BlackJacks win fifth straight and edge Rattlers 89-88

The Ottawa BlackJacks endured a late rally from the Saskatchewan Rattlers to win 89-88 at SaskTel Centre on Wednesday night.

It’s the fifth consecutive win of the season for the BlackJacks as they hold on to first place in the CEBL’s Eastern Conference.

“I'm glad my guys stayed together, even in [target score time] when things started to fall apart,” Ottawa head coach James Derouin said. “They made their big run, our guys just grinded it out, got some big stops on defence and got a tough win on the road.”

Short of a handful of key players including Kadre Gray, Ottawa spoiled Tanner Massey’s debut as Saskatchewan’s head coach after Dean Demopoulos was relieved of duties earlier in the week.

The BlackJacks’ high-powered offence continued to feature a balanced attack on Wednesday, with six players scoring in double figures.

Michael Flowers bloomed for Ottawa with a team-high 18 points that included four threes – he also grabbed nine rebounds. Jackson Rowe secured a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while James Jean-Marie added 13 points and Tyrrel Tate chipped in 11 points. Deng Adel had another strong all-around performance with 11 points, six rebounds and six assists.

However, it was Matthew Coleman’s two-way game that emerged as a difference-maker for Ottawa. He had two steals in target score time that led to layups on the other end, including the game-winner. Coleman finished with 13 points, four rebounds, six assists and three steals off the bench.

On the other side, league-leading-scorer Justin Wright-Foreman had an off night by his standards with 21 points on 8-21 shooting from the floor. After scoring a franchise record 37 against Ottawa in their meeting last week, the Saskatchewan guard struggled to find a groove for the majority of the game until scoring almost half his points in target time. Despite a tough shooting night, Wright-Foreman dished a game-high 11 assists in the loss.

“We were certainly putting two on him –  two on the ball – as much as we can, forcing him to make those passes,” Derouin said, “He made some great reads and his teammates made some shots but we were going to stick with that gameplan. Even late, it caused two turnovers that ended up maybe winning us the game.”

It was Jermel Kennedy who stepped up offensively for the Rattlers with Wright-Foreman commanding attention. The sharpshooting forward notched a game-high 26 points on 10-15 shooting from the floor and 5-8 from three.

“The resiliency and our flow on offence, I thought was better,” Massey said after the game. “Guys were getting shots in areas that they were ready to shoot from, we just got to convert.”

In the first quarter, both teams struggled to find an offensive flow. Neither team shot above 37 per cent from the field while they combined for one three and no free throws. Both teams kept the opposing stars in check, with Wright-Foreman scoring just two points and Adel failing to get a bucket. Saskatchewan carried a 14-13 lead into the second quarter.

After Ottawa took a four-point lead early in the second, Kennedy connected on back-to-back threes to regain the advantage for Saskatchewan. Both teams heated up offensively midway through the quarter and a putback from Coleman in transition gave the BlackJacks a 37-35 lead at halftime.

Ottawa blitzed Wright-Foreman on ball-screens throughout the first half and limited him to 1-10 shooting. However, Kennedy stepped up with 13 points at the half to lead all scorers while Flowers powered Ottawa with 12 points.

In the third quarter, the Rattlers and BlackJacks traded blows on their way to 10 lead changes and two ties, including nine straight scoring possessions where the lead changed. However, the BlackJacks mounted a small run to gain a 64-59 edge heading into the fourth quarter.

The BlackJacks started the final frame strong. They built a 10-point lead heading into target time, capped off by another Flowers three.

However, the Rattlers proved challenging to put away in crunch time. Wright-Foreman picked the perfect time to heat up offensively, scoring 10 points in target time to lead Saskatchewan on a 13-3 run to tie the game at 83.

Ottawa bounced back following a timeout with some strong defence from Coleman. Both teams had good looks to win the game late, but Coleman snatched the ball from Wright-Foreman and went the other way for the game-winning layup.

The BlackJacks cement their position in first place in the Eastern Conference at 9-5, while Saskatchewan remains fifth in the Western Conference at 4-9.

Up next for the Rattlers is a July 11 meeting with the Winnipeg Sea Bears, while Ottawa travels to Vancouver for a matchup with the Bandits on Sunday (July 9).

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

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 71 per cent of its 2022 rosters being Canadian. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. Nine players have moved from the CEBL into the NBA following a CEBL season, and 28 CEBL players attended NBA G League training camps during October. The CEBL season runs from May through August.  More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.