Duane Notice Gives Vancouver Bandits a Stunning 90-89 Win Over Ottawa BlackJacks

Josh Kozelj • July 28, 2023

OTTAWA, ON, July 27, 2023 – A game-winning three-pointer by Duane Notice gave the Vancouver Bandits (7-12) a 90-89 upset victory over the Ottawa BlackJacks (12-8) on Thursday night at TD Place. 


Vancouver scored 58 points in the paint tonight—compared to 28 paint points by Ottawa—but it was the three-point ball that clinched the stunning victory. 


“Duane hit a huge shot,” Nick Ward said after the game. “I can’t forget about my brother Duane Notice. It was a huge win.” 


In a game that featured over 20 lead changes, the Bandits found themselves trailing by four points late in Target Score time. The BlackJacks were one point away from snapping a two-game losing streak, however, after Doug Herring Jr. cut the lead to two, the New York product got to the free throw line on Vancouver’s next offensive possession. 


With the score at 89-87 and a chance to complete a three-point play, Herring Jr. missed the free throw but collected his own rebound and found Notice at the top of the three-point line. Notice then knocked down the shot to stun the BlackJacks.


“Honestly, I was prepared for it,” Notice said. “It sounds crazy, but we do a drill in practice where we work on getting offensive rebounds from free throws. In that situation, coach Kyle Julius mentioned it and I was just being ready.” 


Deng Adel led the charge offensively for Ottawa on the night. Adel scored a season-high 28 points (eight of which came in Target Score time) on 50 per cent shooting from the field and hauled in seven rebounds. 


“I was just being aggressive, making the right reads and I’m just trying to make the right play at all times,” Adel said. “It wasn’t enough, but we just gotta stay together and stay aggressive.” 


Matt Coleman III chipped in with 17 points and three three-pointers off the bench and Thomas Scrubb had 18 points and four long balls. 


While the BlackJacks welcomed Zena Edosomwan back to the lineup after a one-month absence tonight, Ottawa was without forward Jackson Rowe, who was averaging 15.3 points and 6.6 rebounds in 18 games this season. Edosomwan finished with five points and grabbed nine rebounds in his return to the BlackJacks’ starting lineup. 


“It wasn’t a great game by us, but we competed, we fought. There were a lot of bodies flying around, they’re a big, physical team,” Ottawa head coach James Derouin said. “I thought our guys fought right until the end.”

 

In the first quarter, Ottawa used a 13-0 run to take a 10-point lead after one. Adel scored eight points in that run, and collected 10 points in the first quarter. 


Ward finished with a team-high 25 points. His frontcourt mate Giorgi Bezhanishvili secured a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds, as Vancouver’s big men combined to give Ottawa fits all night. 


Vancouver, who is leading the league in rebounds per game, had a 44-40 edge on the glass and hauled in 14 offensive boards as a team. 

“I love this group. I’ve said they practice like they’re in first place all year. They’re great fighters,” Vancouver head coach Kyle Julius said. “That was a good effort by us tonight for sure.” 


The BlackJacks started the third quarter with two quick threes, but both teams traded blows in the frame. Vancouver used a 7-2 run—capped off with an Alex Campbell three-pointer—to snag a five-point lead heading into the fourth. 


Vancouver carried that momentum into Target Score time, but Ottawa stayed within striking distance to level the game at 85 (with a target score of 90 points). Scrubb managed to give Ottawa the lead with a layup in transition, and Adel brought them to within a point of victory, but the Bandits squeaked out the win with five straight points on their final possession of the night. 


With the victory, Vancouver earned its third road victory of the year and got some momentum heading into Championship Weekend at Langley Events Centre August 9-13. The Bandits will close out the regular season this Sunday on the road in Scarborough. 


The Bandits will be back at Langley Events Centre on Friday, August 11, having qualified for Championship Weekend as the host team. Vancouver will be facing a familiar rival in the Western Conference Final, to see which team advances to the Championship game that will be played on Sunday, August 13.



Single game playoff tickets for Championship Weekend are available for purchase at this link.


Individuals interested in learning more about playoff tickets for Vancouver Bandits Basketball are kindly asked to call (604) 455-8881 or email tickets@thebandits.ca. 


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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Vancouver Bandits and Sentinel Storage Extend Partnership Into 8th Season

By Bandits Staff • April 30, 2025
The Vancouver Bandits announced today a two-year partnership extension with Sentinel Storage that expands on the companies’ long-standing relationship and reinforces a shared commitment to youth, sport, and community in British Columbia. This renewed partnership builds on a foundation that dates back to 2020 with the Bandits Athletic Centre in Abbotsford, where Sentinel Storage played a key role in supporting multiple sport organizations at the grassroots level during the pandemic. Sentinel Storage and the Bandits are deepening their impact through two major initiatives: co-presenting the Bandits' annual School Day Game, and serving as the founding and presenting partner of the First Buckets program by the Bandits Community Foundation. The School Day Game, set to be held at Langley Events Centre during the Bandits’ 2025 season on May 8th, is a high-energy morning basketball game that invites thousands of elementary and middle school students for an unforgettable field trip experience. The event is designed to inspire youth through sport, while providing educators and students with a unique opportunity to engage with professional basketball in a fun and educational setting. "At Sentinel Storage, we believe in the power of community and the importance of supporting youth development through sport,” said Jenn Johnson, Director of Operations, Western Canada, Sentinel Storage. “We’re excited to be expanding our partnership with the Bandits to help make basketball more accessible to youth across British Columbia, while also fostering important life skills like teamwork, resilience, and leadership. We’re proud to be a part of this journey and look forward to seeing how we can continue to make a difference in the lives of young athletes in B.C.” Sentinel Storage has also committed to leading the launch of First Buckets, a flagship initiative of the Bandits Community Foundation. This program delivers basketball starter kits to schools across British Columbia, helping introduce the game to new communities. Each kit includes basketballs, jerseys, and coaching materials, along with life skills curriculum and the potential for a visit from Berry the Bandit, the team’s beloved mascot. The program makes the sport accessible while championing important lessons in teamwork, resilience, and leadership. “We’re grateful to be partnered with a community-minded organization like Sentinel Storage who also took a chance on us in 2020 when we launched the Bandits Athletic Centre. Since day one with Sentinel Storage it has been evident that they passionately care about the power sport has on supporting youth in British Columbia,” said Dylan Kular, President of the Vancouver Bandits. “Together, through the Bandits Community Foundation, we are going to provide more basketball for more people across British Columbia with the First Buckets program and impact youth across all four corners of the province.”  The partnership between Sentinel Storage and the Vancouver Bandits is a testament to the impact that strong community-focused collaborations can have. With shared values at the core, this partnership is poised to make a lasting difference—on the court and beyond.

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By Bandits Staff • April 30, 2025
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By Bandits Staff • April 25, 2025
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By Bandits Staff • April 24, 2025
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