Growlers rout Alliance in pivotal game for CEBL playoff picture | CBC Sports

The Newfoundland Growlers picked up a massive win on the road by defeating the Alliance 105-85 on Sunday at the Verdun Auditorium in Montreal.

Newfoundland and Montreal entered the game tied with a 4-12 record — which was dead last in the CEBL, and with only one team failing to qualify for the playoffs the stakes were high.

The road team started out strong right from the jump and never looked back en route to a commanding 54-27 lead at halftime.

The Growlers were led by Shaquile Keith, who dropped 27 points. Jahvon Blair added 18 points, while Nysier Brooks and Jermel Kennedy had 15 and 11, respectively. Blake Francis added 16 points off the bench.

Montreal, meanwhile, shot just 45 per cent from the field, but all five starters recorded at least 10 points. They were led by Nathan Cayo with 14, while Kemy Osse dropped 13.

Newfoundland will return to the court on Wednesday to host the Alliance at 6 p.m. ET. The game can be streamed live on CBCSports.ca, the free CBC Sports app and CBC Gem.

BlackJacks defeat Honey Badgers

The Ottawa BlackJacks took down the first place Hamilton Honey Badgers 104-95 on Sunday to put some distance on the Newfoundland Growlers and Montreal Alliance in the standings just over a week out from the end of the regular season.

Despite being eighth in the standings, Ottawa will be guaranteed a spot in the August 12 semifinals by virtue of being the host city.

The Honey Badgers remain on top as the CEBL’s first place team with a 13-5 record after dropping consecutive games for just the second time this season.

The BlackJacks shot a stellar 57 per cent in the first half, paced by forward Deng Adel with 12 points, eight rebounds and three assists, carrying a 56-42 lead into the third quarter.

Ottawa carried their strong play throughout the rest of the game, with five players reaching double digits in points. Adel achieved his double-double, finishing with 23 points and 10 rebounds, icing the game with two free throws.

The Honey Badgers were led by guard Nikola Djogo, who finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and four steals.

The BlackJacks will next travel to Edmonton to take on the Stingers on Wednesday at 7:00 P.M. MT, while the Honey Badgers will take on the Niagara River Lions at 7:00 P.M. ET on Friday in a battle between the CEBL’s top two teams.

Both games will be streamed live on CBCsports.ca, the free CBC Sports app and CBC Gem.

Rattlers rally to defeat Shooting Stars

The Saskatchewan Rattlers used a massive second half to overcome a 17-point deficit to stun the Scarborough Shooting Stars 91-85 on Sunday night.

Saskatchewan entered the game on a two-game win streak and early on it looked like the streak would end as they were trailing 45-34 at the half.. However, they turned things around in the second half as they outscored Scarborough 28-16 in the fourth quarter.

The Rattlers were led by Devonte Bandoo who had 25 points on 9-13 shooting in 24 minutes of action while Tony Carr added 19, Malik Benlevi had 14 and Jordy Tshimanga chipped in with 11.

Scarborough, meanwhile, shot just 43 per cent from the field as a team but did get a solid performance from Isiaha Mike. He dropped 20 points, while Teddy Allen had 18 and Jalen Harris recorded 12 points, five rebounds and six assists.

Saskatchewan improved to 10-8 with the win and will return to the court on Wednesday as they head to Guelph to face the Nighthawks at 7 p.m. ET. The Shooting Stars, meanwhile, fell to 10-8 and will host the Fraser Valley Bandits on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET. Both games can be streamed live on CBCSports.ca, the free CBC Sports app and CBC Gem.