MONTREAL — The Montreal Alliance are showing signs of life after a mostly bland regular season.
And the timing couldn't be better for the hosts of the Canadian Elite Basketball League's Championship Weekend.
The Alliance finished the CEBL regular season on Sunday with an 80-78 victory over the surging Vancouver Bandits, the Western Conference's top team (14-6) and one of four squads with a berth in the Aug. 9-11 Championship Weekend at Verdun Auditorium.
The Alliance, winners of two straight to finish the season at 6-14, have shown signs they won't be an easy out in the playoffs.
"I think we dominated (today's) game at certain points," said Alliance coach Derrick Alston Sr. "In the third quarter we had some slippage, but we did enough to win and usually we're on the wrong side of games like that. So I was very happy to be on the right side of it this time."
The Bandits, who clinched a playoff berth on Friday with a 104-90 win over the host Scarborough Shooting Stars, weren't sharp for the mean-nothing contest, shooting only 35 per cent from the floor, 16 per cent from three-point range and 54 per cent from the free-throw line. The loss snapped their four-game win streak.
Ahmed Hill scored a game-high 19 points for the Alliance, who won back-to-back games for the first time this season.
Christian Rohlehr chipped in with 14 points off the bench for Montreal. Devonte Bandoo added 12 points.
Mitch Creek led the Bandits with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Kur Jongkuch had 13 points and 18 rebounds. Taze Moore and Duane Notice each scored 13 points.
"It didn't mean anything to us tonight," said Bandits' coach Kyle Julius. "But we came back and fought. We were short-handed. I'm really proud of the guys and I think we showed a lot of grit and toughness."
Montreal led 46-32 at halftime and 60-54 heading into the final quarter.
SHOOTING STARS 93 SURGE 82
In Toronto, Kadre Gray scored 17 points and added nine assists as the Scarborough Shooting Stars beat the Calgary Surge 93-82 in a battle of playoff-bound teams.
Jaden Campbell and Nick Ongenda each added 12 points for the Shooting Stars, who finished second in the Eastern Conference with a 12-8 record. The Niagara River Lions topped the East with a 14-6 record.
Stefan Smith scored 26 points for the Surge and Sean Miller-Moore added 25. Jordy Tshimanga chipped in with nine.
The Surge finished third in the Western Conference with an 11-9 record.
THROW-INS: The regular season ends Monday with two games. The Brampton Honey Badgers (6-13) visit the Ottawa BlackJacks (8-11), and the Winnipeg Sea Bears (9-10) visit the Edmonton Stingers (12-7). … The Sea Bears and Surge will meet on Friday in the West play-in game, while the BlackJacks and Shooting Stars play Friday in the East play-in game. The winner between Winnipeg and Calgary will play Edmonton in the West semifinal on Aug. 4. The winner between Ottawa and Scarborough will play Niagara River Lions in the East semifinal on Aug. 4. … The Bandits are in the Aug. 9 West final, while the Alliance are in the Aug. 9 East final.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2024.
The Canadian Press
