Express drop home-and-home series to Halifax

by Brett Hedges

The Windsor Express lost both games of a home-and-home series to the Halifax Rainmen.

It was too little, too late for the Windsor Express as they fell to the Rainmen 99-94 Jan. 18 at the WFCU Centre in Windsor and then dropped a 110-82 decision Jan. 24 at the Halifax Metro Centre.

The Express were down 10 points in the final minute of the first game but clawed their way back to a three-point deficit before Halifax forward Antoine Tisby knocked down two free throws with 9.1 seconds left.  Tisby finished the game with 23 points and 18 rebounds. Fellow Rainman Quinnel Brown led all scorers with 24 points, going three-for-three in three-point shooting while collecting three steals. Head coach of the Express Bill Jones said the team didn’t do a good job of rebounding.

“(Rebounding) was one of the things that we talked about at the beginning of the game,” said Jones. “(Tisby) had double-figures in points and he had 18 rebounds, eight of which were offensive and he was able to get some easy baskets.”

The Express had their chances to take over in a game that saw many lead changes, but were out rebounded 52-34, mostly by Tisby who was equally effective on both the offensive and defensive glass. Jones said the team’s slow start was what led to their downfall against last year’s runner-up.

“In my opinion it was a playoff-type game and we came out sluggish,” said Jones. “We got the lead of a couple points but we just couldn’t get over the hump.”

Five Express players reached double figures in scoring, but none reached double-figures in rebounds. Lester Prosper and Daniel Rose each had eight rebounds to go along with seven and six points, respectively.

Darren Duncan led the Express with 19 points and dished out seven assists while Stefan Bonneau chipped in with 16 points and provided tough defensive pressure that caused turnovers late in the game. Windsor’s leading scorer Mike Helms was held to a quiet 11 points, shooting 2-12 from the field but knocked down all six of his free throws which helped the team’s comeback.

Duncan said the team gave valiant effort but simply came up short.

“Defensively, I thought we could have played better,” said Duncan. “We missed a lot of open shots but we were right there. Today was just one of those games where we just didn’t get it.”

The teams met again at the Halifax Metro Centre six days later but the result was the same for the Express. Halifax outscored Windsor 34-19 in the opening quarter and led by 20 points at halftime.

Poor shooting was again a problem for the Express, as the team shot 32.5 per cent from the floor and missed 14 free throws during the game.

The Express were led offensively by Kevin Loiselle with 15 points. Prosper scored 14 points and hauled down an impressive game-high 18 rebounds. Brown again had a game-high 24 points for the Rainmen while Tisby was a lesser factor, collecting 14 points and 10 rebounds.

The Express didn’t have long to rest, as they battled the Saint John Mill Rats in New Brunswick at Harbour Station Jan. 25 before heading back to Windsor to play London on Jan. 27.