Bandits, Rattlers Put Undefeated Records on the Line

In a battle atop the Western Conference, the Vancouver Bandits (2-0) visit the Saskatchewan Rattlers (2-0) on Thursday night with stakes heightened as one of them will lose their undefeated start.

All the action will take place at 7:30 p.m. local/9:30 p.m. ET from the SaskTel Centre, with live coverage available on CEBL+, TSN+ and on the CEBL mobile app available for iOS and Android devices.

What a difference a year can make. At the end of 2023, the Bandits and Rattlers were also duking things out but at the bottom of the West instead of the top with dueling 8-12 records. Yet fast forward through the first week of this season and into the first of three matchups between the conference rivals, both squads are leading the conference, have yet to lose and are in the midst of two of the best stretches to start a year. 

Saskatchewan is already in uncharted territory as they’ve never opened a season 2-0 while Vancouver is halfway to their record of four consecutive wins to begin the 2021 campaign.

The Rattlers and Bandits have gotten to this point in similar fashion as well. Both picked up convincing season-opening wins and then rallied in their follow up performances to start their first win streaks of 2024.

Saskatchewan enters Thursday on the heels of a 96-90 victory over the Montréal Alliance in which the squad had to overcome a 23-point deficit. That comeback effort last Saturday can be largely credited to Jalen Harris and Grant Basile who scored 31 and 27 points, respectively. The duo accounted for more than 60 per cent of the Rattlers baskets and over half of their 13 triples on the night.

Harris was notably instrumental as he scored 19 points in the third quarter to spark Saskatchewan’s initial rally and capped things off by hitting the game-winning layup in Target Score Time.

On the other side, Vancouver overcame a 13-point third quarter margin against the Scarborough Shooting Stars on Sunday. And although the Bandits effort involved a more balanced attack with all five starters hitting double figures, four of which scored 17 or more points, they too had a standout performance spark their comeback.

James Karnik scored Vancouver’s first 10 points of the fourth quarter, with 14 of his 18 points on the night coming in the final frame, including the game-winning layup. It was the Surrey B.C. native’s second game back after missing all of last year due to injury and so far, he’s had a strong start to his comeback campaign. Karnik is nearly averaging a double-double, putting up 13.5 points and nine rebounds through two games.

Keys matchup

Fans in attendance and watching from home are going to be treated to a stellar guard matchup between two CEBL experienced guards as Koby McEwen and Jalen Harris go head-to-head. Both are in their first year with new squads and have immediately made their presence felt as their teams’ scoring leaders.

McEwen is averaging 19.5 points on a CEBL career-high 53 per cent shooting from beyond the arc to go with his five rebounds and one steal through two games. Meanwhile, Harris is averaging a staggering 27 points per game, third highest in the league so far.

The pair also have plenty of history, dueling as Eastern Conference rivals throughout the last two seasons with Brampton and Scarborough, respectively. They even faced off on opposite sides of the 2022 Championship Final with McEwen coming out on top. The former Sixth Man of the Year scored 16 points off the bench and was vital in Target Score Time scoring five of the Honey Badgers’ nine points to capture a title. Harris, on the other hand, had one of his quietest outings as he finished with 12 points, his third lowest all year, and a season-high eight turnovers.

2023 season series

Saskatchewan had the edge over Vancouver last season winning two of the three regular season matchups, doing so in convincing fashion as they won both contests by over 20 points. 

Take that with a grain of salt however as the Bandits didn’t have the services of their leading scorer Nick Ward in either of those losses. In Vancouver’s lone win, the big man put up 22 points on 8-for-12 shooting to go with nine rebounds. And with all indications that Ward will play on Sunday, expect him to be just as impactful. So far this season, the 2023 team MVP is averaging 17.5 points and 6.5 rebounds with a steal and two blocks through two games.