A.J. Lawson and Raptors 905 take down Birmingham Squadron on Asian Heritage Night
The Raptors 905 continued to play great basketball in the regular season, downing the Birmingham Squadron 122-112.
The win marked the 905’s seventh in their last nine, improving to 10-4 in the regular season. The team got their revenge from the season opener against the Squadron when they dropped an overtime thriller 111-108.
The 905 got out to a firing start, beginning the game on a quick 8-2 run, forcing the Squadron to call a timeout just over a minute into the contest. The hot shooting didn’t slow down, as the junior Dinos would finish the quarter shooting 63.6 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from distance, jumping out to a 36-23 lead after the first frame.
The flaming start was led by A.J. Lawson, as the Brampton, Ontario native would finish 12 points, going 5-for-7 from the field in the quarter.
The second quarter showcased the biggest difference between these two teams: pace. A top-five team in pushing the floor, the 905 got out and ran against the second-slowest team in the G the Squadron. Though Birmingham moved slowly, it was effective. Since a timeout the away team called with 9:21 left in the frame, the Squadron outscored the 905 34-21 and finished the final two minutes with a 13-5 explosion, to cut the 905 lead to 62-59 at the break.
It was led by Kentucky alums Keion Brooks Jr. and Antonio Reeves, who scored nine and eight points in the quarter, respectively.
The third quarter began sloppy for both teams, but it would begin well for the Squadron, who would claim their first lead of the game, 72-71, a couple of minutes into the quarter. Birmingham wouldn’t stop there, as by the time 905 head coach Drew Jones called a timeout with just under five minutes to go in the frame, the Squadron would lead 83-76 after a 24-14 run.
The third quarter would end with some back-and-forth play, with ultimately the junior Raps regaining the lead 93-87 heading into the final quarter.
The start of the fourth was all 905, beginning on a 5-0 run and they wouldn’t look back. Overall, the team would close out the game with some nice shot-making to take the win.
Lawson was fantastic, not just in the first quarter but throughout the entire game, finishing with 30 points, six rebounds, three assists, and one steal. On the day the Brampton, Ontario native was named to the G League’s Up Next game, he showed out, dominating in transition while cashing in six times from deep.
Raptors two-way player Jamison Battle was once again automatic, going 8-for-11 from the field and 5-for-6 from distance. The 23-year-old finished with 21 points, three assists, and two rebounds while competing on defence, where Battle said he’s “felt the most confident on defence in weeks.”
Other notable performances:
Raptors 905
Jared Rhoden 15 points, three rebounds, and three assists.
Eugene Omoruyi 14 points, six rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
Frank Kaminsky 11 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two blocks.
Kennedy Chandler 11 points, seven assists, two rebounds, and two steals.
Birmingham Squadron
Antonio Reeves 24 points, six rebounds, three assists, and 4-for-8 from distance.
Karlo Matkovic 22 points, six rebounds, five assists, three blocks, and two steals.
Keion Brooks Jr. 20 points, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
Lester Quinones 15 points, six rebounds, and six assists.
Next up for the 905 is a three-game road trip with three different opponents. First, they’ll head out to take on the Memphis Hustle, then jump over to take on the Motor City Cruise before wrapping the trip up at Gainbridge Fieldhouse to take on the Indiana Mad Ants.
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