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The visiting London Lightning are up three games to one in their seasonal series against the Sudbury Five after a 120-104 victory at Sudbury Arena on Tuesday.
Sudbury and London are the two highest-scoring teams in the National Basketball League of Canada, with the Lightning averaging 107.7 points per game (PPG) and Sudbury slightly higher at 109.5 PPG.
London is better defensively though, incurring the fewest points against per game — at 97.5 — compared to Sudbury’s 106.4 points against average.
London jumped out to a big early lead. The first quarter saw the Lightning’s Amir Williams and Cameron Forte netting 12 points and 10 points respectively in the first quarter, leading the team to a 38-22 lead by the end of the first. Sudbury’s Jaylen Bland led the way with eight in the opener.
With a 16-point lead going into the second, the Lightning kept the pressure on and again outscored Sudbury, notching 33 points to Sudbury’s 23 during the quarter. Jordan Burns led the way for them, adding 13 points in the second quarter. Braylon Rayson picked up nine points for Sudbury.
The second quarter ended with London up 71-45.
After half-time, Sudbury came out on fire, earning 32 points on the quarter to London’s 22. The Five held the Bolt’s offence to single-digit totals on the quarter, while Rayson (12 points) and Dexter Williams Jr. (eight points) went on an offensive tear.
By the end of the quarter, Sudbury had cut London’s lead from 26 points to 16, with the third ending with the Lightning up 93-77.
The final frame saw Sudbury continue to press for points, but the quarter saw the two teams evenly matched, with each earning 27 points, meaning London maintained its 16-point lead through to the final buzzer.
London’s Jordan Burns earned 14 points in the fourth, while Bland (eight) and Rayson (seven) led the way for Sudbury.
In total, Rayson earned 28 points during the game, followed by Bland with 20 and Williams Jr. with 17.
With a record of 19-4, London continues to lead the NBLC. Sudbury sits in second place with a record of 12-10.
Sudbury has two more games this week to finish off the regular season. They visit London for a game on Thursday evening before heading to Windsor for a Friday night game against the Express.
After that, the NBLC heads into the playoffs. To open the post-season, Sudbury will take on the KW Titans in a best-of-five series, starting May 15 at Sudbury Arena. Tip-off is 3 p.m.
