Stingers defeat Rattlers for second time in three days

Canada Basketball, in partnership with the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), announced Tuesday that Canada’s Senior Men’s National Team will host the second window of FIBA Men’s AmeriCup 2025 Qualifiers this November in Saskatoon. Canada will take on the Dominican Republic on Thursday, November 21 (7:10 p.m. CT / 8:10 p.m. ET) before facing Mexico on Sunday, November 24 (2:10 p.m. CT / 3:10 p.m. ET). Both games will take place at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon, and fans can catch all the action live on Sportsnet. Single-game tickets and Team Canada 2-Packs are on sale now via Ticketmaster and start at $20 (plus applicable fees). Canada Basketball Insiders and Saskatchewan Rattlers Season Ticket Holders and Insiders have access to select inventory for both games. Tickets can also be purchased by contacting the Saskatchewan Rattlers by email at [email protected] , by phone at 306-244-2182, or by visiting their head office at 2-183 2nd Ave South, Saskatoon. Canada’s Senior Men’s National Team opened the FIBA Men’s AmeriCup 2025 Qualifiers with a pair of home-and-home victories over Nicaragua in February and currently sit undefeated 2-0 atop Group C. During three windows, in February 2024, November 2024, and February 2025, each team will play each opponent in their group twice under a "home and away" format. The 16 teams in the FIBA Men’s AmeriCup 2025 Qualifiers are in four groups of four teams each. The top three teams in each group (12 in total) will qualify for the FIBA Men’s AmeriCup 2025. Canada’s Senior Men’s National Team is coming off a fifth-place finish at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, its first appearance in the tournament in 24 years. It was the team’s highest finish since fourth place at the 1986 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Over the last several years, Canada Basketball and the CEBL have collaborated to bring more international basketball events to Canada, including several FIBA Men’s Basketball World Cup 2023 Qualifiers events and the first window of the FIBA Men’s AmeriCup 2025 Qualifiers last February. Canada is currently ranked fifth in the latest FIBA World Ranking Men, presented by Nike. The rankings were updated following the Men’s Basketball Tournament at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. QUOTES “We’re excited to bring a pair of FIBA Men’s AmeriCup 2025 Qualifiers games to Saskatoon this fall as our Senior Men’s National Team looks to take another step towards qualification for next summer’s FIBA Men’s AmeriCup 2025. The Canadian Elite Basketball League, Saskatchewan Rattlers and Basketball Saskatchewan have done a tremendous job growing the game of basketball across the province in recent years, and we’re looking forward to working closely with each organization to deliver a world-class experience for players, teams and fans. - Michael Bartlett, President & CEO, Canada Basketball “Once again, the CEBL is thrilled to partner with Canada Basketball to help host two more world-class FIBA AmeriCup 2025 Qualifiers, this time at the home of our Saskatchewan Rattlers at SaskTel Centre. We can't wait to join basketball fans in Saskatoon and those tuning in across the country in November to cheer on our Senior Men’s National Team looking to build on its 2-0 start.” - Mike Morreale, Commissioner & Co-Founder, Canadian Elite Basketball League "The Government of Saskatchewan is proud to welcome the FIBA Men’s AmeriCup 2025 Qualifiers to the city of Saskatoon. Our province has a strong record of hosting both national and international sporting competitions over the past number of years. Events such as these have spurred the record growth we're seeing in our tourism sector while creating economic spin-off benefits for the people of our province.” - Hon. Jeremy Harrison, MLA Minister Responsible for Tourism Saskatchewan Jeremy Harrison “Saskatchewan sports fans are going to be in for a real treat. Canada’s Senior Men’s National Basketball Team will be fantastic to watch, and SaskTel Centre and its team will be excellent hosts. Congratulations to the Saskatchewan Rattlers for their part in this. This is what Saskatchewan does best. Now let’s fill the place.” - Hon. Ken Cheveldayoff, MLA Saskatoon Willowgrove. “We are very excited to partner with Canada Basketball to bring this world-class event to Saskatchewan as we continue to build basketball across the province and provide the fans more basketball at the highest level.” - Lee Genier, President, Saskatchewan Rattlers “Anytime our province gets to showcase the development pathway to our members we consider that a win for the game. It is so important to be able to see yourself reflected on the court in order to dream the big dreams, whether that’s as a player, coach or official and to be able to do that in person is invaluable. A huge thank you to the Rattlers organization and Canada Basketball for believing that Saskatchewan is a great place to host an event of this calibre and we can’t wait to see you in the stands in November.” - Megan Penno, Executive Director, Basketball Saskatchewan

The Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced the winners of the 2024 CEBL Awards and the All-CEBL Teams at an event at Le Centre Sheraton Montréal on Wednesday evening. The Vancouver Bandits had three winners, including guard Tazé Moore who took home top honours as Most Valuable Player, while guard Koby McEwen was named Canadian Player of the Year and Kyle Julius earned Coach of the Year honours. The full list of award winners is as follows: 2024 CEBL Award Winners Most Valuable Player: Tazé Moore (Vancouver Bandits) Canadian Player of the Year: Koby McEwen (Vancouver Bandits) Coach of the Year: Kyle Julius (Vancouver Bandits) Sixth Man of the Year: Aaryn Rai (Niagara River Lions) Developmental Player of the Year: Simon Hildebrandt (Winnipeg Sea Bears) Defensive Player of the Year: Lloyd Pandi (Ottawa BlackJacks) Clutch Player of the Year (Co-Winners): Tevin Brown (Ottawa), Stefan Smith (Calgary Surge) Fox 40 Officiating Recognition Award : Vernon Bovell All CEBL award winners will receive a customized ring from Jostens, the official Supplier of Awards and Rings of the CEBL, and a special gift on behalf of the league’s partner at Foot Locker. In his first CEBL season, Moore made major contributions in numerous stat categories for the Bandits, finishing first in league average in assists (7.3), third in rebounds (8.1), fourth in steals (1.6) and 10 th in points (17.6). His 124 total assists were the second-most in a single season in CEBL history and he became the first player to record two triple-doubles in the same regular season. The 6-foot-5 guard’s first triple-double on June 13 was the first in Bandits’ history and part of a historic night that saw Moore score a franchise-record 35 points, while adding 16 rebounds and 11 assists in a win over Winnipeg. McEwen led the CEBL in three-pointers made per game (tie-3.4), was second in total three-pointers made (54), fifth in three-point percentage (44.3), and ranked fourth among Canadians in total points (295), all of which were career highs. The Toronto native’s career season for the Bandits also included personal bests in average points per game (18.4), field goals made (5.9), free throw percentage (88.3), offensive rebounds (1.2), rebounds (tie-4.8), steals (1.2) and blocked shots (0.5). Julius was named CEBL Coach of the Year after leading Vancouver to its best record in franchise history (14-6) and a first-place overall finish for the first time. The Bandits went near-perfect at home (9-1) and posted a league-best plus-177 overall point differential, nearly 50 points better than the next closest team. Rai appeared in all 20 games for the River Lions in 2024, averaging 12.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 24.2 minutes per game, and was tied for third in the league with three Target Score Winners. Despite primarily coming off the bench for Niagara, the 6-foot-6 forward ranked in the top three or four in numerous major stat categories for the team. Hildebrandt took home the Developmental Player of the Year award (formerly named U SPORTS Player of the Year) for the second consecutive season. He appeared in all 20 games for the Sea Bears in 2024, averaging 5.3 points and 3.2 rebounds. The Winnipeg native broke out for 19 points, seven rebounds and five three-pointers on July 20 against rival Saskatchewan. Pandi set a single-season CEBL record with 44 steals in 2024 for the BlackJacks, good enough for 2.3 steals per game – a half steal ahead of the next closest eligible player. The Ottawa native also averaged 3.8 defensive rebounds, 5.7 total rebounds, and nearly a block per game (0.7) this season, while contributing on the offensive end with averages of 11.9 points and 2.8 assists in 19 games. He is a previous two-time winner of the U SPORTS Player of the Year award (now named Developmental Player of the Year) in 2020 and 2021. For the first time in league history, there was co-winners of the Clutch Player of the Year award presented annually to the player with the most Target Score Winners. Ottawa’s Tevin Brown and Calgary’s Stefan Smith shared the league lead in Target Score Winners with four apiece this season. Bovell took home the Fox 40 Officiating Recognition Award, presented to the official who best embodies the CEBL’s goal of development of the sport of basketball in Canada by both maintaining a high level of performance and personal improvement, while also elevating their teammates and the league as a whole. The official must foster a work environment that promotes communication, good sportsmanship and celebrates the differences that make up the mosaic of the sport of basketball.

