Honey Badgers, Defensive-Minded Big Man Gainey Agree To Contract

Jordan Bowden’s CEBL career-high 40 points led the Saskatchewan Rattlers’ furious fourth-quarter rally as they picked up a 93-90 win over the Ottawa BlackJacks on Saturday night. The Rattlers improved to 4-11 on the season despite entering the fourth quarter down by 14 points and trailing 82-71 at the start of Target Score Time — outscoring the BlackJacks 35-18 in the decisive final frame. Meanwhile, the loss dropped Ottawa to 6-7 and snapped a four-game win streak that was tied for best in the league entering Saturday. “We’re some dogs,” Bowden said after the comeback victory. “We came together, got stops when we needed them, and got the shots we wanted at the end … we fight and we can play with anybody in the CEBL.” Bowden’s big night was largely thanks to a stellar showing from beyond the arc, going 9-of-14 to set a new Rattlers franchise record for made three-pointers in a single game. He wasn’t the only one to reach a new milestone, however, as teammate Nate Pierre-Louis set a new single-game assists record for Saskatchewan with 14 to go with his 12 points. The import ranked third in the league entering the night, averaging 7.4 assists per game. Behind them was Grant Anticevich, who chipped in 13 points and nine rebounds, and Devonté Bandoo, who scored 13 points off the bench. “Our defensive intensity in the fourth and our will to continue to compete allowed us to come back,” Rattlers head coach Eric Magdanz said post-game. “I thought we took good shots in the first half, but they just didn’t fall, so huge credit to our guys, they just continued to battle … and give themselves an opportunity.” On the other side, Javonte Smart led the way with his 31 points on 13-of-21 shooting and five made triples, in what was the BlackJacks' first loss with him in the lineup. Ottawa’s only other starter to reach double-figures for scoring was Deng Adel, who added 13 points and 11 assists. Meanwhile, Zane Waterman chipped in 20 points off the pine on 5-of-10 shooting from distance. “I was disappointed in the way we finished the game,” BlackJacks head coach Dave DeAviero said after his team’s first loss in nearly three weeks. “But give credit to them. Bowden had a huge game, he made some tough shots, and they were much better than us in the Target Score ending.” Entering the matchup, the Rattlers' story this season was one of resilience, but with ultimately little success to show for it — nine of their 11 losses coming by single digits. And much of Saturday’s contest appeared to be a repeat of that tale as Saskatchewan and Ottawa remained neck-and-neck early — neither team leading by more than eight points in the first 20 minutes of play — and just one more made field goal by the BlackJacks in the first half being the difference as they led 41-39 at the break. “I don’t know if there’s any secret sauce that allowed us to (win a close game), other than we’ve continued to battle every single game,” Magdanz explained. “Sometimes the ball isn’t going to bounce in our favour, but when we compete this hard … we give ourselves an opportunity.” All the while, that slim deficit for the Rattlers was largely thanks to Bowden (a continuous trend on the night), who put up a game-high 15 first-half points, including a transition layup at the 2:04 mark that capped an 11-0 run. That basket also briefly allowed Saskatchewan to retake the lead before a Waterman triple in the final minute of the half put Ottawa back up. The BlackJacks completely seized the momentum coming out of halftime, however, as they opened the third on a 12-0 run and took the game’s first double-digit lead. That burst was thanks to some lights-out shooting as all four of Ottawa’s makes in that stretch came from beyond the arc, matching its first-half total for made triples (4-of-13) in less than three minutes into the third. Ottawa ultimately made seven threes in the third quarter en route to a 72-58 lead after 30 minutes. A more characteristic showing from a BlackJacks squad that entered the night ranked third in three-point percentage (35.7), finishing the game 13-for-30 (43 per cent). But unlike all season, the Rattlers' story on Saturday didn’t end with a comeback ultimately fizzling out once more. Saskatchewan outscored Ottawa 22-8 in Target Score Time, using stops on defence to fuel transition offence (27-16 for fastbreak points) — including a game-ending 8-0 run — led primarily by the duo of Bowden and Anticevich, who scored 14 and 12 points each once the clock stopped. The pair also capped off the double-digit rally with back-to-back threes, first Bowden and then Anticevich from the left wing to seal the stunning victory. “I think it was just the want,” Bowden explained when asked what clicked for Saskatchewan in the win. “Just the details were losing us games … but today we wanted to win and we went and got it.” Box Score https://www.cebl.ca/game?id=2600637 Up next The BlackJacks wrap up a quick two-game road trip on Wednesday as they visit the Brampton Honey Badgers for an Eastern Conference clash. Meanwhile, the Rattlers continue a four-game homestand on Friday as they host the Winnipeg Sea Bears for the second of three Banjo Bowl rivalry matchups this regular season. Next CEBL action A triple-header slate on Sunday resumes league-wide action, starting with the defending champion Niagara River Lions visiting the Montreal Alliance at 4 p.m. ET. The Edmonton Stingers will then host the Calgary Surge for the latest Battle of Alberta at 6 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. local, followed by the Honey Badgers visiting the West-leading Vancouver Bandits at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. local. For the full 2025 CEBL schedule and up-to-date results, please visit cebl.ca/games . - CEBL -

