Both the Nighthawks and Bandits sport 3-2 records. Guelph is coming off an 85-71 loss against the Edmonton Stingers, while the Bandits are coming off a 70-57 win over the Niagara River Lions.

Guelph was outrebounded by 18 against Edmonton and felt the impact of the Stingers’ energy on the glass as Travis Daniels and Jordan Baker did their part to keep possessions alive. Guelph has relied on a team effort to consistently play quality basketball throughout the Summer Series. 

Fraser Valley was able to get back on track against Niagara after losing consecutive games to Ottawa and Hamilton. The Bandits held the River Lions to a CEBL-record low 57 points in the contest and will look to channel that same defensive intensity against an athletic Nighthawks group. 

Tonight’s game is being livestreamed on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Gem App and Twitch (CEBLeague). Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. ET (2 p.m. PT)

Beware Jonathan Arledge

Arledge currently sits fourth in blocks per game at 1.4 and is averaging 8.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Typically, a formidable presence on the offensive glass and in the paint defensively, Arledge was rendered ineffective against Edmonton and attempted just three shots before fouling out with no blocks in just shy of 10 minutes of action. 

Arledge is a two-way force who can alter the game on both sides of the ball. The big man has also showed a willingness to take the three, connecting on 33 percent of his attempts in the Summer Series. Standing 6-foot-10, Arledge has the size and athleticism to make Fraser Valley pay, especially considering the fact that the Bandits’ tallest player, Tavarion Nix, is 6-foot-7.

Punching Above Their Weight

The Bandits’ two tallest players are the aforementioned Nix and Olu Ashaolu (6-foot-6). The rest of Fraser Valley’s roster consists of a talented collection of guards that have been asked to size up and defend players much larger than them. Six-foot-4 guard Marcus Capers epitomizes the Bandits’ small ball approach. Despite having a wiry frame, Capers is defensively sound thanks to his understanding of angles, footwork and defensive principles. Like Arledge, Capers is averaging 1.4 blocks per game thanks to his sense of timing and ability to obstruct shooters and opposing forwards without fouling.

Bandits head coach and general manager Kyle Julius has also tasked Junior Cadougan (6-foot-1) and Malcolm Duvivier (6-foot-2) with managing the paint. The results have been mixed as in an opening night win over Edmonton, Cadougan and Duvivier were able to keep larger forwards off the block, but in case of the game against the BlackJacks, mobile bigs like Thomas Scrubb were able to shoot over the top thanks to their size advantage.

Turning It Around

Guelph and Fraser Valley finished fifth and sixth during the CEBL’s inaugural season. Fast forward to 2020 and both teams have qualified for the Summer Series playoffs. Guelph has leaned on both a new cast of players, as well as key returnees such as Kimbal Mackenzie, Olu Famutimi and Myles Charvis to lead the way, while Fraser Valley hit the reset button and brought in an entirely new cast in support of its lone returning player, Marek Klassen.

Both clubs have rewarded their respective fanbases with a quality of basketball that will certainly fuel a hunger for more of the same in 2021. But for head coaches Kyle Julius of Fraser Valley and Charles Kissi of Guelph, the future is now as they seek to capture the 2020 CEBL Championship this weekend.

Next Up

This evening’s contest is both teams’ final game of the round robin. The winner is seeded second in the playoffs and plays next on Saturday. The loser will be seeded either fourth or fifth depending on the outcome of tonight’s second game between Ottawa and Saskatchewan and dependent on tie-breakers. Both games are available to watch on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Gem App and Twitch (CEBLeague).