Brampton Honey Badgers claimed a narrow victory over Ottawa BlackJacks, winning 95 to 91 in CEBL play on Thursday night. The contest finished as a tight affair, with the home side holding their nerve in the closing stages. And here's the thing — when you look at the shooting numbers, you can see why it went down to the wire.
Ottawa shot better from three-point range, converting 14 of 40 attempts compared to Brampton's 7 out of 26. The visitors also recorded more assists with 25 against 19, suggesting they moved the ball with purpose. By then though, Brampton had built enough of a cushion to withstand the rally.
The statistics tell a story of contrasting approaches. Brampton controlled the boards with 41 rebounds to 38, including 12 offensive boards that gave them second-chance opportunities. Ottawa relied more on volume from distance while the hosts worked inside for their 35 field goals.
With this result, Ottawa remains in third place after 19 games, sitting on nine wins and ten defeats. The gap above them has not changed, but the quality of defeat matters when you're pushing for position. To be fair, they put up a fight against a side that should have too much for them on paper.
Brampton's recent form shows inconsistency — losses to Scarborough and Winnipeg in their last two outings before this win. The victory gives them momentum heading into the next fixture, though they'll know they need to improve their perimeter shooting. Three-point efficiency will decide close games at this level.