The regular season has officially begun as the Brampton Honey Badgers look to rebound after their 66-88 loss to the Montreal Alliance as they face the Ottawa Blackjacks away on May 21.

The regular season is in many ways a prelude to the playoffs, where we get to see teams either fall short or exceed expectations, and which teams will make it to Championship Weekend. After finishing 6-14 last season and missing the playoffs, Brampton is looking to exceed expectations this season after adding a great deal of talent in the offseason. Their opponent, the Montreal Alliance, also started off 6-14 making it to Championship Weekend due to hosting the tournament with Brampton having a 2-1 record against them last season. Therefore, it was important for the Honey Badgers to start off strong on the road against a team they have had success against in the past. However, they failed to capitalize, starting their season off 0-1.

However, this game is not a forecast for the rest of the season. The Honey Badgers were missing several key players including Prince Oduro, Quinndary Weatherspoon, David Meunkat, and Ali Sow. New signings William Douglas and Amari Kelly however, showed a lot of promise with Douglas recording 10 points, four rebounds, three assists and one steal, and Kelly recording 14 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and one block. Douglas looked to drive to the paint often, getting his first basket off a drive to create space for a close shot and driving to the paint to get an and-one. 

In his return to the Honey Badgers, Koby McEwen looked good as the team captain, hitting contested three-point shots with confidence, driving to the basket to either take it himself or kick it out to a teammate on the three-point line, and consistently beating his opponents off the dribble. His eye-catching performance culminated to 15 points, six rebounds, four assists, and one steal. 

Rookie Mike Demagus also played well scoring seven points (3-for-6) in his professional debut, while also making a great pass to Mychael Paulo who later hit a nice layup in the second quarter. 

But Montreal had the bigger night in terms of scoring, led by Quincy Guerrier’s 21 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and one steal. He was getting key putbacks and driving to the paint with confidence with Montreal Head Coach Jermaine Small giving praise in his debut win.

 “Every shot he makes is like a momentum play for us,” said Small.

Now Brampton faces Ottawa who had made the CEBL Championship Weekend last year and just came off an 87-85 loss to the defending champion Niagara River Lions. 

BlackJacks star forward and captain Deng Adel led the way with 14 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, and one block. Rudi Williams recorded 15 points, four rebounds, six assists and one steal and Isaih Moore followed with 14 points, four rebounds, one assist and two steals. 

Last year, Brampton’s record against Ottawa was 1-2 which included a 94-79 loss in which Isaih Moore recorded 28 points, nine rebounds, one block and one steal. 

Limiting the production of those three players, especially Moore, as he has historically played well against the Honey Badgers scoring 21 points in Brampton’s 104-116 loss to Brampton and the aforementioned 28 points scored, is crucial.

In Ottawa’s game against Niagara, they scored 16 fast break points and 18 points off turnovers. In Brampton’s game against Montreal, they turned the ball over 19 times, a statistic they have to limit if they want to win this game. The Honey Badgers also had six blocks received as a team and only scored 12 field goals inside the arc, a franchise-low, compared to Ottawa’s 20 two-point field goals made and four blocks received. Brampton will have to improve both statistics to bounce back against Ottawa. 

Overall, it is going to be an exciting matchup early in the season as both teams look to rebound after starting the season off with a loss. The Honey Badgers are looking to get back to Championship Weekend for the first time since 2022 and add another CEBL championship to their trophy cabinet. On the other hand, the BlackJacks are looking to make their third consecutive Championship Weekend appearance and win their first ever CEBL title. 

The Honey Badgers 2025 campaign continues with a quick stop in the nation's capital to take on the Ottawa BlackJacks on May 21 at 7:30pm. Brampton then returns to the CAA Centre to welcome the Scarborough Shooting Stars to start the club’s third season in the city on May 25. You can watch the Honey Badgers take on the BlackJacks on Game+, CEBL+, and TSN+.

Ticket packages to catch all of the action at the CAA Centre are now available, including season tickets, half season pack, group experiences, and more! Visit honeybadgers.ca/tickets or contact tickets@honeybadgers.ca for more information.

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About the Brampton Honey Badgers

One of the original franchises of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), the 2022 CEBL Champion Brampton Honey Badgers proudly call the CAA Centre home. The Brampton front office and basketball operations department bring NBA, NBA G League, national team, NCAA and major international pro league experience to the franchise. With a vision of promoting Brampton grassroots basketball and local businesses through community and corporate engagement, the Honey Badgers will leverage the explosion of basketball as a vehicle for innovation and change. For more information visit honeybadgers.ca.

About the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) 

A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 73% of its rosters being Canadian and more than 10 players with NBA game experience in 2025. Players also bring experience from the NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, NCAA programs, as well as U SPORTS and CCAA. More than 20 players have signed NBA contracts following a CEBL season, and numerous CEBL players attend NBA G League training camps every year. The CEBL season runs from May through August with games broadcast live on CEBL+ powered by Tonybet, TSN, TSN+, RDS, Game+ and Next Level Sports & Entertainment. More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.

Media Contact:
Elias Eldridge - Account Executive & Communications Specialist

Brampton Honey Badgers

eeldridge@honeybadgers.ca