Guillaume Payen-Boucard’s 21 points helped the Montreal Alliance (5-14) snap their four-game losing skid with an 89-72 win over the Saskatchewan Rattlers (6-14) on Friday night. In addition to his game-high point total, Payen-Boucard stuffed the stat sheet with five rebounds, two assists, four steals, and two blocked shots in the win. His play at both ends of the court was the engine that drove the Alliance all game, especially on defence. “I embrace that challenge of guarding the best player on the other team,” Payen-Boucard said about his defensive effort. “The good thing about guarding someone like Teddy Allen is you know if you're not on you’re ‘A’ game you’re going to get embarrassed. That’s just the challenge that I love to play for. I think being aggressive defensively helps my mind be aggressive on the offensive end.” Curtis Hollis also made significant contributions for Montreal, dropping 17 points, three assists, and three steals. The game was closely contested and seemed like it would come down to the wire after the first three-quarters of play. However, Montreal had different plans. The Alliance began the fourth locked in on both sides of the floor, outscoring Saskatchewan 22-10 in the frame to secure the win. After the game, Montreal Alliance head coach Derrick Alston Sr. spoke about Payen-Boucard’s impact on both ends of the floor. “Long story short, he just needed time for his body to heal,” Alston said. “He’s one of our best defensive players, if not one of the best in the league. For him to take that challenge, just to compete, and then come around and score 21. To take away their best player and then turn around and carry the offensive load when we lost Chris [Smith], we commended him in the locker room.” The Rattlers had a slow offensive start to the first quarter, but immediately battled back in the second to cut the Alliance lead to four heading into the second half. Both teams were neck and neck in the third quarter, with Montreal managing to edge out a small lead before flipping the switch in the fourth quarter. Alston knows this team has what it takes to compete with Championship Weekend approaching. “I tell them all the time, we have enough,” he said. “If we can get everybody on the same page, we have enough. At the end of the day, our defence is going to keep us in games. We just need everyone to make shots, we have Bowden coming back, that helps a lot.” What’s next? The Montreal Alliance will face off against the Vancouver Bandits in a potential CEBL Final preview this Sunday before heading to Championship Weekend, while the Rattlers 2024 season comes to a close.

