Montreal back in the win column with victory over Saskatchewan
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Guillaume Payen-Boucard’s 21 points helped the Montreal Alliance (5-14) snap their four-game losing skid with an 89-72 win over the Saskatchewan Rattlers (6-14) on Friday night.
In addition to his game-high point total, Payen-Boucard stuffed the stat sheet with five rebounds, two assists, four steals, and two blocked shots in the win. His play at both ends of the court was the engine that drove the Alliance all game, especially on defence.
“I embrace that challenge of guarding the best player on the other team,” Payen-Boucard said about his defensive effort. “The good thing about guarding someone like Teddy Allen is you know if you're not on you’re ‘A’ game you’re going to get embarrassed. That’s just the challenge that I love to play for. I think being aggressive defensively helps my mind be aggressive on the offensive end.”
Curtis Hollis also made significant contributions for Montreal, dropping 17 points, three assists, and three steals.
The game was closely contested and seemed like it would come down to the wire after the first three-quarters of play. However, Montreal had different plans.
The Alliance began the fourth locked in on both sides of the floor, outscoring Saskatchewan 22-10 in the frame to secure the win.
After the game, Montreal Alliance head coach Derrick Alston Sr. spoke about Payen-Boucard’s impact on both ends of the floor.
“Long story short, he just needed time for his body to heal,” Alston said. “He’s one of our best defensive players, if not one of the best in the league. For him to take that challenge, just to compete, and then come around and score 21. To take away their best player and then turn around and carry the offensive load when we lost Chris [Smith], we commended him in the locker room.”
The Rattlers had a slow offensive start to the first quarter, but immediately battled back in the second to cut the Alliance lead to four heading into the second half.
Both teams were neck and neck in the third quarter, with Montreal managing to edge out a small lead before flipping the switch in the fourth quarter.
Alston knows this team has what it takes to compete with Championship Weekend approaching.
“I tell them all the time, we have enough,” he said. “If we can get everybody on the same page, we have enough. At the end of the day, our defence is going to keep us in games. We just need everyone to make shots, we have Bowden coming back, that helps a lot.”
What’s next?
The Montreal Alliance will face off against the Vancouver Bandits in a potential CEBL Final preview this Sunday before heading to Championship Weekend, while the Rattlers 2024 season comes to a close.