The Guelph Nighthawks (1-0) will play host to the Saskatchewan Rattlers (0-1) at the Sleeman Centre in their home opener on Saturday.

The Rattlers are hoping to bounce back with a win after a heartbreaking loss at home on Thursday to the River Lions. A win on the road early in the season would get the team back on track and set the tone for the rest of the year. As the visiting team, the Rattlers will need to strike
fast and take the home crowd out of the equation. Saskatchewan’s Tavrion Dawson will seek to continue his offensive tear after dropping 29 points on 73% shooting in the home opener.

Two days removed from their 3 point victory over the Bandits, Guelph will look to translate their momentum into another win on Saturday. Another tally in the win column would keep the Nighthawks on top of the standings while showing the rest of the league that they’re a force to
be reckoned with. Guelph will need to channel the speed and aggressiveness they played with on Thursday in order to pull out the victory.

Aside from Dawson, expect Saskatchewan’s Alex Campbell to play a large roll in Saturday’s game. He had a strong showing on Thursday, scoring 19 points and making a game-high 4 threes on 5 attempts. The Ontario native spread the floor perfectly for the Rattlers, and the squad will be hoping for another impressive shooting performance from him.

The Nighthawks will be excited to display their new squad to the hometown crowd for the first time. Guelph boasts a multitude of Toronto natives, including guard Myck Kabongo and center Jabari Craig, along with the University of Guelph’s Malcolm Glanville.

The pressure’s on for both teams to come out with the W on Saturday. For Guelph, they understand the importance of giving the hometown crowd something to root for, while Saskatchewan doesn’t want to start the season 0-2.

Will the support and energy of Guelph fans help lift their team over the Rattlers, or will Saskatchewan outlast the Nighthawks in another nail-biting thriller? Watch it all unfold for FREE on CEBL TV at 7 p.m. ET.