Brampton Honey Badgers Hold Off Late Bandits Rally in 96-91 Victory

The Brampton Honey Badgers (6-9) snapped a five-game losing skid with a 96-91 road victory against the Vancouver Bandits (5-9) on Friday night.

Christian Vital scored a team-high 20 points, and held off a late Bandits rally with a game-winning free throw in target score time. Vital also dished out four assists and grabbed three rebounds on the night.

With the victory, the Honey Badgers move into a tie with the Montréal Alliance for the final playoff spot in the eastern conference.

“This right here was a very important win for us,” Brampton head coach Antoine Broxsie said after the game. “We’re on Montréal’s heels, the eastern conference is very, very tight.”

After the Bandits went on a 10-0 run in target score, with Brampton one point away from victory, Vital was fouled on a reach by a pair of Bandits just outside the free throw line. The reigning CEBL Finals MVP knocked down the first free throw with thousands of fans screaming inside the Langley Events Centre.

“I loved the fact that we played together,” Broxsie said. “They had a certain edge to them that I hadn’t seen for a couple of weeks.”

Cody John chipped in with 18 points and 5 rebounds off the bench. John, who was averaging 8.4 points heading into today’s game, also shot 58 per cent from the field and recorded a pair of three pointers.

Malcom Duvivier put up a game-high 23 points and 9 rebounds in a losing effort. 17 of those points came after halftime.

Bandits assistant coach Tony Scott said that Vancouver played well for portions of the game, but need to focus on playing a full game to snap their current three-game losing streak.

“In our last two games you’ve noticed we’ve had portions of the game where it looked like we were clicking,” he said.

“Most of our games, when it’s tight and we’re down 18, we get back in Elam and all of a sudden it’s a close game. If we can transfer that Elam section into a full game, now we have what we want to do.”

The game had a playoff-like intensity from the opening tip.

Doug Herring Jr., who is averaging 11 points through three games entering today, made his second start of the season and scored the first five points for Vancouver. But the duo of Vital and Koby McEwen—who combined for 47 points in a 98-74 win against the Bandits in June—countered with 15 combined points in the frame.

Vital, specifically, hit a buzzer-beating three from the left side of the arch to give the Honey Badgers a one-point lead after one. 

Turnovers also plagued the Bandits in the first five minutes of the game. Vancouver turned the ball over four times in the first half of the quarter, however, Brampton only scored two points off those giveaways.

Entering the second, Brampton went on a 12-3 run and started to pull ahead. Their lead was buoyed with some sharp shooting from three point range.

After scoring three long balls in the first, the Honey Badgers sunk four in the second. Both Vital and McEwen had two three pointers each. Zane Waterman, who returned on July 12 after a three-game absence with a thumb injury, also racked up 5 points, 5 rebounds in the first half.

Brampton finished with 11 three pointers on the night.

Nick Ward, who scored 21 points off the bench in Vancouver’s last meeting with Brampton, scored 9 first half points.

After the break, Vancouver was able to shutdown Brampton’s backcourt. Vital and McEwen were scoreless in the third, however, John and Waterman scored seven and six points respectively in the frame to give the Honey Badgers a 72-52 lead entering the fourth quarter.

Tempers would flare when the game entered the fourth quarter. Halfway through the frame, both team’s leading scorers at the time—Ward (15 points) and McEwen (18)—were ejected with back-to-back technical fouls. The two stars were caught chirping under the basket after Ward was fouled on a drive to the hoop.

Ward finished with 15 points and 7 rebounds, while McEwen collected 6 assists and 6 rebounds to go with his 18 points.

Ahead of target score time, momentum started to shift after a Duvivier dunk on a fast break over Waterman got the crowd back in the game. The dunk sparked a 6-0 Bandits run, but Waterman ended the run with a three pointer out of a Brampton timeout.

The Honey Badgers then took a 15-point lead entering target score time and came within one point of victory when the Bandits went on a late surge. However, Vital drew a foul just outside the three-point line to end a 10-0 in target score time and keep Brampton’s playoff hopes alive.

Despite losing three straight games, guard Diego Maffia is confident the Bandits will be able to turn it around as Championship Weekend inches closer.

“I think we got this group of guys set so now it’s just growing [together],” he said. “We’re at home now… It’s nice to be here and have more practice time.”

The Honey Badgers will look for their second straight win on Monday night in Saskatchewan against the Rattlers. Vancouver, meanwhile, will look to rebound at home against the Alliance on Sunday.

Full broadcast schedule of CEBL Games of the Week on TSN can be found here. All games will also be streamed live internationally on the CEBL’s OTT platform, CEBL+, and on the CEBL Mobile app for iOS and Android devices. 

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 71 percent of its 2022 rosters being Canadian. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. Nine players have moved from the CEBL into the NBA following a CEBL season, and 28 CEBL players attended NBA G League training camps during October. The CEBL season runs from May through August. More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.