The Saskatchewan Rattlers finished their regular season on a high note with an 82-72 win over the Montréal Alliance at Verdun Auditorium on Friday night.
“It’s always good to end the season on a win,” Saskatchewan guard Tony Carr said. “It’s good to go into the playoffs with some momentum and some camaraderie. It’s a good way to win.”
The Rattlers finish the season with an 11-9 record and await the results of tomorrow’s game between Edmonton and Fraser Valley and Sunday’s game between Scarborough and Newfoundland to determine their seeding. Meanwhile, Montréal drops to 4-15 and will play one more game on the road in Ottawa on Monday.
Carr netted a game-high 18 points in Saskatchewan’s win to go along with 3 rebounds and 4 assists. Bruce Massey and Malik Benlevi each contributed 15 points apiece for the Rattlers, with Benlevi hauling in 8 rebounds as well. Jordy Tshimanga also had a strong game for Saskatchewan with 15 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks.
Kenny Ossé led the way with 16 points and 6 rebounds on 7-15 shooting for Montréal, while Hernst Laroche and Nathan Cayo each added 10 points for the Alliance.
The first quarter was low scoring with neither team finding a groove. Tony Carr was able to score 6 of Saskatchewan’s 16 first quarter points and led them to a 16-12 lead heading into the second quarter.
Bruce Massey and Jordy Tshimanga had a big second quarter for the Rattlers, with Tshimanga providing an inside presence and Massey finding a rhythm. Saskatchewan led by as much as 11 in the second quarter but the Alliance were able to cut the lead to 36-28 heading into halftime. Montréal shot just 37 per cent from the field in the opening 20 minutes, while Saskatchewan shot 50 per cent, but hit just two threes at a 25 per cent rate. The Rattlers had the three highest scorers going into the locker room, with Massey leading all scorers with 11, Tshimanga chipping in 9 and Carr adding 8 points.
Tshimanga and Carr continued to play well in the third quarter, with Tshimanga scoring some tough buckets inside, while Carr finished on a spin layup, a three, and free throws. Massey drew a buzzer-beating foul and hit one from the free throw line to give Saskatchewan a 60-49 lead heading into the fourth.
The Rattlers started the fourth quarter on a 10-2 run to lead by 19 points, but Montréal were able to cut into the lead before the Elam Ending. Kenny Ossé hit a mid-range jumper off the dribble to cut Saskatchewan’s lead to 72-60 heading into the Elam Ending with a target score of 81.
Montréal showed some fight in Elam time, with Tshimanga fouling out and Ossé hitting some big shots. However, threes from Carr and Benlevi put Saskatchewan in a position to win. Bruce Massey found a cutting D’Andre Bernard for a game-winning alley-oop to end the Rattlers’ regular season in impressive fashion.
The Alliance will travel to Ottawa for their final game of the season on Monday, while Saskatchewan awaits their opponent in the CEBL playoffs.
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.