Matthew Winick
When the Hamilton Honey Badgers (7-3) and Fraser Valley Bandits (5-2) face off at the FirstOntario Centre in Hamilton at 7:00 p.m ET on Friday night, more than just the game itself will be on the line.
With both squads neck-and-neck for the vaunted second seed in the CEBL’s playoff race, Friday’s winner will be one step closer to securing a bye to the semifinals on August 20 th at Championship Weekend in Edmonton. Hamilton leads in the win column, but Fraser Valley is currently higher in win percentage due to fewer games played so far this season.
In what is already shaping up to be a thrilling game in the only matchup between these two top tier teams, the added incentive of playoff positioning should cement Friday night’s tilt as one of the must-watch contests of the entire season.
Scoring Differences
While both the Bandits and Honey Badgers can put up high point totals on any given night, the way each team scores the basketball is vastly different.
Fraser Valley sports the most balanced roster in the CEBL, with a staggering seven different players averaging double-figures in points on the season, while its top scorer Alex Campbell averages less points per game (15.3) than any other team’s leading scorer.
The same cannot be said for Hamilton, who’s offense is led by the league’s leading scorer, Lindell Wigginton (22.6 points per game) along with only two other players averaging double-figure point totals.
Beyond the scoring distribution, these teams prefer to score in different areas on the court as well. The Bandits are near the top of the league in two-point percentage while the Honey Badgers lead the CEBL in three-point percentage and three-pointers made.
No Place Like Home
A major advantage for Hamilton on Friday will be the FirstOntario Centre faithful cheering on their squad. Not only will the newly introduced fans bring energy to the players, but the Honey Badgers have been especially good at home this season, while the Bandits have been quite poor on the road.
Hamilton’s only home loss this season came at the hands of the then-undefeated Edmonton Stingers. Other than that slip-up, the team has won all four of its other home games.
Meanwhile, Fraser Valley lost both of its road games to Niagara and Ottawa earlier this month. Contrast that to the Bandits’ 5-0 home mark, and it’s evident that this team isn’t quite the same away from Abbotsford.
Rest vs. Rust
Rust may be another factor working against Fraser Valley on Friday night. The Bandits have been out of action for quite a while, having played their last game nine days ago against the Guelph Nighthawks.
The Honey Badgers are certainly not out of practice, as they played three games over the span of Fraser Valley’s inactivity.
The question of rust versus rest will become a key in this matchup. The Bandits could perhaps benefit from the time off, using the break to prepare for their tough test against Hamilton, while the Honey Badgers’ long stretch of games could leave them vulnerable to a letdown.
Either way, both teams will be sure to give maximum effort in a game with so much importance as the 2021 CEBL season begins to head into its final stretch.
All CEBL games will 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, 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 typically runs from May through August. Head to CEBL.ca for more information or follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube