Opening week a slam dunk for fans

St. John’s Edge go undefeated during four game home stand at Mile One.

Adam Pike
Kicker

Opening week is now in the rear-view mirror, and it looks like the St. John’s Edge are a perfect fit for the National Basketball League of Canada.

The newest addition to the NBLC walked into Mile One Centre with a record of 3-2. A four-game home stand saw the team knock off their division rivals, the Niagara River Lions and London Lightning. The team’s record has now improved to 7-2, the best in the league.

Fans young and old flocked to the arena to see their new team compete. Colin Westcott and Danielle MacDonald took in a game on their date night, and spoke of the contrast between basketball and hockey.

“It’s so much better than hockey,” said Westcott. “You can hear everything they say on the court, you feel like a part of the game.”

Westcott isn’t kidding. From hearing the coaches call plays, to hearing the players whine about fouls, every word can be heard.

The Edge were impressive over the past four games. The team tallied an average of 118 points per game and won their final contest by 19.

While the team on the court drew all of Westcott’s attention, fans like MacDonald enjoyed the whole show.

“I loved the Edge dance team, they helped keep the energy alive in the building,” said MacDonald. “You could tell the kids love them too.”

The team drew a crowd, averaging 2,864 fans a game – good enough for best in the league. Season ticket holder Eoin Millan hopes that this is a trend that will continue throughout the season.

Nothing beats the Ode to Newfoundland. Electric atmosphere in the building tonight. #AllOne #DefendTheRock pic.twitter.com/aJTJB8fIOR

— Adam Pike (@AdamPikeNL) December 1, 2017

“The crowd was bigger and louder than I expected,” said Millan. “If they can keep this up throughout the year, Mile One will be the toughest place to play in the league.”

Although the opening week was filled with highs, fellow season ticket holder Scott Wood says there is plenty of room for improvement. He noted the team’s defensive struggles as one area of concern, but believes the real problem is how the Edge perform from the free-throw line.

“We definitely need to work on free throws,” Wood said. “Too many points left on the board.”

Fans will have to wait a while for the Edge’s next home game. The team travels to Ontario for a game with the KW Titans next Wednesday, and then they’ll make stops in Windsor and London. They won’t be back on the rock until Jan. 9, when they take on the Windsor Express.