Ottawa guard Kadre Gray scored 32 points, the most in any CEBL playoff game, as the sixth-seeded BlackJacks stunned the Hamilton Honey Badgers, 96-94 , on Saturday to punch their ticket to the CEBL Championship Weekend.
Gray, who was drafted by the Honey Badgers in the 2020 CEBL U SPORTS Draft, was one of just four regular Ottawa players in the lineup after some of his teammates were required to self-isolate due to Covid-19 protocols. Gray also added nine rebounds, three assists and drew 12 fouls in 38 minutes of play during his first professional playoff game.
“I have to give all the praise to God because you know, everything that happened to us within this week, guys coming in here, all of us coming from a different journey and different paths, we came here, we got it done” said Gray following the win. “I just kept telling the guys we were gonna win; believe in it.”
With the Elam Ending target score at 96, Gray had an opportunity to seal the win after a hard drive to the basket. However, the Laurentian University grad missed his free throw, leaving the score at 95-94 with Hamilton having possession. The Honey Badgers turned the ball over at midcourt, giving Gray a chance to make up for the previous mistake. He drove the right side of the key and drew the foul, putting him back on the line for two more shots at glory. He only needed the first attempt to give Ottawa the upset win over a team they had never defeated before.
“He (Gray) was ready for it,” said BlackJacks Head Coach Charles Dubé-Brais. “I told the guys, we are going to have to score 90 points and someone was going to have to step up and make plays for us. Kadre has been one of the best scorers in the league this season and we rode that tonight.”
Chad Posthumus, who joined the team Friday night, became the first 20-20 man in the CEBL postseason, recording 23 points and a league-record 20 rebounds. The six-foot-11 forward shot nine-for-10 from the field and provided an unmatched presence in the paint.
A triple by league MVP candidate Lindell Wigginton at 8:37 of the fourth quarter gave Hamilton the lead, 75-74 but Posthumus scored 10 of Ottawa’s next 13 points to give the BlackJacks an 87-83 lead going into Elam Ending. Wigginton scored six of his 14 points from the free-throw line, shooting just three-for-11 from the field.
A deep three-pointer by J.V. Mukama as time expired in the third quarter brought the Honey Badgers to within one, 70-69, heading into the final frame, Mukama scored eight consecutive points to close out the quarter.
Hamilton led by as much as eight points in the second quarter, but the makeshift BlackJacks roster kept fighting. Ottawa U SPORTS draft pick Guillaume Pepin made a circus-like layup to give Ottawa a 34-32 lead with 3:48 in the first half. Posthumus made his six-foot-11 presence known, registering 10 points and nine rebounds in the second quarter alone. He recorded a double-double before halftime with 12 points and 12 rebounds. The BlackJacks led 43-38 heading into the break.
Kyle Johnson had one of his best games in a Honey Badgers uniform, scoring 15 points, including three triples against the team that released him halfway through the regular season. He led all Honey Badgers players with eight points in the first half.
Despite shooting just .350 (7-20) from the floor, including one-for-seven from beyond the arc, the Honey Badgers led 19-15 after the first quarter. Veteran BlackJacks guard Earl Calloway led all scorers with eight points in the frame, however eight Ottawa turnovers resulted in eight Hamilton points.
A Silver Lining and Perspective
Nino Johnson registered his first playoff double-double for Hamilton, recording team highs of 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Honey Badgers Head Coach Ryan Schmidt put the difficult loss into perspective after a 9-5 regular season and third place finish in the CEBL standings.
“When the season ends like that, you have to take a few seconds and scrap it from your memory. You’ve gotta look back at the process and the progress from what the guys did. We knew it was going to be tough since we had no scouting report. I’m really proud of this group. The hardest part of today is the fact that we don’t get to practice tomorrow. I hope they are better off for their experience with us.”
The second CEBL quarter-final game takes place Sunday (4 p.m. ET, CBC TV) when the fifth-seeded Guelph Nighthawks (5-9) travel to Abbotsford Centre for a date against the fourth-seeded Fraser Valley Bandits (7-7).
Notes and Numbers
The previous CEBL playoff record for points in a game came from two-time league MVP, Edmonton guard Xavier Moon who scored 31 points in the 2020 CEBL Championship Game against Fraser Valley.
Chad Posthumus set the league-high for rebounds in a postseason game, surpassing the previous record, 13, set by then Edmonton Stingers forward Travis Daniels during the 2019 semifinal game against Saskatchewan.
Championship Weekend Schedule
Semifinals: Friday, August 20, 2021
No. 2 Niagara River Lions vs. Fraser Valley / Guelph (7 p.m. ET, 5 p.m. MT)
No. 1 Edmonton Stingers vs. Ottawa BlackJacks (9 p.m. ET, 7 p.m. MT)
Championship Game: Sunday, August 22, 2021
Semifinal Winner 1 vs. Semifinal Winner 2 (4 p.m. ET, 2 p.m. MT)
All playoff games broadcast live nationally on CBC TV and will also be available for live streaming on the CEBL’s new OTT streaming service CEBL+, cbcsports.ca , the free CBC Gem streaming service, the CBC Sports App for iOS and android devices, and on Twitch.
A league created by Canadians for Canadians, the CEBL has the highest percentage of Canadian players of any professional league in the country, with 75 percent of its current rosters being Canadians. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international leagues, including Division 1 FIBA 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 on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.