The Newfoundland Growlers look for their first ever win as they host the league leading Hamilton Honey Badgers on June 12 at 4 pm NT/2:30 pm ET.

The Growlers (0-4) have come close a couple of times to victory. They lost on a game-winning jump shot to the Ottawa BlackJacks. On June 10, they almost completed a double-digit comeback against the Niagara River Lions before losing by one point. The Hamilton Honey Badgers (5-1) have won four games in a row.

Despite the loss to Niagara, Newfoundland put forth a strong second half effort. The Growlers attacked the basket well to start the game as guards Jahvon Blair and Brandon Sampson led the scoring. One of the team’s strengths is their perimeter defence as they lead the CEBL with 12.5 steals on average.

The Growlers showed that tenacity against the River Lions, with 11 steals. Sampson had four steals with Shaquille Keith had three. The Honey Badgers are also strong in that department, second in the league averaging 8.5 steals.

Newfoundland will lean on Sampson, Blair and Keith for offence. Sampson leads the CEBL with an average of 26.5 points. He’s scored in different ways: in the half court, in the paint, in transition, from three and the free throw line.

Guard Khalil Whitney led all bench players with 18 points and six rebounds against Niagara. Bench scoring will be important as they were outscored 41-26 from the bench against the River Lions.

The Honey Badgers’ strength is their depth. Christian Vital (16.5 points average), Caleb Agada (15.2) and Jeremiah Tilmon Jr. (14.7) are their leading scorers. They also get consistent contributions from bench players including Koby McEwen, Keevan Veinot and Nikola Djogo.

Against Saskatchewan, their bench outscored the Rattlers’ 33-9. Their interior play is another strength. Tilmon Jr. is third in the CEBL shooting 67.9 per cent. He can score off getting good post position inside. Against the Rattlers, he had 22 points from 75 per cent shooting. The Honey Badgers average 40 rebounds, best in the CEBL.

Hamilton is a dangerous three-point shooting team. They are third in the CEBL shooting 36.5 per cent and are second with 65 three-pointers made. Djogo, Tilmon Jr., Agada, McEwen and Vital all average 38 per cent or better from deep.

An X factor for this game is whether the Growlers can match or contain Hamilton’s three-point shooting and presence on the glass. The Honey Badgers have gotten out to sizable leads against the Rattlers, Guelph Nighthawks and Scarborough Shooting Stars recently. However, Newfoundland does have experience battling back from deficits.

A win for Hamilton would extend their lead atop the standings. Meanwhile, a victory for Newfoundland would put them in a tie with the BlackJacks. This is the first part of a home-and-home series between the two teams as Hamilton hosts Newfoundland on June 16.

All games will be streamed live internationally on the CEBL’s OTT platform, CEBL+ and on CEBL Mobile the official app of the CEBL for iOS and Android devices. Games are also 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 .