The Saskatchewan Rattlers host the Scarborough Shooting Stars on June 15, 2022 at 7:30 pm CT/9:30 pm ET in a matchup of two teams with 3-3 records. The Shooting Stars currently are sixth in the CEBL while the Rattlers are seventh.

Both teams are coming off notable victories. The Rattlers came from behind to defeat the Niagara River Lions 86-81. Saskatchewan was trailing 81-74 in Elam time but ripped off 12 straight points to win it, capped off by a three-pointer by Malik Benlevi. They were close with the River Lions in many categories, including rebounds, assists and turnovers. Their free-throw shooting was excellent as they sank 20 of 21.

After starting the season with two straight losses, Scarborough has won three of their last four games. Their most recent win came against the defending champion Edmonton Stingers on the road, 78-69. The Shooting Stars outscored the Stingers 44-33 in the second half, including 20-12 in the fourth quarter. They out-shot Edmonton from three (37-29 per cent) and won the rebounding battle (49-38).

Jalen Harris and Kameron Chatman are two players to keep an eye on. They are Scarborough’s go-to scorers as they led the team in scoring against Edmonton. Forwards Kalif Young and Isaiah Mike and guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes have also made an impact. The team was without key big man Kyle Alexander against Edmonton. Alexander leads the league averaging 12.3 rebounds and is a strong paint presence.

With and without Alexander, the Shooting Stars are tied for second with an average of 38 rebounds while the Rattlers are sixth at 34.3 rebounds. The rebounding battle could be a key to the game.

Saskatchewan guard Tony Carr helps run their offence as he leads the CEBL with an average of 6.0 assists. He is also fifth with an average of 20.2 points.

The Rattlers are the best three-point shooting team with a league-best 38.7 per cent and 77 made threes. Carr, Benlevi, Ali Sow and Sebastian Aris all shoot 43 per cent or better from deep. Devonte Bandoo, Scottie Lindsay and Anthony Tsegakele all shoot 33 per cent or better as well.

Scarborough is ninth in three-point percentage at 31.5 per cent. A deciding factor could be whether the Shooting Stars can keep up with the Rattlers’ hot shooting. Scarborough’s Mike and Sarūnas Vasiliauskas are both shooting 50 per cent from three.

This is the first-ever meeting between the two teams. This is the first of a five-game homestead for the Rattlers while it is the second game in a three game Western Canada road trip for the Shooting Stars.

The winner of the game will make history with the inaugural head-to-head win as well as having a 4-3 record.

All games will be streamed live internationally on the CEBL’s OTT platform, CEBL+ and on CEBL Mobile the official app of the CEBL for iOS and Android devices. Games are also available to stream live in Canada via cbcsports.ca , the CBC Sports app for iOS and Android devices, and the free CBC Gem streaming service.

A league created by Canadians for Canadians, the CEBL 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 .