Bediako sets blocks record as Rattlers down Honey Badgers to close season

Saskatchewan Rattlers’ big man Jaden Bediako made CEBL history on Sunday (Aug. 10) in a 96-85 victory over the Brampton Honey Badgers at SaskTel Centre.

In the season finale for both teams, Bediako’s five blocks pushed him to 49 on the campaign, surpassing the single-season blocks record of 46 set by EJ Onu with the Niagara River Lions in 2022.

Bediako, a Brampton native, also secured a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds to lead his team to victory.

“All of us know it's been a rough season but we've all been together, and … it's good to get a win, especially against my hometown team,” Bediako said.

Rattlers veterans Devonté Bandoo and Anthony Tsegakele were also major contributors to the win. Bandoo dropped a game-high 22 points while Tsegakele set a new career-high with 18 points, including a series of highlight dunks and the game-winner.

Saskatchewan head coach Eric Magdanz said it was great to see Tsegakele end the season with a big game.

“He's a fan favourite. He's a guy who does anything we ask of him, and most of the time that's asking him to pick up defensive assignments,” Magdanz said. “To see him do a great job defensively tonight but also be rewarded with the ball going through the hoop is a great thing to see.”

Tevian Jones notched a double-double as well with 16 points and 10 assists, and Isaac Simon was the fifth Rattler to score in double figures with 11 off the bench.

Brampton also had five players reach at least 10 points on Sunday. Ankit Choudhary paced the offence with 17 points off the bench, while Yaw Obeng-Mensah led all starters with 16 points.

Mike Demagus was lethal from long range with 15 points in the loss, Prince Oduro added 14, and Quinndary Weatherspoon scored 11 points before an ejection in the second quarter.

A trio of rookies also scored their first pro buckets on Sunday, including Easton Timm for Saskatchewan and Conner Landell and Malik Grant for Brampton.

Choudhary said providing maximum effort was the mindset coming into the final game of the season.

“I feel like that's what we did,” Choudhary said. “Maybe at times, we may have just rushed a bit … and I feel like coach did a great job of putting us in a position to be successful. We had some good looks and we just missed … that's just how the game goes sometimes.”

Brampton head coach Sheldon Cassimy was proud of his team’s effort despite a roster that hasn’t played many minutes together.

“I feel like all the guys that played hard and played through to the end of the game … they all played well. They were able to showcase what they could do,” Cassimy said.

Early in the contest, Tsegakele came off the bench firing. He began the game with back-to-back dunks and continued to attack the paint with eight points in the first quarter. Brampton trailed for the majority of the opening frame and entered the second down 30-24.

Weatherspoon carried the offence for the Honey Badgers for the bulk of the first half with 11 points, but picked up a pair of technical fouls in the second quarter that ended his day. Despite the absence of Weatherspoon, Brampton hung tight and headed into the locker room down six after 20 minutes.

In the third quarter, Bediako was a paint beast for Saskatchewan. He blocked shots, dominated the glass and scored six points for the Rattlers. However, Obeng-Mensah was active inside for Brampton as well, leading the Honey Badgers on a run to tie the game at 62.

Jones quickly regained the lead for the Rattlers in the third, and Saskatchewan answered with a run of its own to head into the final frame with a 73-65 advantage.

The squads traded buckets to start the fourth before Landell and Obeng-Mensah pulled the Honey Badgers closer with back-to-back finishes before Target Score Time.

Brampton continued to roll as the teams raced to 96 with Oduro and Demagus slicing to the hoop for layups and cutting the deficit to four points. But the Rattlers buckled in for the final stretch with strong takes from Bediako and Tsegakele.

The longtime Rattler Tsegakele ended the season on a high note for the home fans, banking in the game winner from inside the elbow on Fan Appreciation Day.

With the season now over for Brampton and Saskatchewan, both coaches said there are lessons to be learned from the summer. Magdanz said he’ll be looking back at some of the Rattlers’ close losses.

“That was due to our level of compete and something that we're very proud of. But we got to get over the hump, and we got to win some of the more close games. So for me, it's going to be finding ways that I can put guys in successful positions so that when we do get into those Target Times, we feel confident to come up with victory,” he said.

Meanwhile, Cassimy said a focus moving forward is managing the ups and downs and the highs and lows of the season.

“[It’s] just trying to navigate when you have to make those adjustments and hopefully I'll have another opportunity where I'll be able to implement the things that I've learned,” he said.

Next CEBL action

The CEBL postseason tips off on Thursday (Aug. 14) with Montréal facing Scarborough in the Eastern Conference play-in and Calgary hosting Edmonton in the Western Conference play-in.