The Montreal Alliance (4-14) host the Saskatchewan Rattlers (6-13) Friday in a game that will serve as a tune-up for the playoffs for the Alliance and spell the end of the 2024 season for the Rattlers. Montreal has two more games before its Eastern Conference Final matchup as hosts of Championship Weekend, while Saskatchewan hopes to end their season on a high note. The game tips off at 7:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. CST at Verdun Auditorium, with live coverage available on CEBL+ powered by BetVictor, TSN+, RDS.ca, the RDS mobile app, and on the CEBL mobile app available for iOS and Android devices. The Alliance are coming off a 90-80 loss to the Calgary Surge this past Friday. Even though Montreal had a great start and led 17-11 after the first quarter, Calgary would find its offence, take the lead in the second quarter, and never look back. Montreal’s bench stepped up albeit in a losing effort, outscoring Calgary’s reserves 40-21. The Alliance also elevated their game in Target Score Time by scoring 15 points, but it was just too little, too late as the Surge weathered the storm and closed out the victory. Despite the loss, Curtis Hollis posted 21 points, six rebounds, four assists, and three steals in a solid individual showing for the Alliance. The Rattlers are fresh off a 98-92 loss to the BlackJacks in Ottawa last night. Saskatchewan was eliminated from the playoffs after Winnipeg’s win on Tuesday and didn’t have much to play for, while Ottawa was battling for a playoff spot. Teddy Allen continued his stellar play with 29 points, eight assists, and two rebounds and the Rattlers actually took a lead into Target Score Time. However, the BlackJacks had an answer for them on both ends of the floor when it mattered most, closing out Target Score Time on a 14-0 run to secure the victory. 2024 Season Series Friday’s game marks the second and final matchup between the two clubs this season, with Saskatchewan earning a 96-90 win over Montreal way back on May 25.

Despite trailing by as many as eight points in Target Score Time, the Ottawa BlackJacks (8-10) came back to pick up a 98-92 win over the Saskatchewan Rattlers (6-13) on Thursday night. The win, combined with a Brampton Honey Badgers loss just 30 minutes later, clinched a playoff berth for the BlackJacks. They are now locked in to face the Shooting Stars in Scarborough in the Eastern Conference Play-In on August 2. The BlackJacks finished Target Time on a 14-0 run to earn the victory. Leading the gritty effort for Ottawa was Deng Adel and Isiah Moore who finished with 22 points apiece, both shooting over 75 per cent from the field. Adel also chipped in with seven rebounds and six assists while Moore added eight boards as well. “Just a really great win,” Ottawa head coach James Derouin said following the win. “To stay locked in and get a comeback win in (Target Score Time) … guys stayed in it and kept competing right to the end.” Tyrrel Tate led a BlackJacks’ second unit that finished plus-12 on the night as he scored 19 points off the pine. Meanwhile, Saskatchewan is already eliminated from postseason contention, and despite a heightened compete level it couldn’t avoid a fourth consecutive loss. Not for a lack of effort however, as all five Rattlers scored in double figures, led by Teddy Allen who finished 29 points and eight assists. James Montgomery also did his part, finishing with an 11-point, 13-rebound double-double. The BlackJacks trailed 88-82 heading in Target Score Time and following a Montgomery free throw found themselves down 92-84 not long after. That was when things completely flipped as Ottawa forced three turnovers and four misses from that point while missing just one shot itself. Leading the rally was Tevin Brown who scored the BlackJacks final seven points in the win, banking in a high-arcing floater to win the game and cap off a 15-point performance. After trailing to end each of the first three frames, it put an exclamation point on a stellar fourth quarter in which Ottawa outscored Saskatchewan by 10 points (29-19). “Tevin taking on the challenge,” Derouin said when asked how his team rattled off an 8-0 run before halftime to cut Saskatchewan’s lead down from 14 to six and kept that momentum going coming out of the break. “Defending Teddy, he kind of turned momentum around … he’s just a winner, he stayed confident, and it was enough for us to win the game … it was pretty special.” The BlackJacks picked up the win despite being a minus-20 on the glass and taking 10 fewer field goal attempts as a result. Ottawa came out victorious despite said disparities thanks to timely offence and a defence that played opportunistically. Saskatchewan was limited to 43 per cent shooting from the field and 28 per cent from distance despite and forced into 17 turnovers. “We had it in hand and let it go at the end,” Rattlers head coach Larry Abney said after the loss. “Winning is a habit, so is losing, and we haven’t collected enough wins to understand how to win … we found ways not to win the game.” Going back to the offensive end, the BlackJacks took those live ball giveaways and forced the issue into the paint and were rewarded accordingly. Finishing the game on 55 per cent shooting inside the arc while getting to the charity stripe 26 times (plus-eight), knocking down 23 free throws (plus-10).  Up next The Rattlers get no time to dwell on the loss before their season finale as they’ll visit the Montréal Alliance on Thursday, capping off the 2024 campaign on the second night of a back-to-back. Meanwhile, the BlackJacks visit the East-leading Niagara River Lions on Saturday for their second face-off in the span of a week.

