Brampton and Scarborough meet in 2022 CEBL finals rematch
Published
The 2022 CEBL champion Brampton Honey Badgers (-200) will look to rebound from an opening night loss to the Ottawa BlackJacks with a Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) showdown against the Scarborough Shooting Stars (+145) on Friday May 26 at 7:00 pm ET at the CAA Centre. The game will be broadcasted live on TSN+, CEBL+ Powered By BetVictor, and on the CEBL Mobile app available on iOS and Android devices.
The matchup is a rematch of the thrilling 2022 CEBL final, which saw the Honey Badgers knock off the Shooting Stars 90-88 last August.
Brampton (0-1) comes into this matchup following a 95-93 loss to the Ottawa BlackJacks on Wednesday night. Leading 86-78 heading into Target Score Time, the BlackJacks ended the game on a 15-7 run to secure the win on the CEBL’s opening night.
Reigning CEBL Finals MVP Christian Vital had 24 points, three rebounds, and five assists in the loss. Prince Oduro also added a double-double and shot 8-11 from the field.
Scarborough is slated to start their 2023 CEBL season with eight returnees and 12 players with previous CEBL experience.
The Shooting Stars, specifically, have two core returnees coming back.
Jalen Harris and Kassius Robertson, who averaged 19.9 and 19.0 points per game respectively in 2022, are expected to lead the Shooting Stars offensively again this summer.
In addition to Harris and Robertson, during the off season, Scarborough made two major additions in free agency.
Thomas Kennedy, 2022 CEBL U SPORTS Player of the Year, is expected to make his Scarborough debut on Friday night. The University of Windsor product, who was drafted by the Fraser Valley Bandits in the 2022 CEBL U SPORTS Draft, nearly averaged a double-double for the Bandits last season.
Kennedy is also fresh off a campaign that saw him earn 2023 U SPORTS Player of the Year honours for the University of Windsor. He averaged over 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Lancers in U SPORTS competition this winter.
The Shooting Stars also added Car Barber, a two-time All-CEBL Second team star and someone with NBA experience—having played with the Atlanta Hawks in December 2021.
Offensively, look out for Brampton to find more consistency at home. In 10 home matchups last year, the Honey Badgers averaged 88 points at home, compared to just 81.7 on the road.
The Honey Badgers and Shooting Stars split their two regular season matchups last year, with Brampton taking the first game 84-69 and Scarborough taking the second 75-72.
Full broadcast schedule of CEBL Games of the Week on TSN can be found here. All games will also be streamed live internationally on the CEBL’s OTT platform, CEBL+, and on the CEBL Mobile app for iOS and Android devices.
A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 71 percent of its 2022 rosters being Canadian. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. Nine players have moved from the CEBL into the NBA following a CEBL season, and 28 CEBL players attended NBA G League training camps during October. The CEBL season runs from May through August. More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.