The London Lightning picked up their third consecutive win with a 132-109 pounding of the visiting Windsor Express on Sunday afternoon at Budweiser Gardens.
The win closed out four games in five days for the Lightning. The last three came on their home court.
After losing to the Express in Windsor on Wednesday in a game that saw London get off to a slow start, the Lightning came out flying all over the court on Sunday and zoomed to a 31-2 lead in the first quarter.
They carried that edge for much of the rest of the game, getting all kinds of production from their starting five, who all reached double-digits in points. Mo Bolden led the way with 21 points.
London head coach Elliott Etherington was happy with the bounce back that his team showed after their Wednesday loss.
“Windsor’s one of the best teams in the league and they crushed us the other night,” said Etherington. “We came into it understanding that today is a new day and the starters really came out knowing they needed to move the ball.”
The Lightning knocked off the Express on Thursday at home and then blasted the K-W Titans 134-108 at Budweiser Gardens on Saturday.
They visit the Sudbury Five on Saturday, Feb. 16.
More sports
Virtue and Moir named Sportspeople of the Year
Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir will be honoured at the 63rd annual Start.ca Sports Celebrity Dinner and Auction on April 1 at the London Convention Centre. Canada’s most decorated figure skaters have been named Sportspeople of the Year for 2018 and will be part of the event’s head table.
Watch (February 2018) as Virtue and Moir are welcomed in London
“When you think of all-time greatest Canadian athletes they have to be at or near the top,” said event chair Ryan Robinson. “When you combine the fact that they’re world-class people in addition to being world-class athletes, there was no doubt in our minds as to who was deserving of this year’s award.” Proceeds from the night benefit the Thames Valley Children’s Centre.
Hectic stretch for London Knights
The London Knights are tops in the Ontario Hockey League in goals per game, they have allowed fewer goals against than any other team and they have first overall within reach. But London has been dead last nearly all year in games played. The next two weeks will change that. The Knights have started nine games in 15 days in six different cities. They began it with a 6-3 win over Owen Sound and then dropped two 6-3 decisions in Saginaw and Sault Ste. Marie. The Knights next home game will be Wednesday at 7 p.m. against the Guelph Storm.
Scott McDonald will represent Ontario at The Brier
Londoner Scott McDonald is headed to the 2019 Brier in Brandon, Man. in March. McDonald skipped his rink to the Ontario Men’s Curling Championship with an 8-2 victory over John Epping. McDonald cut his curling teeth at the Highland Curling Club in London. Brad Jacobs will once again represent Northern Ontario. Rachel Homan captured the Ontario Women’s Curling Championship. She advances to the Scotties, which runs Feb. 16 to 24 in Sydney, N.S.
Kovacevic keeps scoring
The legend being created by London soccer phenom Jade Kovacevic has truly gone international. Kovacevic scored her first goal for Italy’s Roma Calcio Femminile in a 3-0 victory over OU in Arezzo on Feb. 3. Before heading to Italy, she led Fanshawe to a provincial soccer title in the OCAA and was named CCAA Player of the Year. Kovacevic also scored 26 goals in 16 matches in the summer playing in League 1 Ontario with FC London.
Falcons ranked #1
The Fanshawe Falcons women’s basketball team is still number one in the national rankings. They reached the top of the charts for the first time in their history in late January. They are currently 16-1 in OCAA play and have won 12 consecutive games. The Falcons men’s volleyball team has been ranked number one in the country for the past 12 weeks. The Falcons women’s volleyball team has wrapped up first place in the OCAA West Division.
Katelyn Gosling and Brittany Howard set for start of Canada-U.S. Rivalry Series
The Canada-U.S.A women’s hockey Rivalry Series will start on Tuesday at Budweiser Gardens and two players will get to play for their country on their home turf. Londoner Katelyn Gosling grew up playing London Devilettes and then starred at Western, eventually becoming captain of the Western Mustangs. She is currently a member of the CWHL’s Calgary Inferno.
Brittany Howard is from St. Thomas and also grew up playing Devilettes. She played NCAA at Robert Morris and is the school’s all-time leading scorer. She was selected 10th overall by the Buffalo Beauts of the NWHL.
Nationals chasing Leamington
For much of the 2018-19 GOJHL season, the London Nationals sat on top of the Western Conference standings. But an injury to London goalie Zach Springer has taken a key ingredient out of the Nationals’ lineup. They had just one win in their past four games heading into action on Saturday, but Springer is apparently close to returning. London defeated Leamington to close the gap between the clubs to three points. The Flyers do have a game in hand and they have been living up to their name. They have been flying. Leamington has 14 wins in 15 games and sit in first place in the West,
Mustang Men’s hockey team secures third place
The Western Mustangs will enter the OUA men’s hockey playoffs as the number three seed in the Western Conference. A 4-2 victory over the Lakehead Thunderwolves on February 8 clinched the spot for Western and also eliminated Lakehead. The Mustangs began the year with a record of 4-4, but not long after they went on a 7-game winning streak that vaulted them up the West standings.
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