BlackJacks Ink First Win in Team History with Nailbiting Defeat of the Bandits
July 31, 2020
ST. CATHARINES, ON, July 30, 2020 – It wasn’t the start that the Fraser Valley Bandits wanted. After winning their first two contests, the Bandits entered Thursday night’s action riding the confidence of a two-game winning streak to open the CEBL Summer Series. The Ottawa BlackJacks came in eager to prove the doubters wrong after dropping their first two games of the series. In the end, the gritty Bandits overcame a 14-0 deficit to start the game and clawed back only to fall just short, 78-76, in a thrilling Elam Ending finish.
Johnny Berhanemeskel was an early source of offence for the BlackJacks, scoring nine of those first 14 points, including a trio of three-pointers. The Bandits looked sluggish as they searched for their stroke throughout the first half. At halftime the Bandits trailed by a score of 46-36. It was the best first-half from the BlackJacks so far this Summer Series. At the break, the BlackJacks controlled the box score in nearly every statistical category, including points in the paint where they owned a +10 advantage.
“I think we just played better (tonight),” said BlackJacks head coach Osvaldo Jeanty. “Our guys did what they’re supposed to in terms of defending. We won the rebounding battle today and we got easy shots. We just stuck to what we do and offensively it came easily.”
The Bandits made it interesting down the stretch but failed to convert on key opportunities in the paint and at the free throw line in the game’s closing moments. The win is the first in Jeanty’s career as a professional coach.
“It feels good – I just think we need to keep on building on what we did today,” Jeanty said. “I think we’re trying as much as possible to still find our identity and make the adjustments. We have to keep on trying to win games rather than playing not to lose.”
The Bandits made their push in the second-half, outscoring Ottawa 40-32 in the final two quarters of play. Despite Fraser Valley’s resurgent offence in the second half, the BlackJacks were able to withstand the Bandits’ comeback attempt thanks to the steady contributions of their core four of Berhanemeskel, Thomas Scrubb, Olivier Hanlan and Kyle Landry.
Together, they combined for 58 of Ottawa’s 78 points. A key juncture of the contest arrived during the climactic Elam Ending, which featured an electric finish that ultimately saw Ottawa outlast the Bandits thanks to a clutch and-one bucket from Hanlan, who recognized a mismatch opportunity in the game’s late moments. Hanlan drove to the rim and was fouled by the help-side defender. Hanlan’s free throw made the game 77-75 for Ottawa.
Moments later, a foul by Junior Cadougan while vying for a loose ball sent Berhanemeskel to the line where he converted a free throw to ice the game at 78-76.
Despite the loss, Bandits head coach and general manager remained positive heading into the team’s next game Saturday against Hamilton.
“I love that locker room,” Julius said. “I know them as human beings first, and I love those guys. I’ve been to battle with those guys in many different situations, so I just love our group as people. We play together, we play unselfish and hard. I think we’ve defended at a decent level as far as our overall intensity, and I’d say our games have been pretty low scoring for our opponents for the most part. Our defence is for sure ahead of our offence as far as executing.”
Ottawa improves to 1-2 with the win and will next play Hamilton (1-2) on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. ET. Fraser Valley falls to 2-1 and will take on the Honey Badgers on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. (10:30 a.m. PT). Saturday’s game will be a national broadcast that is available to watch on local CBC channels across the country.
All CEBL Summer Series games are available to watch on Twitch, CBCSports.ca and the CBC Gem App. A complete broadcast schedule can be found here.
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Physio District is proud to partner with the Vancouver Bandits as the organization’s Official Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation Provider. Led by Director of Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation Vic Sanghera and Physiotherapist Neil Nijjar, the partnership will support the Bandits with comprehensive injury management, rehabilitation, performance optimization, recovery, and return-to-play services throughout the CEBL season. With extensive experience working in high-performance sport, amateur and professional athletics, and international competition environments, Physio District brings an integrated approach focused on athlete availability, performance support, and evidence-informed care through manual therapy, movement analysis, and corrective exercise principles. In collaboration with the Bandits performance staff, the partnership will also incorporate advanced athlete monitoring and performance technologies through Hawkins Dynamics systems, including force plate testing and TruStrength performance assessment tools, to support rehabilitation progression, performance profiling, and return-to-play decision-making. Physio District is committed to helping athletes perform at their highest level while supporting long-term health, recovery, and durability throughout the demands of a professional basketball season. Physio District is excited to support the Vancouver Bandits organization and contribute to a high-performance environment both on and off the court.
