If their first three meetings are any indication of the game to expect on Thursday night at Abbotsford Centre, Guelph (3-7) and Fraser Valley (1-9) will provide CEBL fans with another nail-biter decided late in the contest.

(Tickets available at TicketMaster. Watch via CEBL TV or the CBC Gem App ).

While the Nighthawks will be looking for the four-game season-series sweep of the Bandits, their three victories earlier in the campaign were decided by a total of 10 points. The wins against Fraser Valley are the only ones Guelph has earned in this inaugural campaign. A leadership shakeup on Canada Day saw Tarry Upshaw removed as head coach and general manager of Guelph, with assistant Juan Nunez taking over on an interim basis for Thursday’s game. It will be interesting to see how the Nighhawks will respond on the court.

Fraser Valley has relied heavily on Tyrrel Tate who has averaged 22.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists in the three games against Guelph, while the Nighthawks showcased three different leading scorers and three different leading rebounders in its games against the Bandits this season.

Fraser Valley is coming off its first win in franchise history, a 101-89 victory over the Rattlers in Saskatchewan. The Bandits shot .560 (39-69) from the field and scored 50 points in the paint. They now look for their first win on home court.

Guelph has been efficient from the floor through its first 10 games, ranking second in both field goal percentage (.468) and three-point field goal percentage (.368), behind the CEBL’s best Niagara River Lions. Guelph’s sharp shooting can partly be attributed to its ability to share the ball - the Nighthawks are second in the league, averaging 20.9 assists per contest. Individually, a battle of ball distributers will take front and centre on Thursday night as Guelph guard Myck Kabongo, and Fraser Valley guard Marek Klassen share the league lead, averaging 7.3 assists per game.

Both teams welcomed new additions to the roster. The Nighthawks signed Canadian Jermel Kennedy on June 28, who averaged 15.0 points for AS Kaysersberg of the NM1 French League. The Bandits signed American import Jalan-Miguel Kendrick on July 1. He last played for the London Lightning of NBLC.

Guelph needs this win in order to stay within reach of Saskatchewan (6-4) in the CEBL standings , who holds the fourth and final playoff spot. The Nighthawks can still punch its ticket to the CEBL Championship Weekend , but they cannot afford to drop its final game against Fraser Valley.

 

 

HEAD-TO-HEAD STATISTICS

Fraser Valley (1-9) Guelph (x-x)

0-3     Head-to-Head      3-0

94.3       PPG     97.7

.430 (99-230)       FG%    .464 (98-211)

.309 (29-94)       3FG%    .397 (31-78)

.800 (56-70)       FT%    .717 (66-92)

138 (12-96)     REB (OR-DR)      123 (29-94)

59      AST     59

46       TO     42

44     PTS off TO      52

99     BENCH PTS      106

May 9, 2019 at Fraser Valley: Guelph 106, Fraser Valley 103

Leading scorers: Fraser Valley (R. Pryor, 28), Guelph (M. Kabongo, 31)

Leading rebounders: Fraser Valley (T. Tate, 11), Guelph (J. Reynolds, 9)

May 18, 2019 at Guelph: Guelph 95, Fraser Valley 94

Leading scorers: Fraser Valley (T. Tate, 22), Guelph (J. Reynolds, 24)

Leading rebounders: Fraser Valley (D. Bachynski, 10), Guelph (E. Marshall, 13)

June 15, 2019 at Guelph: Guelph 92, Fraser Valley 86

Leading scorers: Fraser Valley (T. Tate, 27), Guelph (M. Lewis, 20)

Leading rebounders: Fraser Valley (T. Tate, 10), Guelph (C. Lufile, 10)