Final summer standings:
E (5): Niagara River Lions (13-7); Ottawa BlackJacks (12-8); Scarborough Shooting Stars (11-9); Brampton Honey Badgers (8-12); Montreal Alliance (7-13)
W (5): Calgary Surge (12-8); Winnipeg Sea Bears (12-8); Edmonton Stingers (9-11); Vancouver Bandits (8-12); Saskatchewan Rattlers (8-12)
2023 CEBL stats and amorphous rosters
Playoff non-qualifiers:
Montreal Alliance (end-of-season roster): Derek Brown Jr (Seattle, Wash.), Nathan Cayo (Montreal, Que.), Evans Ganapamo (Montpellier, France), Biniam Ghebrekidan (Gatineau, Que.), Treveon Graham (Temple Hills, Md.), Mamadou Gueye (Quebec City, Que.), Bahaïde Haïdara (Montréal, Que.), Elijah Ifejeh (Montréal, Que.), Ahmed Hill (Augusta, Ga.), Alain Louis (Port-Au-Price, Haiti), Quincy Louis-Jeune (Montréal, Que.), Xavier Pinson (Chicago, Ill.), Christian Rohlehr (Toronto, Ont.), Kemy Ossé (Montréal, Que.), Negus Webster-Chan (Scarborough, Ont.), coach Derrick Alston Sr., assistant Charles Dubé-Brais, assistant Ryan Thorne, assistant Jeff Dosado, assistant Vincent Plante, assistant Quesly-Marie Noresias, director general Joel Anthony, assistant director general Ibrahim Appiah
Saskatchewan Rattlers (end-of-season roster): Malik Benlevi (Savannah, Ga.), Anthony Tsegakele (Gatineau, Que.), Julian Roche (St. John, N.B.), Isaac Simon (Regina, Sask.), Jermel Kennedy (Malton, Ont.), Adong Makuoi (Edmonton, Alta.), Justin Wright-Foreman (Queen’s, N.Y.), Marquis Collins (Chester, Pa.), Trey Niemi (Finland), Quenton De Cosey (Union, N.J.), Jalen Warren (Milton, Ont.), D’Andre Bernard (Ajax, Ont.), Mike Nuga (Toronto, Ont.), coach Dean Demopoulos, interim head coach Tanner Massey, assistant Eric Magdanz, assistant Rob Lovelace, general manager Barry Rawlyk, operations manager Jamie Dahlman, chiropractor Andy Pawlovich; dentist Parviz Yazdani
For all playoff games, the league utilizes a modified Elam Ending. Using the system, at the first dead-ball whistle after the time goes below four minutes in the final quarter, the clock gets turned off. At that point, a target score is set, equaling the leading team’s point total plus 9. Then, the first team to hit that target score wins. If a team is trailing by 10, it would have to score 19 before the other team scores 9.
The Vancouver Bandits (as hosts) and Niagara River Lions (as East division regular season champions) receive automatic berths to the Final Four semis.
In the East opening round, the Scarborough Shooting Stars thrashed the Brampton Honey Badgers 98-74. The Honey Badgers led 19-18 after one quarter. The Shooting Stars led 45-36 at the half an d70-58 after three quarters. Cat Barber paced the Shooting Stars with 32 on 5-11 from the floor, 7-9 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 6 boards, 7 assists and 3 steals. Kyree Walker added 25 on 7-9 from the floor, 3-4 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 4 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Isiaha Mike notched 15 on 6-12 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 9 boards and 3 steals. Zeke Moore scored 12 on 1-7 from the floor, 3-8 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 5 boards and 2 assists. Kalif Young added 6 on 3-5 from the floor, 7 boards, 10 assists and 2 blocks. Gedi Juozapaitis scored 4 on 1-2 from the arc and 1-2 from the line. Daniel Waldin-Mullings added 2 on 1-3 from the floor and 2 assists. Elijah Lufile scored 2 on 1-2 from the floor, while Marcus Anderson and Myck Kabongo were scoreless. Kabongo nabbed 2 boards and dished 3 assists. Scarborough hit 39-79 overall, 24-49 from the floor, 15-30 form the arc and 5-8 from the line, while garnering 40 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 27 assists, 7 turnovers, 9 steals, 5 blocks and 14 fouls. Callum Baker (Oakville, Ont.) paced the Honey Badgers with 16 on 4-6 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 2-2 form the line, 7 boards and 4 assists. Shamiel Stevenson (Toronto, Ont.) added 16 on 7-13 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Prince Oduro (Toronto, Ont.) notched 12 on 6-10 from the floor, 4 boards and 2 assists. Cody John (Mississauga, Ont.) scored 11 on 4-7 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 