Struggling Bolts search for answers, much-needed wins

Around the Perimeter: What’s holding London back? Three-pointers, defense, turnovers …; Paul Parks moves on from team; Up next: Must-win vs. Glass City? Three games in four days …

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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WHAT HAPPENED.

Windsor 108 – London 106 (8-10, 11-10) | Saturday, Feb. 22 in London

Jamestown 119 – London (8-11, 11-11) 105 | Sunday, Feb. 23 in Jamestown

WHAT WE LEARNED.

The London Lightning fell to three games below .500 in league play. It’s a rarity in franchise history, but sub-.500 has happened in the Forest City. In 2017, the team started out 2-5. That team then won 12 straight games and finished its season 27-13 overall with a championship. In 2018-19, the team was 12-17 on Feb. 6, having lost four of their last five games. That team then won eight in a row and finished 24-22 overall.

Granted, this team doesn’t appear to have a similar winning streak in them, as they have maxed out at three games in a row this season. But with 10 conference games to go (12 overall), this might be a time to look to the past for some inspiration.

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Shooting guard Paul Parks – the team’s leading scorer – has decided to make a change and has left the team. He plans to return to the Middle East for the playoffs, then hopefully make a return to the TBL.

Although he has struggled in recent games, Parks has been a key contributor all season long, especially from three-point range. Parks (37.3%) is second only to Joel Kindred (41.4%) in three-point shooting percentage, and his 82 makes are the most in the BSL this season.

This loss is another incredibly large hole to fill for a team in the back half of their season.

Parks finishes his Lightning season averaging 19.1 points (team-high) , 4.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game.

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What’s the Seinfeld joke? Fans are basically standing and cheering for your city’s clothes to beat the clothes from another city. That’s never been truer than in London.

Last season, the Lightning roster was a revolving door. This year, yup, it’s more of the same.

Paul Parks, who is headed overseas, is the latest Lightning player to depart from the team. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

London opened the 2024-25 season with 12 players on the roster, and only four (in bold) now remain.

• Corey Boyd, centre

• Alex Campbell, guard

• Tonzell Handy, forward

• Omega Harris, guard

• Nino Johnson, centre

• Chris Jones, guard

• Joel Kindred, guard

• Marcus Ottey, guard

• Paul Parks, guard

• Jachai Taylor, guard

• Billy White, forward

• Dexter Williams Jr., forward

This kind of churn is not good for any franchise during the season, from the lack of time to learn each other’s games and play as a team on the court, to marketing and selling this team (and its players) to fans off the court. It’s nearly impossible when you rotate through so much.

The deadline to add players who qualify for the playoffs is March 5.

Billy White is one of four players on London’s opening day roster who remain on the team heading into action this weekend. (Photo: Jade Sumpton).

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Yaw Obeng-Mensah, a 6-foot-8 power forward, is the latest addition to the Lightning roster.

Last summer, the Toronto native played with the Brampton Honey Badgers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), averaging 5.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, and .5 assists per game. He arrives in London fresh from Club Atlético Independiente (Argentina).

Obeng-Mensah scored 10 points, nabbed 4 rebounds, and dished 3 assists over 14 minutes of play in his second game as a Bolt against Jamestown last Sunday.

Obeng-Mensah played college basketball for Niagara University, where he averaged 10.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. He also had previous stints at the University of Maryland Baltimore County and Santa Fe Community College.

WHAT WAS AWESOME + WHAT NEEDS WORK.

After five straight league losses, it’s clear that the Lightning are in a funk.

Despite having a roster full of talent, the team has been plagued by a combination of shooting struggles, turnovers, and an inability to make key defensive stops when it counts. Here’s a dive into the reasons behind their recent slide:

Newcomer Yaw Obeng-Mensah. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

Three-point shooting woes | It’s tough to win in the modern game when you can’t make threes.

Over these five losses, the Lightning have shot just 30.1% from beyond the arc – an abysmal mark for a team that relies heavily on perimeter scoring. In particular, players like Paul Parks and Marcus Ottey, who are usually capable from deep, have failed to find their rhythm.

Parks, especially, has had a brutal last three games, shooting just 2-11 against Sudbury, 3-12 against Windsor, and 1-8 against Jamestown. This poor marksmanship creates a jam in their offense, allowing defenders to collapse in the paint and disrupt their post play. As defenses sag off the perimeter, it becomes much easier for opponents to limit the Lightning’s offensive flow.

Giving away possessions | With 11.6 turnovers per game in these five losses, the Lightning’s ball security has been nothing short of disappointing. When a team struggles to protect the ball, they’re not just giving away possessions – they’re putting unnecessary pressure on their defense.

When your primary ball handlers are careless with the rock, it allows opposing teams to get out in transition and take advantage of easy scoring opportunities. The Lightning need to settle down and focus on protecting the ball if they hope to reverse this trend.

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

Defensive deficiencies | Let me know if you have heard this one before. Despite their respectable rebound numbers, the Lightning’s defense has been exposed. The team is giving up far too many high-percentage shots, allowing far too many scoring runs, and failing to get the crucial stops in the fourth quarter. Whether it’s poor rotations or a lack of perimeter defense, the result is the same: opposing teams get clean looks. Gone are lockdown defenders Chris Jones and Dexter Williams Jr. – and it shows at crunch time. Without the ability to clamp down on defense, these scoring lapses are proving costly in tight games.

Depth ain’t that deep | Over these five games, the Lightning averaged 31.4 bench points per game. That number included an eye-popping 40-9 margin against Windsor. Even still, opponent benches outscored the Lightning in four of the five games, averaging 39.6 bench points per game.

Down low on the down low | While the outside game is suffering, the inside game is thriving – but there might not be enough of it. London has played well down low, putting up 58.8 PPG in the paint vs. 50.4 PPG for their opponents. With the three-point game being defended well (and struggling when not), there is opportunity in pounding the ball in. I get it, two points isn’t three, but it is a hell of a lot better than zero.

STORIES YOU MISSED.

Basketball booming, but fewer Canadians on Lightning, in BSL

How will Lightning rebound from Sudbury sweep?

WHAT’S NEXT.

at Glass City | Thursday, Feb. 27 | 7 p.m.

KW | Saturday, March 1 | 7 p.m. (Rescheduled from Feb. 16)

Pontiac | Sunday, March 2 | 2 p.m.

Sudbury | Wednesday, March 5 | 7 p.m.