Edge Fight but Cannot Hold On in Moncton. Drop Game 2 by a Score of 107-100
St. John’s, NL – The St. John’s Edge were looking to even the Best of Seven NBL Canada Finals on Saturday night in Moncton, NB. After a tough first half the Edge could not hold on near the end as they dropped Game 2 to the Magic by a score of 107-100.
It was a positive sight when Glen Davis returned to the Edge lineup for Game 2 of the series. With the influx of scoring from Davis and a reinvigorated team after two days off, it looked as though the Edge had the right pieces to take it to the Magic in Game 2.
In the first, the Edge got off to a quick start. They would be propelled into the lead by Glen Davis who hit the layup followed by a triple by Dez Lee and then Jarryn Skeete to give the Edge the 24-12 lead with 4:50 left in the quarter.
Moncton would make a push over the final few minutes as Jason Calliste hit a layup to cut the deficit to 7-points. St. John’s would continue to go to the hot hand as they fed the ball into the post for Glen Davis to make a layup and then a buzzer beating jump shot to end the quarter, with the Edge leading 31-19.
As the second quarter started, Isaiah Tate II would start it with a triple from the corner, then the Magic started to try and climb back into when Wayne McCullough hit a triple of his own. St. John’s extended their lead to as many as 16, but Moncton would push their way back into the game. Jason Calliste and Trey Kell would drain three-pointers to finish up the half, but the Edge would still hold the 52-46 lead going into the half.
Coming out of the break, the Edge got a Jarryn Skeete triple followed by a Glen Davis layup to keep them in front. Corey Allmond would have the answer for Moncton when he connected for 6 straight points to cut into the Edge lead.
The game would go back and forth throughout the remainder of the third, but Moncton would be slowly climbing their way back into this game, vying for their first lead since the first quarter. After Russell Byrd connected on two free-throws, the Magic would get their lead as Freddie McSwain made a layup to put them in front by a possession. However, the Edge would find some late life when they went on a 6-0 run to end the quarter, capped off by a Carl English triple. (Edge lead 77-71).
The final quarter would start in a tough way for the Edge, as Glen Davis would head to the locker room with the trainer after a collision by the Edge bench. Down another player, it was going to have to take a gutsy effort to hang on in this one.
After Moncton took advantage of the Edge short bench by turning up the pace and surging ahead by as many as 7, St. John’s would answer back and reduce the deficit to just 2 on the strength of a Murphy Burnatowski layup. Moncton would answer back by draining a couple of free-throws, but Russell Byrd answered with an acrobatic layup to keep it within a single possession.
In the final two minutes, St. John’s could not find their rhythm as they would get within 3 points with under a minute left, but Moncton would hang on for the 107-100 win and a 2-0 series lead as the teams head back to Mile One Centre.
On this night, the Edge shot just 33% from three point range, compared to Moncton’s 46% (majority of which came in the second half). They were led offensively by Dez Lee who dropped a gutsy 26 points in the loss. They had 5 players score in double digits, but missed the presence of Glen Davis down the stretch.
For Moncton, they were led by Trey Kell who dropped 29 points in the victory.
The series now shifts to Mile One Centre for Games 3 and 4. The Edge will have the home crowd behind they as they try and get back into the series. Tickets are available for both games by calling 576-7657 or online at www.mileoncentre.com.
Stay current with the latest team news by visiting www.sjedge.ca. Follow the Edge all year long on Facebook (/stjohnsedge), Twitter (@stjohnsedge), and Instagram (@stjohnsedge).
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