Lightning-Titans battle for BSL title

Around the Perimeter: London and KW are the final two teams standing. It’s experience vs. youth; Will Lightning match the Titans’ energy?; Will defense decide this matchup? Read our series preview …

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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They finished 1-2 during the regular season, and they played four competitive games where either side could have come out on top. Yes, this should be a good one.

When the London Lightning and KW Titans square off Friday night (May 17) for the beginning of the inaugural Basketball Super League Finals at The Aud, it’ll be a rematch of the second-to-last NBLC championship series in 2022.

London ran the table in that one, sweeping the Titans in three games to win their fifth NBLC title in franchise history (they won again in 2023 for their sixth in 10 seasons). But this year presents a much different scenario. For starters, it was the Titans who finished first in the regular season. And it’s the Titans who have home-court advantage.

Four Lightning players – and head coach Doug Plumb – remain from the squad that hoisted a championship trophy at The Aud on June 1, 2022, including Chris Jones, Jermaine Haley Jr., Lance Adams and Marcus Ottey. But much has changed since then.

The Titans are hungrier than ever, ready to climb the mountain and claim the first BSL title. They’re coming off a convincing sweep of the Newfoundland Rogues. Who’s the favourite? The regular season standings say the Titans. Talent and experience favours the Lightning. But youth and energy gives KW the edge.

In other words, this series is up for grabs. And it should be a good one …

STARTING FIVE

1. The journey here – London. The Lightning dispatched the Sudbury Five in their semi-final series, three games to one, to reach the first BSL Finals. The games were close, but London maintained control for much of the series. Chris Jones scored 30 in Game 1 and 35 in Game 4 to help lead the Lightning. But he also missed Game 3, a London loss, due to suspension as a result of on-court behaviour and derogatory remarks directed at fans in Sudbury in Game 2.

Billy White played all four games, and he averaged 16.0 points and 10.8 rebounds per contest, adding four steals and four blocks. He was one of the last men standing (albeit with five fouls) at the end of a wild Game 4 finish in Sudbury which nearly saw the Five come back from 16 points down and force a Game 5.

In the final moments of that contest, London was without Jones, Haley Jr. and Freddie McSwain, who had all fouled out, as well as Jeremiah Mordi, who’d been ejected from the game after a pair of technical fouls. Alas, London held on to advance – although not without drama.

Other players to step up during the series were Jachai Taylor, who scored a season-high 30 points in a Game 3 loss, and Antoine Mason, who poured in 20 points in Game 4. Haley Jr. averaged 14.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists in the series. London (20-12 during the regular season) is the No. 2 seed after finishing 2 1/2 games behind KW for top spot.

(Photo: Barry Field Photography).

2. The journey here – KW Titans. Meanwhile, the Titans made quick work of the Newfoundland Rogues in their BSL semi-final series, winning three straight – by an average of 19.3 points. Curtis Hollis, back with the team after time away from the club, led the way with a bigtime three-game stretch, averaging 30.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.7 blocks.

Jaquan Lightfoot also had a big series against Newfoundland, averaging 19.3 points and 9.0 rebounds in the three games. Braylon Rayson scored in double digits in each game. Those will likely be the three to watch for KW, although the Titans do have talented depth, including players like Corey Boyd, Demetrius Barnes and Dexter Willliams Jr., to name a few.

KW won the first at home and then traveled out east to close out the series with a Game 3 win on Newfoundland’s home court. Hollis poured in 40 points in that one, while Lightfoot (17pts, 11 rebs) and Anthony Lee Jr. (18 pts, 11 rebs).

“Our gameplan was to make it tough on them every possession,” said KW head coach Cliff Clinkscales. “They play a fast-paced game, and they had a lot of weapons, a lot of talent all over,” added Clinkscales, whose team’s defensive efforts focused on shutting down Rogues MVP candidate Armani Chaney and fellow standout Marquis Collins. “I really feel we did a good job using our team depth to wear them down.”

With a 23-10 record during the first BSL regular season, the Titans finished first and, thus, earned the No. 1 seed and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. That’s why this series will begin with the first two contests in Kitchener.

REGULAR SEASON SERIES: London vs. KW Titans (London wins 3-1)

London 94 @ KW Titans 100 (Jan. 2)
London 104 vs. KW Titans 96 (Jan. 6)
London 118 @ KW Titans 113 (March 17)
London 111 @ KW Titans 108 (Apr. 17)

And now …

BSL Playoffs (Finals) - London Lightning (2) vs. KW Titans (1) (best-of-five series) 

Game 1 | London Lightning @ KW Titans | 7 p.m. Friday, May 17
Game 2 | London Lightning @ KW Titans | 2 p.m. Sunday, May 19
Game 3 | KW Titans @ London Lightning | 7 p.m. Thursday, May 23
Game 4 | KW Titans @ London Lightning | 7 p.m. Saturday, May 25 (if necessary)
Game 5 | London Lightning @ KW Titans | 4 p.m. Sunday, May 26 (if necessary)

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

3. How the coaches see it. Doug Plumb is a confident coach, and he believes in his team’s talent – but he also respects his BSL Finals opponent. He knows the Titans present a formidable challenge for his Lightning squad.

