Bandits aim to bounce back against BlackJacks in lone 2024 matchup

In the only game between the cross-conference opponents this season, the Ottawa BlackJacks (2-6) visit the Vancouver Bandits (7-2) at Langley Events Centre on Saturday night.

Live coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. PT / 10:30 p.m. ET, available on CEBL+, TSN+, and on the CEBL mobile app available for iOS and Android devices. 

Despite Ottawa and Vancouver entering the matchup on opposite ends of their respective conferences – BlackJacks at the bottom, Bandits at the top – both need a bounce back.

For Ottawa, they haven’t been able to string together much success to this point. If there’s anything they can see as a positive, however, is that things are trending in the right direction at least. Since their 0-3 start, the BlackJacks have gone 2-3 and their previous two games have been decided by a combined margin of just five points.

Most recently, Ottawa dropped a 92-91 contest to the Edmonton Stingers who sit in a tie with Vancouver atop the West. The BlackJacks nearly overcame a 16-point lead in that ball game, using a balanced offensive attack (48 per cent from the field, 40 per cent from three) while uncharacteristically winning the rebound battle (47-43). 

Leading them in scoring against Edmonton was Tyrell Tate with 21 points on an efficient 60 per cent field goal shooting. The guard may not lead the team in scoring -- that’s Isaih Moore (17.8 points per game) -- but as of late he’s been on a tear. Tate has put up over 20 points in three of his last four appearances and is averaging 23.5 points during that span.

Meanwhile, despite a one-point loss, Ottawa won the rebound battle for just the second time all season. Much of that was thanks to recent returnee Zena Edosomwan. The forward not only brings familiarity, having played with the BlackJacks last season, he adds a much-needed paint presence. In just his second game back Edosomwan stuffed the stat sheet for a double-double of 10 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and three blocks.

The Los Angeles native helped Ottawa grab well above their usual 35.5 boards per game that ranks second-last in the CEBL. The BlackJacks will need that once again as the Bandits presents a much tougher challenge on the glass as the league’s second-best squad in that regard (42 rebounds per game).

Speaking of Vancouver, despite losing just two games all season, they have plenty of motivation entering the contest. Coming off an 88-84 loss to the Winnipeg Sea Bears, the Bandits look to avoid back-to-back losses for the first time this season.

It was a rare case of both teams blowing notable leads within the same ball game. Winnipeg led by as many as 14 points, even being up 13 mid-way through the third. Meanwhile, Vancouver overcame that deficit and was up 14 points with as little as six minutes left in the game yet crumbled in Target Score Time.

An offence that usually scores 91.8 points per game (second-most) and put up 112 on the same Sea Bears a week prior, was held to its third lowest scoring output of the season. It’s hard to know if that was simply an off-night or if there’s greater cause for concern.

It didn’t help that the starting lineup combined to shoot 32.8 per cent from the field. Koby McEwen and Zach Copeland went an identical 5-of-15 (33 per cent) from the field while Tazé More did slightly better at 5-for-12 (41 per cent). Meanwhile, Nick Ward, who’s one of the top scorers in the league (16.9 points per game), was held to just one point which came from the free throw line.

Bandits’ fans can at least take comfort in the fact that the BlackJacks might be the right team to face in hopes of a bounce back performance. Ottawa gives up 94.6 points per game, the second most in the CEBL.

Key matchup

Edosomwan is realistically the only bit of size the BlackJacks have to battle against Ward in the paint, especially in the starting lineup. The 30-year-old will have the unenviable task of trying to slow down the Bandits’ big man who’ll be extra motivated as he tries to avoid another lackluster performance.

How much Ward produces (or Edosomwan limits him) will likely play a swing factor in Saturday’s outcome.

2023 season series

If last year is any indication of 2024’s lone matchup, fans should expect a tightly contested ball game. Ottawa and Vancouver split the season series in 2023, the first being decided by four points and the second by just one.

Ward will likely hope for a repeat of last year, at least from an individual performance standpoint. The big man averaged 20 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks through those two contests.