Lindell Wigginton’s torrid start to the 2021 campaign continued as he dropped a new season-high 33 points to lead the Hamilton Honey Badgers (2-1) to a tight 99-92 victory over the Ottawa BlackJacks (1-2) on Thursday afternoon.

The first game of the CEBL’s Canada Day doubleheader was a thrilling contest between two squads looking to move above .500 for the first time in the young season. The back-and-forth contest saw seven lead changes and three ties before Hamilton pulled away down the stretch.

In addition to his game-high point total, Wigginton also hit the Elam Ending game-winner for the second straight game, draining a pull-up 3-pointer at the top of the arc. He now sits atop the CEBL’s scoring leaderboard, averaging 27.7 points per game on the season. Despite all the offensive success, Honey Badgers’ head coach Ryan Schmidt is complimentary of another part of his game.

“The thing that I’m enjoying the most (about Wigginton) is seeing him compete on the defensive end,” said Schmidt post-game, “Yes, the 33 points is good to see, but for me, the challenge for him to take that next step is on the defensive end.”

The 6-2 guard wasn’t alone in the scoring column, as three other Honey Badgers dropped double-digit point totals in the win. Fellow backcourt starter Trevon Duval had his best game in the CEBL with 18 points, JV Mukama exited his early season shooting slump by dropping 17 and bench guard Cody John hit big shots down the stretch to finish with 12 points on 5-6 shooting.

“I think we have multiple weapons on the offensive end, and when we get other guys going, it’s going to open things up,” said Schmidt, “With Lindell leading the way, it’s nice to see the scoring spread out a little bit.”

For Ottawa, a close defeat was not the result it hoped for, but the team can takeaway multiple positives heading into the rest of the season. Namely, playing in a close game down the stretch after both a lopsided win and loss provided the BlackJacks with the opportunity to run through important late-game scenarios.

“It’s certainly a learning experience for us, not every game is going to be a blowout,” said BlackJacks head coach Charles Dubé-Brais, “You’ve got to think this one could have gone either way.”

In addition, Ottawa’s overall depth was an encouraging sign to see despite the loss. Nine of the BlackJacks’ 10 active players scored at least two field goals, with five registering double-figures in points. Leading the way for Ottawa was 2020 returner Johnny Berhanemeskel, who made his season debut on Thursday to the tune of 17 points.

“(Johnny) obviously was good, but he can be a lot better. I think he’s going to thrive in our environment,” said Dubé-Brais, “It’s good to have that first one under his belt and get ready for the next game.

That next game for the BlackJacks comes on Saturday as they travel cross-country to Abbotsford, B.C. to take on the 2-0 Fraser Valley Bandits at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. local.

Meanwhile, the Honey Badgers will play their first home game of the season on Saturday as they are set to host the 0-1 Guelph Nighthawks at 1:30 p.m ET.

All CEBL games will be available for live streaming on the CEBL’s new OTT streaming service CEBL+, cbcsports.ca, the free CBC Gem streaming service, the CBC Sports App for iOS and android devices, and on Twitch.



A league created by Canadians for Canadians, the CEBL has the highest percentage of Canadian players of any professional league in the country, with 75 percent of its current rosters being Canadians. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. The only First Division Professional League Partner of Canada Basketball, the CEBL season typically runs from May through August. Head to CEBL.ca for more information or follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube