July 9 GAME PREVIEW: Ottawa @ Brampton
The Brampton Honey Badgers head back home for two games as they play their third match against the Ottawa BlackJacks Wednesday, July 9 @ 12:30pm.
Brampton’s coming off a 3-2 record in their five-game home stretch. It included some great wins, including a two-game win streak and their largest victory of the season against the defending champion Niagara River Lions. However, they also ended the home stretch with a tough loss to Calgary. All of this was before another tough 84-87 loss to the Vancouver Bandits. Needless to say, the Honey Badgers are a bit rattled at 4-10. Ottawa is 6-7 and are holding onto the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The BlackJacks are coming off of a tough 90-93 loss to the Saskatchewan Rattlers.
In Brampton’s tough loss to Vancouver, they were fighting throughout the entire game. In the first quarter, they were only down 23-22 and outscored the Bandits 22-17 in the second quarter. The Honey Badgers were showing that they could contend with the top seed in the Western Conference and held a 78-77 lead heading into target time. Unfortunately, Vancouver took control of target time, going on a 9-2 run to take a 86-80 lead before Duane Notice ended the game on a free throw.
After a tough outing against Calgary, Quinndary Weatherspoon had one of his best games of the season and was a large part of how the Honey Badgers were able to keep pace with the Bandits. He finished with 27 points; 22 of which were in the first half, while logging two rebounds and four assists. He also took care of the ball, not turning the ball over once.
After the game, Honey Badgers Forward Amari Kelly spoke highly of Weatherspoon’s performance
“We need these performances from Weatherspoon. They’re big and they help keep us going. He’s a big factor for our team and kind of leading our guys,” said Kelly. Kelly also had a solid game, finishing with his third straight double-double with 16 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and one steal.
In his return to Vancouver, Marcus Carr recorded 12 points, five rebounds and two assists; a solid game all-around. David Muenkat had another strong defensive performance, finishing with two steals and two blocks while posting nine points, six rebounds and four assists. Coming off the bench with another good game, Bryson Williams was a beast in two-point range, scoring all 12 of his points inside the key on 6-for-7 from the field. He was also a defensive anchor off the bench, recording two steals and two blocks.
As a team, the Honey Badgers scored 40 points in the paint to Vancouver’s 36 along with six second chance points, seven fast-break points and 24 bench points. Further proving how this loss reflects Vancouver’s talent as opposed to Brampton’s shortcomings.
Head Coach Sheldon Cassimy expanded on this when asked what the team needs to improve on to get key wins in post game interviews.
“Just being together, trusting each other, and being able to execute and cut down on our turnovers,” said Coach Cassimy.
The Ottawa BlackJacks are hoping to recover from their own tough loss to the Saskatchewan Rattlers. The BlackJacks had an 82-71 heading into target time, but struggled to defend Jordan Bowden and Grant Anticevich who finished with 40 points and 14 points, respectively.
Ottawa’s top scorers were Javonte Smart, Deng Adel and Zane Waterman. Smart was a scoring machine, recording 31 points on 5-for-8 from three-point range while putting up four rebounds, four assists and three steals. Deng Adel showed off his versatility, nearly recording a triple-double with 13 points, seven rebounds and 11 assists. Zane Waterman scored 20 points off the bench while shooting .500 from beyond the arc while grabbing three rebounds.
As a team, the Ottawa BlackJacks scored 19 points from turnovers, 42 points in the paint and 35 bench points. This gave them a 17-point lead which would be their highest of the game. Brampton has to limit the points in the paint and the points from turnovers if they want to get a W and move up the standings
Brampton fell short in their previous two games against the BlackJacks. In both games, the BlackJacks forced double-digit turnovers and scored 37 and 22 points off turnovers, respectively. Ottawa also looked to drive inside, scoring 44 points in the paint in their first win against the Brampton Honey Badgers.
In a matchup that will likely have playoff implications, both teams are going to bring their A-game. Despite a solid homestretch, the Honey Badgers find themselves sputtering again and need to recover. A win for Ottawa keeps them in that last playoff spot as the season goes by with Montreal hot on their tail. It’s going to be a fun match in an Ontario team series which you can watch on Game+, 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