Creek, Bandits hold off Honey Badgers in close win

While the game was contested between two teams on either side of the standings, you never would have guessed it by what took place on the court.

The Vancouver Bandits and Brampton Honey Badgers traded power punches until the very end, but it was the home team that managed to come on late and take the 87-84 victory in front of their fans.

Mitch Creek led the game with 30 points for the Bandits, including 15 in the pivotal third quarter. Zach Copeland added 20 points for Vancouver, while Corey Davis Jr. had 15 points to go along with 11 assists.

Vancouver was able to pick up the win despite missing a number of players as they attend NBA camps and participate in the NBA Summer League. Bandits head coach and general manager Kyle Julius was proud of the way his team performed despite the roster turnover.

“We weren’t that composed today, but I think that’s part of the process,” he said post-game. “We’re in a messy time right now with personnel changes, and I’m really proud of the fact we were able to win a game missing some key pieces, and it was a messy game at that.”

“Our leadership; we have really good leadership,” he said when asked how the team was able to perform despite the personnel changes. “But there isn’t consistency. We had a completely different rotation today. Our sub pattern was wacky, and we found a way to win at the end. We have to find a way to grind through this time until our main pieces get back.”

The Bandits struck first, getting off to a 12-4 lead before the visitors called a timeout. The Honey Badgers cam back strong, going on a 16-6 run out of the break to take a momentary lead before the Bandits were able to bring a 23-22 lead into the first break.

A big part of the Brampton comeback was thanks to Quinndary Weatherspoon. The former Golden State Warrior had 11 of his 22 first half points in the quarter, ensuring his team was able to stay in the game.

“We need these performances from (Weatherspoon),” teammate Amari Kelly said afterwards. “They’re big and they help keep us going. He’s a big factor for our team and kind of our leading guy, so we always want nights like this from him.”

Things kept rolling for Weatherspoon in the second quarter, as he and David Muenkat started the period off with back-to-back three-pointers to take a lead that their team would carry into halftime, leading 44-40 – with the former NBA champion accounting for half his team’s points.

In the second half, it was time for the Bandits’ star play to answer. Creek scored nine of his team’s first 15 points in the third quarter, and the team made three consecutive three-pointers to cap off a 12-2 run for a 61-56 lead. But the road team refused to go down quietly, rebounding with an 11-2 run off their own to go ahead leading into the final quarter. Weatherspoon was held to just three points in the third.

A 9-0 Honey Badgers run to start the fourth had them up by as many as 10, but a pair of Copeland threes kickstarted a streak of 11 straight points for the team. The Honey Badgers led 78-77 at the start of Target Time, but another nine-point run from the Bandits put things out of reach, and they eventually took the win off a Duane Notice free throw.

“They did a good job of making shots,” Honey Badgers head coach Sheldon Cassimy said of the opposition. “They made some tough shots that gave them a lead and then we were going through one of our droughts where we’re trying to execute, we’re looking for our mismatches or their rotations to break down. But they were solid in their rotations and we had a couple of turnovers.”

Weatherspoon led his team with 27 points, though just five of them came in the second half. Kelly carried the load of the offense in the final two quarters, where he scored 12 of his 16 points. He also grabbed 10 rebounds for the game. Marcus Carr and Bryson Williams had strong performances off the bench, as both finished with 12 points.

“One of the things we’re struggling with is winning on the road,” Cassimy said. “Early on, we had a lot of games on the road, so that’s part of the reason for the struggle. We have to find a way to put together wins on the road. I think once we do that we’ll be fine.”

Brampton got off to a tough start on the season, boasting just a 1-7 record early on. The team had won three of their last five and were looking to continue their improved play against the top team in the CEBL. Despite coming out on the losing end, Cassimy was happy with his team’s performance and what it means for them going forward.

“Just being together, trusting each other, and being able to execute and cut down on our turnovers,” he said about what his team needs to continue to work on in the second half of the season. “In the first half we were good with our turnovers, but in the second half, not so great. Once we’re trusting each other and cutting down on turnovers, then I think we’ll be fine.”

Up next for both teams

The west leading Vancouver Bandits will head on the road to take on the east leading Niagara River Lions only July 10 in a championship rematch. The Brampton Honey Badgers will head home for a pair of games, starting with a contest against the Ottawa BlackJacks on July 9.

Next CEBL action

The Brampton Honey Badgers will host the Ottawa BlackJacks in a special Camp Day game on July 9, streaming live at 12:30PM ET on CEBL+, TSN+ and Game+.