Shooting Stars shut down Alliance comeback hopes in 92-84 victory
A Donovan Willians circus layup helped the Scarborough Shooting Stars (6-4) halt the Montreal Alliance (3-8) comeback attempt and secure a 92-84 win on Sunday night.
The Shooting Stars led the entire game and three times by over 20 points, but things got interesting in Target Score Time.
With the Target Score set at 91 and Scarborough leading 82-68, victory was withing their sights but Montreal had different plans. The Alliance would flip the switch on offence, going on a 15-7 run that put them within striking distance at 89-83.
However, it was Williams who decided enough was enough, as he hit one out of two free throws before his exciting game-clinching layup.
Tevian Jones helped lead the way for the Shooting Stars, stuffing the stat sheet with 29 points, 12 rebounds, and four steals.
“I would say it’s a solid performance, I felt like I played solid defensively, solid offensively,” Jones said about his game. “I trusted my teammates out there, I felt like we were able to execute and get the win.”
Shooting Stars head coach Devan Blair recognizes how important Jones is to the offence.
“Tev’s great, he’s one of many that are all very important,” Blair said. “When Tev gets it going like that, it kind of just opens it up for everyone else. When he’s aggressive and looking to score, as long as he continues to make the right play and not just get into a little bit of iso ball, he’s great.”
Scarborough’s Cat Barber made history in the win today, becoming only the second player in CEBL history to reach 1,000 regular season points.
While Barber recognizes this historic milestone, he’s got bigger plans in mind.
“It’s good, it’s just some numbers,” he said. “I’m happy, I have to admit, it’s just some numbers. But I want to win a championship.”
The Shooting Stars found their rhythm early in the first quarter, cruising to a 25-16 lead.
Scarborough would ride this momentum throughout the second with stifling defensive play to extend their lead to 54-37 heading into the half.
“We’re still trying to find our identity on the defensive end,” Blair said when asked about the team's defence. “I think right now it’s a team that can play a multiple of different coverages. We just try to be the aggressors on defence and not let them attack us. But keep throwing different looks at them so they're always on our heels.”
The Alliance could not find an answer to the Shooting Stars defence as they trailed 72-55 heading into the final quarter.
“They played well, of course, they’re extra motivated because we just beat them in Montreal,” Alliance head coach Derrick Alston said when talking about what went wrong. “They dominated us on the boards tonight, and that pretty much gave them the advantage they needed to control the game.”
What’s next for both teams?
The Shooting Stars look to extend their winning streak to four when they take on the Ottawa BlackJacks this Thursday. As for the Alliance, they look to snap their three-game losing streak this Friday when they face off against the Brampton Honey Badgers.
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