3 boards and 2 assists. Zane Waterman (Winston-Salem, N.C.) added 10 on 5-8 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 10 boards and 2 assists. Ashley Hamilton (London, U.K.) scored 6 on 1-4 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc and 1-2 from the line. M.J. Walker (Riverdale, Ga.) added 3 on 1-3 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists, while Tyrell Green (Toronto, Ont.), Patrick Emilien (Toronto, Ont.) and Jahbril Price-Noel (Scarborough, Ont.) were scoreless. The Honey Badgers hit 32-66 overall, 28-51 from the floor, 4-15 from the arc and 6-8 from the line, while garnering 35 boards, including 3 on the offensive glass, 13 assists, 14 turnovers, 4 steals, 6 blocks and 12 fouls. The end-of-season Honey Badgers (coach Antoine Broxsie, associate Josh Estes, assistant Mike Fraser, assistant/video coordinator Christian Bentley, general manager Jermaine Anderson, director of operations Akash Maindiratta, president Michael Cvitkovic; associate Sheldom Cassimy; therapist Kia Halsall) also included Koby McEwen (Toronto, Ont.), Kyle Johnson (Toronto, Ont.), Jaden Edwards (Vancouver, B.C.), Jeremiah Tilmon Jr. (East St. Louis, Ill.) and Christian Vital (Queens Village, N.Y.).
In the league quarterfinals and East semi, the Scarborough Shooting Stars rallied from a late 12-point deficit to defeat the host Ottawa Blackjacks 77-72. The Shooting Stars led 15-14 after one quarter. The Blackjacks led 37-30 at the half and 62-50 after three quarters. Isiaha Mike paced the Shooting Stars with 24 on 5-6 from the floor, 4-9 from the arc, 2-5 from the line and 13 boards. Cat Barber added 16 on 4-12 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 9 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Kalif Young notched 10 on 4-7 from the floor, 2-2 from the line, 11 boards and 3 assists. Kyree Walker scored 9 on 3-3 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3-3 from the line, 6 boards and 3 assists. Zeke Moore added 7 on 2-5 from the floor and 1-6 from the arc. Kassius Robertson scored 7 on 2-6 from the floor, 1-8 from the arc, 4 boards and 4 assists. Elijah Lufile added 4 on 2-2 from the floor and 0-1 from the arc, while Myck Kabongo, Daniel Waldin-Mullings, Gedi Juozapaitis were scoreless. Kabongo nabbed 3 boards and dished 4 assists. The Shooting Stars hit 30-74 overall, 22-42 from the floor, 8-32 from the arc and 9-13 from the line, while garnering 49 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 18 assists, 11 turnovers, 7 steals, 3 blocks and 17 fouls. Jakeenan Gant (Savannah, Ga.) paced the Blackjacks with 21 on 6-8 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 3-5 from the line, 6 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Kadre Gray (Toronto, Ont.) added 18 on 2-7 from the floor, 4-12 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 4 boards and 5 assists. Matthew Coleman III (Norfolk, Va.) notched 15 on 6-10 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 6 boards, 5 assists and 2 steals. Deng Adel (Juba, South Sudan) scored 13 on 5-12 from the floor, 0-5 from the arc, 3-3 from the line, 6 boards and 2 assists. Zena Edosomwan (Los Angeles, Cal.) added 3 on 1-1 from the floor, 1-6 from the line and 8 boards. Maxime Boursiquot (Ottawa, Ont.) scored 2 on 2-2 from the floor, 5 boards and 2 blocks, while Abu Kigab (St. Catherines, Ont.), Cole Syllas (Kingston, Ont.), Tyrrel Tate (Calgary, Alta.) and Dragan Stajic (Waterloo, Ont.) were scoreless. Kigab nabbed 5 boards. The Blackjacks hit 27-69 overall, 20-41 from the floor, 7-28 from the arc and 11-18 from the line, while garnering 43 boards, including 8 on the offensive glass, 17 assists, 8 turnovers, 7 steals, 5 blocks and 14 fouls. The Blackjacks (coach James Derouin; assistant David DeAveiro; assistant Damian Buckley; assistant Jamil Abiad; general manager Jevohn Shepherd; equipment mananger Hennessy Roppovalente; strength & conditioning Joanna Geck; physician Jessica Curran; therapist Adrian Huynh) end-of-season roster also included James Jean-Marie (Montreal, Que.), Jackson Rowe (Toronto, Ont.), Michael Flowers (Southfield, Mich.), Thomas Scrubb (Richmond, B.C.) and Emmanuel Akot (Winnipeg, Man.).
