It was an 11:00 a.m. school day game for the Greensboro Swarm, but no matter the start time, the Raptors 905 just keep on winning, improving to 5-0 with the 124-119 win on Wednesday afternoon.
The win marked the fifth straight for the 905, who are off to their best start in franchise history.
With the game starting before noon, it seemed like the 905 were still asleep in the first quarter. The team’s elite defence was unrecognizable in the first quarter, as the Swarm were consistently getting good looks.
Greensboro jumped out to an early 11-5 lead, with two-way Alijah Martin scoring all of the 905’s points early. The Swarm kept the pressure on, eventually pushing their lead all the way out to 23-9 thanks to Terrell Brown Jr. and Keyontae Johnson. The duo combined for 20 of the team’s eventual 35 points in the first quarter, as Brown was hitting some tough turnaround rainbow jumpers, while Johnson was using his size, speed, and athleticism to get out in transition.
The 905 ultimately got away from their game on both ends of the floor, as head coach Drew Jones dipped into his bench earlier than normal. Offensively, Mississauga’s team went scoreless for over three minutes towards the end of the frame, before a Tyreke Key and-one sparked a little spurt in response.
By the time the buzzer rang, Greensboro led 35-25. The first quarter was the worst the defence has looked all year for the 905, allowing the most points than they have in any frame this season.
To start the second, Chucky Hepburn was trying his best to will the 905 back. He had five quick points to start the quarter, helping spark a 12-4 run to cut the Swarm’s lead to five.
There were a couple of times the 905 got it back to an arm’s length away, but Greensboro responded every time. Specifically, a 15-7 run towards the end of the quarter helped the Swarm finish the half up 66-56. It was an improved frame from the 905, but they were going to have to turn it up in the second half if they wanted to remain undefeated.
And that’s exactly what they did, mostly thanks to Hepburn.
The 22-year-old came out of the break firing, draining three straight triples in the first three minutes, sparking a 14-6 905 run to only trail by two (72-70).
Greensboro responded with three triples themselves, however, from three different players in Jaylen Sims, Eric Dixon, and DJ Rodman, getting their double-digit lead back courtesy of a 10-4 run.
It was a back-and-forth battle for the rest of the frame, but ultimately, the 905 won the quarter and trailed by only five (92-87) heading into the fourth.
The final frame began all 905, and the undefeated team that the Raptors have shown themselves to be up until this point came back.
A 13-2 905 run gave the team its first lead in a long time, as suddenly the junior Dinos were in the driving seat with eight minutes to go.
The 905 continued to stay out in front as the shark-like defence continued to swarm, while Hepburn continued to get it done offensively. His 23-point second half helped the 905 stay in front for the majority of the fourth, but the Swarm’s 3-point shooting kept them in it.
A late 9-0 run, thanks to the home run ball, allowed the Swarm to tie the game at 116 with one minute left, and then even more 3-pointers started raining in.
An A.J. Lawson three gave the Dinos the advantage with 45 seconds remaining, but Dixon hit his sixth three of the afternoon to equalize things. The next trip down, Hepburn nailed a catch-and-shoot three for a season-high 30 points, as that would turn out to be the difference.
Notable performers:
Chucky Hepburn: 30 points, eight assists, two steals, two rebounds, and 5-for-8 from three.
A.J. Lawson: 27 points, three rebounds, three steals, and 4-for-9 from three.
Alijah Martin: 20 points, five steals, two assists, and one rebound.
Jonathan Mogbo: eight points, seven rebounds, and four assists.
