The Fraser Valley Bandits bounced back in their home opener with a 90-78 win in a rematch with the Saskatchewan Rattlers on Saturday afternoon.

Murphy Burnatowski hit a game-winning three from the deep right wing to improve the Bandits’ record to 3-1, atop the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) standings. Burnatowski’s game-winner was 1 of 7 threes he hit in a game-high 27 point performance for the Bandits.

Thomas Kennedy started his first game for Bandits’ head coach Mike Taylor and scored 18 points on 8-11 shooting to go along with 9 rebounds, 3 assists and a block in 32 minutes of action. Shane Gibson added 16 points, going 7-14 from their field and 2-5 from three. Kadre Gray struggled from the field but had an impact in other areas. He finished with 7 points on 3-12 shooting, 6 rebounds and 8 assists.

“Thomas Kennedy has outstanding potential as a USports player,” Taylor said. “He came in and played great defence. Rim protection, great pick and roll coverage and his ability to finish pick and rolls on the offensive end.”

After losing to the Rattlers on Wednesday at SaskTel Centre 86-77 and conceding 18 offensive rebounds, Fraser Valley made adjustments and outrebounded Saskatchewan 43-35. They also scored 34 points in the paint to Saskatchewan’s 16.

Meanwhile, the Rattlers had four players reach double figures in a losing effort. Malik Benlevi led the way with 18 points and 7 rebounds, while Tony Carr chipped in 15 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists. Scottie Lindsey and Devonte Bandoo contributed as well, with Lindsey netting 14 points and Bandoo adding 12 points and 8 rebounds.

Both the Bandits and Rattlers came out of the gates firing. Lindsey and Benlevi both hit three first quarter 3s, going 52 per cent as a team from beyond the arc. Despite missing a handful of bunnies, Fraser Valley shot well themselves, going 47 per cent from the field and 57 per cent from three. Malcolm Duvivier hit a trifecta to beat the buzzer and give the Bandits a 25-24 lead after a high scoring first quarter.

Burnatowski was cooking to start the second quarter, scoring off of a reverse layup, a mid-range jumper, a catch-and-shoot three off a screen, then going between the legs and finishing with his left hand in the paint. Thomas Kennedy also rocked the rim in the second, with three dunks on two assists from Kadre Gray. The Rattlers’ league-best three point shooting kept them close, hitting 9 total first half threes on 64 per cent shooting.

The Bandits carried a 51-46 lead into halftime. They shot 55 per cent as a team in the first and dominated the battles for points in the paint and bench points.

Murphy Burnatowski continued to ball out in the third quarter, hitting three more from beyond the arc and dishing out assists to the Bandits’ big men. Jordy Tshimanga had a strong start to the quarter for the Rattlers with an up-and-under and a dunk before an altercation with Maxie Esho midway through the quarter. The pair suffered disqualifying unsportsmanlike fouls, leaving the Rattlers without their starting centre. In a lower scoring quarter, the Rattlers won the third but a Kadre Gray layup to close the quarter gave the Bandits a 69-67 lead heading into the final frame.

Saskatchewan was cold to start the fourth while Fraser Valley remained hot. The Bandits reached the Elam ending up 81-72 with a target score of 90. Burnatowski, Gibson, and Kennedy continued to play well and closed out the game for Fraser Valley in the home opener. The win pushed the Bandits to 6-5 against the Rattlers all-time, including playoff games.

The Bandits will play a morning game on Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. PT against the Hamilton Honey Badgers at Langley Events Centre while the Rattlers will visit the Honey Badgers at FirstOntario Centre next Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET.

The games will stream on CEBL+ live internationally and in Canada at cbcsports.ca, the CBC Sports app for iOS

and Android devices and the free CBC Gem streaming service. Games are also available on the CEBL’s official app, CEBL Mobile, available on iOS and Android devices.

Fraser Valley Bandits season tickets are available at https://www.thebandits.ca/season-tickets while Saskatchewan Rattlers season tickets are available at https://www.therattlers.ca/tickets .

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 .