In the league semis and East finals, the Scarborough Shooting Stars edged the Niagara River Lions 74-71. The Shooting Stars dominated the paint, outscoring the River Lions 44-16, while nabbing 20 offensive boards. “It’s effort. Those are all effort plays. Those are plays that show how much the team wants to win,” Scarborough coach Chris Exilus said. “Plays that are not always on the stat sheet … what you saw was was a resilient group that played together. On this team, nobody cares who makes the play.” Post Kalif Young said “I just think we’ve really bought into our system. You don’t win in those big moments and win championships without locking down on defence and focusing in on players. I think our biggest thing was focusing on a really good player in Khalil Ahmad today.” River Lions coach Victor Raso said “I don’t think Khalil [Ahmad] was aggressive enough and I think there was a little bit of time where he got frustrated with the wrong things and how physical they were being. … We were just fighting ourselves offensively and not really sticking to the plan. But even with that being said, we had a chance down the stretch. I didn’t think we were aggressive enough, early enough. Offensively, that was probably the biggest thing.” The River Lions led 20-14 after one quarter. The Shooting Stars led 35-32 at the half and 53-47 after three quarters. But the River Lions ripped off a late 14-2 run capped by a T.J. Lall trey to take a 65-63 lead into Elam time. Isiaha Mike notched a bucket to put the Shooting Stars within two points of the win. An unsportsmanlike foul against River Lion T.J. Lall in transition put Mike at the line. He missed the first and made the second. Lall pilfered the ball and was fouled. He hit the first and intentionally missed the second. But the Shooting Stars nabbed the board and Cat Barber was eventually fouled, hitting the winning free throw as Scarborough pulled out the win. Cat Barber paced the Shooting Stars with 15 on 5-11 from the floor, 0-5 from the arc, 5-5 from the line, 6 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Gedi Juozapaitis added 13 on 4-7 from the arc and 1-1 from the line. Isiaha Mike notched 12 on 3-7 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 4 boards and 2 steals. Kalif Young scored 11 on 5-10 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 11 boards and 4 steals. Kyree Walker added 8 on 4-6 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 5 boards and 7 assists. Daniel Waldin-Mullings scored 6 on 2-3 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 5 boards. Zeke Moore notched 5 on 1-3 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc and 3 boards. Myck Kabongo scored 2 on 1-4 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 0-3 from the line. Elijah Lufile added 2 on 1-2 from the floor and 9 boards, while Marcus Anderson was scoreless. The Shooting Stars hit 28-73 overall, 22-46 from the floor, 6-27 from the arc and 12-16 from the line, while garnering 48 boards, including 20 on the offensive glass, 13 assists, 17 turnovers, 9 steals, 3 blocks and 16 fouls. Jahvon Henry-Blair paced the River Lions with 20 on 3-9 from the floor, 4-8 from the arc, 2-3 form the line, 3 boards and 4 assists. Edward Ekiyor added 15 on 6-12 from the floor, 3-3 from the line and 6 boards. Kimbal Mackenzie notched 9 on 3-5 form the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 2 boards and 3 assists. Khalil Ahmad scored 8 on 1-4 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 3-3 from the line, 3 boards, 5 assists and 2 steals. T.J. Lall scored 7 on 0-2 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 8 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Antonio Davis Jr added 4 on 1-4 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 2 boards and 2 assists. Shawn Occeus scored 3 on 0-2 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc and 5 boards. Patrick Whelan added 3 on 1-1 from the arc and 2 boards. Alonzo Walker scored 2 on 1-3 from the floor, while Jordan Tchuente was scoreless. The River Lions hit 25-64 overall, 15-41 from the floor, 10-23 from the arc and 11-13 from the line, while garnering 38 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 18 assists, 19 turnovers, 8 steals, 5 blocks and 16 fouls.
