The Fraser Valley Bandits (0-9) may still be looking for their first victory in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), however General Manager and Head Coach Peter Guarasci continues to shuffle the deck and will enter Thursday’s game against the Saskatchewan Rattlers (6-4) with a team looking different than the one Saskatchewan played just two weeks earlier.

(Tickets available at TicketMaster. Watch via CEBL TV or the CBC Gem App ).

Since the 93-81 win for the Rattlers on June 13, the Bandits have welcomed new players Kevin Bercy, Chris McLaughlin and Jamal Ray, while parting ways with Dallin Bachynski, Anton Gill, Otas Iyekekpolor, and Diego Kapelan. Bercy was a Saskatchewan draft pick in the open round of the 2019 CEBL Draft but did not see any game action before being released by the Rattlers on June 18. With such a dramatic change to the Fraser Valley lineup, the outcome Thursday may not be as predictable as the records indicate.

Yes, the Bandits are without a win this season, but they were defeated twice in overtime and four other losses this year have been decided by six points or less. The team is coming off a heartbreaking 104-95 loss in extra time against Edmonton on June 22, during which Stingers guard Deondre Parks made three free throws with just four seconds remaining to tie the game and force overtime. It’s been that kind of a season so far for Fraser Valley.

Don’t let the 6-4 record of the Rattlers fool you, this team is very good. Saskatchewan is 0-3 against league-leading Niagara and 6-1 against everyone else, include a sweep of back-to-back games against the Hamilton Honey Badgers, who sat second in the standings heading into Wednesday’s game versus the River Lions.

Saskatchewan fans have enjoyed watching one of the most dynamic players in the league in forward Tavrion (Tay) Dawson. The 22-year-old product of California State Northridge University is leading the CEBL in scoring, averaging 21.9 points per game, while ranking fifth in rebounds at 7.9 per contest. Not to be outdone, teammate Bruce Massey ranks fourth in the league in scoring, averaging 18.8 points while the guard leads the league in steals averaging 2.4 per game. When both Dawson and Massey are on their game, the Rattlers are very difficult to beat.

The Bandits and Rattlers will meet two more times this season: July 25 at Saskatchewan and August 2 in Fraser Valley.

HEAD-TO-HEAD STATISTICS
Fraser Valley (0-9) Saskatchewan (6-4)
0-1     Head-to-Head     1-0
81.0       PPG        93.0
.420 (30-71)    FG%     .508 (32-63)
.250 (7-28)     3FG%     .450 (14-31)
.700 (14-20)    FT%     .650 (15-23)
41 (14-27)    REB (OR-DR)    33 (4-29)
15        AST         15
12         TO          8
9       PTS off TO        12
28      BENCH PTS        13

June 13 at Fraser Valley: Saskatchewan 93, Fraser Valley 81
Leading Scorers: Fraser Valley (A. Gill, 17), Saskatchewan (T. Dawson, 26)
Leading Rebounders: Fraser Valley (C. Robinson, 12), Saskatchewan (T. Dawson, 9)