Forty games in the books as teams now prepare to kick off the National Basketball League of Canada (NBLC) 2018 Post-Season. On Friday night, the St. John’s Edge and the Windsor Express clash as they begin their quest for NBLC supremacy at Mile One Centre in a tale of two very-well matched basketball teams.

How they got here:

Windsor Express:

Three years removed from their back-to-back NBLC Championships the Windsor Express once again find themselves in the playoffs for the sixth straight season. The Express put together a respectful season finishing with an even 20-20 record. However, starting on the road should be no problem for the Express as the club was the first team to hand St. John’s a loss on home court this season with a 111-103 on January 9^th and did so once again on February 6^th 118-102.

St John’s Edge:

In their inaugural season the St. John’s Edge put together an impressive year to finish with a 25-15 record, good enough for second place in the Central Division. The club impressed from the get-go winning their inaugural game 97-96 against the Island Storm and continued to find success from that point on. Several times throughout the season the Edge found themselves first place overall in the league and the team continued to battle against the London Lightning for first place in the Central Division. St. John’s clinched a playoff spot on the 27^th of February – with over a month remaining on the season calendar and have well-prepared themselves for the playoffs from that point on as they played eight of their remaining eleven games on home court.

Who to Watch

Windsor Express

Logan Stutz – Stutz was one of just five guys in the league who managed to start all forty games for their club this season. Stutz led the Express with 18.3 points per game and just two seasons ago he led the league in scoring as a member of the Niagara River Lions. Stutz is 10^th in the league on 3-point conversions going 85-for-212 from beyond the arc this year.

Maurice Jones – Like Stutz, Maurice Jones is an integral part of this Express team; however, Jones is a threat on both ends of the court. He also started all forty games this year for his club, joining the small group of five. Jones has been a work horse for his team ranking 3^rd in the league with minutes played averaging 16.9 points per game. Defensively, Jones led the league in steals with 91 on the year.

St. John’s Edge

Carl English – Newfoundland native Carl English playing in his first year in the NBLC sent shockwaves through the league, establishing himself as one of the league’s top scorers. In fact, English ranked number two in the league with an average of 23.9 points per game. English is dangerous both beyond the arc where he made 110 3-point throws, good for 6^th in the league; and from the free throw line where his 84.8% completion ranks him 6^th overall in the league. English also set the record this season for most points in a game as he put up 58 March 3^rd at home against the Kitchener-Waterloo Titans.

Charles Hinkle – Providing St. John’s with their 1-2 punch, California native Charles Hinkle has also been a prolific scorer for the Edge. Hinkle finished fourth in the league with 20.9 points per game. Overall, Hinkle led the league in scoring as he put up 817 points through his 39 games played. As well, it should be noted that Hinkle finished second in the league with an 88.4 completion rate from the free throw line.

Last Game:

Shaquille Keith put up a game-high 29-points as the Windsor Express handed the St. John’s Edge a 108-95 defeat from Windsor. The Express shot 38% from beyond the arc and led 47-39 at half en route to victory.

Playoff Primer

Playoff Appearances

Windsor Express: 6^th

St. John’s Edge: 1^st

Championships

Windsor Express: 2

St. John’s Edge: 0

Record

Windsor Express: 20-20 (9-11 Away; 11-9 Home)

St. John’s Edge: 25-15 (11-9 Away; 14-6 Home)

Points For/Against/Points Per Game

Windsor Express: 4295 PF (5^th) / 4326 PA (6^th) / 107.4 PPG (3^rd)

St. John’s Edge: 4318 PF (4^th) / 4265 PA (4^th) / 108.0 PPG (2^nd)

Season Series Head to Head

St. John’s Wins Season Series 5-3

St. John’s @ Windsor, St. John’s 103-99

Windsor @ St. John’s, Windsor 111-103

Windsor @ St. John’s, St. John’s 105-103

St. John’s @ Windsor, St. John’s 111-89

Windsor @ St. John’s, Windsor 118-102

Windsor @ St. John’s, St. John’s 111-100

St. John’s @ Windsor, St. John’s 112-108

St. John’s @ Windsor, Windsor 108-95

Playoff Schedule

Game One: Friday, April 6^th Windsor @ St. John’s, 7:00PM NST

Game Two: Sunday, April 8^th Windsor @ St. John’s, 2:00PM NST

Game Three: Wednesday, April 11^th St. John’s @ Windsor, 8:30PM NST

**Game Four: Friday, April 13^th St. John’s @ Windsor, 8:30PM NST

**Game Five: Sunday, April 15^th Windsor @ St. John’s, 2:00PM NST

**Game Four and Five if necessary