In the West opening round, the Edmonton Stingers defeated the Winnipeg Sea Bears 87-81. The score was knotted at 23 after one quarter. The Stingers led 45-41 at the half and 66-65 after three quarters. Isaiah Osborne paced the Stingers with 24 on 2-5 from the floor, 5-8 from the arc, 5-8 from the line, 2 assists and 2 steals. Brody Clarke added 13 on 6-8 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 6 boards and 6 assists. Aher Uguak notched 11 on 4-8 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 4 boards and 4 assists. Lucas Williamson scored 11 on 3-4 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 2-3 from the line and 2 boards. Meshack Lufile added 9 on 4-6 from the floor, 1-3 from the line and 4 boards. Shane Gibson scored 6 on 2-2 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 4 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Nick Hornsby notched 5 on 1-6 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 14 boards and 3 assists. Munis Tutu added 4 on 2-5 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 3 boards. Geoffrey James scored 4 on 2-2 from the floor and 3 assists, while Adam Paige was scoreless. The Stingers hit 34-71 overall, 26-46 from the floor, 8-25 from the arc and 11-18 from the line, while garnering 44 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 24 assists, 18 turnovers, 8 steals, 1 block and 19 fouls. Teddy Allen (Phoenix, Ariz.) paced the Sea Bears with 35 on 9-17 from the floor, 2-9 from the arc, 11-12 from the line, 10 boards, 5 assists and 3 steals. Jelani Watson-Gayle (London, U.K.) added 18 on 3-9 from the floor, 3-7 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 4 boards and 2 steals. Simon Hildebrandt (Winnipeg, Man.) notched 11 on 2-5 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 11 boards. Glen Yang (Hong Kong, China) scored 5 on 1-4 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc and 2 boards. Shane Osayande (Toronto, Ont.) added 5 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 7 boards. A.J. Hess (Phoenix, Ariz.) scored 5 on 1-2 from the floor, 1-8 from the arc, 5 boards and 2 assists. Stephane Ingo (Mississauga, Ont.) added 2 on 0-1 from the floor and 2-2 from the line, while Michael Okafor (Toronto, Ont.), Tyler Sagl (Burlington, Ont.) and Chad Posthumus (Winnipeg, Man.) were scoreless. Posthumus nabbed 5 boards and dished 2 assists. The Sea Bears (coach & general manager Mike Taylor; assistant Ryan Thomson; assistant/video coordinator Josh Reddy; assistant Mike Raimbault; assistant/player development Juwan Brown; assistant/analytics William Gatchalian, president Jason Smith) hit 27-76 overall, 18-43 from the floor, 9-33 from the arc and 18-22 from the line, while garnering 47 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 13 assists, 16 turnovers, 7 steals, 3 blocks and 17 fouls. The Sea Bears also included Justus Alleyn (Winnipeg, Man.).
In the league quarterfinals and West semis, the Calgary Surge dusted the Edmonton Stingers 84-68 after leading 21-13, 48-29 and 60-50 at the quarters. Stefan Smith paced the Surge with 21 on 4-8 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 7-8 from the line, 3 boards and 7 assists. Sean Miller-Moore added 17 on 5-11 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 12 boards, 2 assists and 2 blocks. Admon Gilder Jr notched 12 on 4-4 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Terry Henderson Jr scored 10 on 2-2 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc and 4 boards. Jordy Tshimanga added 7 on 3-7 from the floor, 1-6 from the line, 8 boards and 2 blocks. Deon Ejim scored 6 on 3-6 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 2 boards. Kyle Kelley added 6 on 3-6 from the floor, 5 boards and 2 blocks. Mason Bourcier scored 5 on 1-4 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 3 boards, 6 assists and 4 steals, while Maurice Calloo and Guy Edi were scoreless. The Surge hit 32-73 overall, 25-48 from the floor, 7-25 from the arc and 13-19 from the line, while garnering 46 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 20 fouls, 14 turnovers, 9 steals, 6 blocks and 17 fouls. Brody Clarke (Toronto, Ont.) paced Edmonton with 19 on 4-12 from the floor, 3-5 from the arc, 2-5 from the line and 10 boards. Isiah Osborne (Windsor, Ont.) added 13 on 2-6 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 3-4 from the line and 3 assists. Nick Hornsby (Irvine, Cal.) notched 9 on 4-8 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 8 boards, 4 assists and 3 steals. Lucas Williamson (Chicago, Ill.) scored 7 on 2-3 from the floor and 1-3 from the arc. Aher Uguak (Edmonton, Alta.) added 6 on 3-7 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 0-2 from the line and 4 boards. Geoffrey James (Edmonton, Alta.) scored 6 on 2-4 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 2 boards. Shane Gibson (Killingly, Conn.) scored 5 on 1-2 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 3 boards and 2 steals. Munis Tutu (Windsor, Ont.) added 3 on 