The London Lightning win streak was emphatically extended Wednesday when the NBL Canada-leading Bolts came from behind to beat the St. John’s Edge 121-115 in overtime.
London headed into Wednesday’s affair at Budweiser Gardens with a chance to extend their win streak to 11 games and get closer to challenging the longest ever NBL Canada streak (14, set by last year’s Lightning).
The Edge took the game by the scruff of the neck early on — going to their league-leading three-point game (37.5 3pt percentage) early and moving fast in transition. They cycled the ball well and managed to take advantage of missed shots with eight offensive rebounds by halftime.
Meantime, London had trouble carving their way back into the game. They were down by as many as 20 points in the third quarter. They eventually found a rhythm at times in the third and fourth quarter, culminating in an incredible fourth-quarter comeback.
The fourth had tempers flaring from both sides. Wing Ryan Anderson was ejected while leading scorer Royce White went out on fouls late.
Before White left, he brought London to within one point with 25 seconds left. A dunk followed by a tech brought London close. A Doug Herring Jr. bucket was enough to bring the game to overtime. London outscored St. John’s 36-20 in the fourth.
The Bolts then took overtime like it was a completely different game. They recorded numerous stops in a row — limiting St. John’s to just two points in the first three minutes of overtime. The Edge also failed to lockdown London’s fast-moving offence, which came alive in the later stages of the fourth quarter and overtime.
London was out-rebounded 64-57. They outshot St. John’s on percentage (48 per cent to 42 per cent), while the Edge managed another 12 attempted field goals in total (99 to 87 FTA).
Royce White led all scorers with 24 points. He went 8-9 from the free-throw line. Garrett Williamson recorded 23 points, while Doug Herring Jr. pitched in 21 points, six rebounds and five assists. Kirk Williams Jr. had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The Edge’s great ball movement showed on the stats sheet, with eight players scoring in the double digits. Alex Johnson led the way with 19 points. Jarion Henry had 15 points and a game-leading 13 rebounds.
The Lightning’s win means they’ve now pushed two games clear of St. John’s at the top of the NBLC’s competitive Central Division — moving to 13-5.
London will now embark on a two-game East Coast road trip. They’re set to take on the 8-9 Island Storm on Friday night and the 9-6 Saint John Riptide on Sunday afternoon. They’ll return to Budweiser Gardens on Feb. 1 when they host Windsor.
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