Basketball
Win Game 2 over Saint John on the road
The Island Storm and Saint John Riptide resumed the best-of-five playoff series in the National Basketball League of Canada at Harbour Station on Thursday night. The Storm was looking to even the series at a win apiece before the teams play Game 3 at Eastlink Centre in Charlottetown on Saturday.
The Island Storm struck back. Sparked by Rashad Whack’s 22-point effort, the Storm spanked the Saint John Riptide 103-79 Thursday night at Harbour Station to even the best-offive National Basketball League of Canada quarter-final 1-1.
“We didn’t turn the ball over in the fashion that we did the other night,” Storm head coach Joe Salerno said when asked about improvements from Wednesday’s 101-96 loss in Game 1. “That was really what hurt us in the first game. I also thought we did a much better job on the offensive glass. We were just more physical inside. . .
“We tightened up defensively tonight. We know we have to defend against this team. In this series, the team that gets down and makes defending a priority is going to come out with the wins.”
In Thursday’s Game 2, Al Richter notched 19 points for the Storm, while Jahii Carson had 17. Richter and Akeem Ellis each hauled down 10 rebounds. Gabe Freeman led the Riptide with 17 points, while Horace Wormely and Chris Commons tallied 16 apiece.
“You can’t score 14 points in the first and second quarters and expect to beat a good team that shoots the ball very well and scores a lot,” Saint John head coach Rob Spon said. “We dug ourselves a hole and we didn’t make our open shots, and you saw what happened.” The Storm led 11-10 halfway through the first quarter and were up by 11 after 12 minutes. The visitors held a seven-point advantage after a timeout with 5:12 left in the second quarter, but their lead was up to 13 when the next timeout was called with 1:10 remaining until recess.
Whack drained a three at the buzzer, giving the Storm a 45-28 lead that stood through halftime.
“We had eight turnovers at halftime (and 17 overall) and it was all mental errors,” Spon said. “We can’t have that. Joe did a great job of adjusting and we didn’t adjust.”
The Storm took a 20-point lead when Whack nailed a trey early in the third quarter. Ellis added another from downtown shortly after for a 23-point cushion, prompting a Saint John timeout.
A steal and a slam by Brian Addison energized the crowd and brought Saint John within 16 with seven minutes left in the frame. But Carson drained a three for a 68-46 lead with 4:19 remaining in the period. With an 80-56 lead through three quarters, the Storm just needed to stay the course in the final frame.
“We felt Game 1 was maybe the most important game of the series, but we had a great bounce-back game tonight,” Salerno said. “To get this win is just huge for our confidence, our fan base and everything else. We came here and got our split, and now we have to take care of home court.”
The third and fourth contests are in Charlottetown on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. A fifth-and-deciding game, if necessary, would be Tuesday evening back at Harbour Station.