0-2 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 4 boards and 5 assists, while Adam Paige (Surrey, B.C.) and Meshack Lufile (Burlington, Ont.) were scoreless. Lufile nabbed 3 boards. The Stingers hit 26-72 overall, 18-46 from the floor, 8-26 from the arc and 8-14 from the line, while garnering 44 boards, including 17 on the offensive glass, 15 assists, 19 turnovers, 9 steals, 1 block and 21 fouls. The Stingers (coach Jordan Baker, assistant George Hoyt, assistant Matt Skinn, assistant Jay Tomlinson, assistant Denzel James, video coordinator Eric Fawcett, manager Jason Hills, therapist Tamara Smith, general manager Steve Sir) end-of-season roster also included Adika Peter-McNeilly (Toronto, Ont.), Brandon Meiklejohn (Edmonton, Alta.), Jordan Williams (London, U.K.), Elijah Miller (Rexdale, Ont.), Carlton Braag Jr (Cleveland, O.) and Somto Dimanochie (Lagos, Nigeria).
In the league semis and West finals, the Calgary Surge nipped the host Vancouver Bandits 77-75 on an Elam trey by Stefan Smith. “It feels great, the city of Calgary is an amazing city, basketball is rising and I’m really happy for the organization,” Smith said. “That shot is just a culmination of my hard work.” The Surge took an early 6-0 lead, later added a 7-0 run capped by a Nick Ward dunk and led by as many as 12 before the Bandits rallied to within 22-15 lead after one quarter. The Bandits kept draining treys and drew within one before a late runner from Sean-Miller Moore gave Calgary a 38-33 lead at the half. The Bandits clamped down on defence and took a 53-51 lead after three quarters on an Alex Campbell trey. There were eight lead changes in the fourth. Mason Bourcier drilled his fourth and fifth treys of the night to give Calgary the lead before the Vandits went on a 7-0 run capped by another Campbell trey to knot the score at 67 at the start of Elam time. Campbell hit two more treys to draw Vancouver within three points of the target score of 76. Calgary clawed back with a pair of layups but a Nick Ward dunk drew the Bandits within one of the win, setting the stage for Smith’s pull-up trey from the top of the arc. “I saw that [Nick] Ward’s heels were a bit inside the three-point line, I was trying to attack him and give credit to him, he was moving his feet well,” Smith said. “I wanted to get into a hesitation pull up, and as soon as I rose up, I knew he was too far to contest.” Calgary coach Nelson Terroba said “the credit goes to our bigs. We had good weak-side help, got rebounds when we needed to… The strength of this team is the sum of its parts.” Bandits coach Kyle Julius said “start to finish, I thought they were the aggressor. We were playing catch-up. We had chances to win, but two turnovers late with chances to win was really frustrating.” Stefan Smith paced Calgary with 25 on 8-15 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc, 6-7 from the line, 8 boards and 2 assists. Sean Miller-Moore added 15 on 5-11 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 4 boards, 4 assists and 3 steals. Mason Bourcier notched 15 on 0-2 from the floor, 5-7 from the arc, 4 boards and 3 assists. Admon Gilder Jr scored 6 on 3-6 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 2 boards. Jordy Tshimanga added 6 on 3-6 from the floor, 0-1 from the line, 10 boards and 2 steals. Deon Ejim scored 5 on 2-5 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 5 boards. Kylor Kelley added 5 on 2-4 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 4 boards, while Guy Edi, Maurice Calloo and Terry Henderson Jr were scoreless. Henderson Jr nabbed 2 boards and pilfered 2 balls. Edi nabbed 3 boards and dished 2 assists. The Surge hit 30-76 overall, 23-52 from the floor, 7-24 from the arc and 10-14 from the line, while garnering 48 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 13 assists, 15 turnovers, 8 steals, 5 blocks and 16 fouls. Nick Ward paced the Bandits with 20 on 10-14 from the floor, 1-5 from the line and 4 boards. Alex Campbell added 18 on 1-1 from the floor, 5-9 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 3 boards, 2 assists and 2 blocks. Jahenns Manigat notched 12 on 0-1 from the floor, 4-6 from the arc and 2 boards. Duane Notice scored 7 on 1-4 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 5 boards, 4 assists and 3 steals. Marek Klassen added 5 on 1-1 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc, 2 boards and 4 assists. Marlon Johnson Jr scored 4 on 2-5 from the floor and 6 boards. Doug Herring Jr added 3 on 0-6 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 4 boards, 8 assists and 2 steals. Kur Jongkuch scored 3 on 0-2 form the floor, 3-4 from the line, 7 boards and 2 assists. Giorgi Bezhanishvilie added 2 on 1-3 from the floor, 0-5 from the arc, 8 boards and 3 assists, while Grant Shephard was scoreless. The Bandits hit 28-70 overall, 16-37 from the floor, 12-33 from the arc and 7-12 from the line, while garnering 44 boards including 12 on the offensive glass, 24 assists, 17 turnovers, 8 steals, 4 blocks and 19 fouls.
