Playoff Picture Coming Into Focus as Season Enters Home Stretch

(Preview: Week 11)

For the past 10 weeks, only one team has known its playoff fate: Winnipeg.

The Sea Bears, of course, clinched a spot at Championship Weekend for the CEBL’s Final Four as hosts, with all three games to be played and a champion set to be crowned at Canada Life Centre.

Meanwhile, the rest of the league has jockeyed for position, battling roster churn and opponents alike, scratching and clawing for every win.

Now, seven to 10 games remain for each team on the brand new 24-game schedule — and urgency is about to be kicked up a notch.

On Sunday, the Vancouver Bandits became the first non-Winnipeg team to secure a playoff spot after beating the Montreal Alliance 94-87 to wrap a three-game Eastern road trip at 2-1.

The Bandits now lead the West at 13-4 and sit in pole position for an automatic berth into the conference semifinals, where a trip to Winnipeg will be on the line.

But Calgary and Edmonton are hot on Vancouver’s heels.

The Surge — who have been among the league’s best from the very start of the season, while handing the Bandits half of their losses — could help their cause with a win over Saskatchewan on Tuesday.

If Calgary (10-5) indeed beats Saskatchewan (4-12), it would guarantee the Rattlers could finish no better than tied with the Surge, leaving a potential playoff spot up to a tiebreaker.

However, it will be no easy task for Calgary, who have lost twice to basement-dwelling Saskatchewan already this season and will be without star guard Jameer Nelson Jr., who is playing at NBA Summer League.

Rattlers captain Nate Pierre-Louis has proved problematic for the Surge, racking up 51 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists in the two wins. He is also just four assists away from breaking Corey Davis Jr.’s CEBL single-season record of 126 assists and could eclipse that mark on Tuesday night.

A Calgary win would both help and hurt rival Edmonton, who have won six straight to improve to 10-6 and face road games against Ottawa and Vancouver this week. The Stingers would move closer to a playoff spot with a Surge victory, but also face an even tougher climb for a home game in the post-season.

If the Bandits keep creating space atop the conference, and the Rattlers keep their spot at the bottom, a Battle of Alberta play-in game could be in store.

Meanwhile, a similar story is playing out in the East.

The reigning champion Niagara River Lions appear to have found their groove, winning three straight with an opportunity to stretch their run to five this week.

Niagara hosts last-place Brampton on Wednesday. The Honey Badgers have yet to win a road game on the season, though they did crush the River Lions by 35 points in their last meeting in June.

A win for the River Lions in the rematch would assure the Honey Badgers cannot catch them in the standings.

Then, on Saturday, the River Lions welcome the Scarborough Shooting Stars, who sit tied for second in the East at 8-8 alongside 7-7 Ottawa.

Unlike in the West, where Winnipeg has the semifinal bye, the automatic berth is still up for grabs in the East.

Niagara should know firsthand how important that free pass is after barely surviving a conference semifinal scare against the BlackJacks last season. It would make the championship defence a whole lot easier to play two games instead of three.

But the Shooting Stars, the 2023 champions, will not go down easily. After three straight losses, Scarborough rebounded with a 15-point win over Brampton on Sunday as Terquavion Smith erupted for 33 points in the absence of second-leading scorer Donovan Williams (Summer League).

The BlackJacks also remain in the fight as winners of five of their last six games.

Ottawa’s hot streak has coincided with big man Zane Waterman’s introduction to the team. The longtime Honey Badger is averaged 14.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game in his first season in Ottawa.

Plenty is at stake as the CEBL season heads into overdrive — and you can be sure there will be no shortage of twists, turns and Target Score thrillers along the way.

Weekly schedule (Nine games)

Game #80 – Tuesday, July 15 – CGY at SSK – 7:30 p.m. CST/MT / 9:30 p.m. ET– SaskTel Centre (CEBL+, TSN+)

Game #81 – Wednesday, July 16 – BHB at NRL – 7 p.m. ET – Meridian Centre (CEBL+, TSN+)

Game #82 – Thursday, July 17 – EDM at OTT – 7:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. MT – The Arena at TD Place (CEBL+, TSN+)

Game #83 – Thursday, July 17 – CGY at WPG – 7 p.m. CDT / 6 p.m. MT / 8 p.m. ET – Canada Life Centre (CEBL+, TSN+, NLSE)

Game #84 – Friday, July 18 – SSK at VAN – 7 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. CST / 10 p.m. ET – Langley Events Centre (CEBL+, TSN+)

Game #85 – Sunday, July 20 – SSS at NRL – 3 p.m. ET – Meridian Centre (CEBL+, TSN+)

Game #86 – Sunday, July 20 – WPG at MTL – 4 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. CDT – Verdun Auditorium (RDS, CEBL+, TSN+)

Game #87 – Sunday, July 20 – EDM at VAN – 5 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. MT / 8 p.m. ET – Langley Events Centre (TSN, CEBL+, TSN+, NLSE)

Game #88 – Monday, July 21 – BHB at OTT – 7:30 p.m. ET – The Arena at TD Place (CEBL+, TSN+)

For the full 2025 CEBL schedule, please visit cebl.ca/games.