BlackJacks Outlast Growlers in Thriller for First Win of the Season

Ottawa BlackJacks forward Deng Adel hit a fadeaway jump shot to beat the Newfoundland Growlers 86-85 on June 5. It marked his team’s first win of the season after starting 0-3. The Growlers fall to 0-2. It was a back-and-forth game with both teams making runs. 

Ottawa jumped out to an early lead 11-2 with baskets by Chad Posthumus, Cody John and Maxime Boursiquot. The visitors extended the lead with eight straight points by Tyrell Green. The Growlers answered with seven straight points to close out the first quarter, punctuated by a Shaquille Keith layup and three, as they trailed 25-20.

Newfoundland captain Junior Cadogan and Allan Griffin scored to start the second quarter to further cut into the lead. Guard Khalil Whitney threw down a dunk to give the home side a 33-32 lead, their first of the game. The Growlers extended the lead by pushing in transition and continuing to attack inside. Whitney scored off another dunk on the fast break to make it 43-38. Griffin knocked out a three at the halftime buzzer as Newfoundland led 46-42. 

Ottawa retook the lead with baskets by Adel and Posthumus early in the third quarter. The BlackJacks increased their lead to double digits by getting to the basket multiple times as well as finding Walt Lemon Jr. for an open three. Newfoundland answered by forcing turnovers and scoring on the run as they ended the third quarter trailing 65-61. Newfoundland’s Brandon Sampson played a big role in their runs, scoring inside and out for a CEBL record 42 points. 

The fourth quarter started with a fast pace as both teams traded baskets. Ottawa took a 74-70 edge off a breakaway dunk by Lemon Jr. before Sampson scored a layup on the other end. Sampson scored five straight points in Elam time to retake the lead, including hitting three straight free throws. 

Adel and Keith exchanged baskets to tie the game at 83. Adel hit a fadeaway to win the game and his teammates celebrated with him afterwards. 

Ottawa held a 44-32 rebounding advantage throughout the game. Adel led the team with 20 points while Lemon Jr. impacted the game in different ways with 13 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and four steals. All five BlackJack starters scored in double figures and bench players Green (eight points, three assists) and Zena Edosomwan (eight points, six rebounds also contributed). 

“First half we struggled a lot. Lots of turnovers,” Boursiquot noted. “The most important thing for us during halftime, the conversation was to just stay together and don’t get away from what we do.” 

He said he’s ecstatic to get the win. “This is probably the start of a good run, hopefully continue that moving forward,” he added. 

Despite the loss, the Growlers fought back numerous times through their defence (20 steals) and transition offence. They scored 35 fast break points and 26 points off 20 Ottawa turnovers. Sampson had three steals and three assists to go with his record point total. Keith was crafty in scoring inside, finishing with 15 points, six rebounds and a team-high six steals. 

“We definitely put up the fight we needed to give from last game,” Sampson said. “We learned a lot from last game. Fixed a lot of mistakes. Gave a lot more energy coming out to the second half.” He credited the team’s fight in clawing back from multiple deficits, which is something he said they can take going forward. 

Sampson said his record points performance shows the work he’s put in. “Definitely appreciate my teammates, my coaches putting me in those positions, trusting me in the player that I am,” he added. 

The BlackJacks travel to play the Guelph Nighthawks on June 9 while the Growlers also go on the road to face the Scarborough Shooting Stars on June 7. 

All games will be streamed live internationally on the CEBL’s OTT platform, CEBL+ and on CEBL Mobile the official app of the CEBL for iOS and Android devices. Games are also available to stream live in Canada via cbcsports.ca, the CBC Sports app for iOS and Android devices, and the free CBC Gem streaming service.

A league created by Canadians for Canadians, the CEBL has the highest percentage of Canadian players of any professional league in the country, with 71 percent of its current rosters being Canadians. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. The only First Division Professional League Partner of Canada Basketball, the CEBL season runs from May through August. Head to CEBL.ca for more information or follow us (@cebleague) on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.