In the league championship, the Scarborough Shooting Stars dusted the Calgary Surge 82-70 as their pressure defence forced the West champs into a raft of turnovers. Calgary broke to an early 15-5 lead as Jordy Tshimanga repeatedly broke free in the blocks. But Isiaha Mike rallied the Shooting Stars to within 19-16 after one quarter. The Shooting Stars capped off their 16-point run with a 10-0 string and then built the margin to 41-32 at the half. They maintained a comfortable 60-51 lead after three quarters. They extended their lead to 15 as they notched three consecutive treys in the fourth quarter. Calgary rallied with a trio from beyond the arc, including a pair by Terry Henderson Jr but Cat Barber and Kyree Walker ignited an 8-2 run in response. Barber notched the winning points in Elam time with a driving layup. Finals MVP Isiaha Mike said “it’s been a rollercoaster ride. We’ve been resilient through it all, be it roster changes or injuries…whatever it took for us to get to this point, and I’m thankful.” Shooting Stars coach Chris Exilus said “there are so many people connected to this win. That’s what makes it so special. We were prepared. … We didn’t care who scored and who made plays, we just knew we had to make plays.” Surge post Jordy Tshimanga said “it’s been a family. We went through ups and downs, and eventually we got better, and it led us here todays. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get it done but I’m proud of the core.” Cat Barber paced the Shooting Stars with 23 on 8-17 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 7-7 from the line, 2 boards and 5 assists. Isiaha Mike added 22 on 5-7 from the floor, 3-9 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 9 boards, 7 assists, 5 steals and 2 blocks. Kyree Walker notched 17 on 4-8 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 6-10 from the line and 4 boards. Gedi Juozapaitis added 11 on 1-2 from the floor, 3-5 from the arc and 2 boards. Kalif Young scored 6 on 3-6 from the floor, 8 boards and 4 assists. Zeke Moore added 2 on 1-3 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 4 boards. Elijah Lufile scored 1 on 0-3 from the floor, 1-4 from the line and 2 boards, while Myck Kabongo, Daniel Waldin-Mullings and Marcus Anderson were scoreless. Waldin-Mullings nabbed 4 boards and Kabongo 2. The Shooting Stars hit 29-68 overall, 22-47 from the floor, 7-21 from the arc and 17-26 from the line, while garnering 42 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 18 assists, 8 turnovers, 8 steals, 2 blocks and 12 fouls. Jordy Tshimanga paced the Surge with 15 on 6-10 from the floor, 3-4 from the line and 15 boards. Stefan Smith added 14 on 3-8 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 3 boards and 5 assists. Terry Henderson Jr notched 11 on 1-2 from the floor, 3-7 from the arc, 4 boards and 3 steals. Sean Miller-Moore scored 10 on 4-10 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 6 boards and 2 assists. Admon Gilder Jr added 7 on 1-3 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 4 boards. Mason Bourcier scored 7 on 3-4 from the floor, 0-7 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 5 boards and 2 assists. Kylor Kelley added 4 on 2-3 from the floor and 2 boards. Deon Ejim scored 2 on 1-2 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 3 boards, while Maurice Calloo and Guy Edi were scoreless. Calgary hit 27-71 overall, 21-42 from the floor, 6-29 from the arc and 10-13 from the line, while garnering 49 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 10 assists, 15 turnovers, 5 steals, 3 blocks and 21 fouls.
