The 8-2 Fraser Valley Bandits, on a five game winning streak, host the 5-5 Scarborough Shooting Stars at 7:30 p.m. PT on Friday.
This is the second time the Bandits and Shooting Stars match up this season. In their last meeting on June 18, Fraser Valley came away with a close 92-89 win.
Both sides traded runs in the game with Fraser Valley going up 27-18 after the first quarter, Scarborough slowly pushing back to make it a 74-73 game going into the fourth quarter. Going into Elam time the game was tied at 83 and it was a fight between who wanted the win more. Fraser Valley went up by a basket and Scarborough tied it, repeating until it was 89-89 and a Murphy Burnatowski jumper and Alex Campbell free throw sealed the Bandits lead.
Campbell scored the game winning free throw finished with 15 points, and he was one of two guards in double-digits with Shane Gibson finishing with 29 points. Campbell and Gibson have been vital pieces for the Bandits with their defence and ability to create their own shot. Attacking the midrange versus Montreal and creating opportunities against Newfoundland, Gibson and Campbell have been a massive spark for the Bandits over their win streak and specifically in their most recent wins.
The Shooting Stars guards have been just as big of a spark, led by Jalen Harris who sits second in the CEBL in points per game with 21.1. Scarborough is coming off of a win and a loss in their last two games. Harris has scored 18 points and 21 points in their win and loss to Hamilton and Ottawa. Up and down the last two games have showed in their Elam ending, trailing 66-59 against the Honey Badgers before taking a 75-72 win, and winning 82-68 before Ottawa coming back to win 91-90.
In their up and down, Isiaha Mike and Kameron Chatman have been a constant inside the paint. Mike scored 12 points in their 75-72 win over Hamilton and 15 in their 91-90 loss to Ottawa. Chatman scored 21 points and 14 points in their win and loss. Their scoring will be going against the impact Maxie Esho and James Karnik have made around the floor. Both sets of forwards have been impactful on the scoreboard finding their opportunities from anywhere between under the rim and the three-point line, and they've got their impact on the rebounds.
While the Bandits forwards make their impact around the floor, Mike and Chatman combine to create the same impact. Mike and Chatman combined for 14 threes in their game against Ottawa and combined for 16 rebounds. Their ability to be effective on both ends of the floor in different aspects will match the shooting and length Karnik and Esho provide the Bandits and create a matchup between all-around forwards who do many different things for their teams.
The Shooting Stars are trying to get out of the pack of teams that sit at five and six wins while Fraser Valley is looking to lengthen their lead in first place. The Bandits and Shooting Stars face each other in Surrey on Friday night.
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 .