Bandits hold off 2nd-half comeback effort from Nighthawks to earn 3rd straight win

Shane Gibson scored 23 points, along with the game-sealing free throws as the Fraser Valley Bandits snapped the Guelph Nighthawks' five-game winning streak with a 90-85 victory on Tuesday in Guelph, Ont.

The Bandits (6-2), now extending their own win streak to three games, were not able to do it without a scare though.

Opening the game with an impressive first half, maintaining an 11-point first-quarter advantage through to halftime, Fraser Valley saw its lead evaporate in the third frame.

Guelph (6-4) went on a 16-3 run to open the quarter and take the lead at the 6:18 mark, punctuated by a Cat Barber pull-up jumper.

Going basket-for-basket much of the way, with the Bandits having a brief five-point lead, Guelph was only down 64-62 heading into the final quarter, in large part due to a 14-point effort from AJ Hess.

At the 7:28 mark of the fourth quarter it was Hess who opened up further hope of a comeback win with a three-pointer to break a 69-69 tie. Minutes later, Guelph was able to build a five-point lead thanks to three points on two possessions from Barber.

Fraser Valley was able to punch right back with a 9-2 run of its own, capped by a Gibson floater.

Following a layup from Thomas Kennedy to put the Bandits up 83-80 in the Elam Ending, Ahmed Hill and Barber went on a 5-0 run of their own to put the Nighthawks up again, only needing five points to win.

However, that was the last of Guelph's offensive output. 

Former U Sports standout Kadre Gray hit a step-back three that was shortly followed by four straight points from Gibson to close out the game.

Kennedy contributed 21 points and nine rebounds, with Gray adding 14 points, eight rebounds and five assists in the win.

Barber led the Nighthawks with 22 points, while Hess added 20, to go along with Hill's 19. In addition, TJ Lall recorded 15 points and 13 rebounds in the loss.

Fraser Valley will set its sights on another win when they next play the Montreal Alliance on Friday at 10 p.m. ET. Guelph will look to rebound when it next plays the Edmonton Stingers on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET.

Both games can be streamed live on CBCSports.ca, CBC Sports App, and CBC Gem.

WATCH | CEBL on CBC: Fraser Valley Bandits vs. Guelph Nighthawks:

CEBL: Fraser Valley Bandits @ Guelph Nighthawks

2 years ago

Duration 2:04:46

Watch CEBL action as the Fraser Valley Bandits face the Guelph Nighthawks.

River Lions beat BlackJacks

Khalil Ahmad recorded a game-high 25 points as the Niagara River Lions defeated a struggling Ottawa BlackJacks team 90-86 for the second straight time on Tuesday in Ottawa.

With both sides having most recently played three days prior, with Niagara (7-3) coming out on top, it was Ottawa (1-7) who almost pulled off the upset in the Elam Ending in hopes of picking up its second win of the season.

In what was a tight game through and through, with the BlackJacks having held the largest lead of the game in the first three quarters (seven), Niagara was able to turn things around in the fourth.

Outscoring Ottawa 17-7 in the first six minutes of the frame, the River Lions seemed to be in cruise control going into the Elam ending up 81-71.

The BlackJacks turned the tables, going on a 12-5 run to cut the lead to just three.

After a pair of Ahmad free throws put Niagara up 88-83, with just two points needed to win, Maxime Boursiquot hit a three on the next possession to again put the pressure on the River Lions.

To the displeasure of the BlackJacks, Ahmad was able to seal it with a fadeaway jumper to send his team to victory.

Jaylen Babb-Harrison contributed 17 points, along with EJ Onu adding 16 in the win.

Ottawa was led by Deng Adel's 20 points, while Chad Posthumus recorded 10 points and a game-high 14 rebounds in the loss.

Niagara will next play the Saskatchewan Rattlers on July 1 at 8 p.m. ET, while the BlackJacks will look to end its losing streak against the Stingers on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Both games can be streamed live on CBCSports.ca, CBC Sports App, and CBC Gem.

WATCH | CEBL on CBC: Niagara River Lions vs. Ottawa BlackJacks:

CEBL: Niagara River Lions @ Ottawa BlackJacks

2 years ago

Duration 2:13:09

Watch CEBL action as the Niagara River Lions take on the Ottawa BlackJacks.