The Montréal Alliance won their second game in a row with an 86-80 home victory over the Ottawa BlackJacks on May 31. The game was close going into the Elam Ending but the Alliance pulled away for the win. Montréal improves to 2-1 on the season while Ottawa goes to 0-2. 

The Alliance received several solid contributions from different players, including the bench. Centre Gaios Skordilis had a season-best 20 points while guards Hernst Laroche (13 points, four assists, two steals) and Sherwood Brown (12 points, four rebounds) also had strong performances. 

Walt Lemon Jr (21 points, four assists) and Deng Adel (19 points) paced Ottawa offensively while forward Maxime Boursiquot (12 points, four rebounds) and centre Chad Posthumus (12 points, 17 rebounds) also provided solid contributions. 

Skordilis scored a hook shot over Posthumus to start the game. Both teams scored in transition and attacked the rim early on. Adel carried his strong play into this game, scoring from different parts of the floor. Lemon Jr. also added a three to give the visitors an early 13-8 lead. 

Laroche made plays and scored as his team attempted almost all their shots from two-point range in the first quarter. Skordilis had eight points after 10 minutes as Montréal led 16-15. 

Isiah Osborne and Abdul Mohamed scored Montréal first three-pointers early in the second quarter as they continued to attack inside. Meanwhile, Posthumus was a presence on the glass leading the game in rebounds with 10 rebounds in the first half. The Alliance led 38-31 at halftime. 

Ottawa started the third quarter on a run as they retook the lead with a Boursiquot three. The teams traded threes throughout the quarter as it ended tied at 59. 

The Alliance took a lead early in the fourth with Skordilis scoring inside and getting rebounds. Alliance guard Alain Louis drove to the rim multiple times, scoring and getting to the foul line. However, the BlackJacks fought back with five quick points by Lemon Jr. Montréal led 77-74 heading into the Elam Ending. 

Laroche nailed a three-pointer and two free throws early on in Elam time while his team’s defence held strong. Ottawa made a late push as Adel and Posthumus got to the foul line but fell short as Laroche hit two free throws of his own to end the game. 

Montréal shot better than Ottawa from the field (48 to 42 per cent) and from three (38 to 31 per cent). They had 17 points from turnovers to Ottawa’s 10. Another factor was bench scoring as the Alliance had 33 points to Ottawa’s eight. 

Laroche credited the team’s mentality for their strong finish. “We represent Montréal and we want to bring that toughness and we want to win in front of our fans,” he added. 

Laroche said the team’s chemistry has been good so far. “Everybody’s had each other’s back and I think the chemistry is going to be better every time,” he noted. 

Adel pointed out areas for improvement for his team. “We just have a lot to clean up, especially early in the first quarter,” he said. “Just making sure we get stops and rebounds and we turned the ball over a little bit too much.” Adel said the CEBL experience has been good. He pointed out the talent and competitiveness as well as the great fans. 

The BlackJacks will look for their first victory when they host the Scarborough Shooting Stars while the Alliance travel to face off against the Niagara River Lions on June 3 to possibly extend their winning streak. 

All games will be streamed live internationally on the CEBL’s OTT platform, CEBL+ and on CEBL Mobile the official app of the CEBL for iOS and Android devices. Games are also available to stream live in Canada via cbcsports.ca, the CBC Sports app for iOS and Android devices, and the free CBC Gem streaming service.

A league created by Canadians for Canadians, the CEBL has the highest percentage of Canadian players of any professional league in the country, with 71 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 runs from May through August. Head to CEBL.ca for more information or follow us (@cebleague) on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.