BANDITS’ ELAM ENDING COMEBACK FALLS JUST SHORT IN NAILBITING LOSS TO STINGERS
By: Matthew Winick • August 7, 2021
EDMONTON, ALTA., August 6, 2021 – The Fraser Valley Bandits (5-7) made a valiant effort in the Elam Ending period but came up just one point short in a dramatic 88-87 loss to the Edmonton Stingers (13-1) on Friday night at the Expo Centre in Edmonton.
The Bandits trailed 79-69 after the first whistle under four minutes in the fourth quarter, setting the Elam Ending target score at 88. With multiple defensive stops and key baskets, they almost made the miraculous comeback.
Much like the matchup between these two teams on Wednesday, the Stingers struggled to score out of the gate, putting up just 10 first quarter points on 4-21 shooting from the field, and trailing 16-10 after the period. However, Edmonton backed that up with a 35-point second quarter for the second straight game and led almost the rest of the way.
It certainly wasn’t an easy win for the Stingers but provided the team with a playoff-like atmosphere as it begins its quest to repeat as CEBL champions.
“(I’ve learned that) we have more depth… it was good seeing some young guys step up and give us good minutes,” said Stingers’ head coach Jermaine Small after the game, “It was a heck of a game, but we bend and don’t break.”
Leading the way as usual for Edmonton was Xavier Moon with a game-high 26 points. Forward Marlon Johnson was also highly impactful, finishing with 23 points, nine rebounds, six assists, four steals and two blocks for an outstanding all-around stat line.
“I was effective and versatile on the defensive end, and got my teammates going with my energy,” said Johnson, “That’s what I do, so I have to bring it.”
The loss for Fraser Valley marks its fifth straight, with its last four defeats all coming at the hands of the Stingers. After a tough 41-point loss just two nights prior, the Bandits came out with energy and effort on Friday. Even when the team was faced with a 10-point deficit entering the Elam Ending, Fraser Valley refused to quit.
“We’re going through a little skid right now, and it’s easy to blame, it’s easy to doubt and give up and give in, but we’ve been challenging these guys to stick with it and continue to believe,” said Bandits’ head coach David Singleton. “Tonight I thought was a game we deserved to win. I thought they did everything in their power to win the game… I’m surely proud of this team.”
Import forward Kenny Manigault was massive down the stretch for the Bandits, scoring 10 of his team-high 24 points in the Elam Ending. Manigault used his speed and aggression to will himself towards the rim and scored high difficulty finishes around the hoop. Brandon Gilbeck was also a force on the interior, finishing with a monster 18-point, 15-rebound double-double.
While the loss is surely frustrating for Fraser Valley, the team can take comfort in knowing its playoff fate was decided earlier in the night. By virtue of the Ottawa BlackJacks losing to the Guelph Nighthawks on Friday, the Bandits secured the four seed in the CEBL standings. Thanks to that, Fraser Valley will now be hosting Guelph next weekend in the quarterfinal round.
Before the playoffs come though, the Bandits still have two more regular season games against the 1-11 Saskatchewan Rattlers, the first of which coming on Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. PT.
Meanwhile, Friday’s win was the final game of Edmonton’s regular season. The Stingers will now have to wait all the way until August 20th for their next game, a semi-final matchup on their own home court.
Fraser Valley’s quarterfinal tilt will be nationally televised on CBC. In addition to live stream touchpoints on the free CBC Gem streaming service and cbcsports.ca, as well as CEBL+, all Bandits regular season games are available to watch on TELUS Optik TV® on Channel 1901 Lower Mainland Live Sports. Fans can learn more and subscribe to CEBL+ via this link.
A league created by Canadians for Canadians, the CEBL has the highest percentage of Canadian players of any professional league in the country, with 75 percent of its current rosters being Canadians. Players come from the NBA, NBA G League, top international leagues, the Canadian national team program and top NCAA and U SPORTS programs. The only First Division Professional League Partner of Canada Basketball, the CEBL season typically runs from May through August. Head to thebandits.ca for more information and click here to purchase your tickets for the quarterfinal game.
