It was a huge night for Bruce Massey, who put up 22 points to help the Saskatchewan Rattlers secure a 98-85 victory in an intense battle against the Hamilton Honey Badgers on Saturday.

The game was a rematch of Thursday’s matchup, which the Rattlers also stole from the Honey Badgers by a score of 113-95.

Massey led Saskatchewan’s strong offensive attack, with help from both Alex Campbell and Tavrion Dawson who scored 20 points and 18 points each respectively.

For Hamilton, Ricky Tarrant Jr. led the way with 18 points, followed by teammate Demetrius Denzel-Dyson with 17 points.

The first quarter started out strong with both teams buzzing on the hardwood. The Rattlers were able to take a sizeable lead off the backs of Campbell, Massey and Dawson.

Their lead quickly crumbled though as the persistent Honey Badgers fought to tie the game at 14, with a dunk from Denzel-Dyson. The Honey Badgers continued their strong offensive drive with a pair of trips to the line to close out the first quarter with an 18-16
lead.

The Rattlers, however, weren’t held back by the Honey Badgers quick run to close out the opening frame. Saskatchewan took hold of the game early into the second quarter with a strong offensive run to take a small lead.

Both teams however, were evenly matched, swapping leads back and forth with three points being the biggest difference all quarter. After Mike Fraser made two free throws to give the Honey Badgers a two point lead, a buzzer beating layup by Massey tied the game up at 38 to close out the first half.

Heading into the second half, both teams were determined to come out on top in such an evenly matched game.

And as the third quarter began, the Rattlers seemed to want it more, going on a 7-2 run for an electrifying start to the second half.

Later in the third, the Rattlers strengthened their lead with a string of threes from Campbell and Justus Alleyn. Flying high, the Rattlers continued to play well both offensively and defensively to close out the third quarter with a 68-62 lead.

Although the Honey Badgers looked to get back in the game, they just couldn’t find their rhythm to close it out. The Rattlers continued their supremacy in the final frame, with a pair of threes from Massey and Campbell to help them extend their lead. After increasing that lead to over 10 points, an alley-oop slam dunk from Marlon Johnson solidified the Rattlers dominance to conclude the quarter. As time ran out, the Rattlers secured their second straight victory over the Honey Badgers by a score of 98-85.

The Rattlers improve to 3-1 on the season, placing them atop the league standings. They will face the Niagara River Lions at home on Friday. The Honey Badgers on the other hand, fall to 1-2 on the season heading to Abbotsford, BC for their matchup against the Fraser Valley Bandits on Wednesday.

By Matthew Rodrigopulle