The standings say it is a mismatch.
But you can be sure the St. John’s Edge aren’t looking at it that way.
The Edge (22-14), owners of the third-best record in the National Basketball League of Canada take on the KW Titans in Kitchener, Ont., tonight. The Titans (6-29) own what is by far the worst record in the league and were eliminated from playoff contention quite a while ago. However, of KW’s half-dozen wins, three have come against St. John’s, all in Kitchener.
So, you have not only team that could be playing with the looseness that comes with no post-season pressure, but one that has the confidence developed from previous home-court success against St. John’s.
Such has been the competitiveness of their season series that there has been a fair bit of friction-formed chippiness, including a centre-court melee at Mile One Centre earlier this month that resulted in a one-game suspension for Grandy Glaze of St. John’s.
Meanwhile, the Edge, who have four regular-season games remaining, are looking to get into some sort of groove as they head into the playoffs.
St. John’s is just above .500 (8-7) in its last 15 outings, has been outscored 1,653-1,617 in that stretch and hasn’t won more than two games in a row in a couple of months.
However, after opening what will be a three-game road trip with a 108-95 loss to the Express Saturday in Windsor, the team has had a few days to work on its game and work out the kinks in preparation for the Titans.
And despite a so-so record over the last while, the Edge still have a shot at finishing first in the Central Division (they are a game behind the London Lightning), and even first overall in the league (the Halifax Hurricanes are tops at 24-11).
However, St. John’s first order of business remains securing a home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The Edge’s magic number in that regard remains at two as it relates to St. John’s wins and/or Windsor losses.
As it stands today, the Edge and Express would meet in the first round of the playoffs.
St. John’s closes out its road trip Thursday night in St. Catharines, Ont., versus the Niagara River Lions (15-20). The Edge closes out its 40-game regular-season with matchups against the River Lions March 31 and April 2 at Mile One Centre.
Twitter: @telybrendan
ST. JOHN'S EDGE STATS
No. Player Pos. GP GS MPG SH% PPG
23 Carl English G 27 27 33.7 42.6 24.1
24 Charles Hinkle F 36 36 34.8 44.9 21.0
2 Coron Williams G 14 0 23.5 53.4 14.4
7 Ryan Reid F 9 8 28.2 53.7 14.2
3 Alex Johnson G 36 36 30.5 48.6 12.1
5 Desmond Lee G 36 23 26.8 45.3 9.9
55 Grandy Glaze F/C 31 23 22.7 59.8 8.4
35 Xavier Ford F 6 0 15.7 44.4 7.8
33 Wally Ellenson G 27 0 17.8 42.8 6.2
13 Ransford Brempong C 24 3 14.1 46.6 6.0
10 Jarryn Skeete G 36 0 10.9 40.4 3.3
0 Anthony Stover C 5 1 12.8 83.30 2.0
———
Not on active roster as of March 19 (*-injured)
16 Rashaun Broadus G 15 13 26.5 39.4 9.8
97 Jarion Henry F 17 4 21.5 43.4 7.2
32 Russell Byrd F 17 1 13.5 52.1 5.8
40 Rudolphe Joly C 12 0 7.4 47.2 3.7
30 * Colton Ray G 12 0 9.3 33.3 3.7
6 * J. Jensen-Whyte F/G 9 0 13.6 45.8 3.1
44 Zach Gordon F 3 0 12.7 30.0 2.7
12 Marcus Lewis G 6 0 9.8 31.3 2.0
21 * Vasilije Curcic F 14 0 4.6 25.0 1.6
———
Totals
Edge 46.0 108.1
Opponents 46.5 107.1
Key
GP — Games played; GS — Game started; MPG — minutes played per game; SH% — shooting percentage; PPG – points per game
EDGE TOP FIVES
Rebounds
Player RPG
Grandy Glaze 7.4
Charles Hinkle 6.4
Ryan Reid 6.2
Desmond Lee 5.0
Carl English 4.6
———
Assists
Player APG
Alex Johnson 5.6
Carl English 3.7
Coron Williams 2.6
Charles Hinkle 2.0
Ryan Reid 1.8
———
Three-point shooting
(Min. 60 attempts)
Coron Williams 53.49 (39-73)
Charles Hinkle 44.9 (118-276)
Alex Johnson 37.7 (46-122)
Desmond Lee 37.2 (42-113)
Carl English 36.8 (99-269)
