Rattlers snap seven-game skid with win over Sea Bears

The Saskatchewan Rattlers (6-9) finally tasted victory again after a month of losses as they picked up a 96-84 win over the Winnipeg Sea Bears (7-7) on Thursday night. 

The Rattlers may still be fifth in the West despite the win, but as they snapped a seven-game losing streak they remain within striking distance. Teddy Allen led the charge as he finished with 21 points against his former squad, hitting five threes on a 41 per cent clip while racking up five rebounds and six assists. Emmanuel Bandoumel and Cody John also chipped in with 19 and 18 points, respectively. 

It was an especially notable victory for John, as the CEBL veteran surpassed 600 career points all-time (regular season + playoffs) with a three in the fourth quarter before eventually making the game-winning basketball. 

“It was an amazing feeling,” John said after the milestone performance. “This was our best win as a team, and we have to carry it forward.” 

For the Sea Bears, the defeat marked a second consecutive loss as they gave up more ground to the Calgary Surge and Rattlers who narrowly sit behind Winnipeg in the West standings.

Justin Wright-Foreman returned to form despite the loss as he finished with a game-high 31 points on 55 and 62 per cent shooting from the field and distance to go with seven assists. Scottie Lindsey and Emmanuel Akot off the bench were Winnipeg’s only other double-digit scorers as they chipped in with 17 and 13 points each. 

The biggest question entering the contest was which of Allen and Wright-Foreman was going to strike first in the heavyweight matchup, and to the surprise of everyone in attendance at the SaskTel Centre, it was neither of them. Emmanuel Bandoumel took the honour of throwing the game’s first punch as he scored eight points and went 2-for-2 from beyond the arc in the opening quarter. 

He spearheaded a 20-6 run that was as close to an early knockout blow as the home crowd could’ve asked for. 

Offensively, it was one of Saskatchewan’s strongest quarters all season as it shot 61 per cent from the field and hit five threes on a 50 per cent clip. Meanwhile, the Sea Bears offence which ranked fourth in the CEBL, was held to 31 per cent shooting and just one made three on seven attempts (14 per cent) as they trailed 31-15 after the first quarter. 

“We dug ourselves into a hole,” Winnipeg head coach Mike Taylor said postgame. “We didn’t come out with the defensive intensity that we needed … those extra opportunities gave the Rattlers a lead.”

Allen did get involved throughout the second as he hit three triples in the frame, subsequently leading to a game-high 16 points to go with four rebounds and four assists at halftime. His effort kept the Rattlers offence red-hot as they shot 46 per cent from the field and 45 per cent from distance to lead 52-31 at the break. 
“It just felt good to win with this group,” Allen said after the victory. “There’s always those rubbing it in vibes with your old team, but that’s the competitor I am, and they know I’ll be competitive but it’s all in the spirit of the game and they know I have love for them.” 

Meanwhile, Winnipeg’s offence kept sputtering as it shot 34 per cent from the field in the first half and hit one triple on 12 attempts. It didn’t help that the Sea Bears also got outworked on the glass, giving up 30 rebounds (-13) through the game’s first 20 minutes – subsequently eliminating opportunities to generate extra possessions necessary for a comeback. 

Coming out of halftime, the Sea Bears were gifted an opening as Allen picked up a fourth foul less than two minutes into the third quarter, forcing him to watch from the sideline. With the league MVP relegated to the bench for the remainer of the frame, Winnipeg did its best to cut down the deficit. 

Wright-Foreman made sure to do his part, hitting three consecutive threes as part of a 13-point frame. The 2023 scoring champ’s offensive outburst helped Saskatchewan cut what was once a 23-point deficit down to 70-58 before the final frame. 

“We fought back,” Taylor said when asked about his team’s effort late in the game. “I liked our effort in the third quarter, we played with a better pace … but these games are so competitive you have to start strong.” 

And although the Sea Bears cut the lead down to as low as 10 points in the fourth quarter, they couldn’t get the necessary stops to bring it any closer.

Saskatchewan took an 87-75 lead into Target Score Time and made quick work of the stoppage frame. Allen scored five of the nine necessary points, James Montgomery knocked down a pair of free throws and then John got a game-sealing transition layup to fall. 

What was most impressive for the Rattlers as they snapped the longest active losing streak in the CEBL was their production on the glass. Saskatchewan racked up 51 rebounds in the game and were plus-eight on offensive boards. The Rattlers 18 offensive rebounds were well above the 9.6 they usually average and it generated 10 more shot attempts for them compared to the Sea Bears. 

Up next 

The Sea Bears head back to Winnipeg, taking on the Vancouver Bandits on Saturday for the first of back-to-back matchups. 

For the Rattlers, they continue a three-game homestand on Sunday by taking on the Calgary Surge.