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The Ottawa BlackJacks of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) take on the Calgary Surge this afternoon at 2 p.m. at The Arena at TD Place. Both teams rank second in their respective conference standings with the BlackJacks at 10-10 in the Eastern Conference and the Surge at 13-7 in the West. These two teams have only matched up one other time this season in early June, where Calgary emerged victorious in a 24-point blowout. The loss was Ottawa’s worst all year. Each team’s roster has changed since that game, though. The Surge have added the electric Evan Gilyard II in place of guard Karim Mané. Gilyard II has ranked sixth in the CEBL in points per game (21.4) in his eight games played this season. Ottawa’s lineup has also made some big moves since that matchup in June. They’ve added forward Zane Waterman and swapped out guard Matt Coleman III for the high-scoring Javonte Smart. Smart leads the league in scoring at 28.4 points per-game, and has boosted the BlackJacks offensive numbers significantly. In the month of June, Ottawa averaged 87.6 points per-game. That number jumped up to 93.6 in July, largely in part to Smart signing on June 20. Ottawa’s offensive boost has led to a two-game winning streak which gives them the momentum over the Surge in this one, who have lost two in a row. The Surge were taken down by the Winnipeg Sea Bears and the Scarborough Shooting Stars in their last two contests, two teams who the BlackJacks have had success against this season. In Ottawa’s two games against the Sea Bears, they went 2-0, winning by an average margin of 19.5 points. Against the Shooting Stars, they went 2-1, including a 100-93 victory on Tuesday night. If their recent history of opponents and momentum coming into this matchup says anything about the possible outcome of this game, the odds are in Ottawa’s favour. That win against the Shooting Stars was the BlackJacks first win all season by a margin of seven points or less. After starting the season 0-6 in those situations, something clicked in the team’s offense as they outscored Scarborough 10-4 in target time. Ottawa’s positive momentum in clutch situations carried over into their next game against the reigning champion and top seed in the East, Niagara River Lions, where they took home a 96-93 win in another close one. Smart exploded for 44 points in the matchup–a professional career high, BlackJacks single-game record, and the second-highest scoring performance in CEBL history. The showing culminated in a ridiculous fadeaway from far beyond the three-point line to win the game for Ottawa. That outing was one for the CEBL history books, and shows that the BlackJacks can beat even the best teams in the league with the help of some strong individual performances. Smart’s night was even more important against Niagara because of how many players Ottawa was missing. Forward Isaih Moore was suspended from the lineup due to accumulating six technical fouls on the season, and guards Shakur Daniel and Keevan Veinot both missed the game due to injury. Although Moore will return in this afternoon’s matchup, the statuses of Daniel and Veinot are still unknown. The BlackJacks will have to try to orchestrate another strong offensive night from Smart or another one of their top scorers in Moore and Waterman. The Surge have the third-best defensive rating in the CEBL, allowing just 87.9 points per game this season. Ottawa’s offense will have to be even more productive to match that, especially if they continue to deal with nagging injuries. Calgary isn’t the only strong defensive team in this matchup, though–the BlackJacks actually boast the best defensive rating in the league, allowing 86.3 points per game. That team defense will be key in slowing down some of the Surge’s top scorers. Alongside Gilyard II, Calgary boasts three other players who average 18 or more points per game: Greg Brown III, Jameer Nelson Jr. and Sean Miller-Moore. Ottawa’s defense will need to continue to be top-notch in order to slow those four down. So expect a strong defensive matchup on both sides tonight. Despite the BlackJacks entering this game with better momentum, the Surge are strong scorers and defenders who have beaten the BlackJacks before. The biggest question is whether or not Ottawa’s newer players, especially Smart, will have impactful enough individual performances to make a difference from the outcome the last time these two teams faced off. Interact with us on social media: Instagram: ottawablackjacks X: Ott_BlackJacks Facebook: OttawaBlackJacks TikTok: ottawablackjacks
The Ottawa BlackJacks entered Thursday’s game against the Niagara River Lions desperate for a win. Javonte Smart made sure they got it. Smart scored a season-high and franchise-record 44 points, including a miraculous game-winner, to send the BlackJacks past the River Lions 96-93 on Thursday at the Meridian Centre in St. Catharines, Ont. Ottawa moved to 10-10 as it pursues second place in the East and a bye to the conference semifinals. “I'm really proud of our guys, man. Shorthanded like that, and fighting through everything, the adversity we've been going through. And so to come out like that with a big win on the road against a really good team like this, I'm really proud of our group,” BlackJacks head coach Dave DeAveiro said. Niagara, meanwhile, saw its franchise-record seven-game winning streak come to an end as it fell to 14-6 on the season. In the early going, Ottawa looked like the team with way more to play for as it built a 17-point lead midway through the first quarter. But the River Lions ended the frame on a 10-0 run, then slowly chipped away. After Niagara went up as many as nine points in the fourth, however, it