: halifaxtoday.ca
The London Lightning fell 112-104 to the St. John's Edge in Game 2 of the Central Division Final on Thursday. The Edge scored a 35-18 lead by the end of the first quarter and the Lightning remained behind by 14 points at halftime. London fought hard to come within three points of St. John's in the third frame to make it 85-83, but they weren't able to catch up in the fourth. Royce White (6'8''-F-91, college: Iowa St.) led London with 29 points and nine rebounds, while Garrett Williamson (... [read more]
The London Lightning fell 112-104 to the St. John's Edge in Game 2 of the Central Division Final on Thursday. The Edge scored a 35-18 lead by the end of the first quarter and the Lightning remained behind by 14 points at halftime. London fought hard to come within three points of St. John's in the third frame to make it 85-83, but they weren't able to catch up in the fourth. Royce White (6'8''-F-91, college: Iowa St.) led London with 29 points and nine rebounds, while Garrett Williamson (6'5''-G-88, college: St.Joseph's) put up another 22 points and had eight rebounds. Maurice Bolden (6'10''-G/F-89, college: S.Mississippi) also added 20 points and ten rebounds. Wally Ellenson (6'6''-G-94, college: Marquette) provided 20 points for the Edge. The best-of-five series is now tied 1-1. The Lightning will look to bounce back in Game 3 on Saturday. Tip-off is at 5:30pm in St. John's. Courtesy of: blackburnnews.com
Lightning win a classic opener over Edge - 2 days ago
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It turned into an NBL classic not because the basketball was textbook, but because it was edge-of-your-seat excitement. The Lightning came up with a massive win in London on Tuesday night, taking it 140-133 in double overtime to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven NBL Central Division final over the St. John's Edge in front of 2,453. The game was a battle of endurance, a roller-coaster ride of massive proportions, a wild game that had just about everything: intensity, good basketball, sl... [read more]
It turned into an NBL classic not because the basketball was textbook, but because it was edge-of-your-seat excitement. The Lightning came up with a massive win in London on Tuesday night, taking it 140-133 in double overtime to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven NBL Central Division final over the St. John's Edge in front of 2,453. The game was a battle of endurance, a roller-coaster ride of massive proportions, a wild game that had just about everything: intensity, good basketball, sloppy basketball, lots of physical play, both teams taking turns beating up on the other with bodies flying all over the floor. It was a pot that came oh-so-close to boiling over but never quite got there. It was entertaining, unpredictable and fascinating all rolled into 48 minutes of drama. The aftermath of the effort put in by both teams could be seen outside the dressing rooms as players were being treated, ice packs strapped to various parts of their bodies. There truly were too many turning points to list them all. For the Lightning there were a slew of players who contributed something to the win. For the Edge it was a gutsy performance that they probably feel was good enough to steal the opener. 'It was a great team effort,' Lightning coach Keith Vassell said. 'They want to win. Rudy Tomjanovich (NBA coach) said 'Never underestimate the heart of a champion.' They are defending champs and they step up when they have to step up regardless of what is happening.' That list would include Kyle Johnson, who hit a massive three-pointer at the end of first overtime to extend it; Royce White (6'8''-F-91, college: Iowa St.), who kept the Lightning in the game when they couldn't shoot from the outside; Ryan Anderson (6'4''-G-87, college: Nebraska), who hit a couple of big shots and made some tough defensive plays and had seven assists; Julian Boyd (6'7''-F-90, college: LIU Brooklyn), who gave the Lightning some additional offence; and Garrett Williamson (6'5''-G-88, college: St.Joseph's), who responded to White fouling out by making several big offensive plays down the stretch. He was clutch from the foul line, including grabbing an offensive rebound from his own miss that eventually turned into two more foul shots for him. White led the Lightning with 35 points and 10 rebounds and fouled out in the second overtime, while Williamson finished with 29 points and 11 rebounds. Ryan Reid (6'9''-C/F-86, college: Florida St.) had 27 for the Edge, with Carl English (6'5''-G-81, college: Hawaii) finishing with 22 and Charles Hinkle 21. It was a tough loss for an Edge team that gave it everything they had in a physically draining game. 'We talked about it going into the game that it's a game of runs and you have to play through that,' said Edge coach Jeff Dunlap , who looked exhausted in his own right after the game. 'You just hope you make enough plays at the end to win the game and both teams did. At the end of the game it's just a coin flip. 'I'm proud of our guys. That's a hard fought game and it's tough to lose it but it's only Game 1. We have a long way to go.' NBL semifinals normally operate on a 2-2-1-1-1 basis, but the distance to travel between London at St. John's forced the series to change to a 2-3-2 format. If London sweeps the first two games, they are in pretty good shape. But a split puts them in a pressure situation heading to St. John's. Pulling out the win was huge for the Lightning. 'It was a dogfight,' Williamson said. 'We came to play, they came to play. It was a game of runs. They had us on the ropes a lot. I think the biggest thing for us was keeping our focus, keeping our composure down the stretch. I have huge confidence in these guys. KJ made huge shots, Royce made plays, everybody was making plays. We knew if we just stayed the course and concentrated on making stops we had confidence we could pull it out.' The Lightning were down five in both overtimes but managed to pull back to win. Both teams needed to be composed because it was a difficult game to officiate and there were several controversial calls that impacted the game, including reversals of original calls. It happened to both teams. 'There were some big calls down the stretch and the referees are trying to do their best,' Williamson said. 'It's an emotional game; it's crunch time and anything that goes against us . . . It's my job to get in my teammates ears and keep them focused.' The Edge gave the Lightning all they could handle but they haven't won in four tries in London and they need to find at least one win here. 'We've been down this road before and we need to get over hump. There's a monkey on our back to win here,' Dunlap said. 'It's intangible factor to be honest with you. There's an expectation of winning that comes out of that locker room. It aids them . . . Our guys are fighters, talent-wise we're swinging away. We need to know what that knockout punch is. We haven't found that yet.' Game 2 of the series is Thursday in London. 'It's a big win for us but it's only one,' Vassell said. 'We have to do it again on Thursday.' Courtesy of: lfpress.com
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