The Guelph Nighthawks visit the Newfoundland Growlers on July 29 at 7:30 pm NT/6:00 pm ET to close out the CEBL regular season. It is their first-ever trip to Newfoundland.

The Nighthawks (9-10) clinched a playoff berth in their last game, a 104-82 home victory over the Saskatchewan Rattlers. They edged out the Growlers (6-12) for the final playoff spot after Newfoundland won their fourth game in a row. It was also Newfoundland’s fifth win in the past six games. Guelph will now fight for playoff seeding.

The Nighthawks had strong performances from multiple players against Saskatchewan. Leading scorer Cat Barber returned to the lineup and had 18 points, seven assists and five rebounds, including the game-winning score.

Fellow guards Stefan Smith (14 points, four rebounds, two steals) and Ahmed Hill (18 points, four rebounds) also had solid outings.

The team ended a two-game losing streak and started off hot, leading 27-10 after one quarter.

Guelph’s post players made an impact as well. Maurice Calloo had a team-high 23 points. Recent additions Giorgi Bezhanishvili (11 points, nine rebounds) and Olu Ashaolu (14 points, nine rebounds) also contributed. The team won the rebounding battle 44-35 and shot 70 per cent from two-point range and 52 per cent from the field.

A key to this game will be whether they can continue their stellar play down low against Newfoundland’s forwards. The Nighthawks lead the league in field goal percentage (46.4) and are second in average points (87.7).

“I think everybody at this point wants to win the whole thing,” Guelph head coach Charles Kissi said after the Rattlers game. “Playoffs is just one step. We still have one game…so we focus on that.”

The Growlers continued their late season surge by edging out the Montréal Alliance 84-83 at home. It was a comeback effort for them as they outscored the Alliance 18-12 in the fourth quarter and Elam time.

Newfoundland shot well from deep (44 per cent) in a team effort. The three-point shooting was an improvement from their season average (34.1) and could be a key factor going forward. Five players finished with double digit points, including guard Shaquille Keith with 21 points, four assists and five rebounds.

Guard Blake Francis had 18 points and five assists while forward Rowell Graham-Bell had 13 points and nine rebounds. It will be important for Newfoundland to carry their scoring depth into this game.

The Growlers are also a pesky defensive team, third in the CEBL with an average of 8.7 steals. Meanwhile, Nysier Brooks is a force in the paint. He is tied for fourth in the league in average rebounds (7.7) and average blocks (1.2). Brooks had 10 points and seven boards against Montréal.

While this game marks the end of Guelph’s regular season, Newfoundland still has one more game after this. It’s a home tilt versus the Scarborough Shooting Stars on July 31.

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 .