was Ottawa’s turn to fight back. The BlackJacks led 87-86 entering Target Score Time after River Lions guard Kimbal Mackenzie drew a three-point foul when Ottawa tried to initiate a whistle and the final stage of the game. With the clock off, the teams traded scores until both were within three points at 93-all. Then, Ottawa called a timeout, ostensibly to draw up some sort of play. Smart had other ideas. “I told coach nah, I want the ball. It’s game time, I feel like winning,” he told sideline reporter Dhanung Bulsara after the game. “So that’s what I did.” Smart received the ball following an inbounds play well beyond the arc on the left wing. He took one dribble toward River Lions defender Ron Curry, stepped back and launched a three-point heave from his left hip. And in the 100th game of their existence, the BlackJacks picked up perhaps their most thrilling victory. “Smart played a ridiculous game, made a ridiculous shot,” River Lions head coach Victor Raso said. DeAveiro added that it was a confidence-boosting win for his troops. “Anytime you [can] play in Niagara and be successful at Niagara, it's quite the accomplishment, so it just gives us more confidence that we can go on the road and be successful on the road. We have to go on the road in the playoffs, so we have to be ready,” DeAveiro said. Smart, who entered the game as the league’s leading scorer with 27 points per game in his first season in the CEBL, now has the Ottawa single-game record — a mark held at 37 solely by teammate Deng Adel since 2022 before Smart tied it himself on July 1. Now, it’s Smart’s all alone. An easy choice as the league’s top newcomer, Smart, the 26-year-old from Baton Rouge, La., played 18 NBA games with the Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers before coming to the CEBL this season. The LSU product only joined Ottawa on June 20, but has quickly made his presence known, adding 6.2 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game in addition to his prolific scoring. On Thursday, Smart collected eight assists alongside his 44 points while shooting an efficient 13-for-19 from the field, including six-for-nine from beyond the arc. “I feel good. I feel like everything I put up was going on, so that's the work I put in here [showing],” Smart said. Big man Zane Waterman also pitched in with 20 points and five rebounds, while Tyrrel Tate contributed 12 points off the bench. The game grew increasingly chippy as the minutes wore on, with both teams seemingly unhappy with the officiating. DeAveiro was ejected late in the third quarter after arguing a non-call against Waterman, who also picked up a technical foul on the play. Assistant Matt MacLean took over from DeAveiro on the bench. “I thought there was a lot of fouls today where they weren't being called,” DeAveiro said. “I just had to protect my guys. I was frustrated. You know, I got to be a little bit more mature on that situation, but I was just frustrated.” For Niagara, meanwhile, the game represented its first since clinching the No. 1 seed in the East — and a trip to Championship Weekend — thanks to the BlackJacks’ Tuesday win against the Scarborough Shooting Stars. Yet after falling behind early, the River Lions still fought back. “I mean, did we play with the championship calibre mindset? No, I thought we were a little loose and that's the task that we have in front of us,” head coach Victor Raso said. “That's really difficult right now is that we have to approach these games as if they are as important to us.” Curry paced the River Lions with 23 points, including five triples, to go with four assists. Leading scorer Khalil Ahmad was held relatively in check by a fierce BlackJacks defence, managing just three points in the first half and 12 for the game. Ahmad, who missed all eight of his three-point attempts on the rare off night, became a facilitator instead with seven assists. Mackenzie added 14 points and six rebounds, while forward Nathan Cayo neared a double-double with 13 points and nine boards. Ahmed Hill became the first player in league history with 1,500 regular-season points when he nailed a corner triple late in the first quarter. He finished the game with nine points, four assists and three rebounds. Curry said his team must stay locked in through its final four games of the season. “We just got to be hungry, man. They wanted it a little bit more today. We can't get complacent. We got to stay hungry,” Curry said. The BlackJacks led 26-19 after the first quarter, but by halftime, Ottawa’s lead had shrunk to 44-42. Niagara then took control in the third quarter and claimed a 72-64 advantage heading into the fourth. But Ottawa’s comeback was mounted midway through the final frame as Smart refused to be denied. Then, he put the exclamation point on the win in Target Score Time. Now, the BlackJacks are in the driver’s seat to join Niagara in Winnipeg. Box Score https://www.cebl.ca/game?id=2600667 Up Next Ottawa returns home to host the Calgary Surge on Saturday, while Niagara begins a season-ending four-game road trip with a trip to the Scarborough Shooting Stars on Sunday. Next CEBL Action A triple-header Friday begins with an East battle between Brampton and Montreal before a pair of Western Conference matchups including Saskatchewan at Winnipeg and Vancouver at Edmonton. For the full 2025 CEBL schedule and up-to-date results, please visit cebl.ca/games . Interact with us on social media: Instagram: ottawablackjacks X: Ott_BlackJacks Facebook: OttawaBlackJacks TikTok: ottawablackjacks
Game Preview - July 31: BlackJacks and River Lions Continue Exciting Season Series in St. Catharines