In the battle between struggling Niagara and Winnipeg, one team was assured of a get-right win. The River Lions made sure it was them. Niagara dispatched of the Sea Bears 93-82 on Friday at the Meridian Centre in St. Catharines, Ont., snapping its two-game skid and padding its lead atop the Eastern Conference. Winnipeg, meanwhile, suffered its fourth consecutive loss. Niagara now sits at 8-5, while Winnipeg falls to 5-9. “I mean, it was the bounceback that we needed,” River Lions head coach Victor Raso said. “I thought we played hard the entirety of the game. We played better basketball than we have been in the past, so that was a big step in the right direction.” The River Lions controlled most of the game, leading by double digits much of the way, until the Sea Bears injected a scare with a fourth-quarter run that cut their deficit to five. It was as close as they would get. Niagara led 83-74 when the clock stopped for Target Score Time, which began explosively. After Jalen Harris hit a two-pointer to start the proceedings, the teams traded three-pointers on four straight possessions with Khalil Ahmad and Ron Curry hitting for Niagara, while Harris hit both for Winnipeg. Shortly after, Ahmad reinforced yet again why he has become known as the Target Score King, splashing home a step-back three-pointer to seal the River Lions victory. “it's all about continuity and putting together that game after game after game after game, so if we can stay continuous, then we'll be alright,” Ahmad said. For Niagara, the long-awaited win came on the back of its defence. The River Lions entered Friday’s action allowing the most points against per game in the league and having given up a combined 193 points in its two losses. But on Friday, they held the Sea Bears to just 34 points in the middle two quarters and forced 19 total turnovers. “We defended really well, especially for the first three quarters up in the game, really up until the points of the game where Jalen Harris started making shots, I thought we were defending quite well,” Raso said. Ahmad led the way for Niagara with 26 points to go with four assists and three rebounds. He made nine of 17 field-goal attempts, and two of his three triples came during Target Score Time. Elijah Lufile came off the bench for a near-double-double of 10 points and nine rebounds, while do-it-all guard Kimbal Mackenzie contributed 11 points, five rebounds and four assists. Ahmed Hill, the CEBL’s all-time leading scorer, had 12 points to move within five of becoming the first player in league history to reach the 1,500-point plateau (including playoffs). Ron Curry returned for the River Lions after a five-game absence, scoring eight points and dishing three assists. But Ahmad also credited his team’s defence for the win. “Defensive toughness, defensive intensity, just being together on defence because offence isn't really our problem. We just got to stay consistent defensively,” he said. On the flip side, Winnipeg’s defence — which entered just one-tenth of a point better than Niagara per game and will exit with the dubious title of league’s worst defence — continued to struggle. Niagara’s offence made 45 per cent of its three-point attempts and five different players scored in double digits. Head coach Mike Taylor pinpointed focus as the reason for his team’s losing streak. “We really had a spirited comeback, put ourselves in a good position, but there were too many possessions in the early part of the game where we kind of got in our own way. And it's been a theme at times. We've been inconsistent,” he said. “And today that put us behind the eight ball to 19 turnovers. We've been a team that's taken care of the basketball really well all year. Unfortunately, today, we were a little bit disorganized.” Sea Bears leading scorer Simi Shittu was ejected from the game early in the fourth quarter after picking up his fifth personal foul. In his place, Winnipeg native Emmanuel Akot paced his squad with 22 points to go with six rebounds and two assists. Harris ended with 21 points after his Target Time splurge. Akot said Winnipeg let Niagara build too big of an early lead, but he was happy with his team’s spirit to fight back. “But at the end of the day, winning is what matters, and we just got to go back to the office and figure things out,” Akot said. Canadian Olympian Dillon Brooks, who was recently traded from the NBA’s Houston Rockets to the Phoenix Suns, attended the game. The River Lions led 28-24 after a fast-paced first quarter and extended their lead to 51-38 by halftime. They took a 73-58 advantage into the final frame. But in the end, it was Ahmad — as per usual — coming up clutch when it mattered most, and Niagara was able to leave its home arena with a win. Box Score https://www.cebl.ca/game?id=2600635 Up Next Niagara heads to Montreal to face the Alliance on Sunday, while Winnipeg wraps its three-game road trip in Saskatchewan against the Rattlers next Friday. Next CEBL Action The surging Ottawa BlackJacks visit the Rattlers in Saturday’s lone contest. For the full 2025 CEBL schedule and up-to-date results, please visit cebl.ca/games . - CEBL -

