Edge look for a win in Windsor
St. John’s had great success on the road against the Express last season; they’ll seek more as the much-changed teams meet tonight
A couple of teams looking to rebound from losses in their National Basketball League of Canada season-openers will hook up tonight in Windsor, Ont., where the Express host the St. John’s Edge.
Game time is 8:30 p.m. (NT). The Edge were downed 107103 Sunday afternoon in London, Ont., by the two-time defending champion Lightning a day after the Express had dropped a 126-123 decision to the expansion Sudbury Five in Windsor.
The margins of defeat were similar in the two games and there was similarity in that both the Edge and Express gave up double digit leads. St. John’s was in front of London by as much as 11 points late in the first half, while the turnabout was even more dramatic for Windsor, which was up by 20 points on Sudbury midway through the contest.
Going by recent history, the Edge should actually feel good about playing in Windsor, where they were 5-1 last season, with one of the wins coming St. John’s swept the Express in a best-of-five opening-round playoff series.
Then again, there won’t be many players on either side tonight who were part of that recent history.
The Edge will once again do without reigning league MVP Carl English, who did not travel
with the team for what will be a two-game road trip to southern Ontario. English recently underwent a medical procedure on his ankle and it was decided it was prudent to put off his return to action.
In English’s absence, guard Diego Kapelan led St. John’s in scoring Sunday with 22 points, while Desmond Lee added 19 and a team-leading 14 rebounds.
By the way, Lee was the only player who suited up with the Edge last season who played on Sunday. He, English and guards Jarryn Skeete, who didn’t see any floor time in London, are
the lone returnees from the 2017-18 St. John’s roster.
The Express also underwent a massive makeover in the offseason, including losing star guard Maurice Jones — who had 16 points off the bench on Sunday — to the Edge. In fact, Anthony Ottley, Jr. is the only player who played for Windsor last season who was on the court in the season-opener Saturday.
Against Sudbury, the Express were led in scoring by former Lightning guard Ryan Anderson (30 points); Horace Wormely (26 points), who had been with the Saint John Riptide; and Juan Patillo, formerly of the Moncton Magic.
But while the Express put up points, they had a rough time on the boards, getting outrebounded 55-39 by the Five, who were led by former Edge player Grandy Glaze, who grabbed 10 rebounds.
——— Power forward Gabe Freeman, who was released by the Edge just days before their season-opening in London, has signed on with the Halifax Hurricanes.
Freeman, the 2011-12 NBL Canada MVP, was seen as a major summertime acquisition for St. John’s, but Edge head coach Doug Plumb told The Telegram’s Robin Short the ultimate call was “We didn’t feel there was a fit with the type of people we have here.”
But Plumb also said he wasn’t going to “hold him hostage” and keep Freeman from hooking on with another club.
And that’s what happened fairly quickly, with the 32-yearold joining Halifax. The Hurricanes were runners-up to the Lightning in the last two league finals, but struggled badly in their first couple of games this fall, losing 121-94 and 104-78, both times to Moncton.
The Edge play in Halifax on Dec. 2, but the Hurricanes don’t make their first visit to St. John’s until late January.