“We have a championship pedigree about us that they lack. Their roster isn’t as good as ours, and their depth isn’t as good as ours. But they play harder. They have great athletes across the board, and they’re the hardest-working team in the league, it’s not even close.

“They earned the right to have home-court advantage based on the regular season. Cliff (Clinkscales) has done a good job of getting those guys on the same page. They have a lot of younger players, but they’re dangerous if you allow them to get out in transition, or you don’t box out, or you fall asleep on the back side … they’re very active, and they work hard.”

Plumb’s focus, in other words, is making sure the Lightning, the much more experienced squad, doesn’t succumb to complacency. He doesn’t think they will.

“It’s about pride. It’s about showing the league you deserve it … taking it personally that you didn’t finish first in the regular season. We’re here for a reason. This is why we put this team together, and this is why the guys here are still here.

“When it matters, you hope you have the championship pedigree and you have the wherewithal to be able to win in big moments, whether you’re on the road or at home or wherever.”

Clinkscales, the Titans’ head coach, is equally confident in his squad heading into the first BSL Finals.

“I really feel we have the best team in the league, from player one thru 12,” the coach said. “This is going to be a great series. We’re playing against a team that has been there, that knows how to win. Their core guys have played in a lot of big games. This series is going to be chess.”

The Titans’ bench boss feels the two teams match up very evenly. Looking at the regular season scores between the squads, that certainly looks to be the case. When these teams have met up, it’s been close contests that could have gone either way.

“These two teams match up well, and that’s an exciting part of this series,” said Clinkscales. “We almost have identical teams, one thru 12, with a lot of the same types of players. London has the experience. They have won championships. That’s their edge. I have some balance on my team – some vets and some younger guys.

“Whoever sets the tone in Game 1 is going to have the advantage,” the coach added. “In a short, five-game series, we’ve put ourselves in a great position to have home-court advantage. We’ve been working for that all year. Playing at home, playing in front of our fans, that’s big. It keeps our guys confident when the crowd gets going.”

4. By the numbers. To this point, including playoffs, the KW Titans have played 35 games this season. The Lightning have played 36. Offensively, they match up well on paper. In fact, the two teams sport nearly identical field-goal shooting numbers. They rank top two (with KW first), at 48.5% and 48.3%, respectively.

However, they’ve reached those marks in very different ways. The Lightning have shot significantly more three-pointers this season – over 330 more than the Titans. That’s a major change in style between the two teams, with KW playing more of a two-point game than their counterparts.

The Lightning have shot 35.2% from three-point range, while the Titans have connected on just 33.3% of their attempts. Neither team has shot well from the free throw line, with London at 72.3% and KW at 66.8%.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Titans and Lightning are tied at the top of the league having allowed an average of 106.5 points per game – far better than their respective semi-final opponents. Alas, that’s a big reason why they’re here battling for a league championship.

(Photo: Barry Field Photography).

5. Awards season. The BSL has been announcing its year-end awards in recent days, and some London Lightning standouts have picked up leaguewide regular season honours.

Lightning power forward Billy White leads a powerhouse All-BSL First Team lineup that also includes former Bolt and local fan fave Shadell Millinghaus (Windsor Express), AJ Mosby (Sudbury Five), Armani Chaney (Newfoundland Rogues), and Curtis Hollis (KW Titans).

London guard Antoine Mason and forward Jermaine Haley Jr. represent the Forest City on the All-BSL Second Team, along with Marquise Collins (Newfoundland), Ty Groce (Windsor), and Jaquan Lightfoot (KW).

The Lightning’s Jachai Taylor was named Sixth Man of the Year; the Titans’ Demetrius Barnes earned league Rookie of the Year honours; Shadell Millinghaus was named Newcomer of the Year.

London shooting guard Rashad Smith was named to the All-BSL Rookie Team, along with Demetrius Barnes (KW), Montrell Jacobs (Windsor), Lewis Djonkam (Newfoundland), and Shandarious Cowart (Newfoundland).

Despite allowing the fewest points per game (106.5) – and an Instagram protest by Lightning head coach Doug Plumb calling power forward Freddie McSwain Jr. “the best defender in the league it’s not close” – the Bolts did not land a single player on the All BSL Defensive Team. That squad included Omega Harris (Newfoundland), Jaquan Lightfoot (Titans), William Brown (Rogues), Ty Groce (Windsor), and Dexter Williams Jr. (Titans).