The forward returns to the Bandits for his third season

Pas de Dunn-Martin? Aucun problème. Quincy Guerrier et l’Alliance de Montréal (6-6) ont pris les choses en main dans les moments cruciaux malgré l’absence de leur meilleur marqueur, pour effacer un déficit de treize points et surprendre les Rattlers de la Saskatchewan (3-11) dans un thriller conclu pendant la période du pointage cible. Il semblait pourtant que la Saskatchewan était en plein contrôle et se dirigeait vers une deuxième victoire à domicile cette saison, jusqu’à ce qu’un tir de trois points de Malcolm Duvivier réduise l’écart à un seul point en fin de troisième quart. C’était un véritable rappel du premier quart, où les Rattlers et l’Alliance se livraient un duel serré. L’explosion offensive d’Isaac Simon en première demie a propulsé la Saskatchewan vers une avance de treize points au retour du vestiaire, mais ils ont rapidement laissé filer cette avance. Montréal a inscrit cinq tirs de trois points au troisième quart, le dernier venant de Duvivier. Au début du quatrième, tout était encore possible — et le capitaine de Montréal, Quincy Guerrier, a réussi trois autres tirs de loin dans le dernier quart. Le match était un pile ou face, alors que la Saskatchewan ne menait que par trois points au début de la période du pointage cible, et la rencontre était égale à 80, le pointage cible étant fixé à 81. « Je préfère gagner de façon difficile que perdre en jouant bien. C’est très difficile d’aller chercher des victoires », a confié l’entraîneur-chef de Montréal, Jermaine Small, après la rencontre. « Je pense que c’était un match révélateur de notre caractère. Nous n’avions pas notre meilleur joueur ce soir. Pour la suite, on peut bâtir sur cet élan, parce que c’est une victoire de caractère. Je suis très fier de mes gars. » Montréal était privé de sa vedette Tavian Dunn-Martin, et l’équipe devra bientôt se passer de Guerrier, qui se joindra à la Ligue d’été avec les Raptors de Toronto. Le dernier tir de trois points de Guerrier a donné une avance de deux points à Montréal, et leur séquence de 5-0 pendant la période du pointage cible leur a permis de conserver cette avance. « Je crois qu’ils ont fait un excellent travail pour faire circuler le ballon. Ça s’est joué sur leur rebond offensif », a admis l’entraîneur-chef de la Saskatchewan, Eric Magdanz « Ils ont su dominer au rebond offensif et bien relancer l’attaque. Se réorganiser défensivement après un rebond offensif, c’est toujours un défi. » Au cours des sept derniers jours, Montréal arrivait dans ce match en tête de la ligue pour les rebonds offensifs avec une moyenne de 16,5 par match (après deux rencontres), malgré une fiche de zéro victoire et deux défaites. Ce soir, ils ont capté 20 rebonds offensifs, avec une marge de +14 comparativement à la Saskatchewan. C’est une défaite décevante pour la Saskatchewan, qui détient maintenant la pire fiche de la ligue à trois victoires et 11 défaites. Avant ce soir, l’équipe s’était inclinée 97-85 contre les Bandits de Vancouver, meneurs au classement, après avoir laissé filer une avance. La Saskatchewan a donc répété la même histoire. Cependant, c’était une soirée spéciale pour le joueur en développement Isaac Simon et Nate Pierre-Louis. Simon, joueur des Golden Bears de l’Université de l’Alberta, a inscrit un sommet en carrière avec 19 points sur huit tirs réussis en 13 tentatives. À la mi-temps, il avait parlé de rester agressif, et c’est exactement ce qu’il a fait tout au long de la rencontre. Il a débordé Ben Stevens en un contre un au milieu du troisième quart, reculant pour réussir un tir en suspension à mi-distance qui portait l’écart à 17 points. Il a même provoqué une faute offensive contre l’ancien joueur en développement Alain Louis sous le panier au quatrième quart. Pierre-Louis a dépassé le plateau des 100 passes décisives cette saison grâce à un do ublé de 25 points et 13 passes décisives, un sommet pour le match. Il abordait cette rencontre au deuxième rang de la ligue pour les passes décisives, avec une moyenne de 6,9 par match. « C’est une bénédiction. Je suis simplement très reconnaissant », a déclaré Pierre-Louis. « J’ai des coéquipiers formidables. » Small et son équipe de l’Alliance de Montréal étaient tout aussi reconnaissants de repartir avec une victoire arrachée en fin de match ce soir. Feuille de match https://www.cebl.ca/game?id=2600633 À venir pour les deux équipes Les Rattlers de la Saskatchewan (3-11) accueilleront les BlackJacks d’Ottawa (6-6) au SaskTel Centre le samedi 5 juillet. L’Alliance de Montréal (6-6) sera de retour à domicile pour recevoir les River Lions de Niagara (7-5) à l’Auditorium de Verdun le dimanche 6 juillet. Prochains matchs dans la LECB Les Sea Bears de Winnipeg (5-8) se rendront au Meridian Centre pour affronter les River Lions de Niagara (7-5) le vendredi 4 juillet. Pour consulter le calendrier complet de la LECB 2025 et les résultats à jour, visitez le site cebl.ca/games . - LECB -

