Balanced effort earns BlackJacks 102-80 win over Shooting Stars, snaps losing skid

A trio of 21-point performances and a strong defensive showing bookended the Ottawa BlackJacks (3-7) 102-80 win over the Scarborough Shooting Stars (6-5) on Thursday night.

After losing two games in a row and putting up a season-low 67 points their last time out, the BlackJacks bounced back in a big way against the defending champs. Tyrell Tate, Keevan Veinot and Isaih Moore off the bench each chipped in with 21 apiece as they sparked Ottawa’s first triple-digit scoring output of the season.

But it was their defence that carried most of the workload, as the BlackJacks held the Shooting Stars to their second-lowest scoring night of the season on 39 per cent shooting from the field.

“Certainly our best overall performance so far,” Ottawa head coach James Derouin said after the win. “On both ends of the floor, but most importantly holding them to 80 (points). That’s the best offence in the league … getting key stops, that was probably the biggest takeaway from the game.”

For Scarborough, the loss snapped a two-game win streak and cost them an opportunity to potentially gain ground on Niagara for top spot in the East. Cat Barber led the way with 26 points, a season-high in scoring, and three steals. He was helped by Jackson Rowe who finished with 15 points and five steals in his first game back in Ottawa since joining Scarborough and Devoe Joseph who scored 11 points off the bench.

“I thought we were okay for maybe six (minutes of the second half),” said Shooting Stars head coach Devan Blair after the loss. “I thought in (Target Score Time) we actually tried but when you’re down 20 it doesn’t really matter anymore.”

Deng Adel’s return, after completing overseas commitments later than expected, was rightfully all fans at TD Place could talk about before tip-off. The franchise leader in total points, a Swiss-army knife forward that scored a team-best 17.5 points per game last year while leading Ottawa to 12 wins, was a beacon of hope for the injury-riddled squad.

And his impact was immediately visible. Adel took a loose ball at the 7:28 mark of the opening frame and threw down a transition dunk for his first points of 2024. His presence alone attracted enough attention to open things up for teammates like Veinot who scored eight points in the first quarter.

Adel finished the game with 11 points, six rebounds, nine assists and two steals.

The pair helped spark a 12-4 game-opening run that game the BlackJacks momentary control, but the defending champs responded with a 13-3 run that cut Ottawa’s lead down to 24-23 after 10 minutes.

“To come out for a home game and get a big win after a disappointing (game) last week, it feels amazing,” Veinot said following his first start of the season. “We finally have guys here, it feels like a full roster … it feels like a team, so hopefully we can keep getting these wins.”

But come the second quarter, the BlackJacks regained control. Partly thanks to Tate hitting three triples for a game-high 12 points at halftime – but mostly due to a defensive effort that limited the Shooting Stars to 35 per cent shooting. It was the first time all season Ottawa held an opponent under 50 per cent shooting through a half.

For a team that typically allows the second most points per game in the league (95.7), stymieing the CEBL’s top scoring team (93.5) was quite the feat.

The balanced offensive and defensive effort earned Ottawa a 49-40 halftime lead.

“We all just bought in,” said Veinot when asked about his team’s improved defence on Thursday. “We’ve had glimpses in other games … but that whole first half it seemed like it was all there.”

And although the BlackJacks extended that lead up as high as 14 points throughout the third quarter, like the previous run, Scarborough had an answer. Led by none other than the Shooting Stars’ top- scorer in 2023, Barber. The import caught fire as he scored 19 points in the frame to cut the lead down to 75-68 ahead of the fourth.

It was just Barber’s third game of the season after re-joining the team a week ago following his overseas season in Portugal. He’s now averaging 19.3 points per game on the year.

“He gave us a chance,” said Blair when asked about Barber’s impact in this game. “We need him. He won a championship (with Scarborough) last year, we’re going to need him going forward … it’s huge.”

Once the final frame got underway, it was once again defence more than offence that carried Ottawa to victory. The BlackJacks opened the fourth quarter on a 12-3 run, holding the Shooting Stars to zero made field goals through nearly four minutes. It wasn’t until a Rowe hook shot at the 6:28 mark that Scarborough made a fourth quarter basket.

Ottawa took a 93-75 lead into Target Score Time and made sure not to waste their opportunity to topple the East’s No. 2 squad. The Shooting Star’s comeback effort could only muster five points as the BlackJacks eventually capped off their season-best 22-point victory with an Isaih Moore dunk.

And although defence was the catalyst for the win, the offence stepped up as well. Ottawa shot 50 per cent from the field, and more impressively, 70 per cent from inside the arc.

The victory also leapfrogged the BlackJacks into third in the conference, overtaking 3-8 squads Brampton and Montreal.

Up Next

The BlackJacks continue a three-game homestand on Thursday as they welcome the Montréal Alliance to TD Place for their third of four regular season matchups.

For the Shooting Stars, they stay on the road for two more games as they visit the Brampton Honey Badgers on Sunday for a GTA rivalry showdown.

About the CEBL

A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 75% of its rosters being Canadian and a record 10 players with NBA experience in 2024. Players also bring experience from the NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, NCAA programs, as well as U SPORTS and CCAA. Fourteen players have signed NBA contracts following a CEBL season, and numerous CEBL players attend NBA G League training camps every year. The CEBL season runs from May through August with games broadcast live on CEBL+ powered by BetVictor, TSN, TSN+, RDS, Game+, Next Level Sports & Entertainment and Courtside1891. More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.