“We know they’re a talented team and we have to concentrate on the individuals and the scouting report and I think we did a good job of that,” said BlackJacks head coach Osvaldo Jeanty. “We kept them to one shot, our guys focused on their weaknesses and once we were able to do that, and we’re running, then we’re at our best.”

Ottawa was locked in early and was able to race out to a 12-0 lead after a Kyle Landry three. The BlackJacks did not let up in the second quarter, building a lead as large as 27 points halfway through the second frame. The sizeable cushion allowed Ottawa to rest its key scorers, such as Olivier Hanlan and Thomas Scrubb, which paved the way for the Carleton contingent to close out a one-sided first half. 

“I think it comes down to defence,” said Scrubb, who scored a team-high 17 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. “Once we get stops, then we’re able to score more efficiently and that’s been really key these last two games.”

The BlackJacks ended the second quarter with Munis Tutu, TJ Lall, and Yasiin Joseph on the floor – all of whom graduated from Carleton University this past spring. Adding to the Ravens’ representation on the floor was Lloyd Pandi, who despite his youth, showed that he can compete at the pro level. Pandi is coming off a stellar freshman season with the Ravens and recorded eight points and three assists in the first half.

“I think it’s really important for those guys to get some pro experience. They were a bit shaky to start and they’re gaining confidence throughout the tournament and they’ll get better as the games go on,” Scrubb said. 

The second half featured a different rendition of the Honey Badgers. Jaylen Babb-Harrison was a key marksman for Hamilton, nailing six three-pointers as part of a game-high 18-point performance.

A three-point strike by Babb-Harrison early in the Elam Ending brought Hamilton to within 15 points, trailing 79-64, but Johnny Berhanemeskel responded with a long-range connection of his own. 

Ultimately it would be Ottawa’s youthful core that allowed the BlackJacks to withstand any counterattack posed by the Honey Badgers. Pandi continued to showcase that he is a talent to watch at the U SPORTS and the CEBL level when he closed out the game off his own missed free throw with a putback layup.

“I think we need to regroup. Back-to-back games are tough in general and I think in this setting when you have a big game coming so quickly, I don’t know if we were resilient enough or prepared enough,” Honey Badgers head coach Ryan Schmidt said. “It’s tough but at the same time it’s part of being a professional basketball player.”

Hamilton concludes its round robin play Tuesday in a rematch of the 2019 CEBL Championship game against the Saskatchewan Rattlers. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET (3 p.m. CT). The BlackJacks will take on the River Lions, losers of four straight after winning the opening game of the CEBL Summer Series, Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET. 

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.