July 19, 2023 – Verdun Auditorium, Montreal, Quebec
Montreal Alliance 80 – 83 Scarborough Shooting Stars
The Montreal Alliance battled back from an early deficit on Wednesday night at the Verdun Auditorium to take the lead late in the game, only to see all their hard word washed away, as the Scarborough Shooting Stars win by hitting the target score on a three-point shot from Cat Barber.
The Alliance have now lost three of their last five games, barely holding onto their play-in spot in the Eastern Conference over the Brampton Honey Badgers.
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Early on in the first quarter, Scarborough scored first and looked to be a step or two faster than Montreal. The Shooting Stars used their physicality to over-power Montreal and forced the Alliance into a barrage of penalties. Credit where credit is due though, Montreal held on and did their best to keep the score as tight as possible, but at the half time buzzer, Montreal trailed the Shooting Stars by ten points.
With 3:47 left to play, a target score was set while the Scarborough Shooting Stars lead by just two points, 74 – 72 over Montreal. The Alliance had played a great quarter and looked as if they had solved the Shooting Stars, working hard to erase a ten point gap and get themselves back into the match.
With a target score now set at 83, Montreal took their first lead of the game when Nathan Cayo sank a three point shot that had the crowd on their feet. Back and forth action saw both teams coming close to snatching the victory, and Montreal looked as if they had won the game, when Treveon Graham had a three-point shot bounce off the rim and backboard and stay out of the bucket. Seconds later, Cat Barber sank his three point try to win the game for the Shooting Stars.
Although heartbreaking for Montreal, to come so close and lose, it was Scarborough that lead for the majority of the game. The Alliance only seemed to hit their mark late in the game, where they played a dominant fourth quarter – and fans in Verdun can only wonder what might have been had Montreal played that way earlier on.
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Scarborough and Montreal will meet again on Friday night at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre at 8:00 p.m. ET. The Alliance will then play their final home game of the season this Sunday, July 23rd, against the Brampton Honey Badgers at the Verdun Auditorium.
