The Guelph Nighthawks went on a 9-2 run in Elam time to power themselves past the Fraser Valley Bandits 87-79 at Langley Events Centre on Friday night.
Guelph returns to .500 at 8-8 as they enter a three-game road trip, while the Bandits drop to 9-7 and pick up their third consecutive loss.
Giorgi Bezhanishvili was a low-post force for the Nighthawks in the win, scoring a game-high 19 points on 8-14 shooting from the field and 2-4 from three, along with 7 points in Elam time. Cat Barber chipped in 15 points that included the game-winning bucket and Stef Smith also scored 15 points for Guelph. Sean Miller-Moore and Maurice Calloo each reached double figures as well with 10 points apiece.
“[Giorgi’s] performance everywhere is what we’ve been missing,” Guelph head coach Charles Kissi said. “He talks, he’s got great energy and it’s contagious.”
Fraser Valley also featured five players that reached double-figures, with Shane Gibson leading the way with 16 points on 6-11 shooting. Alex Campbell scored 15, all on three-pointers, to go along with 10 rebounds, with Marek Klassen adding 15 points as well. Big men James Karnik and Thomas Kennedy scored 12 points and 10 points respectively with Kennedy snagging a game-high 11 rebounds.
The Nighthawks were efficient from the field and beyond the arc on Friday night, shooting 52 per cent from both areas in a winning effort. After giving up 10 offensive rebounds in the first half, Guelph regained focus on the boards in the second half, giving up just one offensive rebound.
“You have to figure out how the game is going to be called to figure out [rebounding],” Kissi said. “We just have to find that balance and manage our physicality.”
The first quarter saw the Bandits get off to a hot start offensively. James Karnik put up 8 first quarter points that included a pair of emphatic putback jams and a slick baby hook. Alex Campbell knocked down three triples in the opening frame and closed out the quarter with a ball fake that led to a buzzer-beating shot to give the Bandits a 16-7 lead heading into the second quarter.
A Malcolm Duvivier three to open the second quarter extended the Fraser Valley lead to 14 points, but the Nighthawks were able to climb back into the game after back-to-back threes from Ahmed Hill and TJ Lall that forced a Mike Taylor timeout. A pair of Ahmed Hill layups and a finish from Sean Miller-Moore made it a 13-0 run for Guelph and forced another Fraser Valley timeout. The Nighthawks cut the lead to one point but a jab-and-shoot three from Shane Gibson extended the lead to 38-34 heading into the locker room.
Alex Campbell led all scorers at halftime with 12 points to go along with 7 rebounds while Karnik and Gibson added 8 points and 7 points respectively. Thomas Kennedy hauled in an impressive 10 rebounds at halftime and helped lead the Bandits to 10 offensive rebounds at the half. Cat Barber and Maurice Calloo led the Nighthawks in scoring after 20 minutes with 8 points and 7 points respectively.
Sean Miller-Moore opened the third quarter in exciting fashion with a high-flying reverse alley-oop slam, followed up by another interior finish. Giorgi Bezhanishvili scored 7 straight points for Guelph and Cat Barber completed an and-one to give the Nighthawks their first lead since the first quarter. However, the Bandits struck back with three consecutive threes, two of which came from Marek Klassen, to give them a 61-52 lead. Shane Gibson continued his strong night for Fraser Valley with 10 third quarter points, including a buzzer-beating bucket to give the Bandits a 67-59 lead heading into the fourth.
The Nighthawks kicked off the final quarter on a 10-0 run, powered by 7 points from Stef Smith, to give Guelph a 2-point lead. From there, the teams exchanged blows in a stretch that included a combined four consecutive threes. Ahmed Hill hit a catch-and-shoot three in rhythm to give the Nighthawks a 78-77 lead heading into Elam time with a target score of 87.
Bezhanishvili opened Elam time with a triple and a transition layup to extend Guelph’s lead to six points. Thomas Kennedy scored Fraser Valley’s first Elam points with an alley-oop layup before Bezhanishvili attacked him with a hook shot on the other end. Cat Barber cut through the defence in transition to finish off the Bandits with a game-winning layup.
Fraser Valley hosts another game on Sunday at Langley Events Centre against the Ottawa BlackJacks at 1 p.m. PT while the Nighthawks continue their west coast road trip at SaskTel Centre in a meeting with the Rattlers at 7:30 CT on Thursday.
The game 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.
Fraser Valley Bandits tickets are available at https://www.thebandits.ca/tickets while Guelph Nighthawks tickets are available at https://www.thenighthawks.ca/tickets .
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