The Rattlers, who blew yet another lead during the Elam-ending target score period Thursday against Ottawa, head to Montreal on Friday night to close out the season.
Out of the playoff picture, the Saskatchewan Rattlers found themselves finishing off their season on the road in the Canadian Elite Basketball League this week.
The Rattlers, who blew yet another lead during the Elam-ending target score period Thursday, headed to Montreal on Friday night to close out the season.
On Thursday night, Saskatchewan led by as many as eight points in target time but allowed the Ottawa Blackjacks to come back for a 98-92 win as the Rattlers fell to 6-13 for the season.
Heading into Friday night’s game, the Rattlers had lost 11 of their previous 12 games after a promising 5-2 start to the season.
On Thursday, Saskatchewan was outscored 29-19 in the final frame while Ottawa closed out the game with a 14-0 run. The Rattlers had an eight-point lead early in the target time period but what followed was a series of miscues, turnovers and missed shots by Saskatchewan.
“We had it in hand and let it go at the end,” Rattlers head coach Larry Abney said after the loss. “Winning is a habit; so is losing, and we haven’t collected enough wins to understand how to win … we found ways not to win the game.”
Already eliminated from post-season contention, Saskatchewan couldn’t avoid a fourth consecutive loss despite having five players score in double figures, led by Teddy Allen, who finished 29 points and eight assists. James Montgomery chipped in with an 11-point, 13-rebound double-double.
Cody John added 15 points. Jaden Bediako had 12 points and nine rebounds. Emmanuel Bandoumel recorded 10 points and five assists.
The win, combined with a Brampton Honey Badgers loss just 30 minutes later, clinched a playoff berth for the BlackJacks.
Ottawa picked up the win against Saskatchewan despite being a minus-20 on the glass (Rattlers held a 54-34 edge in rebounds) and taking 10 fewer field-goal attempts as a result.
Saskatchewan, which was limited to 43 per cent shooting from the field, committed 17 turnovers.
Saskatchewan was eliminated from the playoff picture after a 97-93 loss to the Winnipeg Sea Bears last Saturday followed by a 111-104 win by Winnipeg over the Calgary Surge on Tuesday. The Sea Bears, who once trailed by 13 points to the Surge, clinched a post-season spot before 11,051 fans at Canada Life Centre.
The Saskatoon Star Phoenix has created an Afternoon Headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. Click here to subscribe.
With some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark thestarphoenix.com and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Click here to subscribe.