LATEST NEWS
The Vancouver Bandits have re-signed veteran guard Duane Notice for his fourth consecutive Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season with BC’s professional basketball team. A 6-foot-3 guard from Toronto, Ont., Notice debuted with the club in 2023 and has contributed leadership, grit, and clutch performances to the roster during his time. He holds several franchise records, including the most regular season games played (58) and the most Target Score game winners (7). Additionally, he is ranked second all-time in both total assists and steals, and fifth all-time in total rebounds. “Duane Notice is the heartbeat of our culture. He is a relentless leader, a clutch shot-maker, and a defensive tone setter who sacrifices his body,” said head coach and general manager Kyle Julius. “Duane shows up early, stays late, and drives everything we do on and off the floor. We expect another huge summer from Duane, and we know he will bring it like he always does.” Notice appeared in 18 regular season games in 2025, including nine starts, where he averaged 7.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 25.4 minutes per game. During his CEBL off-seasons, Notice has played for the Sudbury Five of the Basketball Super League (BSL), where he was most recently named 2026 BSL Finals MVP. In the 2025-26 BSL season, Notice averaged 14.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 0.8 steals, and 36.9 minutes across 28 games played. Prior to the Bandits, Notice has previous CEBL experience with the Brampton Honey Badgers (formerly known as Hamilton) in 2019 and 2020 and spent two seasons with the Toronto Raptors’ NBA G League affiliate, the Raptors 905, between 2018 and 2020. Internationally, Notice has represented Team Canada at six different tournaments and has played a combined total of 30 games throughout his career for both the junior men’s and senior men’s national teams. Over a five-year university career, Notice starred at the University of South Carolina where he is the school’s all-time leader in games played with 138. He was named the SEC’s Sixth Man of the Year during the 2015-16 season and helped lead the Gamecocks to an appearance in the NCAA Men’s Final Four in 2017. Fans will get their first chance to watch the Bandits’ new-look roster in a charitable preseason game on Saturday, May 9 at 5:00 p.m. at Envision Financial Court at Langley Events Centre when the club faces the Sikh Warriors from ESPN’s The Basketball Tournament. Preseason tickets are on sale at this link , with proceeds benefitting the Bandits Community Foundation. The Bandits open the 2026 CEBL season on Thursday, May 14 on the road in Saskatoon before coming home for its Home Opener against the Edmonton Stingers on Friday, May 22 at 7:00 p.m. PT at Envision Financial Court at Langley Events Centre. A full game schedule can be viewed here . Bandits Single Game Tickets and additional 2026 ticket options can be purchased here . All CEBL regular season games including playoffs will be live-streamed on the CEBL’s OTT platform, CEBL+, the CEBL Mobile app, the CBC Gem app and the CBC Sports YouTube channel. Marquee games will air nationally on CBC TV. More information is available at thebandits.ca and @vancouverbandits on Instagram and TikTok, as well as @vancitybandits on Facebook and Twitter.
The Vancouver Bandits announced Saturday that Trinity Western Spartans alumnus David Mutabazi has re-signed with the club for the 2026 Canadian Elite Basketball League season (CEBL). The 6-foot-5 guard joined the Bandits as a Developmental Player during the 2025 season where he was selected 30th overall in the CEBL Draft, appearing in nine games with three starts. Mutabazi made an immediate impact, logging 29 minutes and finishing with a game-high plus-44 as a starter in his professional debut on May 15, 2025 in a 106-65 win against the Saskatchewan Rattlers. “David was a complete surprise last season. His defensive instincts and relentless effort elevated our locker room culture,” said head coach and general manager Kyle Julius. “This year, we are counting on David to do even more. He is one of our few returning players and we expect him to bring that toughness, intensity, and now leadership to push us forward.” Mutabazi recently finished a four-year collegiate basketball career at Trinity Western University, where he averaged 13.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game across 83 games dating back to 2022. During the 2025-26 season, he averaged 9.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists across 17 games, placing him in the top five in those categories for the Spartans. Mutabazi will be reunited with fellow TWU product Jack Vandenberg on the Bandits training camp roster, which begins on Tuesday, May 5. Born in Kirinda, Rwanda, Mutabazi recently represented his country at the 2025 FIBA AfroBasket tournament. In his international debut, he averaged 5.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists while playing 19.1 minutes per game across three games as its sixth man off the bench. Fans will get their first chance to watch the Bandits’ new-look roster in a charitable preseason game on Saturday, May 9 at 5:00 p.m. at Envision Financial Court at Langley Events Centre when the club faces the Sikh Warriors from ESPN’s The Basketball Tournament. Preseason tickets are on sale at this link , with proceeds benefitting the Bandits Community Foundation. The Bandits open the 2026 CEBL season on Thursday, May 14 on the road in Saskatoon before coming home for its Home Opener against the Edmonton Stingers on Friday, May 22 at 7:00 p.m. PT at Envision Financial Court at Langley Events Centre. A full game schedule can be viewed here . Bandits Single Game Tickets and additional 2026 ticket options can be purchased here . All CEBL regular season games including playoffs will be live-streamed on the CEBL’s OTT platform, CEBL+, the CEBL Mobile app, the CBC Gem app and the CBC Sports YouTube channel. Marquee games will air nationally on CBC TV. More information is available at thebandits.ca and @vancouverbandits on Instagram and TikTok, as well as @vancitybandits on Facebook and Twitter.