The Vancouver Bandits were unable to find consistent offense against the Edmonton Stingers, suffering a 91-78 defeat Saturday night at the Edmonton Expo Centre. The game started with both teams going blow for blow in scoring, until the Stingers began to pull away with three-pointers from Samage Teel and Michael Nuga. The Stingers applied overwhelming defensive pressure, slowing down the Bandits up-tempo offence. The Bandits got into a rhythm in the second quarter, chipping away at the deficit and out-pacing the Stingers defense. The Stingers went cold offensively as they approached half time, going a full three minutes without scoring. That dry spell for the Stingers took place during a 19-6 run for the Bandits in that quarter, as they defended aggressively and found more space on the attack. Jalen House shot 8 for 9 in the first half at the free throw line, while Tevian Jones used his explosive athleticism to score 16 points. The Bandits took the lead on free throws from reigning Canadian Player of the Year, Tyrese Samuel, who finished with a team-leading 13 rebounds. The second quarter ended with the Bandits on top, 42-38. The Stingers responded in the third quarter with gritty, physical defense, while using the full shot clock on offense. The Bandits couldn’t build momentum, allowing 33 points and surrendering the lead. The Bandits flirted with a comeback in the fourth, shrinking the Stingers’ lead to seven points, but were unable to capitalise. House led the game in scoring with 27 points, but he was disappointed with the defensive effort from the Bandits. “We were letting them get [points] too easily in the paint, easy threes.” Vancouver head coach Kyle Julius said “our defensive effort was poor everywhere,” calling tonight’s game “one of our worst performances in two to three years.” The success in the second quarter came from the Bandits “playing good defense, playing hard,” said House. “That’s obviously why we shot up and got that three point lead going into half time, but we got away from it.” The Stingers big man Dain Dainja put up 25 points and 14 rebounds in over 29 minutes, all of which led his team. Vancouver falls to 1-1, and goes down 0-1 in the home-and-home series. Vancouver will play Edmonton again on Friday, May 22 for their Home Opener at Envision Financial Court at the Langley Events Centre. Tickets are available for purchase at this link . Box Score https://www.cebl.ca/game?id=2798728
Highlights of the Vancouver Bandits against the Mamba on May 14, 2026.
The Vancouver Bandits opened the 2026 Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season on the road with a 124-95 victory over the re-branded Saskatoon Mamba at SaskTel Centre on Thursday. Guard Jaelen House, who was signed just two days prior to the season opener, ran the floor for the fast-paced Bandits offense posting a double-double with 33 points and 10 assists. His debut efforts earned him “Player of the Game” honours in his first CEBL games “Jaelen [House] just got in here 24 hours ago,” said Vancouver head coach Kyle Julius. “Figuring the guys out, figuring the system out, that’s big.” Vancouver wasted no time, jumping out to an early lead from House and Mychal Mulder. The team set a new franchise record, scoring 68 points in the first half. Local rookies Dominic Parolin and Shadynn Smid both debuted and got their first professional buckets. Parolin logged an efficient 11 points in over six minutes, while Smid played impressive defense. Saskatoon had difficulties slowing down Vancouver, especially struggling with the chemistry between House and Tyrese Samuel as they combined for 57 points. Their soft and porous defense provided plenty of time and space for Vancouver to feast, with six players scoring double digits. When asked about the balanced attack, Mulder credited their teamwork. ”Just continuing to play together. I think we did a good job of sharing the ball, did a good job of locking in on our defensive assignments,” he said. Saskatoon’s offense was stymied, with every player logging a negative plus/minus. Vancouver’s tight defense clogged passing lanes and strangled Saskatoon’s offense to the tune of 21 turnovers. Tevian Jones picked up four steals, leading the team. Mulder was proud of the effort, saying they defended “as a unit on that end of the floor. [We’re] continuing to grow as a unit and staying together.” Vancouver dominated in the paint, scoring 74 points under the hoop against Saskatoon’s underwhelming 42. House, Samuel, and Jones flashed their speed on the fast break, with the team scoring 21 points while flying downhill. Saskatoon head coach Isaiah Fox got a rude awakening in his first game with the team, saying “Obviously, that could’ve went better.” “Vancouver is a very physical team, and I don't think we quite matched their physicality,” he said. “There were some good moments but unfortunately they came already when we were down double-digit points.” The physicality was on display in the third quarter as Vancouver suffocated Saskatoon defensively, allowing just 17 points. Saskatoon went a whole 2:45 without scoring, while Vancouver increased their lead to 32 in that time. Their biggest lead of the game would be 36. However, Saskatoon made progress in the fourth quarter, out-scoring Vancouver 31 to 24. Trey Townsend came off the bench to lead Saskatoon, scoring 10 of his 15 points in the final frame. Dajuan Gordon chipped in 20 points for Saskatoon, knocking down 5-6 at the charity stripe. Julius was unhappy with the team letting off the gas late in the game. “I thought we really let up in the fourth quarter, but it's an entirely new group,” he said. “We only have two, three guys from last year's team, so overall it was a solid first game for sure.” “I think these first couple games are all about us getting used to the league. We have a lot of guys that have never played in this league,” Julius added. “so we're still kind of just getting used to everything.” Vancouver begins their season 1-0. Vancouver will travel to Edmonton to take on the Stingers on Saturday, May 16, at the Edmonton EXPO Centre at 6:00 p.m. in a home-and-home series. Edmonton comes to Envision Financial Court at Langley Events Centre to play Vancouver in their Home Opener on Friday, May 22, at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase at this link .
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