London basketball fans rejoice: the Lightning are coming back after nearly two years off of the court.
The team and the National Basketball League of Canada (NBLC) announced Thursday that the Lightning will play their first game since before the pandemic on Feb. 5, 2022 when they head to Sudbury to take on the Five.
The game kicks off their 10th season, and marks the first regular-season action the team has seen since March 11, 2020.
The final game of the 2019-20 season saw the Lightning take on Sudbury at home, clinching a 122-113 win. The remainder of the season was cancelled due to COVID-19.
The Lightning’s first home game of the upcoming season will see the two teams reunite at Budweiser Gardens on Feb. 11, 2022, the league says. The team is set to compete in a 24-game regular-season schedule.
NBL Canada’s 10th season will look a bit different than years past with the league’s Maritime teams in disarray.
The Halifax Hurricanes and Moncton Magic both withdrew from the league earlier this year, while St. John’s Edge had no venue locked-down to play home games for the season.
The Island Storm, the only team left in the Atlantic Division, will take a one-year leave of absence as a result.
NBL Canada says it has entered into a partnership with The Basketball League in the U.S. to hold inter-league outings to “help fill out the regular season schedule,” according to a media release.
“Sudbury, Kitchener, and Windsor join the Lightning as the teams opting to participate this season,” the statement continued.
Among the tentative TBL teams set to play are the Albany Patroons, Flint United, Jamestown Jackals, Kokomo Bobkats, Lansing Pharaohs and Syracuse Stallions.
“All wins and losses will be counted in individual records and teams will compete for their respective league championships at the end of the regular season,” read an advisory announcing the move.
The league’s full schedule is expected to be released on Nov. 8.
Comments