Bandits reclaim top spot with statement win over BlackJacks

A full schedule of CEBL play wrapped up on the West Coast as the Vancouver Bandits hosted the Ottawa BlackJacks in a high-stakes cross-conference clash.

The Bandits returned to the win column with a 95-81 victory over the BlackJacks at the Langley Events Centre, improving to 6-1 and reclaiming the top spot in the West after suffering their first loss of the season last weekend.

Led by Mitch Creek, who finished with 21 points and nine rebounds, the Australian import maintained his consistent level of play despite a tight back-and-forth with the Eastern Conference visitors.

“We understand that teams might be able to stay with us for three quarters,” Creek commented on playing a complete game as a team. “When we got to the fourth quarter, we really turned it up. We had each other’s backs, and we had that groove, confidence and swagger to come back… That’s the basketball we know we play and we’re excited to carry that momentum forward.”

While it didn’t show on the score sheet, Kyle Mangas offered a steadying force throughout the night. He created opportunities from the back court with two steals, one block and a team-leading seven defensive rebounds.

“Kyle didn’t have a great game offensively, but he’s so calm and confident,” said Bandits head coach Kyle Julius on the American import. “He’s so resilient and he makes a few plays in the end that going in the fourth quarter, his steadiness and maturity makes a big difference.”

Despite the loss, Ottawa (2-3) did not go down without a fight as their bench contributed 42 points in the game. Quarterbacked by Christian Rohlehr, who neared a double-double of 11 points and nine rebounds.

“They made that push for us,” said Rohlehr about the BlackJacks’ bench contributions. “They give the guys confidence and make us fight. We believe that we can get away with a win but we just couldn’t execute all the way.”

Justin Jackson also made a key impact off the bench, scoring 12 points off the bench, shooting 4-for-6 and a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc.

“Our bench has been really good for us,” BlackJacks head coach Dave DeAveiro commented on the full roster involvement. “They come in and they pick up defensively. They run their offense. They don’t try to do too much and just try to be solid.”

The first half saw both teams trade momentum. The Bandits pulled ahead early with a 21-12 lead in the first quarter, but the BlackJacks stormed back in the second, outscoring the home team 23-17 to cut Vancouver’s lead to just 38-35 going into halftime.

Ottawa’s second half comeback was heavily backed by their bench scoring with a combined 18 points before halftime and strong defense with 11 rebounds while generating a plus-6 to close the first 20 minutes of the game.

The second half remained tight. Jackson’s hot streak—including three consecutive threes—kept the BlackJacks within one point entering the final frame, trailing just 65-64.

But the final momentum shift went in the way of Vancouver. The Bandits immediately responded to their first sight of losing their lead they managed to maintain throughout the game. Opening the final frame with a 10-2 run in preparation for Target Score Time, they outpaced the BlackJacks.

With less than three minutes left on the clock before time was stopped, the Bandits threw down the final gauntlet, bringing the score up to 86-74, setting Target Score to 95 points. From there, Tyrese Samuel and Curtis Hollis took over, dropping four and five points, respectively to secure the win and send the BlackJacks back on the road.

For Julius and his roster, Friday night was an opportunity to put their training and preparation to the test. Starting the 2025 season with dominant wins over their opponents, they found themselves needing to shift and remind themselves that no win will come easily. Their 95-80 loss to the Calgary Surge was a reality check.

“In Calgary, we found ourselves a step slow. We were lethargic, didn’t have a scout, didn’t have a shootaround—we were put in the trenches,” Creek reflected on their loss and how the Bandits returned to form for tonight, “We found ourselves going back and reteaching the basics, fundamentals, floor spacing—things that people overlook seven games into a season.”

These resets, even throughout the game with so called “anger time-outs” (according to Julius) were reminders for the Bandits to regain their fight and play harder.

As for Ottawa, the road ahead is tough as they try to return to a .500 record.

“We’re going through rough patches,” DeAveiro admitted. “We haven’t responded the way we wanted to so we’ll go back and watch the tape to figure out ways we can manage those situations better… The big thing is staying together and probably keep relying on our bench to get us through tough situations like that.