The Ottawa BlackJacks won their second back-to-back game against the Niagara River Lions yesterday afternoon. The win was well credited to two returning veterans, Javonte Smart and Isaih Moore. Moore returns to the BlackJacks halfway through the season, after spending five games with the Edmonton Stingers. Moore has spent two previous seasons with the BlackJacks since his rookie year in 2024. “There's no place like home,” said Moore, who, despite being from Sumter, SC, now considers Ottawa to be a second home for him. “It's what I know in the summertime.” Moore came back to the BlackJacks with a big performance, shooting 100 per cent from the field and ending the game with a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, nine of those being defensive rebounds. Being a powerhouse on both ends of the court, Moore could be the answer the BlackJacks have been looking for. “It’s just great to have him in that locker room,” said Head Coach Justin Mazzulla. “He will have tons of effort on the floor, his competitive spirit, his willingness to do whatever.” Moore and Smart know each other well. From playing together on the BlackJacks last year to playing against each other in the G League, they are familiar with each other's game. “It's the funniest conundrum, because we go from battling each other, seeing each other two, three times in the G League, and now, we got to put all that behind us and be teammates for a couple months,” said Moore. Moore has also played against Justin Harmon and Matthew Cleveland, who also play in the G League. Being familiar with the way the G League players play was actually helpful for Moore, a big reason why he was able to get acquainted so quickly. “I know the familiar guys' games, and I know the new guys from playing them,” said Moore. “[So], it wasn't that hard to get me in tune with the plays.” Smart, who currently holds the franchise record for points in a single game, surpassed Tyrell Tate in the leaderboard for second total franchise points ever. He is now second with 684, behind Deng Adel, who has 964. In only two seasons with the BlackJacks, Smart has cemented himself in history numerous times. As the franchise leader for points in a single game, and now second in all-time scoring, he will go down in history as one of the team’s best. “I'm truly proud and truly honoured to get past Tate,” said Smart. “I'll show him love, [...] but I'm happy to pass him.” Smart said that he FaceTimes Tate quite often, and that those will be his exact words when he breaks the news to him. Yesterday’s game was a big one for Justin Mazzulla, as he had his brother and Head Coach of the Boston Celtics, Joe Mazzulla, in the crowd. Alongside Joe was his wife, Camai Mazzulla and Utah Jazz Head Coach Scott Morrison. “I'm just super grateful to have mentors and super grateful to have an extra set of eyes to see what I don't see and offer a perspective,” said Justin Mazzulla about coaching with them in the crowd. The BlackJacks will now head to Western Ontario to play the Brampton Honey Badgers and rematch the Niagara River Lions on their turf. The BlackJacks have only won one road game this season, in May, against the Montreal Alliance. Mazzulla says the key to winning these road games is continuing to be a tight-knit locker room. These road games will also be the BlackJacks' first look at the team without Harmon and Cleveland, who will be heading to the NBA Summer League. “Just being able to know that the roles that the new guys are stepping into, they’re big shoes to fill, but also that doesn't mean they can't fill them,” said Justin Mazzulla.

The Ottawa BlackJacks of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced today that the team has re-signed Isaih Moore for the 2026 Season. The 6’10 power forward from Sumter, SC has spent two previous seasons with the BlackJacks, averaging 16 points and eight rebounds per game in the 2024 season, and 19 points and 11 rebounds per game in the 2025 season. Most recently, in the 2025-26 season, Moore spent time in the NBA G League with the San Diego Clippers, Mexico City Capitanes and the College Park Skyhawks. Across the three G League teams, he averaged 12 points and six rebounds. During Moore’s time at both JUCO’s and NCAA Division I schools, he averaged 11.6 points and 7.3 rebounds. He played at Charleston University, Pearl River Community College, St. John's University, Southern Mississippi University and Fresno State University, across 5 years. He graduated from Fresno State after the 2023-23 season. During the 2020-21 season, with St. John’s, he was a Third-Team All-American. After graduating, Moore practiced with the Windy City Bulls of the NBA G League before he was acquired by the Sioux Falls Skyforce, and then the Greensboro Swarm. Across his first year in the G League, he averaged 8.5 points and 5.3 rebounds. Moore played briefly with the Edmonton Stingers of the CEBL during the 2026 season, averaging 15.2 points and 7.8 rebounds across five games. Moore is coming in to be a defensive powerhouse. Standing at 6’10, he could be who the BlackJacks have been looking for in the absence of Drew Cisse, who is currently at national team camp with Guinea. He is 13th in all-time defensive rebounds per game in the CEBL with 6.1 and 19th in all-time defensive rebounds with 126

The Ottawa BlackJacks gave the Scarborough Shooting Stars their second loss in a thrilling Target Score Time winner. The win came at a crucial point in the season, after a tough win drought recently for the BlackJacks. Head Coach Justin Mazzulla said they simply refused to lose. “We weren't going home with a loss. That was the energy,” said Mazzulla. The BlackJacks haven’t seen a win since June 2, when they beat the number one-seeded team in the Western Conference, the Vancouver Bandits. Clearly, they perform well under pressure. “[We’ve been] beat up for the last couple of 20 days,” said Mazzulla. “These guys just came together as a team and said, ‘You know what? We're not doing that.’” The BlackJacks trailed for the majority of the game, but they didn’t let defeat win. In the fourth quarter, they turned on the jets and managed to tie the game at 78, heading into Target Score Time. While the Shooting Stars were able to hold a steady lead in Target Score Time, the BlackJacks simply refused to lose this one, and with gravity going their way, Shooting Stars players missing crucial shots and really putting the defensive grind on with rebounds, they tied the game again at 86. The next possession won. When Cat Barber, star guard for Scarborough, missed a two-point shot to win it, Matthew Cleveland was able to snatch the rebound and hand it off to Kobe Elvis at the top of the key. Once Elvis saw Alex Fudge coming in hot, he passed it straight to him, who laid it in, and the BlackJacks' drought was no more. “I just had to stay patient. So just letting the game come to me was my main focus,” said Fudge. “And everything came through.” Preparing to face a number-one-seeded team is not easy, especially when luck hasn’t been kind to the BlackJacks recently. But the team was prepared to fight this battle. “Knowing that we had a tough Scarborough opponent, I was ready to take on that challenge,” said Fudge. “I just knew that we had a comeback chip on our shoulders.” “It's a challenge that I want. Everybody wants to be number one, and everybody wants to take off the number one person,” Fudge continued. Fudge was lucky enough to have his parents and brother in the crowd from Florida tonight. With his highest scoring game of the season, with 22 points, they were able to see him shine, a meaningful moment for him. “I just felt different. Just be able to hug them at the game, a good game,” said Fudge. Mazzulla emphasized his trust in his players, especially Fudge. “Alex Fudge, I mean, he's elite. He's really elite,” said Mazzulla about Fudge’s performance tonight. “I put a lot of trust in him. Trust me, I'm as hard on him as his family probably.” Another shining star for the BlackJacks tonight was Justin Harmon. The G League player ended the game with 21 points. “It just felt good to get back in the win column,” said Harmon. Harmon’s efficiency in this game was unmatched. He finished the game shooting 76 per cent from the field and 90 per cent from two. Mazzulla also highlighted young forward Justin Ndjock-Tadjore. He is in his first year as a professional player, having graduated from the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees during the 2024-25 season. He finished the game playing 13 minutes, had three points, two rebounds, one steal and one block. “I'm just really proud of the guys in there. JNT rose to the occasion,” said Mazzulla.