After a month-long losing streak, the Saskatchewan Rattlers hope a win this week at home was the first of a few memorable summer nights.
The Rattlers (6-9) remain fifth in the Canadian Elite Basketball League’s West Division, but a 96-84 win Thursday night at SaskTel Centre over the Winnipeg Sea Bears (7-7) snapped a seven-game losing streak and kept them within striking distance of the playoffs.
“This was our best win as a team, and we have to carry it forward,” said Saskatchewan’s Cody John, who finished with 18 points including the game-winning basket.
It was an especially notable victory for John, as the CEBL veteran surpassed 600 career points with a three-pointer in the fourth quarter.
“It was an amazing feeling,” John said after the milestone performance.
The Rattlers have back-to-back home games to try to climb up the standings. They host the Calgary Surge (8-7) on Sunday (4 p.m.) and then the Edmonton Stingers (11-5) on Thursday (7:30 p.m.) before hitting the road for a rematch against Winnipeg on July 20.
Saskatchewan’s Teddy Allen finished with 21 points against his former squad. He was the star of the night for the Rattlers, hitting five three-pointers while racking up five rebounds and six assists. Emmanuel Bandoumel and John also chipped in with 19 and 18 points, respectively.
“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.”
The biggest question entering the contest was whether Allen or Winnipeg’s Justin Wright-Foreman would strike first in the heavyweight matchup of CEBL stars.
Instead, Bandoumel took over early, scoring eight points and hitting both his three-point attempts 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. After one quarter, the Rattlers led 31-15 and never looked back.
“We dug ourselves into a hole,” Winnipeg head coach Mike Taylor said. “We didn’t come out with the defensive intensity that we needed … those extra opportunities gave the Rattlers a lead.”
Wright-Foreman finished with a game-high 31 points to go with seven assists. Scottie Lindsey, with 17 points, and Emmanuel Akot, with 13 points, off the bench were Winnipeg’s only other double-digit scorers.
Thanks to 13 points in the third quarter from 2023 CEBL scoring champ Wright-Foreman, the Sea Bears cut a 52-31 halftime deficit to 70-58 heading to the fourth quarter, but the Rattlers were able to steady their play and get to the finish.
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 John got a game-sealing transition layup for the win.
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