Fueled by the hometown crowd, the Saskatchewan Rattlers defeated the Fraser Valley Bandits 83-73 Friday evening.
Now on a three-game win streak, the Rattlers have proven their ability to dominate despite recent roster changes.
“There’s no more roster moves, so now these are the guys we’re rocking with ‘til the end,” said Rattlers forward Shaq Keith. “Right now we’re doing a really good job of playing cohesively and trusting each other and locking up on the defensive end.”
The Rattlers held the lead early, with Alex Campbell scoring the first three points of the game. He went on to score 13 of his 22 total points in the first ten minutes and led Saskatchewan to just their third win at home this season.
“We’ve got some good guys that can create shots, so if I’m in the right places and just finding my spots then the ball’s going in,” said Campbell after his game-high performance.
Saskatchewan held a five-point lead after the first quarter but struggled to hold onto it in the second. Fraser Valley scored six straight points right out of the break, giving them a one-point lead.
Both teams fought for possession of the lead, but Saskatchewan’s shooting woes eventually did them in, as the first half finished 41-40 in favour of the Bandits.
The Rattlers regained control of the lead early in the third quarter, opening with a 7-2 run. Once again, the lead bounced back and forth for the majority of the quarter. Fraser Valley gathered up a short run to take the lead by five with four minutes to play, but it was short-lived. Saskatchewan closed the quarter on a 9-0 run, entering the final ten minutes of play leading 60-56.
Saskatchewan dominated the final quarter, not once giving the visitors hope of a comeback. Aggression from Shaq Keith and Alex Campbell helped the Rattlers run away with the victory, combining for 11 points in the quarter.
Despite poor shooting throughout the night, Saskatchewan was still able to grind their way to a victory. They shot an underwhelming 62% from the charity stripe, and only 28% from behind the arc.
“I think it was a good team win overall,” said Alex Campbell. “A little stagnant in the third, the second and third, but we were able to piece it together in the end, catch a rhythm and close out the game.”
With this win, the Rattlers improve to 9-8 on the season and win their third game in a row. They’ll head to Edmonton on Thursday for a game against the first place Stingers.
As for Fraser Valley, their record worsens to 4-14 with their fourth loss in a row. They’ll travel back home for a game against the River Lions on Thursday.
