Fact: the Saskatchewan Rattlers did not win a single game all season.

How can a team finish third in the league with an 11-9 record and not win a single game?

They won five in a row, and three in a row, twice. Never a single game.

The streakiest team in the league has known all season that a trip to the playoffs was guaranteed as the host of CEBL Championship Weekend. That didn’t stop the Rattlers from playing an aggressively defensive style of basketball that earned accolades across the league and an earned spot into the postseason.

If Saskatchewan decided to play defence, they were nearly impossible to defeat. In the 11 wins by the Rattlers this season, opponents averaged a paltry 82.2 points per game. Throughout their nine losses, they gave up 101.3 points per contest. When head coach Greg Jockims got his squad to defend the ball, it resulted in easy transition buckets. One out of every five points scored by Saskatchewan this season came from the fast break, and the Rattlers averaged 17.4 points off opponent turnovers.

After losing five games in a row to start the second half of the campaign, a run that was defensively uncharacteristic of the Rattlers, Saskatchewan made significant roster changes that reignited the team and brought a swagger back to energize its fanbase. They welcomed fiery forward Shaquille Keith, who was released earlier in the season by Hamilton after just three games. He came to Saskatchewan with a chip on his shoulder and became the sparkplug for his new team. Keith dropped a game-high 27 points in his Rattlers debut July 25 at Fraser Valley.

American guard Maurice Jones has provided steady leadership since joining Saskatchewan with Keith on July 21. He averaged 8.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.2 steals and just 1.2 turnovers in his six games with the team.

In a league that prides itself on Canadian content, the Saskatchewan Rattlers became its poster child. Seven of the 10 players on the Rattlers’ active roster at the end of the season played U SPORTS basketball. The University of Saskatchewan Huskies saw six of its former or current players put on a Rattlers jersey. University of Windsor alumni Alex Johnson averaged 15.6 points and 4.8 rebounds for Saskatchewan this season. The team was 4-1 when he scored 20 or more points.

Oddly, the Rattlers are the only playoff team with a losing record on its home court. For the team hosting the CEBL Championship weekend, that may frighten the incredible local fans. However, Saskatchewan did win two of its last three games at SaskTel Centre and more importantly, are the only team in the league to have a winning record against their semifinal opponents, the Edmonton Stingers.

Despite entering the playoffs as the third seed, the Rattlers will have an arena packed with supporters, a community behind its local team and a renewed sense of defensive urgency on the basketball court. Saskatchewan has a chance to take the first CEBL title. Besides, what’s that saying about defence and championships?