Recap The Court

Jacob Smith

The Ottawa BlackJacks kicked off their 2023 CEBL season the best way they could, getting a win over the defending champs. The 95-93 victory came with a big fourth quarter rally to erase a double-digit deficit, and now the BlackJacks are 1-0.

The game started out well for the Brampton Honey Badgers, specifically Christian Vital. The returning guard shined and showed what he showed all of last season. He is the type of player that you go to when the team is struggling and needs a score or a stop, and he delivered on a consistent basis.

Going against the larger BlackJacks, Brampton put an emphasis on spreading the floor, with Zane Waterman playing along the perimeter and Prince Oduro getting the paint to himself. Prince went to work, finishing with 17 points and 12 rebounds, matching the double-double from Ottawa’s Zena Edosomwan who had 16 points 10 rebounds.

Brampton outscored Ottawa 56-45 in the first half but as the second half started, Ottawa’s emphasis on getting to the rim grew and they found success on the foul line. Micheal Flowers showcased his shotmaking for the BlackJacks in the first half, proving early that he has a flair for the spectacular, and in the second half, Kadre Gray took over.

Before hitting the game winning three from the logo in elam time, Kadre forced his way to the rim, shooting eight free throws and shooting 50 per cent from inside for 27 points and a trio of threes. The physicality of Gray matched with the aggression on the boards from Edosomwan gave the BlackJacks a constant when shots weren’t falling, and as some would’ve expected, they won the rebounding battle 46-37 leading to 22 second chance points.

As Edosomwan scored back to back to put Ottawa at a 6-point deficit, the energy in TD Place arena started to build. When elam started, Ottawa played loose and smart, finding the best shot and taking advantage of every possession. The Edosomwan 4-point swing was followed by Cole Syllas and Flowers around the rim, and Gray put the BlackJacks, who were trailing 86-76, ahead 87-86. Momentum had fully swung the way of the home side, and it stayed that way as Flowers put them at 90, and Gray scored the final five points to reach the target score.

A thrilling win for the BlackJacks on opening night of the fifth CEBL season, and a hint of things to come. What will game two bring?