The London Lightning defeated the Windsor Express by a score of 115-106, last night in Windsor. This now extends The Bolts win streak to an impressive 9 games.
The Lightning had 6 players score in double digits, including 19 from Maurice Bolden, and 16 points off the bench, from Kirk Williams Jr. Another impressive performance was had by Marcus Capers, who put up a double-double, consisting of 16 points and 10 rebounds.
However, the most impressive play came from The Westervelt Player of the Game, which was awarded to the bench player, Anthony “AJ” Gaines Jr. In 28 minutes of action, Gaines recorded a team-high 22 points to go along with a monstrous 16 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. The high-flying, 6’4 forward has been on a roll as of late, which is sparking 6th Man of the Year conversations. The Northwestern product out of Louisiana, has been on a hot streak since the team began their win streak, back on February 7th. Since that time, Gaines has scored in double digits in all of the 8 games, and he has scored 22 or more points in half of them. Additionally, he has shot a blistering 67 per cent from the field, and oddly enough, he is shooting even more impressively from a distance. Gaines has scored 16 of his last 21 three point shots since the win streak began, for an astonishing 76 per cent. Before the win streak, Gaines was shying away from the three’s as he only put up 4 in the previous four games and missed every attempt. Gaines would be leading the league in three point percentage, but he is just under the required 1 three point made requirement at 0.7 made threes’ per game.
On the season, Gaines is averaging 13.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 0.8apg and 0.5 bpg. Gaines’ total are some of the best on the team. He is 4th in scoring and blocks, while his rebounding ranks 3rd. However, he leads the team in offensive rebounds with 2.1 per game. Gaines has played in all 36 games this season, and has shot the ball remarkably well all year long. He is shooting 49 per cent from three point land, 77 per cent from the free throw line, and 53 per cent from the field.
If the exciting newcomer to The Lightning keeps this up, there’s no telling how far the team can go.
London will look to make it nine in a row on Saturday when they travel to Kitchener, to take on The Kitchener-Waterloo Titans. After losing the first two meetings to the Titans, The Bolts have rebounded back to take the last three meetings by an average of almost 14 points. Tip-off is at 7 pm.
