The Sudbury Five were back on their home court on Friday night, hoping to extend the Basketball Super League semi-finals to a fifth and deciding game against the London Lightning.
The Five gave a valiant effort but saw their season come to an end after losing 114-111.
London got the start they were looking for in this contest, and thanks to solid performances from Chris Jones, with 35 points on the night, and Antoine Mason, with 24 points in the game, London held a lead by a score of 34-23 after the first quarter of play.
The Sudbury Five dominated the second quarter, scoring 24 points in the quarter, while holding the Lightning to just 12 points of their own, and at the halftime break, the London Lightning held a 56-47 lead.
London came out of the halftime break ready to play, as they outscored the Five by a score of 33-18 in the quarter, and held a 89-65 lead with one quarter remaining in the game.
With JD Miller, A.J. Mosby Jr., and Ja’Myrin Jackson leading the charge for the Five, with 32, 25, and 27 points respectively, the Five made it a close game but it wasn’t enough, as the Lightning defeated the Sudbury Five 114-111 to advance to the Basketball Super League championship series, where they will take on the KW Titans.
After the game, Sudbury Five Head Coach and General Manager Logan Stutz said of the fans in Sudbury, “They were great, man. They were great. Even when we were down 16 points they stuck around and watched a great finish to a basketball game. They were there, they were loud, It’s a great environment for us to play. Thank you to Sudbury, thank you to the fans, thank you for letting this be a fun place to play basketball.”
Stutz added that he looks forward to the 2024-2025 season.
