If the St. John’s Edge are to play at Mlle One Centre again this season, they’ll have to find a way to do something they haven’t yet done, which is to win in Sudbury, Ont.
The Edge are a loss away from having their 2018-19 National Basketball League of Canada season come to an end after falling 124-112 t0 the Sudbury Five Wednesday night at the Sudbury Arena. That gives the expansion Five a 2-1 lead in their best-of-five opening round playoff series.
Game 4 is Friday night in Sudbury. If the Edge come away with a victory from that one, a deciding Game 5 would be Sunday afternoon at Mile One in St. John’s.
Prior to Wednesday, the Edge had played just a single game in Sudbury, and they had lost that one too, falling 116-111 to the expansion Five in a regular-season game six weeks ago
St. John's operated in that Feb. 25 contest with a shortened bench, using just eight players. The Edge didn't play with a full compliment again on Wednesday, and although the shortfall wasn't as much — they had 10 players dressed — it was telling.
Already without star guard Carl English, as they had been for much of the season, the Edge also found themselves minus leading scorer Dez Lee on Wednesday. The team simply listed Lee — who had scored 11 points in 32 minutes of play (including nine minutes in the fourth quarter) in St. John's Game 2 win last Sunday at Mile One — as being injured. But the ailment must have been significant, given Lee had had played all 42 of the Edge's game this season prior to Wednesday. This after Lee proved his durability in 2017-18, when he appeared in 48 of St. John's 49 regular-season and playoff games.
Even without Lee, the Edge did own a 26-23 lead after Wednesday's first quarter, but the Five overtook them early in the second and kept the visitors in the rearview mirror the rest of the way.
Glen Davis led St. John's with 27 points and 11 rebounds, while Isaiah Tate, who moved into the starting lineup in Lee's absence, added 19 before fouling out in the late stages.
Shaquille Keith (18 points), Jarryn Skeete (12) and Olu Ashaolu (11) all had double figures off the Edge bench. There was nearly a fourth, with Satnam Singh collecting nine points, a few of them on a three-pointer, his first of the season just before the end of the first half.
Jaylen Brand, named the NBLC newcomer of the year earlier this week, had 31 points for the Five, while Cory Dixon chipped in with 25 off the bench.
Former St. John's guard Maurice Jones added 18 points for the Five, while Braylon Rayson, named the league MVP this week, delivered 15.
