Isaih Moore scored the game-winning basket after the ball fortuitously came right to him underneath the basket, leading the Ottawa BlackJacks (1-3) to their first win of the 2024 CEBL season, 87-86 over the Montreal Alliance (1-4) Wednesday night at Verdun Auditorium. The victory was a much-needed sigh of relief for a BlackJacks team that was looking down the barrel of a disastrous 0-4 start to their 2024 season. “If feels great to get the monkey off our back,” said Ottawa head coach James Derouin. “We’ve been close, especially our last two games, so, to get one on the road, we’ve been on the road for three of our first four games as well, it feels great.” Moore finished with a 25-point, 11-rebound double-double, shooting 11-for 14 from the floor. “My coaches and my teammates,” said Moore of what has allowed him to get so comfortable so quickly in his first CEBL season. “They’ve welcomed me with open arms since Day 1 and have really allowed me to play freely.” Moore looked to have strong chemistry with BlackJacks guard Brandon Sampson, who had 21 points and five assists in the win. “In this league, the top players [like Sampson] are so talented that you’ve got to stick with them no matter what,” said Derouin. “I thought Brandon made great plays down the stretch.” Added Moore: “Brandon’s a good player, so I definitely like running the pick-and-roll with him.” Entering Target Score Time, the Target Score was set at 87. Ottawa’s Lloyd Pandi, whose three assists Wednesday h g ave him 100 for his career (regular season and playoffs combined), started things off, drilling a corner three to put the BlackJacks up 79-78. After some back and forth, the Alliance had an opportunity to win it up 84-83 coming out of a timeout. A missed Ahmed Hill three turned into an Elijah Ifejeh offensive rebound and putback to put Montreal up 86-83. The BlackJacks kept sticking with it, however, as Javon Masters managed to knife into the lane and score a layup and bring Ottawa within one again, 86-85. Then, on the ensuing defensive possession, strong Ottawa defence forced Montreal’s Chris Smith, who had a strong game with 19 points and 12 rebounds, to travel, one of the nine turnovers he committed. Unfortunately, Sampson was unable to convert a layup on the other end to seal the game, but it ended up being OK for the BlackJacks as Ifejeh ended up making a bad pass straight into Moore’s hands directly underneath the basket after he grabbed the defensive rebound, leading to an easy game-winning bucket for the BlackJacks star. For Ottawa the game-ending sequence was a sign of things finally looking up for them, and for Montreal, it was the final nail in what ultimately ended up being its Wednesday-evening coffin. The Alliance looked like the better team Wednesday as they dominated the paint, scoring 48 points inside, owned the glass, out-rebounding the BlackJacks 47-32, and picking up 17 second-chance points thanks largely to the 13 offensive rebounds Montreal managed to pull down. So, what happened? All of that good work was undone by the 20 turnovers committed by Montreal, none more costly than the Smith travel and the bad pass by Ifejeh at the end of Target Time Score. “We’re playing for something this year,” said Alliance head coach Derrick Alston Sr., alluding to the fact his team will be Championship Weekend hosts. “We play for something every year, but it’s a step up this year and we can’t baby this group. We’ve gotta be brutally honest and brutally honest right away. Because, if not, they think that [stuff] is OK. And that’s not OK. “I let them know in the locker room that’s not OK. We can’t have our two bigs and our star player with 17 turnovers out of our 20. That’s unacceptable. The Alliance carried a 50-40 halftime lead after a 10-point, six-rebound performance from Smith over the first two periods. The BlackJacks were able to setup their Target Score Time dramatics thanks to a wild sequence at the end of the third quarter that saw Montreal’s Freddy Ibrahim knock down a rainbow three with seven seconds to play in the frame, followed by a Sampson three-quarter court heave that went in as time expired on the clock to pull Ottawa within striking distance, 74-68. Up Next Up next for both clubs is a rematch with one another in Ottawa as they close out this home-and-home series next week on Tuesday. For the BlackJacks they’ll be looking to build on this momentum, while revenge will surely be on the Alliance’s mind.

