The Sudbury Five got zapped not once but twice when they traveled to London this past weekend to take on the Lightning.
On Saturday, Sudbury fell 99-85. Sunday’s game was closer, with the Lightning winning by a single bucket, 104-102.
The first quarter of the Feb. 4 match was a back-and-forth affair that ended with London up 30-23.
The second quarter was fairly low scoring, but the Five managed to cut into London’s lead slightly, pulling with a bucket or two of the Lightning periodically. The second ended with London up by six, 54-48.
London maintained a slim but consistent lead for much of the third, but began to pull away in the dying minutes of the quarter, and managed to lengthen their lead to nine points, 83-74.
The final quarter saw the Lightning begin to pull away from Sudbury and by the end of the fourth, London was up by 14, and the game ended 99-85 for the southern Ontario squad.
On Sunday, the Five found themselves chasing the Lightning almost from the jump. Sudbury had a slim early lead in the first quarter, but London’s offense overwhelmed them as the seconds ticked by.
The first ended with London up 28-22.
The second quarter saw the Five chip away at London’s slim lead, eventually tying things up and even taking the lead. The teams traded the lead for a few minutes in the second, and the scoring was so close, the quarter ended with the teams knotted at 57 apiece.
It was more of the same in the third, with the Five and the Lightning trading the lead between them at several points over the quarter, until the final minute when Sudbury pulled slightly ahead. The third quarter ended with the Five up 81-79.
The fourth saw London pull ahead by a few baskets, but the lead was so slight, it was anybody’s game right up to the final buzzer.
In fact, during the last minute of play, London was up by just a single basket and fought hard to contain Sudbury’s offense and stave off the surging Five. Then, with the Lightning up by a point, London’s Antwon Lillard drained one of his two free throws to give the southerners a two-point lead, and that’s how the game would end, 104-102 for London.
The Five are back in action at home on Feb. 12 against the Newfoundland Rogues. With a record of 7-4-3, the Five sit second in National Basketball League of Canada standings.
