The Best in CEBL Action: Mid-July Edition

A lot has happened in the CEBL, with some expected outcomes and others that made for entertaining sights all over Canada. Here is the very best of the recent goings-on:

With greater range early on, the Guelph Nighthawks took an early lead over the Ottawa Blackjacks, who struck back with greater success from beyond the arc to go in front midway through the second quarter. As the game progressed their shot percentage kept shrinking and on the other end the Nighthawks started to cut down the Ottawa lead.

Anthony Barber and Brown did the most damage for Guelph, the efforts of both making it a single-possession game midway through the fourth quarter. The Blackjacks weren't done yet, finding scoring chances to keep their lead alive. Threes from Barber and Mackenzie got them to within a point of the target score and after receiving a foul from Archer, Barber put the game to bed by making his second free-throw.

The last of Barber's game-high 24 points gave Guelph the win over Ottawa, 90-87. The same day, high-flying Hamilton Honey Badgers saw an early set-back against the Niagara River Lions, who opened against them with ten unanswered points. Their double-digit lead was cut down by Hamilton's long-range shooting, who tied the scores in the third quarter before the River Lions erupted with seventeen points unanswered.

Niagra reached a double-digit advantage only for Hamilton to cut it down to a single possession down the stretch. A three by Xavier Sneed was followed by two free-throws from Olu Ashaolu to get the River Lions to within a point of winning the game. The Honey Badgers forced them into making costly mistakes: a turnover by Ashaolu became a three by Mukama to put Hamilton up by one, followed by Wiggington making the last of his game-high 25 points to seal the unexpected win for the Badgers.

On the other end of the table, the Saskatchewan Rattlers remain winless after four losses on the bounce, the first three to the Edmonton Stingers, the last to the Guelph Nighthawks 90-74. Before that, the two winningest teams in the CEBL faced off in Edmonton where the Stingers were paid a visit by the Honey Badgers. A close-fought battle was expected between the teams, but it unfolded in a completely different way. Edmonton struck early and often and their shooting dominated from start to finish.

Xavier Moon was once again the outstanding scorer for the Stingers with a game-high 34 points as they reinforced their place at the top of the table with a blowout 99-63 win over their biggest rivals. The Honey Badgers looked to change their fortunes with 8-0 to start in their follow-up game against the Niagara River Lions. Their lead stood at 19-3 after eight minutes, after which A 20-1 run in the third quarter saw Niagara go in front by six points.

Hamilton's response to this was seven points unanswered, which put them back in front, only for Niagara to regain the lead with their play in the paint. With the teams tied with three minutes to go, Javin Delaurier and Guillaume Boucard kept the River Lions in front. Trevon Duval and Lindell Wiggington tried to save it for Hamilton, but a final jump shot from Jaylen Babb-Harrison brought proceedings to an end with them the winners 71-68.

The headline story of the week saw the Ottawa Blackjacks opening against the seemingly invincible Edmonton Stingers with twelve points unanswered. Edmonton responded with a 9-1 to cut the deficit from double digits to four points, after which their a three-pointer by Jahmal Jones put them in front.

The Blackjacks kept it close before Nick Ward and Kadre Gray combined to restore the team's lead in the third, leaving the Stingers now having to play catch-up. After five lead changes at the top of the fourth, Edmonton were in front despite attempts by Ottawa to take it back, down the stretch the Stingers got closer and closer to the win. The Blackjacks saved the biggest surprise for last: a 7-0 run to end the game and Edmonton's unbeaten streak in the CEBL season. Ottawa celebrated their biggest win so far, 79-74 over the Stingers.

Despite their unbeaten record in tatters, Edmonton still sit atop the CEBL table, ahead of the Fraser Valley Bandits in second place. Hamilton's uneven run of recent games sees them in third ahead of the Niagara River Lions, while the Ottawa Blackjacks and Guelph Nightahwks' recent results see them poised to climb from the lower positions. The Saskatchewan Rattlers, meanwhile, are desperate for a win.

There's still much more basketball to be played and upcoming results could see the league structure change dramatically. Keep up to date with the CEBL on their official website.