Vancouver heads to Scarborough with sights set on 1st place in the West

July 26, 2024
Steven Loung

The Vancouver Bandits (13-5) can clinch the top seed in the Western Conference and a bye to 2024 Championship Weekend with a road win over the Scarborough Shooting Stars (11-7) on Friday night.

 

The Shooting Stars, who are locked into second place in the East and a home date with the Ottawa BlackJacks in the Eastern Conference Play-In, will look to Friday’s game against the Bandits as a solid test against stiff competition before the playoffs begin.

 

The game tips off at 8 p.m. ET from Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre, with live coverage available on CEBL+ powered by BetVictor, TSN+ and on the CEBL mobile app available for iOS and Android devices. The game will also be televised on Game+.

 

Expect lots of fireworks Friday night as this matchup pits the two top scoring teams in the league against one another.

 

Statistically, the Bandits are coming in as the favourite as they also allow the fewest points per game, and have the best point differential in the CEBL, but this isn’t to say that the Shooting Stars can’t compete. Far from it, in fact. Scarborough is currently the hottest team in the league right now having won four straight and its solid 7-1 home record certainly gives it an advantage over the 4-4 mark that Vancouver has managed on the road.

 

Led by the electric Cat Barber, the defending champs are peaking at the right time, and he’s been a big part of it, averaging 25.2 points per game over the course of the Shooting Stars’ win streak.

 

Toronto native Koby McEwen has taken the reins as Vancouver’s leader this season, with his deadeye three-point shooting a key aspect of the Bandits’ balanced attack, but he missed last night’s game in Brampton.

 

Both the Shooting Stars and Bandits are locked into playoff spots. The Montreal Alliance will be hosting Championship Weekend this year and get an automatic bye to the Final Four tournament. Considering how their respective regular seasons have gone, Scarborough and Vancouver alike look to have legitimate aspirations to the Alliance in Montreal for Championship Weekend.

 

Key matchup

The potential of a duel between Barber and McEwen should make you excited. Both are great three-point gunners, capable of filling it up in a hurry with their marksmanship from outside. Assuming McEwen is back in action, seeing these two immensely talented guards potentially go shot-for-shot – maybe in Target Score Time – would be a real treat.

 

Milestone watch

●     Scarborough’s Kalif Young, of Vaughan, Ont., needs 16 points to reach 500 for his career, regular season only.

●     Vancouver’s Nick Ward needs 12 points to reach 900 for his career, regular season only.

●     Scarborough’s Kadre Gray, of Toronto, Ont., needs 34 points to reach 900 for his career, regular season and playoffs.

●     Scarborough’s Cat Barber needs four rebounds to reach 250 for his career, regular season only.

●     Scarborough’s Kadre Gray, of Toronto, Ont., needs four rebounds to reach 250 for his career, regular season only.

●     Scarborough’s Kalif Young, of Vaughan, Ont., needs eight rebounds to reach 500 for his career, regular season only, and 11 rebounds to match Jordan Baker as the CEBL’s all-time rebounding leader, regular season and playoffs, with 560.

●     Vancouver’s Nick Ward needs three rebounds to reach 400 for his career, regular season only.

●     Scarborough’s Cat Barber needs 12 assists to reach 300 for his career, regular season only.

●     Scarborough’s Kadre Gray, of Toronto, Ont., needs three three-pointers made to reach 100 for his career, regular season and playoffs.

●     Vancouver’s Duane Notice, of Toronto, Ont., needs five steals to reach 50 for his career, regular season and playoffs.

2024 season series

This is the second meeting between these two sides. The first one happened way back on May 26, with the Bandits emerging victorious 88-83 in Vancouver. Taze Moore had 19 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in the victory then.

 

- 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.

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