The Saskatchewan Rattlers closed out their regular season with a narrow 125-115 loss to the Guelph Nighthawks on Thursday night at SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon.
Despite losing on the night, the Rattlers will enter the postseason winners of five of their last six, after coming into the night riding a five-game winning streak.
“The effort was very good in the second half,” said Rattlers head coach Greg Jockims. “We played really hard, we stuck together, and were fighting to get back in the game.”
With the Rattlers entering the night with the third spot in the CEBL Championship Weekend already locked up, the team was able to experiment with different lineups in the late going as they tried to rally back into the contest.
“We decided to put a big, athletic group out there, switch all screens and get after it defensively and some transition run outs, and we did,” said Jockims.
Meanwhile, for the Nighthawks, with their season all but finished after being eliminated prior to tip off, they simply wanted to make a statement in the franchise’s final game of the CEBL’s inaugural season. The visitors did simply that as the victory marks
“Give Guelph credit, it was their game of the year. They shot the ball extremely well,” said Jockims.
The Rattlers were led by guard Alex Campbell who finished with 24 points on 4-9 from three-point range. Meanwhile, Marlon Johnson recorded 20 points and five rebounds in what was one of his finest performances in a Saskatchewan uniform.
Johnson got the crowd on their feet on multiple occasions over the course of the evening as he delivered one rim-rocking jam after another, which allowed the Rattlers crowd to get involved in the game and make a difference for the home side.
“The way we’re playing, with lots of dunks and three’s, it’s exciting just to sit back and watch it,” said Jockims. “Being on our home court, when we get into a close game and it’s high energy like that, it’s going to help us.”
A hot shooting first half from the Nighthawks gave the visitors a 75-52 lead at recess.
The Rattlers battled back throughout the fourth quarter, but were unable to fully work themselves back into the contest after the early deficit.
Saskatchewan will now have a week to recharge, and after constant lineup shuffling all season long, appear to have their rotation set.
The Rattlers will enter Championship Weekend with a matchup against the Edmonton Stingers
“We certainly are one of the best four teams in the league and it’s going to come down to who is the best on that given night. We’ve got Edmonton who we’ve played four times and have had some success against, but you kind of have to put that behind you. It’s going to be a close game next weekend, said Jockims.”
The Rattlers will play host to the Edmonton Stingers in semi-final action on Saturday afternoon, while the other matchup will see the Niagara River Lions battle the Hamilton Honey Badgers. The winners of each game will advance to Sunday’s championship game which will see the first ever CEBL Champion crowned on SaskTel Centre.
