For only the second time this season, The Lightning were back at home after an 11 day road trip. London got off to a quick start as they led The Windsor Express by 7 after the first.
After maintaining an 8 point lead at halftime, The Bolts got a bit sloppy in the second half. London turned the ball over 11 times, in comparison, The Express only turned it over 3 times in the second half. This may have been one of the reasons why Windsor was able to slowly chip-away, tie and take the lead as the game progressed. Coach Keith Vassell added, “We didn’t finish around the basket like I wanted us to but for us it’s a process, we’re still settling in.”
Juan Pattillo led the way for Windsor with 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals. Former Lightning and NBL Finals MVP, Ryan Anderson, put up a good line, including a double-double but shot just 4 of 16 from the field, including 2 of 13 from 3 point land. In fact, The Express squad collectively struggled from 3-point range, going just 9 of 33(27%).
The Lightning welcomed newly acquired, Jelan Kendrick, who had yet to make his Lightning debut due to injuries. He said he felt good but said “The most important thing of the return was getting the win. We came off the road with a loss, to come back home to a team that we lost to in exhibition.” Speaking of the 111-103 loss on November 15th. The former McDonald’s All-American went for an impressive 9 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists in 17 minutes of action.
Xavier Moon also impressed, going 8 of 13 from the field, scoring 20 points, grabbing 8 rebounds and dishing out 3 assists. The Morehead State product may look familiar to some because of his resemblance to his uncle and former Toronto Raptor high-flyer, Jamario Moon.
In the end, the Lightning were able to hold off the Express in a close 99-98 battle. This coming thanks in large part to the monster performance from The Westervelt Player of the Game, Maurice Bolden. Bolden went for 28 points, 15 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Bolden even added a couple of assists and a steal. However, perhaps the most interesting stat was that Bolden was the only Lightning player to score from beyond the arc, going 4 of 7 while the team went 0-11. Bolden said that stuff will come. “We’re getting better. It’s early in the season. We got a lot of new guys, so we’re starting to figure each other out. Finding a rhythm for everybody and just making it more comfortable.”
With the win, London improves their record to 4-2 on the year. The Lightning will remain at the home for the next two games. You can catch The Bolts on Saturday at 7 PM as the welcome the Saint John Riptide(1-5) and on Sunday at 2 PM, as they host the Kitchener-Waterloo Titans(2-5).
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