Shooting Stars clinch playoff berth, No. 2 seed with win over BlackJacks

The Scarborough Shooting Stars became the third team in the Eastern Conference to clinch a 2024 playoff berth after beating the Ottawa BlackJacks 92-79 on Thursday night.

Scarborough joins the Niagara River Lions and host Montréal Alliance as locks in the East postseason picture, while also earning the right to host the conference’s Play-In game as a result of the victory.

Leading the way for the defending champs was Cat Barber who finished with a game-high 28 points on 50 percent shooting to go with four rebounds, six assists and two steals. He was joined by Jalen Adaway who had one of his best outings as a Shooting Star, scoring 21 points with five made threes on a 50 per cent clip. Meanwhile, Aaron Best finished with a double-double (13 points, 10 rebounds) for Scarborough as its third and final double-digit scorer.

“Everyone played well,” Devan Blair, head coach of the Shooting Stars said after the win. “Everyone played within their role and did what they had to do, so I’m really happy.”

For the BlackJacks, the loss snapped a two-game win streak and reduces their lead for the final playoff spot in the East to just 0.5 games. Tevin Brown led Ottawa on the night as he finished with 26 points on 6-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc to go with four rebounds and three steals. Shamar Givance chipped in with 13 points off the bench against his former squad while Lloyd Pandi added 12 points as well.

Scarborough was the more prolific offence entering the night, averaging the second most points per game (92.9)in the CEBL, but Ottawa didn’t seem to get that memo through the first quarter. The BlackJacks shot 54 percent from the field while drilling four threes on a 44 per cent clip as they earned a 23-19 lead following the first10 minutes.

Ottawa’s lead could’ve been even larger, considering Scarborough shot under 40 per cent from the field and hit just one of their nine three-point attempts (11 per cent) in the frame, but the defending champs kept things close thanks to some miscues the other way. The BlackJacks turned the ball over seven times for 11 points while also giving up five offensive rebounds for a handful of extra possessions.

And although Ottawa cleaned up the unforced errors for a majority of the second quarter, even taking the game’s first 10-point lead following an 8-0 run, they couldn’t stay ahead. The Shooting Stars held the BlackJacks scoreless for the final four minutes of the first half and a Barber three at the buzzer capped off a 12-0 run that put up 43-39.

The import had a game-high 14points on 50 per cent shooting at the break, 10 of which came in the second quarter, proving yet again why he’s Scarborough’s top scorer this year and why he has the fourth-highest average scoring total (20.8) in the CEBL this season.

Coming out of the break, the BlackJacks did have a response of their own though in the form of Brown. The Alabama guard hit three consecutive threes as part of 11 points in the third, helping Ottawa cut the lead down to65-63 headed into the fourth.

That momentum quickly stalled however, as the Shooting Stars opened the final frame on an 18-4 run that was initially sparked by back-to-back Adaway triples. The hot stretch earned Scarborough an 83-67 advantage headed into Target Score Time, the largest lead of the game to that point.

“Jalen Adaway was huge,” Blair said when asked about who stepped up for his team tonight. “He just gets it and makes plays ... that was huge.”

Once the stoppage period got underway, the defending champs made sure not to squander their 16-point edge as Scarborough missed just three shots before Kalif Young put an end to the contest by way of the free throw line.

“I think we played a pretty complete game for the most part,” Adaway said following the victory. “Guys playing confident and hard on both ends ... I think that’s huge ... it started.”

Although Ottawa did its job efficiency wise, shooting 42 and 41 per cent from the field and distance while also holding Scarborough to 40 and 28 per cent from the same spots, the number of extra possessions given up ended up costing the team a much-needed win.

The BlackJacks finished the game with 20 turnovers which led to 20 points for the Shooting Stars off said giveaways while also giving up 18 offensive rebounds (minus-nine) for 17 second chance points. By the end of the game, Scarborough had taken 23 more field goal attempts than Ottawa had.

“We have to be more connected as a team,” Brown said after the loss. “Play a full game, rebound the ball a lot better and take care of the ball ... you can’t win a basketball game when you give that (many extra possessions) up.”

Up next

The Shooting Stars now head home to Scarborough as they host the Brampton Honey Badgers in the final GTA rivalry game of the 2024 regular season.

For the BlackJacks, they’ll continue a three-game homestand on Saturday, awaiting the arrival of the East-leading Niagara River Lions