The London Lightning came away with a win in their season opener Sunday afternoon.
The Lightning fought off a late challenge by the St. John's Edge to take the first game 107-103 at Budweiser Gardens.
Despite the surge by the Edge late in the fourth quarter that had them in the lead with less than three minutes to play, the score was relatively close throughout the game. St. John's had an 18-16 edge after one quarter, but London held a paltry 47-46 lead at halftime. The Lightning pulled away a little bit as the second half got underway, then fought and kept the victory with the St. John's surge in the closing minutes of the contest.
Anthony "A.J." Gaines led the Lightning, and all scorers, with 30 points. His additional 12 rebounds brought him his first double-double of the season. Xavier Moon added 17 points and seven boards, and Marvell Waithe followed with 16 points. Marcus Capers led defensively with 14 rebounds and scored 15 points off the bench for a double-double of his own.
Diego Kapalan had 22 points to lead the Edge. Dez Lee contributed 19 and led the team in rebounds with 14, while Maurice Jones Sr. chipped in 16.
The Lightning travel to Sudbury on Thursday night to take on the Five.
