Alliance earn First Win over Honey Badgers in Franchise History with 95-77 Victory
It was an eventful day for this year’s Championship Weekend host.
The Montréal Alliance (1-3) not only snapped a season-opening three-game losing streak by picking up a 95-77 win over the Honey Badgers (2-2) on Sunday afternoon, but they also secured their first victory over Brampton in franchise history after previously being 0-5.
Chris Smith led the way for Montréal as he finished with a double-double of 23 points and 10 rebounds on better than 50 per cent shooting from the field and beyond the arc. Ahmed Hill also chipped in with 19 points while Jaden Edwards added 17 points off the bench.
“Today we put together a full game,” Edwards said postgame on how the Alliance snapped their losing streak. “That was the biggest difference between this game and the other two … the talent is obviously there, we’re a great team. Watch out for the Alliance.”
On the other side, Brampton’s Zane Waterman returned to form with a team-high 28 points and eight rebounds, after having scored just seven points without a field goal the game prior. Shamiel Stevenson got his first start of the year and put up a season-high 24 points while Javonte Cooke finished with 14 points and a franchise record-tying six steals.
Despite both squads entering the day shorthanded -- as LJ Thorpe for Brampton and Jordan Bowden for Montréal were unavailable -- it didn’t stop either from finding offensive success early.
The Alliance struck first, opening the game on an 8-2 run, to which the Honey Badgers immediately respond to with an 8-0 run of their own. The rest of the opening frame went back and forth as the East rivals traded buckets, with Montréal eventually eking out a 23-21 edge going into the second.
A catalyst for the Alliance’s narrow lead was their disruptive defence. They forced the Honey Badgers – who average 11.7 turnovers a game (second fewest in the CEBL) -- into seven giveaways throughout just the first quarter.
Brampton would end up finishing the game with a season-high 24 turnovers.
“We hang our hat on defence,” Edwards said after his Alliance squad held the Honey Badgers to the fewest points they’ve allowed this season. “That’s really where it starts … another great defensive game by us.”
Montreal was able to extend their lead, albeit narrowly as they went into halftime up 44-41, but it wasn’t all positive however, as they had built their lead up to eight points before a myriad of miscues allowed the Honey Badgers to climb back. It was a common theme for Montréal through their previous three losses, as they average 16 turnovers a game, the second most in the CEBL. In the second quarter they ended up giving the ball away five times as Brampton -- namely Stevenson who finished the half with a game-high 16 points – kept themselves within striking distance.
None of that mattered once action got underway for the second half however, as Montréal opened the third quarter on a 10-2 run. The offensive outburst was sparked by back-to-back threes from Hill, and it earned the Alliance the first double-digit lead of the ball game.
“Staying consistent in what we do,” said Montréal’s interim head coach Ryan Thorne before his team won their first third quarter of the season. “Where we would fall short often times in the third quarter, was we would play iso ball … we had to trust each other, move the ball side to side, make the defence move to create greater opportunities.”
The Alliance lead continued to grow throughout the frame, and it was thanks to their second unit, namely Edwards. The import chipped in nine points in the quarter, including a four-point play, that helped the Alliance extend the gap to 14 points going into the fourth. He led a bench that outscored the Honey Badgers second unit by 23 points.
“I’m enjoying coming in off the bench,” Edwards said after the game. “Bringing energy, being that sparkplug … I’m just trying to fill my role and do whatever I can to help the team win.”
Being up 74-60 might’ve been a comfortable position for most teams, but for Montréal it was anything but. They entered Sunday having blown back-to-back games despite being up heading into the final frame.
Thankfully for fans at Verdun Auditorium, the Alliance were able to overcome their late-game woes as their lead never got lower than 12-points throughout the fourth quarter or Target Score Time.
A major difference in the win compared to their losses was better production from beyond the arc. Montréal hit four threes in the final frame, including Hill’s game-winner, as part of a season-high 13 makes from distance. Their 51 per cent conversion rate on threes was a stark difference from the usual 28.4 per cent they shoot that ranks bottom of the league.
Up Next
The Alliance return to action on Wednesday as they wrap up a three-game homestand against the visiting Ottawa BlackJacks.
Meanwhile, the Honey Badgers head back to the CAA Centre on Wednesday to host the Winnipeg Sea Bears and start their own stretch of three consecutive home games.
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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.