The Ottawa BlackJacks (7-10) host the Saskatchewan Rattlers (6-12) on Thursday night, with hopes of a postseason berth still hanging in the balance. Live coverage from the Arena at TD Place begins at 7 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. CST and fans can catch all the action on CEBL+ powered by BetVictor , TSN+ and on the CEBL mobile app available for iOS and Android devices. Despite Ottawa being ahead by 1.5 games over the Brampton Honey Badgers for the fourth and final playoff spot in the East, it’s still mathematically up for grabs. That is unless the BlackJacks win on Thursday and the Honey Badgers lose. If Ottawa can secure a victory and get some help from the Vancouver Bandits, they’ll clinch a postseason berth for a fifth consecutive season and avoid missing the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. BlackJacks fans ought to feel good as the team enters the high stakes affair, as it’s coming off arguably the most impressive win of the season. Ottawa set a franchise scoring record in a 122-113 victory over the East-leading Niagara River Lions, shooting 56 per cent from the field while making 17 threes on a 51 per cent clip. It was an all-around effort for the BlackJacks as four of five starters finished in double figures, led by Tevin Brown who had 27 points via eight made threes on a 61 per cent clip. The impressive shooting display from downtown was tied for the fifth-most triples made in a single CEBL game all-time. Lloyd Pandi also had an impressive night for the BlackJacks as he finished with 22 points, eight assists, two steals and two blocks. Meanwhile, Ottawa’s bench chipped in plenty as well, finishing the game plus-seven (42-35). Tyrrel Tate and Miryne Thomas led the second unit effort as they finished with 16 and 12 points each. On the other side, the Rattlers have been eliminated from playoff contention after the Winnipeg Sea Bears secured the final spot following a win over the Calgary Surge on Tuesday. Despite the fact Saskatchewan is missing the post-season for a second consecutive season, it can end things on a high note by playing spoiler. The Rattlers are on a three-game losing streak, and what better way to snap it than by beating the BlackJacks and making the race out east even more interesting. And for what it’s worth, the team has made strides in its biggest area of concern, which has been the defence. Saskatchewan is holding opponents to 90.3 points per game during its recent skid, down from the 93.2 points per game it usually gives up. The Rattlers have also held their last three opponents to a combined average of 42.3 per cent shooting from the field. Against the Sea Bears, in their most recent loss, the Rattlers were able to hold the league’s fourth best offence (92.9 points per game) to just 37 per cent shooting from the field. But despite improved play defensively, Saskatchewan has had a new area of concern it needs to address and that’s rebounding. The Rattlers are minus-24 on the glass through their last three games, giving up an average of 19.3 offensive rebounds in that span. Saskatchewan has done its job getting stops but hasn’t been able to secure the ball after getting said stops, creating extra possessions for their opponents. For instance, Winnipeg finished with 52 rebounds (plus-17) in its 97-93 win, 32 (plus-20) of which were on the offensive end. The end result was an extra 18 field goal attempts for the Sea Bears that made all the difference in a narrow victory. The Rattlers may not have a postseason berth left to fight for, but they can still be a key player in how the standings shake out. And if there’s a team they can shake off the struggles on the glass against, it’s the BlackJacks who rank last in the league with 34.9 rebounds per game.