The Ottawa BlackJacks of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) travel to St. Catharines tonight to take on the Niagara River Lions at 7 p.m. at Meridian Centre. Tonight’s matchup is a battle between the top two seeds in the CEBL’s Eastern Conference: the River Lions sit at number one with a record of 14-5, and the BlackJacks are in second at 9-10. While the River Lions have clinched the number one spot, Ottawa has been battling to stay in that coveted second place position, which gives a team an automatic bye into the Conference semifinals. In Ottawa’s most recent matchup, they snagged an important home win against the number three seed Scarborough Shooting Stars. Niagara has been even hotter as of late, winning their last seven games–a tie for the third-longest streak in league history. So while both teams are coming into this game with positive momentum, the River Lions are really on fire. They capped off their last win with a 23-point comeback against the Brampton Honey Badgers, winning 96-94. The River Lions are no strangers to close games like that–especially against the BlackJacks, against whom they’ve had two matchups come down to the last possession this season. In Ottawa’s first game of the year, Niagara took them down, 87-85. Just under a month later, Niagara beat Ottawa again, 90-89. In addition to those games, these two teams also had a thriller ending during the 2024 CEBL Eastern Conference Semifinals–Niagara took a 94-91 win, going on to become CEBL champions. With all of this recent evidence, two things become clear: it’s usually a close one when the BlackJacks and River Lions play, and the River Lions usually come out on top. Because of all of these recent competitive moments between the two teams, the Ottawa vs. Niagara matchup has begun to be considered a rivalry. “It’s a rivalry now, for sure,” said BlackJacks starting center Isaih Moore, “I can say that now. ”Despite agreeing with Moore’s claim, Ottawa Head Coach David DeAveiro has made sure that his team still respects their opponent. “They’re a quality opponent. Niagara never beats themselves. If you’re going to go there, you have to go win. They’re not going to beat themselves. ”That high praise from DeAveiro is well deserved by the River Lions–the reigning champions have dominated the Eastern Conference this season, only losing to same-conference opponents twice in 19 games played thus far. They average the second-least turnovers per game in the league (13.5), too–it goes to show that they really don’t beat themselves. Niagara is also a ridiculous 9-1 in games that have ended within five points. That poise down the stretch of games makes a massive difference in target time, where teams often allow the end-of-game pressure get to them and miss more shots. Throughout this season, Ottawa has seen the other end of that stick, going 1-6 on the year in the same category. They’ve really only been able to close out games in which they have a large lead going into target time. Before their last win against the Shooting Stars, their lowest margin of victory was a shockingly high 13. So when they finally snagged a win in a close 100-93 game against the Shooting Stars, it gave the players some real confidence: “Tonight gave us confidence that we can play in [target time] against a good team and come out successful,” DeAveiro said after the game, “we’ve been heartbroken so many times–to come out on top today, it really boosts our confidence and is really bringing the team together. It makes us believe that we can win these types of games." The key to that close win was the team’s new style of play. During the first quarter, both Moore and fellow starter Shakur Daniel had to leave the game from an ejection and injury respectively. With those two players being some of the team’s poorer floor spacers, Ottawa was able to run a high-pace, high-shooting offense. That offense led to 15 made threes, five higher than their season average. Those threes came from a ton of ball movement, which in turn led to 25 assists, again more than their season average of 21.8. If the BlackJacks want to continue their success against Niagara, that ball movement and efficient shooting will be crucial. Another key to Ottawa winning that game was the return of forward Zane Waterman. After missing three full games due to a head injury, the four-year CEBL veteran scored both his season-high and his CEBL career high of 36 points against Scarborough. “I had a lot of energy because I was out for a while,” said Waterman after the win. If that energy continues into tonight’s matchup with the River Lions, the BlackJacks will be a scary offensive team. On the other side of things, Niagara is a very well-balanced team scoring-wise. While their leading scorer in Khalil Ahmad averages a solid 20.9 points per contest, nobody else on the roster averaged more than 13. Instead, they play a team game, with eight active players on their roster averaging seven or more. That offensive consistency all around the board means that Ottawa will have to bring their best defensive efforts tonight. They currently hold the best defense in the league, allowing just 85.9 per game, but what usually slows their opponents down is a scheme built to stop one or two top players. With so many strong scorers on Niagara, and Ottawa’s top individual defender in Daniel questionable, it will be interesting to see how the defensive identity shifts for the BlackJacks tonight. So tune in on CEBL+ and TSN+ tonight at 7 p.m. to see the third installment of one of the league’s best rivalries. With the red-hot River Lions playing an all-around, mistake-proof offense, the BlackJacks will have to continue to thrive in close-game situations to leave St. Catharines with a win. Interact with us on social media: Instagram: ottawablackjacks X: Ott_BlackJacks Facebook: OttawaBlackJacks TikTok: ottawablackjacks
