SASKATOON, SK, August 24, 2019 – The host, Saskatchewan Rattlers advanced to the inaugural CEBL Championship Game with an 85-83 win over the second-seeded, Edmonton Stingers at SaskTel Centre on Saturday afternoon. Player of the Game Marlon Johnson recorded a game-high-tying 17 points and eight rebounds.

“I thought we played hard in the first-half but we weren’t playing with that competitive advantage. Everybody plays hard but you have to take it to the next level and compete and that’s not only physically, but your mind has to be engaged in terms of trying to disrupt what they’re trying to do, and that’s what we did – we got disruptive and got out in transition,” said Rattlers Head Coach and General Manager Greg Jockims.

“It’s so important to set this game aside as quickly as possible, so emotionally it’s not going to affect you tomorrow.”

The Rattlers led 20-17 after one quarter. Saskatchewan’s Shane Osayande netted seven points in the frame. The Stingers missed their first eight shots. They didn’t score until the 7:23 mark of the second quarter when Mamadou Gueye made a layup.

CEBL First Team All-Star Travis Daniels nearly recorded a double-double before halftime. He registered first-half highs of 11 points and nine rebounds, including six boards on the offensive end. After shooting just seven-for-17 from the field in the first quarter, Edmonton opened the second quarter on a 16-2 run. The push was fueled by some highlight reel plays from the likes of Grandy Glaze and Travis Daniels.

The Rattlers fell behind by as many as 12 points in the first half due to Edmonton making 11-of- 17 shots in the second quarter, which allowed them to take a 49-41 lead into the break. With Edmonton threatening to break ahead, a potential turning point in the game arrived with 50 seconds remaining in the third quarter – Glaze was charged with an unsportsmanlike foul, bringing down Negus Webster-Chan, who split a pair of subsequent free throws and brought the Stingers to within five at 64-57.

The Stingers took a six-point lead into the fourth quarter, despite getting only five points from CEBL Player of the Year, Xavier Moon, through three frames. Jordan Baker picked up his fourth personal foul with just one second remaining in the third quarter.

The Rattlers took the lead at the 7:21 mark when Shaquille Keith drove coast-to-coast and made good on the and-one. It electrified the hometown fans at SaskTel Centre and set the stage for a raucous finish. Both teams traded baskets down the stretch, but the dagger arrived courtesy of the Rattlers’ Johnson, who was a force on both sides of the ball throughout the game. With the Rattlers ahead 81-80, Johnson nailed a silky three-pointer that gave Saskatchewan an 84-80 lead with 52 seconds left in the game.

“I just locked in on defense, man. I’m kind of mad that I didn’t get Defensive Player of the Year, so that took a toll on me so I just locked in,” said Johnson. “It’s a great atmosphere, especially with the fans. We really enjoy your fans and that’s why we’re so engaged with them. We talk to them, we give them high fives, so it played a big part of it.”

A late three-pointer by Moon with 32 seconds left made things interesting by trimming the Rattlers’ lead to 85-83, but the Stingers were unable to advance the ball past half-court on the game’s final possession and a late turnover sealed an eventual win for the Rattlers.

The Rattlers take on the winner of Saturday’s other semi-final contest between the Niagara River Lions and the Hamilton Honey Badgers. Tickets for Sunday’s Championship Game at SaskTel Centre can be purchased here.

Tipoff is 4 p.m. CST (local time). Tickets are available at Ticketmaster. Fans can watch via CEBL TV or the CBC Gem App.

“I think the home crowd definitely gave them a boost, for sure,” said Stingers Head Coach and General Manager Jermaine Smalls.

“It was a beautiful game to watch and I think those kinds of games show you the parity in the league because whether you’re second, or third, or first, or the fourth seed, there’s a lot of parity in this league and I’m glad that we gave the fans a good game. But it just shows that whenever it comes down to it, the game’s about inches and if you have a bit of slippage, teams make you pay.”