Hamilton Edge Ottawa 76-72 To Setup Championship Final Showdown Against Scarborough
The Hamilton Honey Badgers made a comeback to beat the Ottawa BlackJacks 76-72 in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) Championship Weekend semifinals and will now face the Scarborough Shooting Stars in the Championship Final on August 14 at 4 p.m. ET at TD Place Arena. The game will be nationally televised on CBC tv and tickets for the game are now available via Ticketmaster.
The BlackJacks took an early lead but Hamilton fought back with a strong second half while withstanding a late BlackJacks’ push for the victory.
Ottawa’s Deng Adel opened the scoring with a three while Hamilton’s Jeremiah Tilmon Jr. finished off a post-up. The teams traded scores by attacking inside. Guards Christian Vital and Caleb Agada scored for Hamilton while Chad Posthumus, Zena Edosomwan and Thomas Scrubb scored in the paint for Ottawa.
The BlackJacks continued to score inside to lead 20-12 after one quarter. The Honey Badgers started the second quarter with Agada finding Tilmon Jr. for a pair of dunks. Ottawa’s Tyrell Green nailed back-to-back threes.
Both teams pushed the pace as Agada continued making plays. He made a drop pass to Martin Krampelj for a fast break dunk. The teams got to the free throw line as well. Tyrrel Tate made all three free throws after being fouled on a three-point attempt to help Ottawa keep the lead.
The Honey Badgers made their first threes of the game as Keevan Veinot and Koby McEwen scored to cut the deficit to 35-34. Walt Lemon Jr. responded for Ottawa as they led 37-34 at halftime.
Scrubb and Agada traded baskets in the paint. Posthumus scored off an offensive rebound before McEwen hit another three to tie the game at 41. The teams both made runs as Hamilton went ahead after a triple by Christian Vital. Edosomwan kept scoring at the rim.
Hamilton’s Aaron Best finished through contact and hit the ensuing free throw to give his team a 57-55 edge after three quarters. Best continued to provide energy by scoring and grabbing offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter.
Adel nailed a three to keep the game close but Hamilton’s guards continued to score. BlackJacks guard Kadre Gray scored at the basket as his team trailed 67-62 going into Elam time.
Scrubb and Adel finished consecutive three-point plays to cut the lead to two points. Hamilton responded again. McEwen followed that with a three while Timon Jr. found Best for a corner three.
Lemon Jr. scored off a drive to cut the lead to three but Agada got to the free throw line by driving to the basket. He then hit the game-winning free throw.
The Honey Badgers shot better than the BlackJacks from the field (43 to 34 per cent) and from beyond the arc (30 to 19 per cent). Four Hamilton players finished with double figures in points. Vital (16 points, seven rebounds), Best (14 points, four rebounds, two assists) and McEwen (15 points, nine rebounds) led the scoring. Hamilton outscored Ottawa 42-28 in the paint.
Hamilton head Ryan Schmidt said the team talked about embracing the moment in the days leading up to the game. “Their grit and perseverance really really stood out to me,” he added.
McEwen pointed to the players’ experience. “When it comes down to those situations, a lot of us have been battled tested and we have a lot of dogs in our team too,” he noted. “We don’t accept defeat no matter what the score is or how much we’re down. In those situations, I have full confidence in my guys because I know we’re going to bite down and do whatever it takes to get a win.”
The BlackJacks had 37 bench points as Edosomwan (14 points, 10 rebounds) and Tate (13 points) were major contributors. Adel finished with 13 points and five rebounds while Scrubb had eight points, six rebounds and three assists.
“I’m just really proud of this team,” Edosomwan said. “I’m really proud of the job coach [James Derouin] has done with us just in confidence we have in him, the confidence he has in us…one thing I love about [the team] is they know when to lock in.”
The Honey Badgers will face the Scarborough Shooting Stars in the CEBL Championship finals on Aug. 14. Both Scarborough and Hamilton are aiming for their first CEBL championship.
Fans will be able to live stream all games including the playoffs on the CEBL’s OTT streaming service CEBL+, the CEBL’s official app, CEBL Mobile for iOS and Android devices, cbcsports.ca, the free CBC Gem streaming service, the CBC Sports App for iOS and Android devices and on NXT Level Sports in the U.S. As part of its playoff coverage, CBC Sports will broadcast the quarterfinal games Sunday, August 7, semifinal games Friday, August 12, and the Championship game on Sunday, August 14. For the complete broadcast and streaming schedule, click here. All times are subject to change.
The CEBL’s fourth regular season began May 25 and ended August 1. A league created by Canadians for Canadians, the CEBL is the largest pro sports league in the country with 10 teams located in six provinces. It 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.
