English returns as St. John's Edge step into second round of the playoffs

After a brutal series against the Sudbury Five, the St. John's Edge start the second round of the playoffs Saturday at Mile One Centre.

The team will go up against the Kitchen-Waterloo Titans in a best-of-seven series, with a fan favourite returning to the lineup.

After sitting out since having surgery in February, the Edge announced on Thursday that Carl English had been activated and taken off the injured reserve list.

A press release from the team said that English made the decision after a few days of practicing with the team.

"Kitchener is playing the best basketball in the league at this time," aid Edge coach Steve Marcus at practice earlier this week.

"They are a hungry team. They are a tough team."

The first-round series wasn't kind to the St. John's Edge; forward Shaquille Keith broke his foot, and other players took a beating.

The team has focused this week on getting healthy, Marcus said, and gearing up for Round 2.

"We watched some film the last couple of days … just diving into what Kitchener does and how we can attack them offensively and how we are going to guard them defensively," Marcus said.

One of the standouts in the first round was Murphy Burnatowski.

In Sunday's deciding Game 5 against Sudbury, the six-foot-eight-inch forward led all scorers with 25 points.

"It was a grind but we ended up getting the upper hand in it and it worked out for us," Burnatowski said.

The 27-year-old from Kitchener-Waterloo is enjoying the success on the court and playing in Canada.

For the graduate of New York's Colgate University, this year is the first time since high school he has played in his own country.

When the series moves to his hometown for Game 3 and Game 4, he said, there will be a large section of supporters cheering for him and the St. John's Edge.

Game 1 of the Central Divisional Finals starts Saturday at 7 p.m. with Game 2 on Monday night.

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