Gameday in 5

A look to the week ahead — and a recap of the week that was (May 16-23) — for London’s teams and athletes.

(Photo: League1 Ontario).

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London Lightning

They’re off to the finals …

The London Lightning earned a trip to the NBLC championship series after sweeping the Windsor Express, three games to none, in their best-of-five semi-final matchup. With a 1-0 series lead heading into the week, London beat Windsor 107-97 on Tuesday at home, and then 110-108 Friday on the road, the latter game punching their ticket to the league finals, where they’ll face off against the K-W Titans.

Both games required a comeback from the Lightning. On Tuesday, a 31-point second quarter had Windsor up 55-48 at the half. Re-energized by the break, though, the Lightning outscored the Express 34-17 in the third quarter to swing the score and the momentum. Their 10-point lead heading into the final frame stuck, and London improved to 14-0 at home with the win. Jermaine Haley led all Lightning scorers with 27 points (on 8-of-14 shooting). Terry Thomas, named Sixth Man of the Year in 2022, had a big double-double, scoring 21 with 12 rebounds and 6 assists. Amir Williams (16/11) also doubled-doubled.

The Lightning then clinched things on Friday in Windsor — albeit by a very narrow margin. Once again, a comeback was required. Windsor’s lead grew by as much as 12 — and they held a 10-point lead with 5:25 remaining in the contest. But the Lightning came back, nailing some big shots down the stretch, including a couple of big-time threes from Jordan Burns. He finally tied things at 103. Another jumper with 58 seconds left put London ahead 108-105. Windsor wasn’t finished, though, and they tied things themselves on a three-point play by Nick Garth. But it was Amir Williams who had the final say, laying in a bucket with 20 seconds remaining that served as the winning shot in the 110-108 win. Burns led the way with 29 points, with Thomas (15/15) and Williams (19/11) posting double-doubles again.

Up next:

The NBLC finals gets underway Friday, as the Lightning will host the K-W Titans for the series opener at Budweiser Gardens. Game 2 happens Sunday.

Fri. May 27 (7:00pm vs. KW Titans)
Sun. May 28 (2:00pm vs. KW Titans)

NBLC Finals (London, No. 1, vs. K-W Titans, No. 3) (best-of-five series)

Game 1 | KW Titans at London Lightning | 7 p.m. Friday, May 27
Game 2 | KW Titans at London Lightning | 2 p.m., Sunday, May 29
Game 3 | London Lightning at KW Titans | 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 1
Game 4 | London Lightning at KW Titans | 7 p.m. Friday, June 3 *
Game 5 | KW Titans at London Lightning | 7 p.m. Monday, June 6 *

London Majors

It was an eventful week for the London Majors, who had their home opener Friday suspended mid-game due to a suspected gas leak at the stadium. It turned out to be a false alarm, and the game will be resumed on June 10 when London next hosts Kitchener (with the Panthers leading the Majors 5-4 in the fifth inning). Before the game was halted, Keith Kandel had a pair of RBI hits, while Taylor Wright and Starling Joseph hit back-to-back home runs in the third inning.

That disappointment went from bad to worse on Saturday, as the Majors watched their 7-2 lead in the bottom of the 9th inning evaporate and end in an 8-7 loss to the Welland Jackfish on the road. Starter Jose Arias turned in a strong outing, allowing just one run on five hits in 6 innings of work, striking out seven on the day. Braeden Ferrington allowed a single run in his two innings of relief before the bullpen ran into trouble in the ninth. Walks, compounded by errors in the field, quickly turned the game on its head, and Welland’s Matt Hilderbrandt ended things with a walk-off two-run single. Fernando Fernandez was touched up for five runs (only two earned), walking three in two-thirds of an inning. The game-winning hit came off Jaryd Lund. Chris McQueen, Drew Lawrence and Cleveland Brownlee each had multi-hit games, while catcher Robert Mullen knocked out his first homer in a Majors uniform.

After a close loss Saturday, the Majors regrouped to beat the visiting Guelph Royals 6-1 on holiday Monday at Labatt Park. Owen Boon was sensational on the mound, going the distance in the win. He struck out 13 on the afternoon, allowing just one unearned run on six hits. Mullen went 3-for-4 with a 2-run homer and 3 RBIs. Brownlee picked up another two hits, including a double and an RBI. Wright and Phil Whelan reached twice and scored a run apiece.

Up next:

The Majors have a busy weekend ahead, as they’re scheduled to play the first Friday-Saturday-Sunday stretch of their season. It starts with Hamilton at home Friday and then hits the road for a pair.

Fri. May 27 (7:35pm vs. Hamilton Cardinals)
Sat. May 28 (4:00pm @ Barrie Baycats)
Sun. May 29 (2:00pm @ Brantford Red Sox)

FC London

Women’s team:

The Women’s team added to their win streak last week, claiming both of their matches. On Tuesday, the victim was BVB IA Waterloo, who put up a good battle but ultimately came out on the wrong end. FC London led 4-0 at the half and allowed a pair of goals after the break. Scorers for London were Julia Benati and Jen Milligan, who both scored a pair.

Following Tuesday’s win, FC London was back in action at home Saturday, and they extended their season-opening win streak to six games with a 3-0 victory over ProStars FC at Tricar Field. Nat Abbate opened the scoring in the 25th minute. In the second half, MJ Andrus (66’) and Ally Hicks (92’) added insurance goals to lead London to the win. Keeper Jadyn Steinhauer earned the clean sheet in net.

Up next:

The women (6-0-0) have another two-game week on tap, this time with a pair of road matches that will challenge their early dominance. They’ll face Blue Devils FC (1-2-2), the team that bounded them from the playoffs in the semi-finals last season, and then a formidable Simcoe County squad (4-1-0).

Wed. May 25 (8:00pm @ Blue Devils FC)
Sunday, May 29 (2:00pm @ Simcoe County)

Men’s team:

FC London’s men’s team recorded their first win of the season on Wednesday, beating Scrosoppi FC by a 2-1 margin. Down 1-0 early, Engjell Qamili tied the score in the 41st minute. Four minutes later, Mike Sneddon scored what turned to be the game-winner, as neither side found the net in the second half. Kuhle Bekwayo, Carson Wood, Santiago Fonseca, Ryan Baker, Harry Carter and Aidan Marreach each played all 90 minutes in the match.

Saturday’s match was a tough one, as FC London fell 4-2 to visiting Burlington SC at Tricar Field. The home side did open the scoring, as Fonseca notched a goal in just the 2nd minute. Burlington SC responded immediately, though, with Lucas Raposo scoring seconds later and then again in the 6th minute. The visitors took a 3-1 lead into the half. Sneddon scored in the 56th minute to pull FC London to within a goal, but the visitors added a goal late to put the game away.

Up next:

The men (1-4-1) have a single game on the slate this week, as they’ll play Pickering FC (2-4-0) at home on Saturday (at the time of this writing, that game is scheduled to be played at London’s Portuguese Club).

Sat. May 28 (9:00pm vs. Pickering FC)