The Winnipeg Sea Bears (8-9) came away victorious Saturday following a nail-biter against the Saskatchewan Rattlers (6-12) to extend their lead for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. With the victory, the Sea Bears are now two games ahead of the Rattlers for the fourth seed in the West. Winnipeg and Saskatchewan tied their season series at two games apiece, but the Rattlers claimed the head-to-head point differential and own the tiebreaker. So, despite being two games down with just two games left, the Rattlers’ playoff hopes aren’t dead just yet. Leading Winnipeg in the win was Justin Wright-Foreman who finished with 24 points and six assists off the bench. He was helped by Simon Hildebrandt who finished with 19 points on 50 per cent shooting from both the field and distance to go with seven rebounds, and Scottie Lindsey who had a double-double (15 points, 11 rebounds) in the victory. “Fortunately, today the will from the team was fantastic,” Sea Bears head coach Mike Taylor said after his team snapped a four-game losing streak. “We got it done … I love the direction of the team.” On the other side, Teddy Allen spearheaded a Rattlers starting five that all scored over double digits as he finished with 24 points, six rebounds and five assists. Backing up the reigning MVP in his return to Winnipeg was Cody John who put up 15 points and James Montgomery who racked up 14 points on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting effort. “Playoff implications was our motivation, but obviously it wasn’t enough,” Rattlers head coach Larry Abney said following his team’s third consecutive loss. Entering the night, it was no secret what a win could do for both teams’ playoff hopes. Which is why the first 10 minutes of the game were as closely contested as many expected. Both squads shot under 45 per cent from the field as defence appeared to be the focus for two squads that usually rank in the bottom three when it comes to limiting opponents scoring. Had it not been for a buzzer-beating Stephane Ingo layup, that made it 23-19, the Sea Bears would’ve led by just one possession ahead of the second. Things would stay just as tight throughout the following frame, but it was the Rattlers who ended up on top once the dust settled. Saskatchewan used an 8-0 run to take back the lead, holding on as they went into halftime up 46-44. Unsurprisingly, it was Allen who sparked the effort as he scored seven points in the second quarter – putting him up to a game-high 12 points at halftime. “Obviously Teddy is fantastic player,” Hildebrandt said postgame when asked about the emotions playing against his former teammate in Winnipeg for the first time. “He’s obviously a huge part of the game plan, but we tried to treat it like any other game.” Not to be outdone however, Wright-Foreman led a Sea Bears response coming out of the break. Last year’s scoring champ put up eight points in the third quarter, none more important than a buzzer-beating, half-court triple that tied things up at 70-70 and got a sold-out Canada Life Centre crowd on its feet. Winnipeg made sure to take advantage of the heroics by their scoring leader, taking an 88-86 lead into Target Score Time, but nearly let things slip away at the end. After finding themselves within just one basket of the win, it took 10 shot attempts to finally seal the deal. A chaotic sequence that included six rebounds for Winnipeg ended in a Sea Bears victory when Chad Posthumus got a layup to drop right underneath the basket. Fitting that an intense effort to secure extra possessions on the glass is how Winnipeg ended up with a win, considering it was an area of strength all night. The Sea Bears finished plus-17 on rebounds, grabbing an impressive 32 (plus-20) on the offensive glass. The result of their effort was 31 second chance points (plus-19) and 18 extra field goal attempts – which ended up making all the difference as Winnipeg eked out a win despite being outshot from the field, distance and charity stripe. “When you look at a team’s will … 32 offensive rebounds in unbelievable,” Taylor said when reflecting on his team’s effort. “That is a fantastic number, and it just shows these guys wanted it bad, so I’m really proud.” Up next The Sea Bears will stay home and host the Calgary Surge on Tuesday for their final contest in front of a Winnipeg crowd this regular season. For the Rattlers, they’ll visit the BlackJacks on Thursday for the second of a three-game season-ending road trip.

