With this loss, Hamilton falls to 1-2 as they look to rebound on Saturday when they take on the Fraser Valley Bandits. The game will be live on CBC (National TV) at 1:30 p.m. ET (10:30 a.m. PT). 

For Hamilton, a lack of scoring distribution paved the way for a difficult first three quarters as Duane Notice and Cody John were the lone two Honey Badgers to have double digits (15 and 14, respectively) in points entering the final frame.

With scoring being centralized for the majority of the game, Hamilton struggled to spread the floor and create open looks for its shooters, who managed to shoot just 9-of-31 (31 per cent) from long-range. Despite the team’s difficulties from the field, Notice took matters into his own hands and came alive in the fourth by creating for himself and his teammates.

“He’s a spiritual leader for this group and leads by example,” Honey Badgers head coach and general manager Ryan Schmidt said. “We’re battling through adversity – it’s still early. We’ve been dealt some adversity in the first game kind of fighting from behind and also same thing in this game, but I think you’re starting to see the grit and character that’s coming from this group.”

After trailing by as many as 19 points, an acrobatic lay-up by Notice during the Elam Ending led to a three-point play opportunity, which Notice calmly converted. The free throw brought Hamilton to within a point at 79-80. On the resulting possession Notice forced a turnover from Stingers guard Adika Peter-McNeilly.

Notice corralled the ball near the three-point line and began to drive from the perimeter, only to collapse to the floor clutching his leg. Play was stopped immediately and Notice was helped off the court to a round of applause. Notice did not return and Jean-Victor Mukama checked into the game in his place.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with him and we wish him a speedy recovery and a healthy recovery,” Schmidt said.

Mukama made an immediate impact, hitting a quick three to knot the game at 82-82. With the target score set at 86, Edmonton responded with back-to-back threes by Mathieu Kamba and Xavier Moon, whose long-range strike stood as the game winner.

“We knew that we had to make shots. Listening to coach in the huddle, he said just to keep shooting with confidence, so I was just trying to give my teammates confidence to keep shooting. Kamba hit one right before me and I got a wide-open look and I was able to knock it down,” Moon said.

Moon finished with 11 points, three rebounds and three assists, while fellow running mate Jordan Baker added 17 points and nine rebounds in a near double-double performance.

Notice led all scorers with 23 points, four rebounds and three three-pointers prior to exiting with an undisclosed leg injury.  

Hamilton’s next game is against Fraser Valley (2-0) on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. ET (10:30 a.m. PT). Edmonton will aim to continue its winning streak on Friday when the Stingers take on the Niagara River Lions (1-2) at 3 p.m. ET (1 p.m. MT).

All CEBL Summer Series games are available to watch on Twitch, CBCSports.ca and the CBC Gem App. A complete broadcast schedule can be found here.