RATTLERS DROP OPENER, 92-74 AT FRASER VALLEY
Alex Campbell dazzled in his debut for the Fraser Valley Bandits (1-0), tallying 25 points on 57 per cent shooting to lead his new team to a 92-74 win over the Saskatchewan Rattlers on Saturday night at the Abbotsford Centre.
Campbell, a former Rattler, was instrumental in the Saskatchewan’s title run in 2019, winning the CEBL Finals MVP. On Saturday night, he came off the bench for the Bandits and made an immediate impact.
Alongside another former Rattler in Shaquille Keith, the two led the charge erasing a nine- point deficit in the second quarter. The Bandits bench outscored the Rattlers 43-16 and Campbell capped it off with a buzzer-beater corner three-pointer that gave Fraser Valley a five point lead (38-33) heading into the half.
Saskatchewan was ready to play right from the tip off, showing off sharp shooting from beyond the arc. The Rattlers opened up a nine point lead after the first quarter thanks to going five for nine and shooting 55 per cent from three-point range. Head coach Chad Jacobson was also encouraged by the Rattlers’ first quarter defensive which allowed the team to get steals and make transition three-pointers.
“Anytime you have a setback there’s an opportunity to learn from it and to grow and get better,” said Jacobson. “It’s a long season, we have 13 more games so we definitely need to be better and clean things up, but we can’t hit the panic button after one game.”
Off-season acquisition JaKeenan Gant was a bright spot for the Rattlers, leading the way with 25 points. Gant will play a large role for Saskatchewan for the duration of the season on both the offensive and defensive ends. In a year where playing opportunities have been limited due to COVID-19, the two-time Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year is excited for what is to come this season.
“It’s been a great chance to play and get out and travel, I’m happy to be in Canada,” said Gant.
The Saskatchewan Rattlers will look for their first win when they host the Hamilton Honey Badgers (0-1) on Monday June 28 at 8:30pm ET/ 7:30 p.m. local time. Rattlers fans can return to the SaskTel Centre on July 12 when Saskatchewan hosts the reigning CEBL champions, the Edmonton Stingers. Tickets are on sale now at https://www.therattlers.ca/tickets.
Fraser Valley will continue their season at home against the Niagara River Lions (1-0) on Tuesday June 29 at 10:00 p.m. ET/ 7:00 p.m. local time.
All CEBL games will be available for live streaming on the CEBL’s new OTT streaming service, CEBL+, cbcsports.ca, the free CBC Gem streaming service, the CBC Sports App for iOS and android devices, and on Twitch.
(CEBL Communications/Justine Jones)