T eddy Allen and the Saskatchewan Rattlers visit the Winnipeg Sea Bears for the start of a three-game road trip and their final regular season matchup of the year, on Saturday night. Live coverage from Canada Life Centre begins at 8:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. CDT / 6:30 p.m. CST and fans can catch all the action on CEBL+ powered by BetVictor , TSN+, and on the CEBL mobile app available for iOS and Android devices. The game will also be broadcast live on Game+ in Canada and NLSE in the U.S. The reigning league MVP will be playing in front of a Winnipeg crowd for the first time since being released by the Sea Bears and later signing with Saskatchewan. And although Allen remains one of the CEBL’s top scorers, averaging 25.9 points per game, his individual production hasn’t propelled Saskatchewan into a conference powerhouse. With Allen at the helm, Saskatchewan has lost four out of five games, is on a two-game skid and sits at the bottom of the West. In their most-recent 91-87 loss to the Edmonton Stingers, the Rattlers interior defence ended up being costing them above all else. The Stingers shot 52 per cent from inside the arc while scoring 60 points in the paint on 31 assists. Despite the loss, there were positives for Saskatchewan to take into Saturday’s matchup. For one, Cody John has raised his level of play since the departure of Jalen Harris. The Mississauga, Ont. native has stepped into a lead role and is averaging 18.1 points per game through the team’s last seven contests – well above his 11.5 points per game average this season. There’s also the fact that their lone win during the Allen era came against the Sea Bears just over a week ago. The 96-84 home victory not only kept Saskatchewan in the hunt for a playoff spot, but it also snapped a seven-game losing streak. Unsurprisingly, Allen led the way as he finished with 21 points, five rebounds and six assists. Meanwhile, Winnipeg is looking to clinch a playoff berth with a win over Saskatchewan. But not just any win, they’ll need to do it by at least 19 points in order to claim the tiebreaker over the Rattlers and officially clinch a spot in the postseason. The Sea Bears might have their sights set on claiming a playoff spot with a blowout win, but a win of any sort will be just as welcome. They have lost four games in a row, sit just 1.5 games ahead of the Rattlers in the standings and have erased the momentum that was built from their four-game win streak prior to that. Winnipeg is coming off back-to-back losses to the Vancouver Bandits, and like Saskatchewan, defensive struggles have been the catalyst for their skid. The Sea Bears have given up more than 100 points in three of their last five contests, and in their home-and-home set against the Bandits they conceded 102.5 points per game on a 53 per cent clip. After giving up more than 100 points in two consecutive contests, the Sea Bears now give up an average of 96.2 points per game, the most in the CEBL. The Sea Bears saving grace, like the Rattlers, is the fact their star guard remains one of the top performers in the league. Justin Wright-Foreman continues to lead the CEBL in scoring, averaging 26.5 points per game while also averaging the third-most assists (6.5). As productive as last year’s MVP runner-up has been, he’s also been giving a lot of that back on the other end as Wright-Foreman averages 4.3 turnovers a game, the most in the CEBL. 2024 season series The Rattlers hold the edge this year, winning two of three contests between the West rivals, but take those results with a grain of salt. Saskatchewan’s first victory came in its season opener when Harris and Elijah Harkless were on the squad, scoring 23 and 22 points each – while the Sea Bears still had Allen and were without Wright-Foreman. Come the second matchup, a 103-101 win for the Sea Bears, Allen hadn’t yet signed with the Rattlers following his release from Winnipeg. Meanwhile, the game was Wright-Foreman’s season debut and entrance into the yearly series – a contest in which he dropped 30 points. In fact, through two games against his former squad this season, last year’s scoring champ and MVP runner-up is averaging 30.5 points per game. Expect Allen and Wright-Foreman to have plenty to say in the final regular season matchup between the two squads, both having plenty to gain with a win.

