July 28, 2024
The Montreal Alliance defeat the top-seeded Vancouver Bandits by two points, 80 to 78
The Montreal Alliance and Vancouver Bandits faced off this afternoon at the Verdun Auditorium; the leagues best and worst teams with opposite records.
Fresh off a win two days prior, in the very building, when the Alliance edged out the Saskatchewan Rattlers; meant Montreal came to court with a lot of momentum and a little pep in their stride. For Vancouver, there was nothing but pride left to play for, having secured their playoff spot with a win over the defending champions Scarborough Shooting Stars.
See Also: Montreal Alliance defeated the Saskatchewan Rattlers at home
The first ten points of the contest all went to the Bandits as early on, it looked as if Montreal were about to get run over as Vancouver got off to a blazing start that included a pair of triples from Zach Copeland. But as the Alliance have done all season long, they pushed back and fought there way back into the game. Montreal’s resilience this season has been formidable and while they will finish at the bottom of the standings, there were several games that they should have won that they ultimately dropped in the dying moments of the contest.
There were moments this afternoon where the game resembled a wrestling match more than it did a basketball game, as both teams appeared to have an emotional investment in tonight’s outcome. Bandits forward Nick Ward was tossed from the game late in the first quarter after earning a unsportsmanlike foul and a technical. Ward quite literally threw Alliance forward Bahaide Haidara heavily to the ground. Moments later, Ward was tossed for continuing to trash talk the official. Ward left the court under a barrage of booing from the Verdun crowd.
Despite giving up the first ten points of the game, Montreal closed the score gap and even briefly led the game and were down by just two points at the conclusion of the first quarter, trailing 19 to 21. Ward’s ejection seemed to spark the Alliance – and maybe deflate the Bandits at the same time, as play began to sway in Montreal’s favor.
Late in the second quarter, it was Montreal that now held a ten point lead, and they expand that by the time the buzzer went to fourteen as Montreal headed to the break up by a score of 46 to 32.
The Alliance have been notoriously bad in the third quarter all season long but had a strong showing in the last game two days ago, which ended up being a big part of how they managed to beat the Saskatchewan Rattlers. All season long, Montreal has found ways to blow leads in the third frame and they would need another strong showing here this afternoon to edge the Vancouver Bandits – and they got it.
Vancouver wasn’t about to give up, though, as they rallied in the third quarter to close the gap to just seven points, due to Alliance guard Devontè Bandoo dropping a three-point shot in the final seconds, giving Montreal the edge by a score of 61 to 54 heading into the final frame.
A late surge saw the Bandits climb back in the game, as Montreal struggled in the Target Score period. The Alliance entered the period with a nine point lead, need just nine more to reach 80 points and secure the win, but the Bandits took over and pressured Montreal hard, almost stealing the win from under Montreal’s feet. Moments before the game’s finale; Vancouver led by a single point, 70 to 77, and needed just a single basket to pull off the comeback.
Devontè Bandoo charged the paint, earning the bucket and one – the game would bow come down to a single free throw from the line, and Bandoo would sink it, snatching back the win for the Alliance from the jaws of defeat. Alliance win by a score of 80 to 78.
Tonight’s victory should ignite the Alliance going into the playoffs and further shows how close the ten teams in the CEBL really are. Any given team can win on any given evening – or afternoon in this case. Montreal’s early season struggles seemed to have been worked out as the year progressed and the team could well be hitting its stride at the best possible time – post-season time.
Alliance head coach Derrick Alston Sr. said competitiveness was the goal entering the matchup.
“I think we dominated the game at certain points. In the third quarter we kind of had some slippage, but we did enough to win and usually we’re on the wrong side of games like that. So I was very happy to be on the right side of it this time,” Alston Sr. said.
Read More:
>> Alliance slaughtered at home by River Lions
>> Montreal Alliance take revenge on the Ottawa Blackjacks
>> Ottawa Blackjacks earn their first win in Montreal
Despite finishing tied for last in league standings with the Saskatchewan Rattlers and Brampton Honey Badgers, Montreal’s season will extend to at least one more contest, when they take on the Niagara River Lions in the Eastern Conference final on August 9th at the Verdun Auditorium. That is because Montreal is the host city for this years playoffs, the CW24 weekend, and receive an automatic by as a result.
Now that the regular season has wrapped up, there is still a chance that the Bandits and Alliance could face each other again – and if they do, it would be in the final, vying for the CEBL Championship Trophy. While Vancouver finished the season with the best record, they have never won a game in Montreal, where this year’s CW24 Championship weekend takes place. Both teams would need a win for this rematch to take place.
