They’re back, Lightning fans!

Well, that was quite the return to basketball in London. If you were looking for roller coaster play (and emotions), and good news on the food front, you got it Saturday night. Paul Mayne has more …

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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It had been quite a while – almost two years to the day, in fact – since Budweiser Gardens reverberated with the magnificent thump of ball against floor; the glorious echoes of copious squeaking sneakers; and the stunning spectacle of a 20-footer hitting nothing but net.

That unwanted streak came to an end Saturday night as the undefeated London Lightning played host to the Kitchener-Waterloo (KW) Titans in their season home opener. And while it was a sparse post-pandemic-restriction crowd, it was at times a vocal one.

The evening seemed like a reunion of sorts — players greeting fans, saying hello to Bud staff; season ticket holders catching up with each other; and friends and families thrilled for the return of Lightning basketball.

Waiting two years for the tip-off was enough to bring the fans to their feet, of course, keeping alive the tradition of standing to begin the game until London sinks their first basket. Thanks to the sure hands of Cam Forte, the Lightning’s first basket eased fans back in their seats within the first minute. (Little did they know, they’d have no reason to get on their feet again for quite awhile ...).

Before the little girl in Section 105 was able to ask, ‘Dad, are we getting popcorn yet, or what?’ the Lightning were down 24-2. Ouch. Not the way you want to welcome fans back. So much for feeding off the energy of the crowd. Early on, the crowd was hungry not just for popcorn, but for some offense. (Ultimately, they got it, but it was a grind of a game …).

Speaking of hungry – timing is everything when it comes to getting our hopes up. And a much-needed London timeout led to a reminder that should the Lightning score 100 points in the game, it would mean free Cactus Cut potatoes or Bandera pizza bread at your local Boston Pizza (free plug). To be fair, at that point, I think fans would have been happy hitting 50 points for a small Coke.

A big shout out to the yellow-clad cheer team for not wavering and standing proudly as they displayed their “Louder,” “Make Some Noise,” and “ On Your Feet” signs in an attempt to resuscitate the sluggish crowd. Actually, that last sign made sense; they’d been sitting for quite a spell.

But they wouldn’t be sitting for long. The  rhetorical question of “Who wants a free shirt?” has the astonishing power to bring even grown men to their feet, waving their arms with a childish “over here, over here” like enthusiasm. Hey, while you’re up, you may want to check the scoreboard. Wait, we’re only down 11. Could it be? Going to make for an interesting second half, indeed.

Not sure if it was something Coach Plumb told the players at halftime (likely something that can’t be repeated here) or whether the home cooking finally arrived, but Lightning definitely struck in the second half (surely that was the first time such an amazing pun was used like that) as the home side began taking charge.

What began as a crowd simply happy to be anywhere other than stuck in their basement watching another riveting episode of Big Brother (I taped it, no spoilers) quickly turned into a raucous bunch, convinced the Lightning were not only back in this game, but that they could, in fact, win this thing.

From the tranquil and soothing tones of the first-half calamity came thunderous chants of “Here we go, Lightning,” and “De-Fence,” from the crowd, and the flexing and passionate screams of “Let’s Go” from London point guard Terry Thomas. London basketball is back, baby.

This is what London basketball fans had been waiting for. The chance to let loose, to make some noise, to stir things up. To see the players they’ve missed, to hop on the roller coaster of highs and lows that being a sports fan brings.

And when the dust cleared? A Lightning victory was a picture-perfect ending to a long overdue welcome back basketball party.

Oh ya, the final? 104-90. Who’s hungry?