Brampton Falls To Real Estelí 82-94 Despite Early Double-Digit Lead
CEBL Champion will Head To Nicaragua For Second Window of BCLA Group Stage Competition in January
The Brampton Honey Badgers dropped an 82-94 decision to Real Estelí on Saturday in the first window of the Basketball Champions League Americas in Mexico.
Jahvon Henry-Blair led the Honey Badgers with 20 points, while Sean Miller-Moore had 18 points on 8-for-11 field goals. Jordan Williams added 15 points and Gelvis Solano had 11.
Jared Ruiz scored a game-high 27 points for Real Estelí while grabbing 13 rebounds. Jezreel De Jesus scored 19 points while Angel Matias and Thomas Robinson added 14 points apiece in the win. Robinson also added 10 rebounds as Real Estelí outrebounded Brampton 55-32 in their victory.
The game was a tale of two halves as the Honey Badgers lost despite leading by 14 points in the second quarter.
Unlike their game on Friday against Libertadores, Brampton came out aggressive on both ends of the floor against Real Estelí. Though Real Estelí scored the first two points of the game, Brampton quickly responded and took an early 7-4 lead after a jumper from Henry-Blair. The highlight of the first quarter came after Alexander Campbell stole the ball from Davon Jefferson and found Miller-Moore in transition for a thunderous dunk, forcing Real Estelí to call timeout with 2:42 remaining in the quarter.
Stefan Smith took three charges in the first half as Brampton’s defensive effort continued to disrupt Real Estelí, earning the Honey Badgers possessions. Brampton had just 14 turnovers to 26 for Real Estelí and the Honey Badgers recorded 13 steals to just eight for their opponent.
Brampton led 28-20 after the opening 10 minutes of action and they continued to roll in the second quarter, steadily building their lead. A jumper from Smith extended Brampton’s advantage to 14 points with 5:49 remaining in the half.
Facing their largest deficit of the game, Estelí closed the half on an 14-2 run, cutting Brampton’s lead to just two, 41-39, at the break.
For the second straight game, the Honey Badgers struggled from the floor, making just 35 percent of their field goals, while giving up 53 percent shooting to Real Estelí. Williams led all scorers with 11 points in the half, while Ruiz had 10 points for Real Estelí.
The third was all Real Estelí and Ruiz as Ruiz scored 14 of his 27 points in the quarter, matching Brampton’s point total as a team as Real Estelí outscored the Honey Badgers 34-14 in the quarter to complete a 34-point swing and take a 73-55 lead into the final frame.
The Honey Badgers went to work to start the fourth. After keeping pace with Real Esteli through the first half of the final quarter, a three-pointer from Campbell brought Brampton within 10 points with three minutes remaining, but the Honey Badgers wouldn’t get any closer down the stretch. Brampton continued fighting until the final buzzer sounded. The Honey Badgers won the fourth 27-21, but they ran out of time to try to complete a comeback and overcome the deficit from that third quarter.
Up next for the Honey Badgers in BCLA action will be Window 2 of the Basketball Champions League Americas starting January 17, 2023 when they take on Libertadores in Managua, Nicaragua before facing Real Estelí on January 18.