FCFP Pre-Game Inspection: Mar 24 at Five
1: The Streak is over, but it was Fun
The London Lightning had a fantastic run through February and into early March. The win streak was monumental for the team taking them from last place in the division to propelling them into first place and capturing a playoff spot. It all started with a back to back against the Express, the first of which they lost poorly by 33 points shooting inefficiently and not being able to hold the Windsor team back on defence. It all changed the very next night with the team making adjustments to their style that they needed to start hitting back against other teams. They increased their ball movement which helped their offence by creating more open looks and spreading out the scoring. They also increased their energy which helped them pester ball handlers on the defensive end, switch all over the court, and create more fast break opportunities. It was high energy basketball with great scoring and defence that not only won games but was very entertaining. If the Lightning play like they did then it will be very tough to beat them moving forward.
2: Heading North
Sunday the Bolts are taking on the FIVE in a matchup in Sudbury. The last time the two teams played against one another was in London where the Lightning were able to have a convincing victory putting the 5 away 124 to 107. In that game, the Lightning were able to keep any of the Sudbury players from getting too hot which limited their offence and gave us momentum on both sides of the ball. The FIVE are coming off a strong win against the Moncton Magic; the highest ranked team in the NBLC. The biggest point of interest for the Lightning will be Braylon Rayson who has been the FIVE's leader on offence, as well as the leagues leading scorer with 25 ppg. Rayson is a streaky shooter so he can be hot or cold on any given night. The key to the Bolts playing a good game will be to limit everyone else on Sudbury from scoring as best as they can because if no one else can attempt good shots than Rayson will be their only form of offence. This will let the Lightning keep their score down and capitalize on the missed shots through fast breaks. The Lightning are going to give it their all and do their best to pull out another victory
3: Where to Watch
The Lightning is heading north for the weekend to take on the Sudbury FIVE on Sunday, March 24th at 2 PM EST. You can catch them on NBLC Live by streaming the game and checking out all the action through this link https://nblclive.ca/. London will be back in London for their final home and regular season game on March 31st at 2 PM EST to take on the Windsor Express. You can purchase tickets through this link here https://bit.ly/2HHkk7R