It seems like the St. John’s Edge have been away for a quite a while.
But they’ve been here all along.
St. John’s takes on the visiting K-W (Kitchener-Waterloo) Titans in National Basketball League of Canada games the tonight and tomorrow at Mile One Centre. But while they will be the Edge’s first games in eight days, they are also the extension of a season-ending eight-game homestand.
It began March 3 and 4 with wins over the Cape Breton Highlanders, but since then, Mile One has been turned over to the ECHL’s Newfoundland Growlers, who played five home games in the interim.
But now the hardwood is back over the ice at Mile One and the Growlers don’t play there again until after the Edge finishes its regular-season schedule March 24.
Something that hasn’t changed during the last week and a day: the Edge remain in first place in the NBLC’s Central Division, although the standings are still tighter than a knot soaked in water.
St. John’s (19-15) is just ahead of the defending champion London Lightning (18-15) and Windsor Express (17-15). The Sudbury Five (17-16) hold fourth place and what would be the division’s final playoff berth, but the while K-W(15-19) is last with the only losing record of the five, it could still claim a spot in the post-season with a run of success in its last six regular-season games.
The Titans will look to start that run at Mile One, but the Edge also have an immediate incentive. With a sweep of the two games against K-W this week, St. John’s will clinch a playoff spot.
Tonight’s game will see the unveiling of the Edge’s newest player, point guard Tra-Deon Hollins.
The 23-year-old Hollins was signed as the designated replacement for Obinna Oleka, who left the Edge to sign with a team in Mexico. But while Oleka was a rebounding specialist for St. John’s, Hollins brings a different skill set to St. John’s. Playing for the University of Nebraska-Omaha, he led all of NCAA Division One basketball in steals in 2016. And when he was released by the NBA G League’s Fort Wayne Mad Antz last month, he left as the league’s assists and steals leaders at that point of the season.
Twitter: telysports