Zane Waterman continued his hot start to the season Sunday scoring 28 points to help the Honey Badgers (2-0) defeat the BlackJacks (0-1) 99-82. The Brampton forward’s offence was dialed in throughout the game as he hit three shots from beyond the arc, dished out five assists and snagged three rebounds in 32 minutes of play. Waterman made history tonight becoming the first Honey Badger player to score 25 points in consecutive games as he finished with 27 in the team’s win over Niagara on Friday night. “Zane had two great games in a row, but again, I'm not surprised. You know, there's been a couple of questions about his improvement. This is going to be his third year now. You know, he's a really good player,” Brampton head coach Sheldon Cassimy said when asked about Waterman's performance. “He can shoot the three really well, can play the pulse really well, and he's really leading our group” While Waterman had himself a game, his teammates also made an impact in Brampton’s win. Guard Javonte Cooke scored 15 points with nine rebounds, and guard Cole Syllas finished with 13 points and three assists. “I think we got the same mindset every game so far, you know we’re the underdogs, we take pride in that and we got a chip on our shoulder going in every game,” Waterman said about the team's mindset before games. Despite the loss, Ottawa guard Brandon Sampson had a great game, scoring 25 points on 50 per cent shooting from the field, knocking down four shots from beyond the arc, and bringing down three rebounds. Ottawa was without two star players that they recently announced will be returning this season in forward Deng Adel and centre Zena Edosomwan. Both are finishing up their seasons overseas and figure to give the club a massive boost when they return. Brampton and Ottawa spent the majority of the first quarter trading buckets as there were 11 lead changes in the frame. The Honey Badgers started to knock down some big-time shots near the end of the quarter to take a 31-22 lead and never look back. The took a 49-41 lead into the half largely due to Waterman’s play and he led all scorers at the half with 13 points on 66 per cent shooting. Brampton wasn’t letting up in the third as they had an answer for everything Ottawa threw at them. Syllas flipped the switch and poured it on for the Honey Badgers scoring seven of his 13 points in the frame. The Honey Badgers led 71-62 heading into the final quarter. “Cole might be the best 3-and-D guy in the league,” Waterman said about teammate Syllas. “For sure, he proved that tonight, it was amazing.” Head coach Sheldon Cassimy lauded his team for its execution and adjustments made throughout the game. “Execution. We're not supposed to be playing too much one-on-one, but sometimes we do have mismatches and that's part of our execution,” Cassimy said. “So really, truly just about getting the best shot and making sure that we're playing very well defensively. We had a possession there where we're able to speed up the other team. And, you know, it's all about one position at a time, getting stops and good scores.” History Made Some notable accomplishments in tonight’s game include: ● Brampton’s Zane Waterman became the first Honey Badger to score 25 points in consecutive games ● Ottawa’s Jermel Kennedy hit 100 career assists ● Ottawa’s Tyrrel Tate hit 500 career points What’s next for both teams? Brampton looks to extend their win streak to three as they take on the Niagara River Lions this Thursday. As for Ottawa, they hope to bounce back as they face the Edmonton Stingers this Wednesday. - CEBL - About the 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 75% of its rosters being Canadian and a record 10 players with NBA experience in 2024. 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. Fourteen 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 BetVictor, TSN , TSN+ , RDS , Game+ , Next Level Sports & Entertainment and Courtside1891 . More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram , Twitter , TikTok , LinkedIn , Facebook & YouTube .

The Ottawa BlackJacks of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Tuesday its official training camp roster in preparation for the 2024 CEBL season. Led by General Manager and Head Coach James Derouin, and Vice-President of Basketball Operations, Jevohn Shepherd, Ottawa’s current training camp roster consists of 16 players. Earlier today, the BlackJacks also announced the signing of six-foot-six forward Alonzo Walker, who just completed his fourth professional season in Slovakia. Walker has experience in the CEBL, having competed with the Niagara River Lions in 2022 and 2023. Highlights of the 2024 Ottawa BlackJacks roster include: Five players with NBA G League or NBA Summer League experience (Abu Kigab, Brandon Sampson, Ibi Watson, Peter Jok, and Tyrrel Tate). Six players who have suited up for the BlackJacks in the past (Abu Kigab, Dragan Stajic, James Jean-Marie, Lloyd Pandi, Tyrrel Tate, and Yasiin Joseph). Seven players with ties to the nation’s capital (Dragan Stajic, JD Muila, Justin Ndjock-Tadjoré, Kevin Otoo, Lloyd Pandi, Michael Kelvin II, and Yasiin Joseph). Two American players (Brandon Sampson, Ibi Watson). One Sudanese player (Peter Jok). Three players who have signed their first professional contract (Justin Ndjock-Tadjoré, Michael Kelvin II, Kevin Otoo). 10 players with CEBL experience. 11 NCAA Division I alumni. The Ottawa BlackJacks have previously announced the signing of American forward Jakeenan Gant, Canadian guard Javon Masters, and Canadian guard Keevan Veinot. These players have been placed on the club’s suspended list and will join the team upon the completion of their current international season. Training Camp is set to on Saturday, May 18, at Collège La Cité. Members of the media who are seeking accreditation for BlackJacks Media Day, training sessions and home games are invited to apply through the BlackJacks portal: https://www.theblackjacks.ca/media-accreditation . The BlackJacks will be responsible for the review process and delivery of the accreditation decisions. Further information will be sent to media once accreditation is approved. Ottawa BlackJacks 2024 Training Camp Roster