The Scarborough Shooting Stars travel to Newfoundland to finish their regular season against the Newfoundland Growlers at 1:30 p.m. NT. Scarborough sits fourth at 11-8, one game behind 12-8 Fraser Valley and 12-7 Niagara, and ahead of the 11-9 Saskatchewan Rattlers, making this an important playoff seeding game for the Shooting Stars. The Growlers come in at 6-13.
This is the second time these two teams will matchup, and the last game of both of their regular seasons. In their last matchup on June 7, the Shooting Stars came away with a 99-81 win in Scarborough. Jalen Harris had himself a night with 38 points on 57 per cent shooting as him, Isiaha Mike and Kyle Alexander all finished with double-digit points. For the Growlers, Keith had an impactful night scoring 36 points on 72 per cent shooting with two rebounds and four steals.
Harris gives the Shooting Stars energy on offence and attracts a lot of attention from defences. His ability to create for others with his ball handling and vision, and his shot creating when the team needs a score from him gives the Shooting Stars a lot of freedom on offence. He ranks third in points per game with 20.1.
He goes against Jahvon Blair and Blake Francis. Blair and Francis give the Growlers three-point shooting and facilitation along with their ability to attack. In the Growlers 87-80 loss to the Guelph Nighthawks on July 29, Francis and Blair combined for 12 three-point attempts and nine assists. Part of a Growlers offence that likes to get out early and run, the ability for Francis and Blair to get to their spots is vital for the Growlers offence.
How the Growlers get in transition is through their defence, and the play of Nysier Brooks and Shaquille Keith. In the Growlers 84-83 win over the Montréal Alliance on July 27, Keith scored 21 points and Brooks added 10 points with seven rebounds. Keith forces turnovers on guards looking to get into the paint, forcing four steals in their matchup on June 7. If the guards get past the second level, Brooks is often waiting at the rim to use his length to disrupt and block shots.
Kyle Alexander scored 18 points the last time these two teams matched up, and the Shooting Stars will need a similar performance, along with the all-around scoring of Mike who scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds in their previous matchup. The Shooting Stars rank fourth in rebounds per game with 36.8 while the Growlers rank third in steals with 8.3. Whichever team can use their created possessions off rebounding or steals, to create efficient looks for their quick offence, will be a deciding factor for who takes the rematch.
Newfoundland sits at 6-13 and they’ll look to finish their season strong having won four of their last five games. The Shooting Stars sit in the mix of six teams within the 10 to 12-win range, and a win would put them tied with the Fraser Valley Bandits at 12-8.
See the full standings here: https://www.cebl.ca/standings
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 In stagram, Twitter , TikTok , LinkedIn , Facebook & YouTube .