It didn't take long for St. John's to regroup and find their mojo at home as the team rebounded from a tough loss on Saturday to defeat the London Lightning 123-110 Monday night at Mile One Centre. With the victory, the St. John's Edge draw even in their best-of-seven series with two wins apiece.
In a pivotal Game Four the Edge did not start with the spark they had hoped to have as London rushed the rim early and often, building themselves an early 12-point lead, 24-12. However, St. John's knowing the importance of this game buckled down and trimmed the Lightning lead to five-points at the end of the first.
The Edge came out strong in the second quarter, outscoring the Lightning 33-26 to take a two point lead into the half, 56-54. Coron Williams led the charge in the second putting up 11 points for the Edge.
Heading into the half, the Edge realized the importance of the second half as St. John's Edge Associate Head Coach Steve Marcus said, "these 24 minutes will be the most important 24 minutes of the year."
St. John's responded well to the challenge putting up 38 points in the third led by Ryan Reid who put up 12 points. The Edge carried a 12 point lead into the third period up 94-82. In the final frame the defence went to work for the Edge, containing Royce White, allowing him only 2 points before fouling out as St. John's cruised to victory.
St. John's Edge:
Coron Williams, St. John's Edge player of the game led the way with a team-high 28 points with five rebounds and six assists. Charles Hinkle, found his game for the Edge Monday night putting up 28 points after scoring only 8 on Saturday. At the half, Marcus said of Hinkle, "he's s stone-cold shooter and we're going to look to ride him in the second half. Ryan Reid also kicked in 22 points for St. John's in the win.
London Lightning:
Royce White led the London Lightning with a game-high 32 points, adding six rebounds and five assists. Ryan Anderson added 21 points for London accompanied by three rebounds.
Inside the Numbers
St. John's went 40-for-86 (47 percent) from the field-goal line, the club also scored 50 points inside the paint. The Lightning went 11-for-25 (44 percent) from the three-point line and scored 23 points off the bench.
Up Next
The best-of-seven series continues at Mile One Centre for Game Five Thursday night at 7:00PM NST. All games will be streamed live on www.sjedge.ca.
Edge Playoff Tickets are now available and can be purchased in person at the Mile One Centre box office, by phone at 709-576-7657 or online at www.mileonecentre.com. Group rates are available and can be obtained by contacting Kenny O'Leary at Kenny@sjedge.ca.
