Brampton Honey Badgers Look To Avenge Opening Night Loss to Ottawa BlackJacks
The Brampton Honey Badgers (-113) head to the nation’s capital to take on the Ottawa BlackJacks (-121) in an Eastern Conference clash from TD Place at 7:30 pm ET on Tuesday.
The game will be available for streaming live on TSN+, CEBL+ powered by BetVictor, and on the CEBL Mobile app available on iOS and Android devices.
Rewind back to opening night of the 2023 CEBL season and it was this exact matchup. The Honey Badgers fresh off their championship run from a year ago, looked to start their campaign by beating the BlackJacks, like they did on route to the Finals.
The contest was a back-and-forth affair for the most part, with Brampton taking a couple double-digit leads and Ottawa continuously finding a response. The result was an eight-point cushion for the Honey Badgers heading in Target Score Time, when the BlackJacks’ Kadre Gray took over. He scored seven of his game-high 27 points, in Target Time, leading the comeback before hitting a deep game-winning triple to seal the victory.
Tonight’s face-off will be the second of three games between the two squads this regular season, and the first time they’ll be going head-to-head since that opening night thriller.
Last time these teams played they were missing some key pieces who’ll look to make an impact this time around. For instance, Brampton was without their starting big man Jeremiah Tilmon who’s currently averaging 10.6 points and seven rebounds. On the other side, Deng Adel and his 16.5 points, six rebounds, and five assists were absent, and will be a welcomed addition by Ottawa fans.
One of the more interesting wrinkles in this matchup will be the BlackJacks’ recent signing of Caleb Agada. The 2022 CEBL Canadian Player of the Year last played in the league as a key member of the Honey Badgers championship run. Since then, the former University of Ottawa GeeGee has been competing overseas with SC Prometey Kamianske in the Latvian-Estonian Basketball League.
In his debut against the Niagara River Lions, Agada notched an impressive 17 points and seven assists in 22 minutes of action for Ottawa. Keep an eye on the guard as he gets set to face his former team for the first time.
Coming into this game, the Honey Badgers are hoping to get back to a more consistent form. After their latest 103-77 loss to the Edmonton Stingers, head coach Antoine Broxsie described their recent play as, “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.”
His reference seemed accurate considering their 3-3 record in their last six games, with all six games being decided by an average margin of 21.3 points. The wide disparity in both wins and losses is something that coach Broxsie knows his squad needs to focus on, but also recognizes the pieces to succeed are there.
“One day we look well and another day we don’t look as good,” coach Broxsie said. “We have to find some continuity…the good thing is we know it’s there, we just have to maintain it.”
One way Brampton can try and build some consistency moving forward is through the glass. In their three most-recent wins the squad was +17 on rebounds, while a -22 in their losses. Against the Stingers, the Honey Badgers gave up 50 boards which resulted in a +11 advantage on shot attempts, 10 of which were converted.
Ottawa also enters this contest with a 5-5 record but a different path with how they got there. The team’s latest 101-87 victory against the River Lions snapped a three-game losing streak, and it was the BlackJacks’ best scoring night of the season as they put up 100 points for the first time this year. The team shot over 50 per cent from the field and distance, knocking down 14 triples in the process.
Even with their recent struggles, the team has built an identity surrounding their efficiency on offense, as they now hold the highest average team field-goal percentage in the league at 46.5 per cent.
Despite missing Kadre Gray’s 17.3 points per game (seventh in the CEBL) due to injury, the squad found contributions elsewhere in their last win. Tyrell Tate scored a season-high 24 points while going 6-7 from beyond the arch. He was joined by fellow starters Jackson Rowe who notched an 18-point and 11-rebound double-double, and Adel who put up 16 points.
A factor to keep an eye on for Ottawa is the turnover margin. During their three-game skid the BlackJacks were a combined +13 on giveaways and averaged 19 a game. The team is also now averaging a league-leading 16.6 turnovers a game.
This game will also impact seeding in what has become a gauntlet race for first place in the East. At the half-way mark of the regular season, Ottawa and Brampton are part of a four-way tie with Niagara and Scarborough for top spot in the conference, while Montréal is just half-a-game back.
The winner of this contest will subsequently hold sole possession of the lead, in what’s shaping up to be a tight race that’ll go down to the wire.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
| RANK | TEAM | WIN | LOSS | WIN% | GAMES BACK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ottawa BlackJacks | 5 | 5 | 0.50 | 0 |
| 2 | Scarborough Shooting Stars | 5 | 5 | 0.50 | 0 |
| 3 | Niagara River Lions | 5 | 5 | 0.50 | 0 |
| 4 | Brampton Honey Badgers | 5 | 5 | 0.50 | 0 |
| 5 | Montréal Alliance | 5 | 6 | 0.45 | 0.5 |
All games will also be streamed live internationally on the CEBL’s OTT platform, CEBL+ powered by BetVictor, and on the CEBL Mobile app for iOS and Android devices. Full list of betting props available on BetVictor.
A league created by Canadians for Canadians, the CEBL has the highest percentage of Canadian players of any professional league in the country, with 71 percent of its current rosters being Canadians. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. The only First Division Professional League Partner of Canada Basketball. The CEBL season runs from May through August. Head to CEBL.ca for more information or follow us (@cebleague) on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.
