NBL Canada St. John's Edge

Edge Drop Opener of Weekend Series to Island Storm

March 23, 2019 - National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada)
St. John's Edge News Release


St. John's, NL - The St. John's Edge were on the losing side once again on Saturday night, dropping a 128-103 decision to the Island Storm in front of 5,000 plus at Mile One Centre.

After the KW Titans defeated the Windsor Express on Friday night, the Edge had clinched a spot in the 2019 NBL Canada Playoffs. This weekend's games against the Island Storm are crucial as the team hopes to obtain one of the top two spots in the Central Division to have home court advantage in the first round.

In the early going neither team looked like they had a rhythm. It would take over a minute before the first basket of the game was scored. After a few missed opportunities the Island Storm would begin with a three from Tyree White to get the scoring started. Following another Storm basket, the Edge answered with a Jared Nickens triple from the top of the key.

The game would remain close throughout the first quarter, with the Island Storm up by 3 with just over two minutes to play, Isaiah Tate II would drain a corner three to tie the game up at 21. The shooting touch of the Storm would keep them in front after one by a score of 28-23.

Into the second quarter, the Edge would put together a little 5-0 run to get them back into this one. However, the Island Storm would come right back and convert on three straight possessions to put them back in front by 8 at the 10-minute mark.

As the quarter progressed, St. John's would look to feed the ball into the post to produce some offense and dig out of a deficit. Shaquille Keith would convert on a couple of back to back possessions to reduce the lead to just 5 with under a minute remaining in the half. Following a timeout by the Storm, Malik Story would hit a layup then a three to end the quarter with his team up 58-48.

Coming out of the half-time break, the Edge would strike first with a Glen 'Big Baby' Davis layup to begin the quarter. The game would then go back and forth with the Edge converting on their possessions, but the Storm answering right back. The turning point in the game would be an 8-0 run by the Storm capped off by a Malik Story three-pointer.

Moving ahead to the fourth quarter, the Storm ahead by 25, the Edge were looking to get back into an offensive rhythm to attempt the comeback. With 9:46 left in the quarter, a Shaquille Keith layup followed by a Murphy Burnatowski jumper would show some signs of life from the Edge. Burnatowski would hit another triple mid-way through the quarter before he picked up his 6th and final foul to send him to the bench for the remainder. From that point, the Island Storm would be led by Guillaume Boucard and Robbie Robinson as they claimed this win by a score of 128-103.

On the night, the Edge were led by Shaquille Keith who picked up the double-double, with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Dez Lee would drop 16 points, with Burnatowski and Russell Byrd scoring 14 points each.

The Storm were led by Guillaume Boucard and Robbie Robinson who each had 30 and 10 plus rebounds in the win.

These two teams are back at it tomorrow afternoon at 2:00 PM. Tomorrow, there will also be another chance for a fan to shoot for $10,000 brought to you by Rob Roy and Konfusion. Tickets are still available by calling 576-7657 or at the Mile One Centre Box Office.



National Basketball League of Canada Stories from March 23, 2019


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