Wright-Foreman breaks franchise record but BlackJacks defeat Rattlers 97-86

The Ottawa BlackJacks weathered a franchise record 37 points from Saskatchewan’s Justin Wright-Foreman to win 97-86 over the Rattlers at TD Place on Thursday.

“I’m gonna have nightmares tonight,” Ottawa head coach James Derouin said of Wright-Foreman’s performance.

“It's difficult, especially when he's in the groove that he's in right now. It didn't matter if there's two guys or one guy [guarding him]. I mean, he's fading out of bounds, going left, going right, splitting the [defence], tough finishes at the rim – he's world-class, that I've seen, scoring the basketball.”

It’s the third consecutive win for Ottawa as they secure their grip on first place in the Eastern Conference. Five BlackJacks scored in double-figures in the win, powered by 22 points, seven rebounds and five assists from forward Deng Adel.

Jackson Rowe added 21 points and 8 rebounds, while Kadre Gray tallied 19 points, five rebounds, five assists and the game-winner. Carleton alumnus Thomas Scrubb chipped in 15 points while Michael Flowers scored 11 for Ottawa in the win.

“We're moving the ball. I thought we had some good matchups,” Derouin said. “We put our best five offensive players on the floor. They had to sort of pick their poison a little bit, and we're a very good offensive group when those five are out there together.”

Despite the loss, Wright-Foreman was the offensive star of the night. The Queens, New York native faced pressure and double teams but still managed to break a franchise record he set himself against the Shooting Stars earlier in the season. Wright Foreman was ultra-efficient, shooting 14-16 from the field and 11-11 from inside the arc.

“I feel like their defence was a little aggressive, so I just tried to match their aggression by just driving to the paint,” Wright-Foreman said.

Outside of their star player, Michael Nuga netted 13 points for Saskatchewan and recent acquisition Quenton De Cosey scored 11. Rattlers’ head coach Dean Demopoulos says it's hard to put Wright-Foreman in positions to score when he commands so much attention.

“Our other players have to be better and I have to be better using them correctly,” he said. “It’s a disappointing loss for us.”

Both teams faired well from the floor, with Ottawa shooting 51 per cent and Saskatchewan 49 per cent. However, the BlackJacks were more effective from long range at 40 per cent and the free throw line at 72 per cent.

“I thought they were the more physical team. They were better for the second half – I thought they were a better team for sure,” Demopoulos said.

In the first quarter, the BlackJacks went on an 11-2 run to start the game that forced an early Demopoulos timeout. However, Saskatchewan settled in after the chat and Wright-Foreman buried a three to give him his first points of the night. The Rattlers cut the deficit to one point, but back-to-back layups from Flowers gave Ottawa more breathing room. The BlackJacks carried a 27-22 lead into the second quarter.

Wright-Foreman finished an and-one to start the following frame and proceeded to ball out through the rest of the half. Saskatchewan picked up their first lead at 32-31 and the teams traded blows until the halftime buzzer, with the BlackJacks hanging on to a 45-43 advantage heading into the locker room.

Adel and Rowe finished with 13 points each in the first half for Ottawa, but Wright-Foreman scored a game-high 24 points in the first half.

“Some players you don’t have the answer for, you just gotta try to contain them,” Rowe said at halftime.

In the third quarter, the BlackJacks held on to the lead despite a handful of pushes from the Rattlers. An 8-0 run late in the quarter featuring a contested three from Flowers, free throws from Scrubb and a corner three from Tate that extended the lead. Ottawa held a 75-67 advantage after 30 minutes.

Jermel Kennedy connected on a three for Saskatchewan to start the fourth, but a quick run from Ottawa forced Demopolous into a timeout. The BlackJacks managed to extend their lead to 11 points, but the Rattlers fought back to make it 88-83 with a target score of 97.

Scrubb knocked down a triple to start target score time and Gray ended the game with back-to-back trifectas of his own.

Ottawa holds on to first place in the Eastern Conference and improves their record to 7-5, while Saskatchewan stays fifth in the Western Conference at 4-7.

The Rattlers will look to bounce back against the Niagara River Lions on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. CT, while the BlackJacks host the Winnipeg Sea Bears Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.

All games are available for streaming on TSN+, CEBL+ powered by BetVictor and on the CEBL Mobile app available on iOS and Android devices.

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