News
Saskatchewan Rattlers Miss Post-Season as Ottawa BlackJacks Advance After Victory
August 6, 2020
CEBL Team
ST. CATHARINES, ON, August 5, 2020 – The defending CEBL Champions will not be repeating in 2020. The Saskatchewan Rattlers fell to the Ottawa BlackJacks by a score of 87-68 in the final game of the round robin portion of the CEBL Summer Series on Wednesday. With the loss, the Rattlers failed to qualify for the CEBL Summer Series playoffs, while the expansion BlackJacks clinched a playoff berth in their inaugural season. Both the Rattlers and BlackJacks were playing their second game in two days, with both teams losing on Monday night to the Hamilton Honey Badgers and Niagara River Lions, respectively.
"Fatigue was an issue but it's not an excuse," said Rattlers head coach Chad Jacobson. "The guys went out and competed hard, regardless of how they were feeling. They left it all out on the floor and at the end of the day that’s all you can ask for as a coach."
The Rattlers led, 23-16, after one quarter with Regina’s Kai Williams splashing a big three early in the frame. The BlackJacks started finding their form in the second and never looked back from that point. Ottawa took a 38-32 lead into the break on the back of strong team play. The BlackJacks ability to share the ball was ultimately the Rattlers undoing.
"One of the biggest things for us is making sure we play as a team," BlackJacks head coach Osvaldo Jeanty said. "We don't count on one person to score all the points for us. It's a collective effort so I think that's where it makes it easier for us."
Tommy Scrubb paced the BlackJacks with 20 points and three rebounds on .560 shooting from the field. Rookie guard Lloyd Pandi also turned heads with his impressive play underneath the rim. The 20-year-old looked like a seasoned vet and contributed seven points and seven rebounds.
"I'm just trying to bring energy and help my team win," Pandi said. "Whatever they ask me to do I'm just going to go out there, get rebounds and bring energy because I know that we have a lot of good scorers and we have a lot of great players. I’m just trying to bring something that the older guys don't have to worry about because I know that they have jobs to do. My job is just to come out here and help those guys."
The BlackJacks turned up the heat in the third quarter and held the Rattlers to only 11 points. Ottawa looked dominant for the remainder of the game holding a 60-43 lead as the game entered the final quarter.
TJ Lall ended the game in Elam Ending time with a three-pointer, securing the BlackJacks’ place in the post-season. The BlackJacks finish with the same 3-3 record as Hamilton and Guelph and by virtue of the tie-breaker formula capture the fourth playoff seed. They face the Guelph Nighthawks Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
The war of attrition ultimately ended the Rattlers season as they nursed numerous minor injuries throughout the Summer Series. However, Rattlers head coach Chad Jacobsen felt the competition delivered a valuable learning experience to take into the 2021 CEBL season.
"Missing the playoffs is very disappointing, but this was a great group of men”, Jacobson said. “They were true professionals. They showed up every day, did their job to the best of their abilities and they're just an enjoyable group to be around. I think that's a positive takeaway from the Summer Series.”
The first game in the Summer Series playoffs pits the third seed Hamilton Honey Badgers and the sixth seed Niagara River Lions Thursday at 5 p.m. ET. That game will be followed by the BlackJacks’ third game in three nights when they face the Guelph Nighthawks at 7:30 p.m. ET.
All CEBL Summer Series contests are available to watch on CBCSports.ca and the CBC Gem App. A complete broadcast schedule can be found here.