In the battle between the top two teams in the National Basketball League of Canada, the London Lightning rode a second-half surge to a 116-103 victory over St. John’s on Thursday night at Budweiser Gardens.
London is now 1.5 games ahead of the Edge, atop the Central Division and league standings with a record of 17-8.
The victory was the third in a row for the Lightning as they get set to play a doubleheader at home with the fifth place K-W Titans.
London received a huge spark off the bench from Kyle Johnson, who scored 25 points on 5-of-10 shooting from three-point range.
Garrett Williamson and Ryan Anderson each had 17 points for London and Mo Bolden chipped in 11 while going 4-4 from the free-throw line.
The Lightning continued their improved foul shooting, hitting on 80 per cent of their opportunities.
St. John’s got off to a hot start and led by seven points after the first quarter, but London clamped down defensively to start the second quarter, holding the Edge to just 16 points.
London kept that roll going into the second half as they outscored the Lightning 67-53.
The win was especially impressive given the fact that St. John’s dominated the game in several statistical categories. They outrebounded London 64-45 and held the edge in shooting from the field as well.
Carl English continued his strong season for St. John’s with 29 points and five rebounds.
Royce White was on the sidelines in a suit for the Lightning. He had spent time away from the team for personal reasons. White leads the league in points per game with 25.2.
London leads the league in points per game. They now sit less than 100 behind the Moncton Miracles for most points scored and the Lightning have played three fewer games.
London is home to the Titans on Sunday for the second weekend in a row. Last Sunday, the Lightning set a team record for assists in a game with 45. Tip-off is 2 p.m. The teams will meet Monday in Kitchener.
Windsor kept themselves ahead of the Niagara River Lions, in third place in the Central with a 112-110 victory at the Meridian Centre in St. Catharines.
Out east, the Cape Breton Highlanders handed the Island Storm their fifth consecutive loss, also by a 112-110 score.
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