After a hard-fought win at home against Scarborough, the Brampton Honey Badgers prepare for their fourth game against the Niagara River Lions July 27 @ 2:00pm. 

As the CEBL season approaches its finale and the playoffs are around the corner, the Brampton Honey Badgers are still on the outside looking in with a 5-15 record. With a win last night and a Montreal loss, the gap for the fourth seed between Brampton and the Alliance is now only 3.0 games. Brampton may have a steep road to climb, but they still have a chance at the playoffs, which would be their first appearance since 2023. The Niagara River Lions have solidified themselves as championship contenders, currently sitting at 13-5. After a comeback win in target time against Montreal, momentum is high as the River Lions look to enter the playoffs with momentum. 

Brampton is coming off a 96-89 win over the Scarborough Shooting Stars which snapped their seven game losing streak. Prior to the game against Scarborough, the Brampton Honey Badgers signed former Honey Badger Yaw Obeng-Mensah and Iona sharpshooter Wheza Panzo. In their debuts, Obeng-Mensah recorded 12 points and nine rebounds (five offensive rebounds). Panzo scored three points in his debut while providing solid defense off the bench. Koby McEwen led the team with 29 points, four rebounds, two steals and one block. Quinndary Weatherspoon scored 27 on 8-for-14 shooting while dishing out four assists and logging two steals. Prince Oduro, helped the Honey Badgers in many areas of the game as well, registering 17 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, one steal and three blocks. 

As a team, the Honey Badgers were aggressive on both ends of the court. They scored a season-high 27 points off 16 Scarborough turnovers and 44 points in the paint. Most of this was due to their consistent drives to the basket which, in turn, led to Brampton shooting 27 free throws and making 23. Another big reason for the Honey Badgers snapping their losing streak was the bench outscoring the Shooting Stars 19-18. 

After the game, Honey Badgers Head Coach Sheldon Cassimy gave his thoughts on the win.

“I thought we did a good job of weathering the storm in the first quarter, Scarborough came out and they were making a lot of shots. Maybe in the past we may have crumbled but we fought back and played together and stayed positive throughout the entire game and came out with a win”. 

Niagara won its previous matchup against the Montreal Alliance in a thrilling comeback. Niagara was led by Khalil Ahmad and Ron Curry in scoring, with Ahmad leading the game in scoring with 29 points, and Ron Curry adding 19 points on 7-for-11 from the field. Nathan Cayo and Eddie Ekiyor were key for the defensive effort, combining for nine rebounds, one steal and two blocks. Cayo also had a solid offensive game, scoring 10 points on 4-for-8 from the field and 2-for-3 from beyond the arc. 

As a team, the River Lions scored 44 points in the paint and 16 second chance points. However, Niagara shot 12 free throws to Montreal’s 20 and struggled to keep pace with Montreal’s deep bench which scored 57 points. Looking back at previous matchups with Niagara, crashing the glass and aggressiveness has been a theme. In Brampton’s only win against the River Lions so far, they limited the defending champions to four second chance points by grabbing 34 defensive rebounds. This was in large part thanks to great boxouts from the Honey Badgers front court, which made it difficult for Niagara’s bigs to make an impact on the glass. They also found success by forcing a high volume of midrange shots. If the Honey Badgers can keep the same energy on the glass, they can get a huge win and keep their playoff hopes alive. 

Both teams are coming into this game in high spirits after huge wins. The Honey Badgers snapped their losing streak in a win against the rival Scarborough Shooting Stars, inching closer to the last playoff spot as the season reaches its conclusion. Niagara’s comeback win against the Montreal Alliance maintains their control over the Eastern Conference and keeps their momentum up as they look to repeat as CEBL Champions. Overall, it’s going to be a crucial game between two teams bringing their best, which you can watch on CEBL+ and TSN+.

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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