The Newfoundland Growlers rode a strong fourth quarter performance to a 94-80 road win over the Ottawa BlackJacks at TD Place on Tuesday night. The Growlers keep their slim playoff hopes alive and improve to 3-12 on the season while the BlackJacks drop to 5-12 and remain in eighth place.
The win is Newfoundland’s first on the road this season and also their first in franchise history as they approach three consecutive games against a fellow expansion franchise, the Montreal Alliance. The BlackJacks lose their fourth straight game after a three-game west coast road trip, but they can find a silver-lining in a guaranteed place in the semi-final due to hosting.
Brandon Sampson scored a team-high 17 points on 5-6 shooting to help Newfoundland to victory, with all 17 points coming before the 7:30 mark in the third quarter when he picked up his fourth personal foul. Sampson didn’t return to the game until Elam time.
In his absence, the Newfoundland bench stepped up in a big way to power them to victory with 43 bench points. Former Cape Breton University Capers Meshack Lufile and Shaquille Keith had strong performances, with Lufile coming off the bench to score 14 points on 7-11 shooting while hauling in 10 rebounds and blocking 2 shots. Keith netted 12 points before being ejected in Elam time, adding 5 rebounds and 3 assists to his stat line as well. Rowell Graham-Bell also reached double-figures off the bench, with 12 points on 5-11 shooting in the win.
Walt Lemon Jr. put up a game-high 21 points for Ottawa in a losing effort on 9-18 shooting from the field, accompanied by 6 assists and 6 turnovers. Deng Adel and Zena Edosomwan contributed 16 and 12 points respectively for the BlackJacks, with Adel adding 11 rebounds and 4 assists. New addition Johnny Berhanemeskel, a former Ottawa Gee-Gee, scored 10 points in his season debut in a starting role.
Ottawa shot just 37 per cent from the field and 16 per cent from three in the loss and were outrebounded 51-41. The Growlers shot 45 per cent from the field and hit 11 threes at a 39 per cent rate to lead them to the victory.
The BlackJacks opened the game on a 7-0 run before Shaquille Keith got the Growlers on the board with an and-one. Newfoundland went on a run of their own and a Brandon Sampson three gave them their first lead of the night. The Growlers made the free throw line their home in the first quarter, going 10-11 from the charity stripe and helping them to extend their lead. A Walt Lemon Jr. finish closed out the quarter with the BlackJacks trailing the Growlers 27-20.
Deng Adel flushed a poster dunk on Meshack Lufile to open the second quarter but Sampson answered with an and-one stepback three for Newfoundland. Lemon Jr. showed off his elite slashing ability in the second frame, scoring 10 points to lead the BlackJacks back into the game. A pair of free throws from Lemon Jr. gave Ottawa their first lead of the quarter but Sampson tied up the game at 44 heading into the locker room.
Sampson picked up his fourth foul early in the third quarter after he was whistled for a charge and went to the bench with 17 points. The BlackJacks and Growlers traded blows throughout the third quarter, with the Newfoundland bench stepping up. Graham-Bell took flight for a one-handed jam and dialed long distance twice for the Growlers while Lufile put up 6 third quarter points off the bench. The Growlers entered the final quarter ahead 66-63.
Newfoundland opened the fourth quarter on a 13-3 run that forced Ottawa into a timeout. The run featured three triples from Jahvon Blair, Shaquille Keith, and Jermel Kennedy, Coming out of the timeout, Lufile finished a putback to reach double-figures, Mason Bourcier slammed a transition dunk, and Kennedy finished inside to give the Growlers an 85-66 lead. Bourcier fouled Lemon Jr. to enter the Elam Ending with a 85-68 lead and a target score of 94.
Ottawa put up a fight in Elam time, going on a 10-2 run to start. However, a Blair floater, a goaltend, and a Lufile putback put the Growlers in a position to win. Junior Cadougan drew a foul and finished the game at the free throw line against his former team, giving Newfoundland a much-needed win.
The BlackJacks will look to bounce back on Sunday at home against the first-place Hamilton Honey Badgers at 2:00 p.m. ET while the Growlers head to Montreal for two of their three consecutive games against the Alliance on Friday at 7:30 ET and Sunday at 4:00 p.m. ET at Verdun Auditorium, followed by the final game on Wednesday in St. John’s.
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.
Newfoundland Growlers tickets are available at https://am.ticketmaster.com/growlers/ while Ottawa BlackJacks tickets are available at https://www.theblackjacks.ca/tickets .
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