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 . - CEBL -

There might be a new star trio in the CEBL. Facing the prospect of blowing what was once a 22-point lead, up by just six in Target Score Time following a furious rally, the threesome of Evan Gilyard Jr., Sean Miller-Moore and Greg Brown III, who combined for 60 points, connected to deliver one final dagger as the Calgary Surge held on for a 94-85 win over the home Brampton Honey Badgers on Thursday. Gilyard brought the ball up and worked into a dribble-handoff with Moore, who snaked through the lane and kicked it to Brown in the right corner for the team’s 10th and final triple of the game. The basket was vital as it stopped what was a 13-2 Brampton charge once the clocks had stopped and gave Calgary the breathing room it needed to carve out a victory, now 9-4 on the season and just one game back of the Vancouver Bandits atop the West. “Unbelievable for us,” Surge head coach Caleb Canales said of the leading trio post-game. “Rugzy has been unbelievable for us from the first game, Greg too, and Evan has immediately just fit right in.” Leading that charge was Gilyard, who finished with a game-high 25 points on four-of-nine shooting from distance to go with four assists and three steals in his impressive CEBL debut. Meanwhile, Brown chipped in 19 points, 10 assists and three blocks, while Miller-Moore added 16 points, six rebounds and two blocks as the trio accounted for over 60 per cent of Calgary’s offensive production on a night they were missing their second-leading scorer in Jameer Nelson Jr. On the other side, Marcus Carr scored a team-high 20 points to go with six rebounds and seven assists in 31 minutes off the bench. Behind him were Amari Kelly (13 points, 10 rebounds) and Prince Oduro (12 points, 12 rebounds) with a pair of double-doubles, while Quinndary Weatherspoon and Bryson Williams each chipped in 13 points, respectively. The loss dropped the Honey Badgers to 4-9, remaining in last place in the East. While Calgary got multiple contributions on the night, none were as immediate or as notable as the energy Gilyard provided. The Surge debutant had a 90-second stretch to open the game that included six points, a steal, and a charge that almost single-handedly sparked a 10-0 run that helped his team carve out a 27-11 lead following the first quarter. Talk about a first impression. “It was great,” Gilyard said of his first taste of CEBL basketball. “I played some pretty good defence, helped my teammates out and made things easy for them … control the game in every aspect.” Meanwhile, underscoring that early effort was Calgary’s dominance inside, holding Brampton to 3-of-14 shooting (21 per cent) on two-pointers for a 16-4 edge on paint points after 10 minutes. The trend continued till the end as the Honey Badgers finished 19-of-55 (34 per cent) inside the arc, as the Surge finished plus-10 for points in the paint. And although it seemed as though the Surge simply wouldn’t relinquish their momentum, going on an 8-0 run in the second — capped with back-to-back triples — to lead by as many as 20 points, the Honey Badgers did show some resilience, to their credit. They responded with an 11-3 charge to cut that deficit as low as 12 points before ultimately trailing 52-37 at halftime. Leading that comeback effort for Brampton was Carr, who scored 11 points in the second to lead all scorers at the break with 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting. “Calgary came out ready to play,” the Toronto native said