The Saskatchewan Rattlers were dealt another blow to their fading playoff hopes on Thursday. A 91-87 loss to the Edmonton Stingers at home at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon means the Rattlers now sit at 6-11 and remain 1.5 games back of the Winnipeg Sea Bears (7-10) for the final post-season spot in the Western Conference. It appeared the urgency of the situation suddenly hit Saskatchewan in Target Score Time — yet ultimately, it proved too little, too late. The Rattlers found themselves down 81-72 when the clock turned off. That’s when they found their groove, rallying to tie the game at 85 apiece thanks in part to three three-pointers from starting guard Cody John. The rally caused Edmonton head coach Jordan Baker to call timeout, after which the teams went scoreless for the ensuing nine possessions until the Stingers Brody Clarke stole the ball and sparked a two-on-one. As Jacob Evans III completed the play with a layup, the Rattlers’ Teddy Allen committed a foul against Trey McGowens, immediately handing the Stingers the ball back. Edmonton would go on to score, then score again on its next possession to secure the victory. “Our guys all play hard, that’s not the issue. But sometimes we don’t lock in on what were supposed to. Again, it’s a hard game to be focused for 40 minutes. Not just physically, but mentally. I’m asking a lot, but they’re all capable. It’s a capable group, it’s capable individuals and somehow we got an opportunity to stay in this, somehow,” Rattlers head coach Larry Abney said. “But if we continue to have those lapses, we’ll eliminate ourselves.” With the win, the Stingers snapped a three-game losing streak to improve to 12-7 with just one game remaining in their season. Edmonton knows it’s headed to the playoffs — the only question now is seeding. “We took care of business in a hostile environment. Give credit to them, they played hard, they made some shots when it mattered, but we just stayed resilient and stayed positive and were able to pull it out at the end,” Baker said. Besides converting the winning basket, Clarke led Edmonton with 22 points on 11-for-17 shooting, and he nearly made it a double-double with nine rebounds. The Toronto native surpassed 900 career points, including playoffs, with the effort. But it was a typical team game for the Stingers, who also had Nick Hornsby contribute 21 points, eight assists and six rebounds while McGowens added 18 points of his own. Clarke credited his teammates for finding him, especially during a stretch of the third quarter. “I was just rolling to the basket. I would turn, I would cut to the ball and then there would be nobody between me and the rim and I would just shoot open layups,” he said. “I don’t know if you call that getting hot, but I’ll take it.” Allen paced the Rattlers with 24 points and eight assists, while John poured in 20 points. Saskatchewan led a tightly contested game through much of the first half, but it surrendered the lead late in the second quarter as Edmonton went into halftime with a 43-42 advantage. The lead then swelled as large as 15 points in the third quarter as the Rattlers’ defence seemed to become leaky, allowing the Stingers to pull away with a 26-12 run to start the half. “Those types of lapses put us in a situation where we’re playing desperate basketball. We don’t have the bandwidth to have those types of lapses and the result is the result because of it,” Abney said. Saskatchewan, like it would do later in Target Score Time, showed some guile in cutting its deficit back to seven entering the final frame. But it would ultimately come up short. Its next game, against Winnipeg on Saturday, now looms even larger. “Obviously no one’s happy to lose but we’re still alive,” John said. “We go to Winnipeg, that’s a must-win for us. We’re still alive, so we still got some more basketball to play, so we still gotta stay together.” Meanwhile, Edmonton finds itself with an 11-day break after playing eight games already this month. Clarke said that he and other teammates planned to take a few days off and see family before getting back to work. “And I think everybody would have been pretty depressed if we were all going home with a loss,” he said. “So it was good to get the win and end of our stretch of eight games in 18 days on a high note.” Baker added that it feels as though his team hasn’t practised in a month. “We’re gonna give guys an opportunity to recharge mentally and physically and we’re gonna be able to practise and work on some things and tinker with some things,” Baker said. Up next Saskatchewan heads to Winnipeg to face the Sea Bears on Saturday, while Edmonton has 11 days off before returning for its season finale at home against Winnipeg on July 29.