The Vancouver Bandits announced Friday that the club has signed Houston Rockets’ NBA G League guard John Knight III to its roster for the 2026 Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season. Knight, a 6-foot-3 guard from Jackson, Miss., has spent the past three seasons in the NBA G League with the Houston Rockets’ minor league affiliate, Rio Grande Valley Vipers, where he became known for his dunking ability and shutdown defensive skills. During the 2025-26 season, Knight averaged 7.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game while playing 31.1 minutes per night across 34 games with 29 starts. “We are really excited to add John to our roster this summer. He is an explosive, high-level athlete who can impact the game on both ends and defend multiple positions,” said head coach and general manager Kyle Julius. “He has had real success in the NBA G League, and we expect him to bring that same production, toughness, and versatility to our group right away.” Prior to the NBA G league, Knight made his professional debut during the 2022-23 season with Norwegian club Frøya Basket where he averaged 22.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 6.3 rebounds per game. Knight led the team in all categories, as well as steals (104), blocks (39), and minutes played (1363). Before turning pro, Knight attended Utah State University during the 2018-19 season before transferring to Southern Utah University from 2019 to 2022. During his time with the Thunderbirds, Knight earned First Team All-Big Sky Conference honours in 2022 during his senior year. Knight will reunite with fellow Thunderbird alumnus and recent Bandits free agent signing Tevian Jones, who both shared the court during the 2021-22 season. The Bandits open the 2026 CEBL season on Thursday, May 14 on the road in Saskatoon before coming home for its Home Opener against the Edmonton Stingers on Friday, May 22 at 7:00 p.m. PT at Envision Financial Court at Langley Events Centre. Bandits Single Game Tickets and additional 2026 ticket options can be purchased here . All CEBL regular season games including playoffs will be live-streamed on the CEBL’s OTT platform, CEBL+, the CEBL Mobile app, the CBC Gem app and the CBC Sports YouTube channel. Marquee games will air nationally on CBC TV. More information is available at thebandits.ca and @vancouverbandits on Instagram and TikTok, as well as @vancitybandits on Facebook and Twitter.
The Vancouver Bandits announced Thursday that the club has signed Trinity Western University (TWU) product Jack Vandenberg to its roster for the 2026 Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season. A six-foot tall guard from Vancouver, Vandenberg earned an invitation to the inaugural Bandits University Combine. 40 local student-athletes competed against each other, developing their game against B.C.’s top young talent and with the help of Bandits coaching staff. The club hosted the combine to identify players who can make an impact in training camp and potentially sign to its roster for the upcoming 2026 season. “Jack Vandenberg is one of the premier shooters in Canada. He proved it again at our combine, where he stood out for his elite space and shot-making,” said head coach and general manager Kyle Julius. “Having coached him in the gym, I know he’s tough, a leader on his university team, and a player who is going to help push our culture forward.” Julius stressed the importance of Vandenberg’s ability to space the floor in training camp, which begins on Tuesday, May 5. “We are excited to add his toughness and sharpshooting as we gear up for camp,” he continued. In his junior year at TWU during the 2025-26 season, Vandenberg led his team with 15.8 points-per-game while also averaging 3.5 assists and 2.7 rebounds in 20 games with 19 starts. He led the Canada West conference in three-pointers made, finishing with 75 makes on 175 attempts. Vandenberg shot .429 per cent from beyond the arc, ranking 4th in the conference. Prior to his time with the Spartans, Vandenberg attended Montreal’s Concordia University in the 2022-23 season. An alumnus of St. George’s School in Vancouver, he earned Second Team All-Star honours at the 2022 BC 4A Boys Basketball Provincial Championship where he helped lead his school to a top 10 finish in his senior year. Fans will get their first chance to watch the Bandits’ new-look roster in a charitable preseason game on Saturday, May 9 at 5:00 p.m. at Envision Financial Court at Langley Events Centre when the club faces the Sikh Warriors from ESPN’s The Basketball Tournament. Preseason tickets are on sale at this link , with proceeds benefitting the Bandits Community Foundation. The Bandits open the 2026 CEBL season on Thursday, May 14 on the road in Saskatoon before coming home for its Home Opener against the Edmonton Stingers on Friday, May 22 at 7:00 p.m. PT at Envision Financial Court at Langley Events Centre. A full game schedule can be viewed here . Bandits Single Game Tickets and additional 2026 ticket options can be purchased here . All CEBL regular season games including playoffs will be live-streamed on the CEBL’s OTT platform, CEBL+, the CEBL Mobile app, the CBC Gem app and the CBC Sports YouTube channel. Marquee games will air nationally on CBC TV. More information is available at thebandits.ca and @vancouverbandits on Instagram and TikTok, as well as @vancitybandits on Facebook and Twitter.
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