Game Preview - August 8: BlackJacks and Alliance Face Off for Second Time in Three Days
The Ottawa BlackJacks of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) face off against the Montreal Alliance tonight at 7:30 p.m. at The Arena at TD Place.
The BlackJacks sit at 11-11 in second place in the Eastern Conference–a win in this one brings the BlackJacks to a record of over .500 for the first time all year. The Alliance sit in fourth in the East at 8-14. Each team has just two bouts left in their 24-game regular season.
This is the second matchup in three days that these teams are playing–a close one on Wednesday night ended in an 87-83 win for the BlackJacks.
With that win, Ottawa officially made it impossible for the fourth-seeded Montreal to pass them in the standings. With the Alliance out of the picture, the BlackJacks now focus their sights on their battle with the Scarborough Shooting Stars for second place–which would land them a first-round bye in the CEBL Playoffs.
Ottawa and Scarborough are tied at 11-11 record-wise, but because the BlackJacks won the season series between the two teams, they own the tiebreaker and the current spot in the second seed.
So, all that Ottawa needs to do is finish with the same-or-better record than the Shooting Stars to snag that crucial bye into round two.
With that spot in the standings on the line, and the close game on Wednesday, tonight’s matchup between the BlackJacks and Alliance is bound to be an exciting one.
The main focus of this evening’s game will be how each side adjusts from their last meeting–what will Montreal do to counter and how will Ottawa react and adjust to that?
“It’s probably going to be a lot like the one [on Wednesday night],” said BlackJacks Head Coach David DeAveiro when asked about tonight’s matchup, “[Montreal] are well-coached, they defend really hard, they rebound. It’s going to be another battle. Expect the same kind of game, and hopefully the same kind of outcome.”
The word “battle” is a perfect description of these two teams’ last matchup. The Verdun Auditorium in Montreal was deafening, bringing energy to the Alliance’s players on defense.
That defensive effort had an effect on the BlackJacks over the course of the game, especially their star Javonte Smart.
Smart, who leads the CEBL in points per-game at 26.9, was held to just 10 points on Wednesday on four-of-eighteen shooting. The Alliance picked him up full-court and kept pressure on him for all 40 minutes of the matchup, and that physicality took him out of his rhythm.
Despite Smart’s off-night, Ottawa was able to find the help they needed in the rest of their team. Every starter scored in double figures, and role player Justin Jackson notably led the team with 21–the highest-scoring CEBL game he’s had since 2021.
“Justin has been solid for us all year,” said DeAveiro, “He has the ability to shoot the ball, and I don’t think people know that he has the ability to put it down and make pretty good decisions with it as well.”
Jackson’s ability to score at the rim came in handy throughout the physical battle, as his blistering hot eight-of-eleven shooting from the field gave the BlackJacks some easy baskets in an otherwise hectic game.
It was his three-point shooting that made the biggest difference, though. He scored six of Ottawa’s ten points in target time, including the game-winner.
“It’s playoff basketball,” noted Jackson, “it’s chippy, it’s intense, it’s physical, and I love that. So at the end of the day, I’m just going to go out there and play as hard as I can. And today shots were falling. I was being aggressive, layups were falling, so I’m just hopefully trying to continue that.”
The BlackJacks will also be hoping that Jackson can continue that performance. Because the Alliance will likely be focusing on Smart defensively again, it means that Ottawa’s role players such as Jackson will need to step up in his place.
Other than Jackson, another player who could make a big impact tonight for Ottawa is forward Zane Waterman.
He’s proven that he can score in bunches off of the bench, exploding for 36 points less than two weeks ago in a game against the Shooting Stars. With just seven points on Wednesday night, Waterman is due for a big game, and could provide that offensive spark.
Both Waterman and Jackson also provide help when it comes to rebounding, which will be another key to the game for the BlackJacks in this one.
On Wednesday, the Alliance severely outclassed on the glass, winning the offensive rebounding battle, 13-7.
Ottawa has never been a strong rebounding team, averaging the second-lowest per-game total in the league at just 37.6. Montreal, on the other hand, is one of the best in the league, especially on the offensive side, where they’re ranked number one with 12.4 per-game.
“They crash. They crash hard,” noted BlackJacks forward Deng Adel, “it’s hard to block out sometimes when you’re in the paint and they’re sprinting in from the three-point line.”
That difference in rebounding will be another key in tonight’s rematch. If the BlackJacks can hold the Alliance off of the glass, they’ll no doubt find success.
Both Jackson and Waterman can help to find that success, as well as forward Isaih Moore, who’s been Ottawa’s bright spot on the boards this season.
Moore leads the league in rebounds per-game with 11.4, and finished with 11 on Wednesday night. By securing defensive rebounds and ending Montreal’s offensive possessions, Moore can help to nullify his team’s biggest weakness.
So, in a crucial game standings-wise for the BlackJacks, their neighbouring rivals in the Alliance will provide an exciting challenge. If Ottawa can play a team game and allow Smart to take his foot off of the gas again, and crash the glass, they’ll no doubt emerge victorious tonight.
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