Last-second layup sinks Lightning, 126-124
Russell scores 26; Edney has 16 assists in first loss of year
Ryan Edwards drove the middle of the lane and tossed in a finger-roll layup with 1.7 seconds left Friday night to complete a stunning 126-124 comeback victory by the Kankakee County Soldiers over the previously unbeaten Los Angeles Lightning.
Bryon Russell had 26 points and 11 rebounds for the Lightning (6-1), who led 106-93 with 9:40 to play before the visitors from the Chicago area knocked down four straight 3-pointers during a 16-4 run that cut the deficit to one at 110-109.
“They got on a roll in the fourth quarter and we couldn’t get stops,” said L.A. coach Ron Quarterman. “They got us on the boards as well (19-11 in offensive rebounds) and that led to a lot of second opportunities.”
Tyus Edney had 22 points and 16 assists for the Lightning but also committed eight turnovers. Juaquin Hawkins added 21 points, Fred Vinson had 19 and Travis Pinick had a double-double with a season-best 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Vinson and Russell each hit five treys on a night when the Lightning made 50 percent (15-30) from long range.
The Lightning played without its leading scorer and rebounder, Trayvon Lathan, who was out with a neck injury. Lathan is averaging 27.7 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Chris Ayer (14.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg) and Keith Simpson also missed the IBL pro basketball game at Cal Lutheran.
Erik Rhinehart had a game-high 30 points and nine rebounds for the Soldiers (6-5) while Carl Fine came off the bench to score 23 points on 7-11 shooting from the 3-point line. Kankakee was 12-29 from downtown in the second half and 19-46 for the game.
Edwards finished with 19 points and nine assists and Stan Chismark added 15 points and 12 rebounds. Kankakee shot 59.3 percent in the second half when it attempted 19 more field goals.
The Lightning made 60 percent of its second-half shots and hit 23 of 33 free throws compared to 5-8 for the Soldiers, who didn’t attempt a single foul shot in the second half. L.A. hit 19-26 from the charity stripe in the final two quarters.
Pinick had 13 points in the third quarter when the Lightning stretched its lead to 16 at 84-68.
L.A. went ahead 124-122 with 1:08 to play on two free throws by Edney. The Soldiers tied it on a follow shot by Rhinehart with 51 seconds left. Following a shot-clock violation on the Lightning, the Soldiers ran the clock down and L.A. fouled with six seconds left, setting the stage for Edwards’ game-winning drive.
The same teams will meet on Saturday at Cal Lutheran, starting at 7:30 p.m.
