The Scarborough Shooting Stars came away victorious with a 78-68 home victory over the Montréal Alliance in the first nationally televised CBC game of the season on July 3. 

The Shooting Stars (7-5) have won two games in a row and three of their last four games. The Alliance (3-9) have lost seven in a row. 

Isiaha Mike hit a three on the first possession. Jalen Harris finished off a drive while Šarūnas Vasiliauskas found Kalif Young for an open dunk as Scarborough took a 13-4 lead. 

Nathan Cayo responded by scoring inside for Montréal. He also dunked off a breakaway as the Alliance made some stops defensively. Ashley Hamilton also scored in the post for them. 

Both teams focused on attacking the rim as Scarborough’s David Muenkat scored off an alley oop dunk. The home team led 27-18 after one quarter, shooting 11 for 15. 

Shooting Stars forward Kameron Chatman demonstrated his versatility by scoring inside and outside. Meanwhile, centre Emondre Rickman made his impact down low in his first game with the Alliance. 

Scarborough’s guards took over the scoring with Harris and Rashad James. Montréal’s Dominic Green hit his team’s second three of the game to cut the lead to 40-35 at halftime. 

The teams pushed the pace to start the third quarter as Mike lobbed it to Harris for the slam dunk. Hamilton continued to grab rebounds and score inside to keep the score close. However, their turnovers led to Scarborough points as Harris scored to make it 51-43 midway through the third quarter. 

Hamilton was their go-to scorer, hitting a three to cut the deficit to 55-51. Alliance forward Isiah Osborne and Mike traded triples as Scarborough led 60-54 after three quarters. 

The game was close in the fourth quarter as Osborne scored a floater. The Alliance trailed 69-63 going into the Elam Ending. The Shooting Stars were aggressive, getting to the foul line as Harris hit two to extend the lead to 10. 

Montréal brought Kemy Osse into the game and he hit a three before Hamilton found Cayo down low to cut the lead to five. However, Vasiliauskas sank a three before Kalif Young sank two free throws to seal the victory. 

The Shooting Stars shot 50 per cent from the field. Montréal’s 43 per cent three-point shooting was important in keeping the game close. Scarborough outscored them 40-28 in the paint but the Alliance held a 31-12 edge in bench scoring. 

Four of Scarborough’s starters finished with double figure points – led by Jalen Harris (19). Young almost notched a double double (10 points, nine rebounds) going up against Cayo and Rickman. Mike (three-for-six) and Vasiliauskas (two-for-three) were efficient from deep. 

Mike called their Elam performance a complete opposite of their previous home game against the Ottawa BlackJacks, where they lost a 14 point lead in Elam time. “We got to the foul line. We hit open shots,” he noted. “I think we’re trending in the right direction right now in terms of morale and team chemistry.”

Harris mentioned how they’ve built their chemistry and culture since the start of the season and how it’s helped him develop as a leader. “The trust we have between the coaching staff, the front office, myself and my teammates, that’s kind of helped me build that role,” he noted. 

The Alliance scored and shot the ball above their season average. Hamilton (15 points) and Cayo (11) led the team in scoring while Osborne (eight), James Jean-Marie (eight), Kemy Osse (eight) and Rickman (seven) helped out off the bench. Five players hit a three for Montréal. 

Scarborough seek to continue their winning ways when they host the Guelph Nighthawks on July 7. Montréal will look to get back to winning when they host the Hamilton Honey Badgers on July 7. 

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.

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