The Halifax Hurricanes didn’t have an answer for former teammate Billy White on Sunday afternoon.
White scored 52 points to lead the host Moncton Magic to a 136-104 triumph in an NBL Canada matinee at the Avenir Centre.
“Billy got hot from outside and that set up his game easily and we couldn’t contain him,” Hurricanes head coach Mike Leslie said.
White, who’s in his second season in Moncton after three with the Hurricanes, connected on eight of 10 three-pointers and was 18-for-20 from the field. He scored 17 points each in the first and fourth quarters and 26 in each half.
The 52 points, four off the team record, are the fourth-most scored in a single NBL Canada game. Carl English scored 58 points for the St. John’s Edge two years ago. Devin Sweetney had 56 for the Moncton Miracles in 2013 while Charles Hinkle netted 53 for the Edge in 2017.
The numbers were staggering for the Magic on Sunday. They fired at a 58 per cent clip and hit 19 of 34 three-point attempts in winning their fourth consecutive game. Jeremiah Mordi had a triple-double (13 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds) while Wayne McCullough added 19 points and eight boards.
Moncton, tops in the league with a 15-4 record, led 66-49 at the half.
“They got really comfortable shooting the three ball and we had no answer for that,” Leslie said. “It seemed like every shot went in. Some nights it’s like that.
“They have a lot of weapons, a lot of guys who can score from the perimeter which makes it very difficult to guard when they all are shooting the ball well.”
Joel Kindred tallied 24 points for the Hurricanes (5-13), in their first game since a 96-86 loss at Moncton on Valentine’s Day. Antoine Mason and Tremayne Johnson each added 20 points. Jordan Washington – who re-signed with Halifax on Friday – had four points in 12 minutes in his season debut.
The Hurricanes return home to face the Magic Tuesday night at Scotiabank Centre.
“We have to be better defensively against them,” Leslie said. “Giving up that many points early on gave them so much confidence. They had over 60 points at the half. We have to lock down early into the game on Tuesday night and try to grind out a win.”
