Waterman’s 28 points help Honey Badgers cruise to win over BlackJacks

Zane Waterman continued his hot start to the season Sunday scoring 28 points to help the Honey Badgers (2-0) defeat the BlackJacks (0-1) 99-82.

The Brampton forward’s offence was dialed in throughout the game as he hit three shots from beyond the arc, dished out five assists and snagged three rebounds in 32 minutes of play. Waterman made history tonight becoming the first Honey Badger player to score 25 points in consecutive games as he finished with 27 in the team’s win over Niagara on Friday night.

“Zane had two great games in a row, but again, I'm not surprised. You know, there's been a couple of questions about his improvement. This is going to be his third year now. You know, he's a really good player,” Brampton head coach Sheldon Cassimy said when asked about Waterman's performance. “He can shoot the three really well, can play the pulse really well, and he's really leading our group”

While Waterman had himself a game, his teammates also made an impact in Brampton’s win. Guard Javonte Cooke scored 15 points with nine rebounds, and guard Cole Syllas finished with 13 points and three assists.

“I think we got the same mindset every game so far, you know we’re the underdogs, we take pride in that and we got a chip on our shoulder going in every game,” Waterman said about the team's mindset before games.

Despite the loss, Ottawa guard Brandon Sampson had a great game, scoring 25 points on 50 per cent shooting from the field, knocking down four shots from beyond the arc, and bringing down three rebounds.

Ottawa was without two star players that they recently announced will be returning this season in forward Deng Adel and centre Zena Edosomwan. Both are finishing up their seasons overseas and figure to give the club a massive boost when they return.

Brampton and Ottawa spent the majority of the first quarter trading buckets as there were 11 lead changes in the frame. The Honey Badgers started to knock down some big-time shots near the end of the quarter to take a 31-22 lead and never look back. The took a 49-41 lead into the half largely due to Waterman’s play and he led all scorers at the half with 13 points on 66 per cent shooting.

Brampton wasn’t letting up in the third as they had an answer for everything Ottawa threw at them. Syllas flipped the switch and poured it on for the Honey Badgers scoring seven of his 13 points in the frame. The Honey Badgers led 71-62 heading into the final quarter.

“Cole might be the best 3-and-D guy in the league,” Waterman said about teammate Syllas. “For sure, he proved that tonight, it was amazing.”

Head coach Sheldon Cassimy lauded his team for its execution and adjustments made throughout the game.

“Execution. We're not supposed to be playing too much one-on-one, but sometimes we do have mismatches and that's part of our execution,” Cassimy said. “So really, truly just about getting the best shot and making sure that we're playing very well defensively. We had a possession there where we're able to speed up the other team. And, you know, it's all about one position at a time, getting stops and good scores.”