The London Lightning became 2022 National Basketball League of Canada champions this spring after defeating the Kitchener-Waterloo Titans three games to none in the Best-of-Five finals.
After nearly two years away from Budweiser Gardens, the Lightning started the 2022 season with a record-tying 11-game winning streak on their way to an impressive 20-4 regular season record (which included setting an NBL Canada record by going a perfect 12-0 at home).
The Lightning started the 2022 campaign with high hopes of finishing what they started during the abruptly cancelled 2019-20 season. With only a small handful of players returning from that season, due to the late start in 2022, London featured the league’s deepest 12-man roster, made up of players that could easily start on any other team in the league.
Despite going 20-4 during the regular season, not everything was always sunny for the Bolts. The team fell one game short of setting a league record for best start after losing on the road to the Albany Patroons of the US-based TBL, starter Chris Jones was suspended for the final six games of the regular season after an incident with a referee in Sudbury, and a slew of injuries left the Bolts suiting up as few as five players on a couple of occasions. In the face of it all, though, head coach Doug Plumb kept the team focused on their ultimate goal.
London has now won five of the NBL Canada’s nine championships with hopes of their third back-to-back championships as they head into the 2022-23 season this winter. With the #DriveFor5 complete, the hunt for another championship begins.
Submitted by the London Lightning
