Ottawa BlackJacks beat number one seeded team to break win drought

The Ottawa BlackJacks gave the Scarborough Shooting Stars their second loss in a thrilling Target Score Time winner. 

The win came at a crucial point in the season, after a tough win drought recently for the BlackJacks. Head Coach Justin Mazzulla said they simply refused to lose. 

“We weren't going home with a loss. That was the energy,” said Mazzulla. 

The BlackJacks haven’t seen a win since June 2, when they beat the number one-seeded team in the Western Conference, the Vancouver Bandits. 

Clearly, they perform well under pressure. 

“[We’ve been] beat up for the last couple of 20 days,” said Mazzulla. “These guys just came together as a team and said, ‘You know what? We're not doing that.’”

The BlackJacks trailed for the majority of the game, but they didn’t let defeat win. In the fourth quarter, they turned on the jets and managed to tie the game at 78, heading into Target Score Time. 

While the Shooting Stars were able to hold a steady lead in Target Score Time, the BlackJacks simply refused to lose this one, and with gravity going their way, Shooting Stars players missing crucial shots and really putting the defensive grind on with rebounds, they tied the game again at 86. 

The next possession won. 

When Cat Barber, star guard for Scarborough, missed a two-point shot to win it, Matthew Cleveland was able to snatch the rebound and hand it off to Kobe Elvis at the top of the key. Once Elvis saw Alex Fudge coming in hot, he passed it straight to him, who laid it in, and the BlackJacks' drought was no more. 

“I just had to stay patient. So just letting the game come to me was my main focus,” said Fudge. “And everything came through.” 

Preparing to face a number-one-seeded team is not easy, especially when luck hasn’t been kind to the BlackJacks recently. But the team was prepared to fight this battle. 

“Knowing that we had a tough Scarborough opponent, I was ready to take on that challenge,” said Fudge. “I just knew that we had a comeback chip on our shoulders.”

“It's a challenge that I want. Everybody wants to be number one, and everybody wants to take off the number one person,” Fudge continued.

Fudge was lucky enough to have his parents and brother in the crowd from Florida tonight. With his highest scoring game of the season, with 22 points, they were able to see him shine, a meaningful moment for him. 

“I just felt different. Just be able to hug them at the game, a good game,” said Fudge. 

Mazzulla emphasized his trust in his players, especially Fudge. 

“Alex Fudge, I mean, he's elite. He's really elite,” said Mazzulla about Fudge’s performance tonight. “I put a lot of trust in him. Trust me, I'm as hard on him as his family probably.”

Another shining star for the BlackJacks tonight was Justin Harmon. The G-League player ended the game with 21 points.

“It just felt good to get back in the win column,” said Harmon. 

Harmon’s efficiency in this game was unmatched. He finished the game shooting 76 per cent from the field and 90 per cent from two.

Mazzulla also highlighted young forward Justin Ndjock-Tadjore. He is in his first year as a professional player, having graduated from the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees during the 2024-25 season. He finished the game playing 13 minutes, had three points, two rebounds, one steal and one block. 

“I'm just really proud of the guys in there. JNT rose to the occasion,” said Mazzulla.