CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — The Island Storm has to win tonight in Saint John, N.B., to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
The Saint John Riptide’s magic number is one to clinch the final playoff berth in the National Basketball League of Canada. It means the Storm must run the table and get some help to qualify for the post-season.
“We’re not giving up,” Storm head coach Tim Kendrick said Wednesday. “We’re going to play hard until the end.
“For us, we expect to go in (tonight) and win and then we expect to go on to Newfoundland and win.”
The Riptide (16-21) is 6-4 in its last 10 games while the Storm (10-24) has won five of its past 10 contests.
The Storm heads to St. John’s, N.L., to play the Edge Saturday and Sunday. It has games at Halifax on March 28 and hosts Cape Breton on March 30. The Storm closes out the regular season with a home game against the Riptide on March 31 in a makeup contest for the Dec. 26 postponement.
The Storm is 10-8 at home but 0-16 away from the Eastlink Centre. The Storm is banged up and a couple of players will be game-time decisions tonight. Despite the adversity, Kendrick said he is proud of how his players have responded.
“The work ethic and attitude have been great,” he said.
