BlackJacks drop third straight in loss to Shooting Stars

The Scarborough Shooting Stars took control early against the Ottawa BlackJacks and handed them their third straight loss to start the 2022 Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season.

Scarborough dominated throughout, and secured a 98 to 81 win against Ottawa on Thursday, June 2 at TD Place.

Forward Isiaha Mike got his shot going early for the Shooting Stars and finished with a game high 21 points and nine rebounds.

“He's a great player, very strong, a winner, really likes to get after it, a very good person to have on our team in terms of competing and his skill level is very high,” said Scarborough Shooting Stars head coach Chris Exilus. “We're really thankful to have him on our team.”

Despite putting up big numbers, Mike was quick to give credit to the team and what they accomplished during the game.

“We were moving the ball, sharing the ball, I think five guys ended up in double figures today,” said Mike. “We were really sharing that rock today.”

Former Raptors second-round draft pick Jalen Harris also put up a strong game for the Shooting Stars finishing with 14 points and 42 per cent shooting from the field.

Frustration was building for the BlackJacks who haven't been able to pick up a win in the three games they've played so far this season. Ottawa-native Maxime Boursiquot had 10 points in the game, but said it can be frustrating not being able to get a win.

“We always want to trend towards the right direction, we want to get some wins,” said Boursiquot. “If we're not able to do that then things get frustrating and guys aren't on the same page.”

Head Coach of the BlackJacks, Charles Dubé-Brais, said he doesn't really have a “weight on your shoulders” type of feeling right now, and expects things to turn around in Ottawa's favour. He even cited the Boston Celtics as an example of a team who didn't live up to expectations at the beginning of their season, but turned things around and even made it to the National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals.

“The Boston Celtics were 18 and 21 after 39 games this season and now they've turned into a juggernaut,” said Dubé-Brais. “As new guys find their new roles and figure out how to be efficient in those roles – it can take time so it's obviously fantastic when it happens right away but that's not the case right now so we've just got to keep working.”

The BlackJacks allowed 15 three-pointers, one of those coming from Scarborough guard Jermaine Cole, also known by his stage name, J. Cole. 

Scarborough heads back to the Greater Toronto Area for their first home game June 4 against the Hamilton Honey Badgers, while Ottawa travels to St. John's Newfoundland to take on the Growlers on June 5.