By Justine Jones
A pull up three-pointer by Kemy Osse proved to be the dagger as the Saskatchewan Rattlers (1-9) earned their first win of the season, 86-83, over the Guelph Nighthawks (2-7).
The contest was a back-and-forth affair that was knotted at 77 heading into the Elam Ending, and tied at 83 just before clutch three-pointer from Osse. The Montreal native finished with 15 points and 8 rebounds in just his second game back from injury.
“Man it feels good, our first win of the season,” said Osse. “We shouldn’t get too happy, we still have some work to do if we want to make a playoff run.”
Saskatchewan found success in the first half by way of defensive stops that allowed the team to get out in transition. Through two quarters, the Rattlers outscored Guelph on the fast break, 17-9. Saskatchewan went on a 12-5 run to close the second quarter and had a seven point lead heading into the break. This run was fueled by a pair of three-pointers by Devonte Bandoo, who finished the game with 15 points.
The Rattlers exhibited strong ball movement tonight, especially in the second quarter where the team recorded nine assists. A bounce pass to Nervens Demosthene who went up and took contact to complete a three-point play helped Saskatchewan stretch its lead. Demosthene had his best performance on the season, registering 18 points on 88 per cent shooting.
“That run was all propelled by going small. When we play a four guard lineup with one five in there, the ball really zipped around, there’s a lot of energy on the ball, the ball wasn’t sticking,” said head coach Conor Dow. “The thing I was worried about was rebounding and when our small group got rebounding, the speed we advance the ball up the court with was unbelievable. We have to continue to build on that moving forward.”
These quick, efficient passes down low helped Saskatchewan finish some easy baskets at the rim and tally a season high 23 assists on the night. The Rattlers had five players score in double digits including the aforementioned Bandoo, Demosthene, and Osse, as well as Travis Daniels (13 points) and JaKeenan Gant (11 points). With the win, Saskatchewan improves to 1-9 and continues to chase the sixth-place Nighthawks for the final playoff spot.
Guelph began tonight’s game with a different lineup, adding guard Terry Thomas and forward Amidou Bamba to its starting five. Thomas was impactful throughout the game, attacking the basket and finishing at the rim. The Nighthawks had trailed for the entire third quarter before the former Ottawa Gee-Gee splashed a three-pointer to tie the game at 63 with one minute left before the final frame. Thomas finished with a double-double (17 points, 10 rebounds) on the night.
“Terry’s a vet, it’s not his first year coming out of college, he’s played a lot of professional basketball,” said head coach Charles Kissi. “That’s what you expect from guys who are high level.”
Nighthawk standouts Cat Barber and Chad Brown sat out tonight’s contest, while Matt Neufeld, Kethan Savage, Emanual Shepherd, and 2019 Nighthawks MVP, Olu Famutimi made their season debuts. Shepherd finished the night with nine points, including a buzz-beater three pointer to end the first half. Savage also contributed nine points, and registered a big block heading into the Elam Ending.
“Coaching basketball is like being in a life raft in the middle of the ocean, you get a hole and plug that one, then get another hole and plug that one,” said Kissi. “You’re constantly trying to plug gaps and holes to survive and make your team better, so you do the best you can.”
With these new additions to the lineup, Guelph guards Ahmed Hill and Kimbal Mackenzie carried the offensive load for their squad. Hill and Mackenzie finished with 17 points and 13 points, respectively.
The Nighthawks will look to rebound with a win when they play host to the Hamilton Honey Badgers (7-3) on July 27 at 7:00p.m. ET at the Sleeman Centre.
Saskatchewan will continue its road trip by travelling to the nation’s capital on July 26 to take on the Ottawa BlackJacks (3-6) at 7:00p.m. ET at TD Place.
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