post-game. “The way we started the game … we did kind of a good job towards the end, we kept fighting, but at the end of the day, we dug ourselves too deep into a hole. The Honey Badgers kept chipping from there, using an 8-2 run following Quinndary Weatherspoon’s first basket of the game mid-way through the third, a transition triple, to cut Brampton’s deficit back down to single digits for the first time since the 2:09 mark of the first. However, it was Calgary’s turn to respond to adversity, or rather, Brown’s turn, as the forward scored seven straight points as part of a 15-2 run en route to a 72-56 Surge lead after 30 minutes. Meanwhile, Brampton, as it has done for many stretches this season, got in its own way by committing eight turnovers in the third, as part of 23 for the game. All of which afforded Calgary a 30-12 edge on points off those miscues. A trend that’s plagued the Honey Badgers for much of the year as they entered Thursday leading the league with 16.8 turnovers per game. “We played our style of basketball,” Canales said on his team winning the turnover battle and it leading to easy transition points and a 26-9 advantage for fastbreak scoring. “Defence to offence, I thought we did a good job.” Aside from the Surge as a whole, Gabe Osabuohien proved to be a direct beneficiary of those Honey Badger turnovers. The Toronto native corralled an errant Brampton pass and threw it ahead to Brown for a transition triple at the 4:59 mark of the third. The make not only pushed Calgary’s lead back up to 14, but it also marked Osabuohien’s 100th assist all-time in the CEBL (regular season + playoffs). He’s just the 55th player in league history to reach that mark. The Honey Badgers, despite their many miscues, did win the battle on the glass (56-40), and that edge proved vital as they continued to mount comeback efforts. Brampton secured six offensive rebounds in the fourth as part of 20 for the game (plus-11) to score 15 second-chance points. That effort was a catalyst as the Honey Badgers won the final 20 minutes by six points and appeared on the verge of an epic rally for the Brampton faithful in attendance, which included Toronto native and Canadian senior national team member Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Back-to-back triples from the Honey Badgers, followed by a Carr layup, bookended an 8-0 run that had Brampton within striking distance. But it was all for not, as the Surge took care of business to seal the win — Jamarko Pickett credited with the game-winning layup after David Muenkat was called for a goaltend, the final of his nine points on the night. Box Score https://www.cebl.ca/game?id=2600631 Up next Both squads return to the court on Sunday, starting with the Surge visiting the Edmonton Stingers for the final Battle of Alberta this regular season. Meanwhile, the Honey Badgers depart from Brampton to take on the West-leading Vancouver Bandits. Next CEBL action The Montreal Alliance visit the Saskatchewan Rattlers in a cross-conference class at 9:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. local to wrap up Thursday’s double-header slate. For the full 2025 CEBL schedule and up-to-date results, please visit cebl.ca/games . - CEBL -

Haviah Mighty, The Funk Hunters et d’autres grands artistes canadiens se produiront également pendant le week-end du Championnat

Haviah Mighty, The Funk Hunters, and other top Canadian acts also set to perform at Championship Weekend

The Chicago, IL native appeared in 46 games with the Raptors 905 of the NBA G League