Shooting Stars kick off vital 3-game stretch at home against Alliance

A three-game stretch that could define Scarborough’s season begins Tuesday.

The Shooting Stars host the Montreal Alliance at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre at 7:30 p.m. ET — the first game of three straight against the bottom three teams in the Eastern Conference. Live streaming coverage is available on CEBL+ and TSN+.

At 8-7, the Shooting Stars currently sit second in the East and must win out to have any hope of catching first-place Niagara (12-5).

And so Scarborough might be more concerned by the trailing teams, which include, in order, Ottawa (6-9), Brampton (6-10) and Montreal (4-12).

Since the Alliance have an automatic spot in Championship Weekend as hosts, one of the three other teams will miss out entirely on the post-season.

But the Shooting Stars control their fate by holding the best record among the trio.

The challenge in Scarborough will be weathering the storm until NBA Summer League ends. The Shooting Stars were among the hardest-hit teams, losing three of their four top scorers in Donovan Williams, Tevian Jones and Jackson Rowe — plus big man Nick Ongenda and even head coach Devan Blair, who’s working as a New York Knicks assistant.

In their place, leading scorer Cat Barber has risen to the occasion. Barber, who averages 22.1 points per game, scored the final 24 straight for Scarborough over Edmonton on Sunday to lead a 103-92 victory.

Montreal, meanwhile, lost its top scorer in Jordan Bowden. More importantly, though, it’s lost seven of its past eight games as it struggles to gain momentum ahead of the playoffs.

The Alliance typically engage in low-scoring affairs as they allow the second-fewest points per contest and score the third fewest.

Though Montreal’s shooting percentages hover around league-average, the team coughs up 16.6 turnovers per game, costing it extra scoring opportunities.

Tuesday marks the final game of the season between Scarborough and Montreal, who have split the previous two.

Key matchup

In the Alliance’s last game, an eight-point loss to Ottawa on Sunday, forward Chris Smith dominated with 24 points and 14 rebounds, including a seven-for-12 mark inside the arc.

Without Bowden, Montreal has leaned on Smith, its second-leading scorer (17.2 points per game) and leading rebounder (8.7 per game).

The American, who can also stretch the floor, could prove to be a handful for CEBL veteran Kalif Young, the Shooting Stars big man whose impact is most felt in the post, where he’s a prolific rebounder and blocked-shot artist.

Milestone watch

• Montreal’s Alain Louis needs nine points to reach 500 for his career, including playoffs
• Montreal’s Ahmed Hill needs two three-pointers to reach 200 for his career, including playoffs
• Scarborough’s Young needs 31 points to reach 500 for his career, regular season only
• Scarborough’s Kadre Gray needs five three-pointers to reach 100 for his career, including playoffs

- CEBL -

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.