The co-bronze medalist Vancouver Bandits (end-of-season roster): Giorgi Bezhanishvili (Rustavi, Georgia); Alex Campbell (Brampton, Ont.); Malcolm Duvivier (Toronto, Ont.); Gus Goerzen (Roberts Creek, B.C.); Doug Herring (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.); Marlon Johnson Jr (Chicago, Ill.); Kur Jongkuch (Juba, South Sudan); Shaquille Keith (Toronto, Ont.); Marek Klassen (Abbotsford, B.C.); Diego Maffia (Victoria, B.C.); Jahenns Manigat (Ottawa, Ont.); Duane Notice (Woodbridge, Ont.); Grant Shephard (Kelowna, B.C.); Brian Wallack (Surrey, B.C.); Nick Ward (Gahanna, O.); coach Kyle Julius; assistant Tony Scott; assistant Junior Cadougan; assistant Josiah Meppelink; assistant Carlos Andrade; strength & conditioning Tanner Care; therapist Kosta Ikonomou; chiropractor Mark Malowney; doctor Presley Moodley; orthopedic doctor David Wickham
The co-bronze medalist Niagara River Lions (end-of-season roster): Khalil Ahmad (Corona, Cal.); Jake Babic (Oakville, Ont.); Jahvon Henry-Blair (Brampton, Ont.); A.J. Davis (Buford, Ga.); Eddie Ekiyor (Ottawa, Ont.); T.J. Lall (Cambridge, Ont.); Kimbal Mackenzie (Oakville, Ont.); Shawn Occeus (Boca Raton, Fla.); Lloyd Pandi (Ottawa, Ont.); Jordan Tchuente (Ottawa, Ont.); Alonzo Walker (Brampton, Ont.); Aiden Warnholtz (Ottawa, Ont.); Patrick Whelan (Warrington, U.K.); E.J. Onu (Cleveland, O.) coach & general Victor Raso; assistant Danielle Boiago; assistant Marlo Davis; assistant Chris Rao; assistant Joel Friesen; assistant Troy Stevenson; analytics Mick Bett; chief of staff Jeff Zwolak; junior assistant Ryan Alford; manager Tyler Vincet, assistant general manager Dave Smart
The silver medalist Calgary Surge (end-of-season roster): Sean Miller-Moore (Brampton, Ont.); Maurice Calloo (Windsor, Ont.); Stefan Smith (Ajax, Ont.); Guy Edi (Agboville, Ivory Coast); Admon Gilder Jr (Dallas, Tex.); Terry Henderson Jr (Raleigh, N.C.); Justin Jackson (Scarborough, Ont.); Simi Shittu (Burlington, Ont.); Trevon Scott (Townsend, Ga.); Jordy Tshimanga (Montreal, Que.); Mason Bourcier (Kelowna, B.C.); Deon Ejim (Brampton, Ont.); Kylor Kelley (Gervais, Ore.); coach Nelson Terroba, assistant Will Rooney, assistant Tarale Murray, assistant Kyle Landry, player development Awet Abraha, assistant player development David Kapinga, special assistant Robyn Fleckenstein, special assistant David Francis, shooting coach Dave Love, physician Cale Moore; therapist Dave Bertrand; strength & conditioning Adam Wasylyshyn; general manager Shane James; assistant general manager Mike Girling; senior advisor Steve Konchalski
The champion Scarborough Shooting Stars (end-of-season roster): Kalif Young (Toronto, Ont.); Cat Barber (Hampton, Va.); Kyree Walker (Atlanta, Ga.); Thomas Kennedy (Windsor, Ont.); David Muenkat (Brampton, Ont.); David Walker (Toronto, Ont.); Danilo Djuricic (Toronto, Ont.); Kassius Robertson (Toronto, Ont.); Zeke Moore (Chicago, Ill.); Kam Chatman (Portland, Ore.); Marcus Anderson (Brampton, Ont.); Gediminas Juozapaitis (London, U.K); Daniel Waldin-Mullings (Toronto, Ont.); Aaron Rhooms (Toronto, Ont.); Myck Kabongo (Toronto, Ont.); Elijah Lufile (Milton, Ont.); Sarunas Vasilisaukas (Kaunas, Lithuania); Chaundee Brown Jr (Orlando, Fla.); Isiaha Mike (Toronto, Ont.); coach Chris Exilus, assistant Ajay Sharma, assistant Felicia Brown, assistant Mario Celebre, assistant Mike De Giorgio