It was a big night for Burlington guard Caleb Agada, who made his return to the Hamilton Honey Badgers. Agada had a team-high 17 points as well as eight rebounds and four assists.

Hamilton beat the Montréal Alliance 80-72 on May 25 to open their 2022 Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) campaign with a victory. It was also the Alliance’s first-ever CEBL game.

Agada had help from teammates as Jeremiah Tillmon Jr (15 points and four rebounds) and Christian Vital (15 points, including five threes) also scored in double digits. Montréal was led by Isiah Osborne (16 points, three rebounds) and Dominic Green (10 points).

Hamilton’s Keevan Veinot started off the scoring with two free throws. Meanwhile, Montréal’s Hernst Laroche hit a turnaround jumper to score the club’s first-ever points.

Agada made an impact for the Honey Badgers early with five early points. Laroche was hitting as well early on for Montréal. The game remained close throughout the first quarter with two sides trading baskets. Agada scored a three to put the home side up 12-9.

Laroche pushed the pace in the transition, finding Abdul Mohamed for a rhythm three-pointer to give the Alliance the lead. Mohamed also scored inside, extending his team’s lead to 17-14. Montréal continued to run in transition as Osborne scored off the fast break. Rookie forward Marc-André Fortin finished under the basket for his first-ever CEBL points to give the visitors a 21-19 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Meanwhile, Hamilton was also able to establish a presence down low with Tilmon Jr scoring in the paint. The score remained close in the second as both teams also made defensive stops as well. The home side pulled ahead after a basket by Michael Okafor followed by a steal and dunk by Hamilton native Nikola Djogo to put them up 32-26.

Hamilton kept on attacking the rim, with Jamal Reynolds also scoring late in the second quarter as well as hitting a three and getting fouled in the process. Reynolds finished the four-point play to put his team up 41-34 at halftime.

Agada picked up his strong first half play in the second, muscling his way to the basket early in the third quarter in addition to scoring on a coast-to-coast layup. On the other side, Montréal guard Sherwood Brown continued his strong showing as well with a three pointer. Hamilton guard Kobe McEwen answered with a three of his own, leading to a Montréal timeout.

The road team ended the quarter down 61-48 but started off the fourth quarter well with a triple from Laroche, a layup from Nathan Cayo and another three from Osborne to cut the score to 63-58. Alliance guard Alain Louis also showed his ability to get to the basket and finish with a driving layup. The trend of Montréal attacking the basket continued with a layup by Cayo.

The Alliance kept the score close as the game inched close to Elam Ending time. Christian Vital preserved the Honey Badgers’ lead with back-to-back three-pointers. Hamilton led 71-66 heading into the Elam Ending. Vital added another three right afterwards.

The Honey Badgers’ defence held strong down the stretch with numerous stops. Yet another deep ball by Vital brought the home side even closer to victory. Agada finished off the game with a free throw to win it 80-72.

Agada said he’s happy to be home. “Every year since this year started, I’ve wanted the opportunity to just play,” he said. He played for the Honey Badgers in 2019 and 2020. “This summer, I’m just dedicated to come back and just play for Hamilton so it just means a lot to me,” he added.

Hamilton head coach Ryan Schmidt pointed out Agada’s leadership as well after his experiences with Melbourne United and the Nigerian national team. “Now he’s the focal point,” Schmidt said. “He’s got a lot of young guys looking to him for the leadership.”

For both teams coming off a week of training camp, the game meant that the players are still building chemistry with their teammates.

“The chemistry is pretty good with the guys,” Osborne said. “Obviously, new coach, we’re all coming from different teams, trying to forget old stuff, learn new stuff.” He added the need to focus and communicate more.

“The biggest thing we’re stressing again is trying to get these guys to understand our style of play, our system on both ends of the floor,” Schmidt said. He said they stress on what the Honey Badgers’ identity is.

Both teams will have the chance to continue building that chemistry in the games to come. Next up, the Honey Badgers host the Fraser Valley Bandits on May 27 while the Alliance visit the Scarborough Shooting Stars on May 29.

All games will be streamed live internationally on the CEBL’s OTT platform, CEBL+ . and on the CEBL Mobile app for iOS and Android devices. Games will also be available to stream live in Canada via cbcsports.ca , the CBC Sports app for iOS and Android devices, and the free CBC Gem streaming service.

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 .