June 11, 2024
The Montreal Alliance take revenge with a road win over the Ottawa Blackjacks
Just days after dropping a Target Score period lead to the Ottawa Blackjacks at home – the Montreal Alliance have extracted revenge by handing the Blackjacks a solid defeat on their home court, unleashing an offensive display that should send shockwaves around the CEBL.
Ottawa beat Montreal in Verdun when Chris Smith was called for a travel while just a single bucket away from victory. Then, a give away gave the Blackjacks the chance to steal the win and that is exactly what they did.
See Also: Ottawa Blackjacks earn their first win in Montreal
Lead by Chris Smith, who tallied 21 points and five rebounds and continues to show great things in his first season in the CEBL, and reinforced by the strong play of newcomer Jordan Bowden who scored 20 points and the leadership of Ahmed Hill will chimed in with a further 17 points, the Alliance let loose on the Blackjacks in a mercilessly dominant display of force.
The Alliance outscored the BlackJacks by a score of 38-14 in the second quarter, extending their lead to a twenty point lead at half-time, taking a 54-34 advantage into the dressing room. The third quarter saw Montreal really lay the boot to the Blackjacks, upping the point spread by more than thirty points, and carrying a 86-55 lead into the final frame.
Ottawa’s Tyrrel Tate kept his squad in the hunt by putting up 33 points for the BlackJacks, while Isaih Moore who played a large role in Ottawa’s win over Montreal days prior, had 16 points and 12 rebounds. Brandon Sampson put up 10 points for the Blackjacks, but Montreal was a team on a mission and with revenge in their hearts.
Early on, it looked as if Ottawa might edge out Montreal again, as the Blackjacks took a slim two point lead to the end of the first quarter – but that was where the good news for the Ottawa Blackjacks ended. Leading 20-18 to start the second quarter, Ottawa quickly found themselves on the heels as Montreal ran they down like a runaway locomotive.
For a Montreal team that have played well most of the season, only to find a way to let leads slip away in the dying moments of their matches – winning in such convincing style has to feel fantastic. On paper, Montreal have lost for of their first five games prior to this, their second win of the season, yet on the court the story is far from that of a losing team. Besides their season opening game, Montreal have taken leads into the Target Score period, just to have victories snatched from beneath their sneakers.
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Perhaps this is the turning point for an Alliance team that deserved better than what they have walked off the court with. This was a match with a great deal of positives and a solid confidence boosting performance for the team that will be hosting the Championship Weekend at seasons end.
The Montreal Alliance return home to host the surging Niagara River Lions at the Verdun auditorium in two days time on Thursday June 13th, while the Ottawa Blackjacks will attempt to regroup and take on the top-seeded Scarborough Shooting Stars Thursday night.
