K-W Titans forward Flen Whitfield is guarded by Olu Ashaolu of the St. John's Edge on Monday night in Newfoundland. (@StJohnsEdge)

Titans return home down 2-0 to St. John's

The K-W Titans aren't just happy to be here. After upsetting the two-time defending National Basketball League champions London Lightning in a five game thriller in round one, the Titans drew the second-place St. John's Edge in the second round. Underdogs once again, K-W was looking to make a statement this weekend in the first two games of the series on the rock.

Game One started fast and furious with K-W controlling the pace. A 12-point quarter from Damon Lynn paced the Titans to a seven point lead after the first. St. John's recovered to look like the favourites in the second quarter, outscoring K-W by 11 points thanks to nine from former NBA-champion Glen Davis, asserting himself in the paint for much of the first half. The Edge took a 54-50 edge into halftime. 

In the third quarter, K-W failed to take advantage of pourus shooting by St. John's, which hit only 38% of field goals in the frame including going 0-5 from 3-point range. The Titans could only climb back to within two points of the Edge heading into the fourth, where St. John's pulled away.  Isaiah Tate II hit all three shots he took for St. John's, including two big threes down the stretch, and the Edge closed out Game One with a 101-94 victory. Lynn led the Titans with 23 points, while Davis poured in 21 for the Edge.

In Game Two, it was the Edge getting out to the hot start. Strong shooting, especially in the second quarter, allowed St. John's to take a huge 58-44 lead into the break, forcing K-W to make adjustments at halftime in order to regain its footing. After the teams each scored 25 points in the third, the Titans needed a huge fourth quarter to have any chance at stealing a win out East. Luckily for them, Ashton Smith found his hot hand, scoring 20 of his team-high 25 points in the fourth, going 8-10 shooting including a perfect 4-4 from deep. After erasing a massive 21-point fourth quarter deficit, the Titans led by one point in the dying seconds. Heartbreak would ensue as Flen Whitfield was called for a foul on Davis, giving the big man a pair of free throws with 3.3 seconds left. He would drain both, and the Edge held on for a 112-111 win, moving their series lead to 2-0. 

Despite the two losses, the Titans feel confident heading back to Kitchener for games three and four at The Aud. Game Three goes Friday night at 7 pm, while Game Four tips off Sunday afternoon at 2 pm.

Siskins dispose of pesky Niagara Falls, face London for Sutherland Cup

It wasn't easy, but the Waterloo Siskins are heading to London to play for the Sutherland Cup. The Siskins watched as their stranglehold on Niagara Falls came undone, letting them back into a series which they once lead 3-0. In Game 6 on Sunday afternoon, Waterloo had a chance to put the disappointment of years past behind them.

After missing Game 5 due to injury, rookie netminder Matt Onuska was back between the pipes for Waterloo and he looked no worse for wear. His team gave him a lead in the first period, as Sam Cherry continued to haunt the Canucks, scoring on a powerplay with just over two minutes to go in the first period. It was Cherry's 8th point of this series and 33rd of the playoffs. The Canucks would tie the game in the second period, as Andrew Bruno was hauled down on a breakaway and given a penalty shot. He beat Onuska clean, and the score was 1-1. In the third period, Waterloo came out like a team with killer instinct, drawing a penalty under a minute in and converting on the powerplay that followed. Joseph Serpa was the goal scorer with assists going to Jeff Schrattner and Tyler Dam. Now nursing a 2-1 lead, Onuska stepped up huge, as he has all playoffs long, to keep Niagara Falls from finding the equalizing goal. Highlighted by a couple big saves in the final minutes, he was solid in the biggest game of his young career stopping 35 of 36 shots. Cherry potted his second of the afternoon into an empty cage with under a minute to go, and the Siskins punched their ticket to the Sutherland Cup with a 3-1 win. 

Waterloo will advance to play the London Nationals for the provincial title. London beat Listowel in the other semi-final series in six games. The puck drops on the best-of-seven series on Thursday night in London, with the second game going back in Waterloo at 1:30 pm on Sunday afternoon.