The Guelph Nighthawks made a 9-3 run in Elam time to defeat the Newfoundland Growlers 87-80 in their regular season finale.

The Nighthawks (10-10) already clinched a playoff spot and won their second straight game. The Growlers’ (6-13) four-game winning streak came to an end.

After Guelph took an early lead, Newfoundland fought back to make a close game all the way until the end.

Blake Francis hit a three on Newfoundland’s first possession. Guelph replied by getting to the foul line before Giorgi Bezhanishvili hit a corner three. The game remained close midway through the first quarter with both defences staying strong.

The Nighthawks forced consecutive turnovers and scored at the other end to take an 18-12 edge after baskets by Cat Barber and Maurice Calloo. The Growlers got the ball inside to Nysier Brooks multiple times. He added a three-point play as they trailed 26-15 after one quarter.

The teams traded triples to open the second quarter. Jemel Kennedy nailed a three to cut the deficit to five points. Meanwhile, Barber and Ahmed Hill found driving lanes to the basket.

Francis and Kennedy connected from three to keep the game close while their team denied Guelph at the rim. The Nighthawks finished the first half by scoring five of the last seven points to go up 48-43.

Jahvon Blair started the second half with a three-pointer. Keith added a triple to tie the game at 51. The Growlers also attacked the basket, led by Shaquille Keith. Sean Miller-Moore led the Nighthawks by pushing the ball in transition and scoring in the paint.

Neither team was able to get much separation as it remained a one-score game for most of the third quarter. Barber ended the third quarter with a jumper and the ensuing free throw to put Guelph up 68-65.

The teams moved the ball well to find players under the basket. The game stayed close going into the Elam Ending with Guelph up 78-74 after a fast break dunk by Miller-Moore.

Kennedy hit his fourth three-pointer of the game to start the Elam Ending. Bezhanishvili scored to extend Guelph’s lead to 85-77 before tipping in a rebound to win the game.

He finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds and four assists. Barber also had a solid all-around performance with 16 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals. Miller-Moore (12 points, four rebounds, four assists) and Calloo (13 points, three-for-four from deep) led the bench scoring

“Just a great team effort honestly,” Miller-Moore noted. “Staying solid throughout the first. We had ups and downs but grateful that we managed to get the win.”

He pointed out how Guelph head coach Charles Kissi keeps telling them to “stay solid.” Miller-Moore said the team stayed focused and avoided playing hero basketball to close out the win. “We need everyone’s effort…everyone do what they do best,” he added.

The Nighthawks were without TJ Lall. The Growlers were without leading scorer Brandon Sampson and point guard Junior Cadougan.

Newfoundland had a strong team effort with five players in double figure points. Keith and Brooks led the scoring with 14 points apiece while Blair led all players with eight assists. Meshack Lufile finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

“We really just tried to focus on defensive energy and enthusiasm but tonight just wasn’t our luck,” Brooks said.

As the Growlers have racked up wins recently, Brooks noted how he saw the signs early on. He saw a team that wanted to win but had bad luck closing out games.

“When I’ve seen that, I said ‘okay, this is a team that I can work with, a team that wants to win, wants to get better, wants to be in the gym every day with each other. That’s a bunch of good stuff’,” he added. “It made me hopeful that the team can definitely turn around.”

The Growlers close out the regular season by hosting the Scarborough Shooting Stars on July 31. The Nighthawks have finished their regular season.

Fans will be able to live stream all games including the playoffs on the CEBL’s OTT streaming service CEBL+, the CEBL’s official app, CEBL Mobile for iOS and Android devices, cbcsports.ca , the free CBC Gem streaming service, the CBC Sports App for iOS and Android devices and on NXT Level Sports in the U.S. As part of its playoff coverage, CBC Sports will broadcast the quarterfinal games Sunday, August 7, semifinal games Friday, August 12, and the Championship game on Sunday, August 14. For the complete broadcast and streaming schedule, click here . All times are subject to change.

The CEBL’s fourth regular season began May 25 and ends August 1. A league created by Canadians for Canadians, the CEBL is the largest pro sports league in the country with 10 teams located in six provinces. It 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 .