Honey Badgers look to keep playoff hopes alive against Bandits
The Brampton Honey Badgers (6-12) host the West’s top-seeded Vancouver Bandits (12-5) Thursday as they look to keep their playoff hopes alive and snap their four-game losing skid.
The game tips off at 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT at CAA Centre, with live coverage available on CEBL+ powered by BetVictor, TSN+, and on the CEBL mobile app available for iOS and Android devices.
The Honey Badgers are coming off a tough 106-90 loss to the Scarborough Shooting Stars in which Scarborough tied their single-game franchise scoring record.
Despite starting off the game slowly offensively, the Shooting Stars would find their footing to take the lead and never look back. Brampton just couldn’t find an answer to a white-hot Scarborough offence.
LJ Thrope led the way for the Honey Badgers with 22 points, two rebounds, and two assists in the loss. His teammate Zane Waterman was right behind him with 21 points, 13 rebounds, three steals, and a block.
The silver lining for Brampton was the way it controlled the game underneath the rim, outscoring Scarborough 52-28 in points in the paint.
As for the Bandits, they’ve been among the CEBL’s best teams all season and will play the first of a three- game road swing to close out their regular season schedule. They currently have the best record in the Western Conference, including wins in each of their last-two contests, and finished their home schedule with a 9-1 record on the season.
Vancouver is coming off a 103-92 victory against the Winnipeg Sea Bears in which they controlled the pace all night, finding answers for any sort of Sea Bears’ run.
Mitch Creek was the hero for Vancouver with 31 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Taze Moore also chipped in with 25 points, six rebounds, and four steals.
Just like the Honey Badgers, the Bandits also won the inside game, outscoring Winnipeg 58-30 in paint points and outrebounding them 50-33.
Player Spotlight
Taze Moore has been hooping this season for the Bandits, enough to be considered a candidate for the CEBL MVP.
Moore is currently averaging 18 points per game, 7.8 assists, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.6 steals in 32 minutes.
He’s proven himself as a reliable scoring option for the Bandits, shooting 50 per cent from the floor and 31 per cent from three. Not only can he create offence for himself, but he can also create for others as well on an elite level.
2023 Season Series
Last year, these two teams faced off twice with Brampton emerging victorious both times. Thursday’s matchup with be the first and only game between the two teams in 2024 unless they meet in the CEBL Final.
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.