Montreal Edges Saskatchewan with Late-Game Comeback Win
No Dunn-Martin? No problem. Quincy Guerrier and the Montreal Alliance (6-6) stepped up in crunch time without their leading scorer in the lineup Thursday night to erase a 13-point deficit and stun Saskatchewan (3-11) in a Target Time thriller.
It appeared that Saskatchewan was in the driver’s seat for their second victory on home court this season until a Malcolm Duvivier triple made it a one-point game late in the third quarter.
It was a deja-vu of the first quarter, where the Rattlers were neck-and-neck with the visiting Alliance.
Isaac Simon’s first-half scoring outburst catapulted Saskatchewan to a 13-point lead going into the second half, but they quickly let their lead slip through their hands.
Montreal made five three-pointers in the third quarter, the last coming from Duvivier. By the start of the fourth, it was anyone’s game — and Montreal’s captain, Quincy Guerrier, knocked down three more from deep in the final frame.
This game was a coin flIp as Saskatchewan only had a three-point lead going into Target Time, and the game was tied at 80 apiece with the Target Score set at 81.
“I’d rather win ugly than lose pretty. It’s very tough to get wins,” reflected Montreal head coach Jermaine Small after the game. “I think it was a very character game for us. We didn’t have our best player in the game today. Moving forward, we can build on this momentum because it was a character win. I’m very proud of our guys.”
Montreal was missing their star in Tavian Dunn-Martin and they will soon miss Guerrier as he heads to Summer League with the Toronto Raptors.
Guerrier’s last triple gave Montreal a two-point buffer, and their 5-0 lead in Target Time gave them a two-point lead.
“I think they did a great job moving the basketball. I think it came down to their offensive rebounding,” admitted Saskatchewan head coach Eric Magdanz. “They did a good job getting the offensive rebound, kicking out. It’s always difficult to recover off an offensive rebound.”
Over the last seven days, Montreal came into this game leading the league in offensive rebounds with 16.5 per game (through two games) despite a 0-2 record. Tonight, they had 20 offensive boards and were +14 compared to Saskatchewan.
It’s a disappointing loss for Saskatchewan, who now have the league-worst 3-11 record. Before tonight, they lost 97-85 against the league-best Vancouver Bandits after giving up a lead. Saskatchewan repeated its own history day.
However, it was a special night for Developmental Player Isaac Simon and Nate Pierre-Louis.
Simon, the University of Alberta Golden Bears player, scored his career-high 19 points on eight-for-13 shooting. At halftime, he talked about being aggressive and he did exactly that throughout the entire game. He made mince meat out of Ben Stevens on an iso play mid-way through the third quarter, stepping back on a mid-range jumper to make it a 17-point game. He even drew an offensive foul from former Developmental Player Alain Louis down low in the fourth quarter.
Pierre-Louis notched over 100 assists this season after game-highs in 25 points and 13 assists. He came into this game being the second assist-leader in the league with 6.9 per game.
“It’s a blessing. Just really grateful,” Pierre-Louis said. “I have great teammates.”
Montreal’s Small and his team were equally grateful to walk away with a late-game comeback win tonight.
Box score
https://www.cebl.ca/game?id=2600633
Up next for both teams
The Saskatchewan Rattlers (3-11) host the Ottawa BlackJacks (6-6) at SaskTel Centre on Saturday, July 5th. The Montreal Alliance (6-6) head back home to host the Niagara River Lions (7-5) at Verdun Auditorium on Sunday, July 6th.
Next CEBL action
The Winnipeg Sea Bears (5-8) head to Meridian Centre to face the Niagara River Lions (7-5) on Friday, July 4th. For the full 2025 CEBL schedule and up-to-date results, please visit
cebl.ca/games.
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