RATTLERS WIN! 86-64 AT GUELPH

By Justine Jones

A pull up three-pointer by Kemy Osse proved to be the dagger as the Saskatchewan Rattlers (1-9) earned their first win of the season, 86-83, over the Guelph Nighthawks (2-7).

The contest was a back-and-forth affair that was knotted at 77 heading into the Elam Ending, and tied at 83 just before clutch three-pointer from Osse. The Montreal native finished with 15 points and 8 rebounds in just his second game back from injury.

“Man it feels good, our first win of the season,” said Osse. “We shouldn’t get too happy, we still have some work to do if we want to make a playoff run.”

Saskatchewan found success in the first half by way of defensive stops that allowed the team to get out in transition. Through two quarters, the Rattlers outscored Guelph on the fast break, 17-9. Saskatchewan went on a 12-5 run to close the second quarter and had a seven point lead heading into the break. This run was fueled by a pair of three-pointers by Devonte Bandoo, who finished the game with 15 points.

The Rattlers exhibited strong ball movement, especially in the second quarter where the team recorded nine assists. A bounce pass to Nervens Demosthene who went up and took contact to complete a three-point play helped Saskatchewan stretch its lead. Demosthene had his best performance on the season, registering 18 points on 88 per cent shooting.

“That run was all propelled by going small. When we play a four guard lineup with one five in there, the ball really zipped around, there’s a lot of energy on the ball, the ball wasn’t sticking,” said head coach Conor Dow. “The thing I was worried about was rebounding and when our small group got rebounding, the speed we advance the ball up the court with was unbelievable. We have to continue to build on that moving forward.”

These quick, efficient passes down low helped Saskatchewan finish some easy baskets at the rim and tally a season high 23 assists on the night. The Rattlers had five players score in double digits including the aforementioned Bandoo, Demosthene, and Osse, as well as Travis Daniels (13 points) and JaKeenan Gant (11 points). With the win, Saskatchewan improves to 1-9 and continues to chase the sixth-place Nighthawks for the final playoff spot.

Saskatchewan will continue its road trip by travelling to the nation’s capital on July 26 to take on the Ottawa BlackJacks (3-6) at 7:00p.m. ET at TD Place.

As of July 17, fans have been welcomed back into all seven arenas in the CEBL. Tickets for games are on sale now at ticketmaster.ca.

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.