Vancouver Bandits Drop Road Tilt Against Brampton Honey Badgers

BRAMPTON, ONT., June 9, 2023 – Christian Vital’s 27 points led the Brampton Honey Badgers (4-2) to their fourth win in a row, 98-74 over the Vancouver Bandits (1-4) on Friday night in Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) action.

Vital notched his third 20-point game of the season and also grabbed six rebounds and six steals. His six takeaways tied his own franchise record for most steals in a single game.

The guard was helped by his backcourt partner Koby McEwen who scored 20 points of his own to go with five rebounds and eight assists. Forwards Nick Wiggins and Prince Oduro had impactful games off the bench with Wiggins scoring 13 points and Oduro notching a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds.

“The team has embraced him as part of Badgers basketball,” said Brampton head coach Antoine Broxsie following Wiggins’ season-high in points. “It was good to watch him get his legs under him…I know he’s going to continue to get better and better.”

On Vancouver’s side, MJ Walker led the Bandits with 26 points on an efficient 61 per cent shooting, knocking down four threes in the process. Nick Ward was the team’s next highest scorer, tallying 21 points off the bench on 9-of-11 shooting and six rebounds.

This game started off with some sloppy basketball as both teams combined for seven turnovers within the first six minutes, keeping things fairly even on the scoreboard. It was in the final four minutes of the frame that the Bandits found their rhythm offensively, going on a 13-3 run to put Vancouver up by six points. Walker did most of that damage as the NBA-experienced guard scored 11 of his team’s 19 points heading into the second.

That lead quickly evaporated as the Honey Badgers started the frame strong, outscoring the Bandits 13-4 in the process, largely due to the play of Vital. He scored seven points within the first three minutes of the quarter, giving his team a 32-29 lead at the 6:54 mark.

Normally this would be where Vancouver let Brampton build a significant lead, a tendency of theirs in their first four games as they have held a lead to end a quarter just three times all season. However, Walker wasn’t part of those performances and clearly did not get the memo. The guard notched another eight points to help keep things close for the Bandits as they trailed 44-42 at half-time. 

Walker’s game-high 19 points at the break were even more impressive considering he missed just one shot, going 5-of-6 from the field while knocking down three triples.

The third quarter was as tightly contested as the first half was, with neither team building a significant lead. A contributing factor was some poor shooting from beyond the arch by both teams.

The fourth quarter began with a 4-0 individual run by Oduro to give the Honey Badgers their first double-digit lead of the game. Both his baskets came in the paint. As the frame went on, Brampton continued scoring inside and applying as much pressure as they could on Vancouver’s defence. The team scored 20 points at the basket in the first six minutes of the frame, forcing the Bandits into foul trouble in the process.

Five players on Vancouver had four fouls as the team trailed 88-72 heading into Target Score time. The final frame ended rather quickly as the Bandits managed just two points while the Honey Badgers capped things off on a 6-0 run. McEwen ended the game with a lay-up to make it 98-74 the final.

The Bandits will have an opportunity to bounce back tomorrow night as the club prepares for the second game of a back-to-back versus the Niagara River Lions. Tip-off is at 4 p.m. PT at Meridian Centre in St. Catharines, Ont.

Vancouver’s next home game is Saturday, June 17 when the Saskatchewan Rattlers visit Langley Events Centre. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. PT. Single game tickets for the fifth season of Bandits Basketball are available for purchase at this link.

A key highlight of Vancouver’s fifth CEBL campaign will be its hosting of Championship Weekend, which takes place between Friday, August 11 and Sunday, August 13. An annual celebration of the highest level of Canadian professional basketball, Championship Weekend features a postseason format that combines three games of playoff basketball as part of a multi-day festival experience designed to celebrate the intersection of arts, culture and sport. As hosts of Championship Weekend, the Bandits receive an automatic semifinal berth.

Individuals interested in learning more about tickets for the Vancouver Bandits’ 2023 season are kindly asked to call (604) 455-8881 or email tickets@thebandits.ca. A complete regular season schedule can be found by clicking here.

More information is available at thebandits.ca and @vancouverbandits on Instagram and TikTok, as well as @vancitybandits on Facebook and Twitter.