BlackJacks Win, Clinch CEBL Playoff Spot

By Justine Jones, Canadian Elite Basketball League

Dominique Archie’s double-double (19 points, 10 rebounds) helped the Ottawa BlackJacks (4-7) secure a 82-69 win over the Saskatchewan Rattlers (1-10) on Monday night at TD Place.

With the win, Ottawa locks in a playoff spot for the second straight season.

The BlackJacks started tonight’s game slow, facing a double-digit deficit early on. The team’s first basket of the game was a three-pointer by Tyrell Green that came at the 5:29 mark in the opening quarter. Despite having this hill to climb, Ottawa battled back to tie the game at 41 heading into halftime thanks to a 16-5 run, powered by 12 second quarter points by Kadre Gray. Gray finished just shy of a doble-double with 18 points and 9 rebounds on the night and drove to the basket to lay in the Elam Ending winner.

Although the BlackJacks were missing their leading scorer and rebounder, Nick Ward, after he sustained a foot injury in warmup, Dominique Archie stepped up to help fill this void. Archie registered 10 of Ottawa’s first 15 points and hit a pair of three-pointers early on. The six-foot-seven forward was active on both ends of the floor, taking a charge in the second half, and going on a solo 9-0 run to give the BlackJacks a six-point lead heading into the Elam Ending.

“It was hard (losing Nick) because you know he’s going to give you 20 (points), and 10 (rebounds),” said head coach Charles Dubé-Brais. “Obviously that loss was huge, but we had guys ready to step in. I want to commend Ryan Wright for coming in, we were +31 with him on the court tonight. Dominique Archie took some reps at the five too and held the fort down for us.”

Strong performances by Ryan Wright and Alain Louis helped Ottawa’s bench outscore Saskatchewan, 37-8. After the BlackJacks went down early, this secondary scoring was key in helping the team find their rhythm. Wright’s interior presence proved crucial with Ward out of the lineup. The Mississauga, Ont., native tallied 12 points on 66 per cent shooting and grabbed six boards in the BlackJacks win. Louis finished with 14 points on 85 per cent shooting and registered four assists.

“Coach told me that my job on the team is to be that veteran presence,” said Wright. “That guy that whenever things aren’t going so well and when my number is called to be ready to go and lead by example.”

Quick Start

The Rattlers got out to a hot start, looking to build on their first victory of the season that came Thursday night in Guelph. Saskatchewan pushed the pace early on and was able to mount a 11-0 lead to start the game. Devonte Bandoo had eight of the team’s first 16 points, including a pair of three-pointers on the fast break. Bandoo tallied 17 points and five rebounds in the loss.

Despite a second quarter push by the BlackJacks, the Rattlers were able to keep the game tied at the break thanks to a buzzer-beater three-pointer by Travis Daniels. Daniels and Bandoo each registered 12 first-half points to lead all scorers after twenty minutes. Daniels had his best performance of the season tonight, finishing with 17 points and seven rebounds. Although the Rattlers remained within striking distance for the majority of the game, an offensive slump in the Elam Ending was their downfall.

“Hero ball is what did us in, it’s been the same story all year,” said head coach Conor Dow. “When we were moving the ball the first three quarters it was terrific, but once we stopped sharing the ball, things went south for us.”

Saskatchewan (1-10) will continue its road trip with a stop at the Expo Centre to take on the reigning CEBL Champions, the Edmonton Stingers (9-1) on August 2 at 9:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. local time. The Rattlers remain in playoff contention and are now battling the Guelph Nighthawks for the final postseason berth.

The Ottawa BlackJacks (4-7) will be the Guelph Nighthawks (2-7) next opponent as the two teams are set to clash on August 4 at 7:00 p.m. ET at TD Place.

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.