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Rattlers, BlackJacks Meet in Do or Die Game at CEBL Summer Series
August 5, 2020
CEBL Team
The Saskatchewan Rattlers (1-4) and Ottawa BlackJacks (2-3) enter this evening’s contest with one thing in mind: win and you’re in. The Rattlers have lost their last four games, most recently falling to the Hamilton Honey Badgers by a score of 86-73 Tuesday night. The BlackJacks, on the other hand, dropped a heartbreaker Tuesday night to the Niagara River Lions, 81-79, clinching a playoff berth for Niagara and putting the BlackJacks on the brink of elimination from the CEBL Summer Series. Tonight’s matchup will be the first meeting between the Saskatchewan Rattlers and expansion Ottawa BlackJacks.
Today’s game closes out the round robin portion of the Series, tipping off at 7:30 p.m. ET (5:30 p.m. CT). It can be viewed on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Gem App and on Twitch.tv (CEBLeague).
Do or Die
The winner of tonight’s game will advance to the Summer Series quarterfinals, with seeding to be determined depending on the winning team. If the Rattlers are to prevail, they will enter as the fifth overall seed because they hold the tiebreaker over the Niagara River Lions. If the BlackJacks are victorious, they will enter the playoffs as the number-three seed if Guelph defeats Fraser Valley in the first game of the doubleheader, or as the number-four seed if the Bandits down the Nighthawks.
Finding Form
The Rattlers seemed to find their early Summer Series form in the second quarter of Tuesday’s loss to Hamilton, holding the Honey Badgers to a CEBL record-low five points in a quarter. However, the same problems that plagued them in their previous games flared up once again. Namely, the Rattlers were unable to hit shots or outwork the Honey Badgers on the glass. A full-strength roster will help the Rattlers, as they have been playing the last three games shorthanded with several players nursing injuries. The Rattlers will need to rediscover their shooting form from their opening two games if they hope to move onto the playoff rounds.
The BlackJacks have shown several glimpses of incredible promise throughout the Summer Series. After dropping their first two games, the BlackJacks found their form against the then-streaking Fraser Valley Bandits. Since that game the BlackJacks have won one and lost one, taking down the Hamilton Honey Badgers by 16 points and losing to the River Lions by a mere two points. The BlackJacks are led by Thomas Scrubb and Olivier Hanlan who are averaging 14.6 and 10.8 points per game respectively.
Both teams enter tonight’s contest shooting a near identical shooting percentage with the Rattlers at .414 and the BlackJacks at .418. Both teams have shown flashes of dominance over the course of the Summer Series, the winning team tonight will be the team that is able to put in a full-game performance without taking a single possession off.
Rebounds, Rebounds, Rebounds
The survivor of this win-or-go-home game could well come down to the winner of the boards battle. The Rattlers have struggled to control the ball, turning it over an average of 19.4 times a game, and to rebound as they’re averaging only 36.6 caroms a game. The BlackJacks, on the other hand, average 43.6 rebounds and only 16.2 turnovers per game. The Rattlers will have to crash the boards and take care of the basketball if they wish to move on. The BlackJacks will be hoping that big-man Kyle Landry and Eric Kibi can continue to pick up rebounds and protect the paint.
Next Up
Following this evening’s game, the CEBL Summer Series playoff round will begin with the quarterfinals on Thursday. The first and second seed will automatically gain a bye to the semifinals scheduled for Saturday. After tonight’s games, the final seeding will be made official. Thursday’s quarterfinals will see the third seed face the sixth, and the fourth seed face the fifth.