CEBL’s Top Two Scorers to Meet on National Television

The Winnipeg Sea Bears (-148) are set to open a three-game homestand tonight with a date against the Saskatchewan Rattlers (+108) at Canada Life Centre on TSN at 7 p.m. CT. The Sea Bears have a chance to clinch a postseason position in their inaugural season with a win tonight.

Tonight’s game will also be the third and final meeting of the regular season between Justin Wright-Foreman and Teddy Allen—the top two scorers in the CEBL.

While Wright-Foreman has been putting up close to 30 points (29.4) through 11 games this season, Winnipeg has taken the first two meetings of the year between these two teams.

Teddy Allen, who is averaging 25.6 points per game, put up 29 and 22 points in games against the Rattlers on June 9 and 23, respectively. Wright-Foreman countered with 34 and 22 points in those earlier matchups.

Allen has also had relied on a stronger supporting cast to help shoulder the workload—allowing the Sea Bears to hold the top spot in the Western Conference heading into tonight’s game.

E.J. Anosike is nearly averaging a double-double—18.2 points and 7.9 rebounds—through 14 games this year, and Jelani Watson-Gayle has averaged 13.9 points and shot better than 50 per cent from three off the bench.

Winnipeg local Chad Posthumus is leading the CEBL in offensive rebounds (61), and as a team, the Sea Bears are averaging a CEBL-best 15 offensive boards per game. Winnipeg also holds the advantage over total rebounds per game (42.9) over the Rattlers (39.5).

Saskatchewan is riding a three-game losing streak and sit in last place in the Western Conference.

However, the Rattlers showed fight in their last game on July 5: a 89-88 loss to the Ottawa BlackJacks, leaders of the Eastern Conference.

In interim head coach Tanner Massey’s debut, Jermel Kennedy scored a game-high 26 points and shot 66 per cent from the field as a late rally to snap the streak fell just short.

As a team, Saskatchewan shot 44 per cent from the field, and Massey credited his offence for putting the Rattlers in a position to win the game.

“The resiliency and our flow on offence, I thought was better,” Massey said after the game. “Guys were getting shots in areas that they were ready to shoot from, we just have to convert. “

If the Rattlers want to pull off the upset, they will need to neutralize Posthumus, Anosike and Allen—who is racking up 8.5 rebounds per game—on the boards. Forwards Julian Roche and Marquis Collins—who has stepped into the starting lineup with Malik Belenvi sidelined on injured reserve—will be expected to hold down the fort in the paint.

Roche is averaging a little over six points and 5.6 rebounds in 14 minutes played off the bench. Collins, a Chester, Pennsylvania product, scored six points and grabbed five boards in his first start of the season on July 5.

The Rattlers will also have to continue getting the long ball to fall. Saskatchewan is knocking down almost 11 three pointers per game, the highest rate in the CEBL. Wright-Foreman is averaging a little over 4 threes per game.

After tonight’s game, Saskatchewan will head to Edmonton on July 13 to conclude their road trip. Winnipeg will return home for a date with the Montréal Alliance on July 14.

For tickets, visit seabears.ca/tickets. The game will also be available for streaming on TSN+, CEBL+ powered by BetVictor, and on the CEBL Mobile app available on iOS and Android devices.

About the CEBL

A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 71 percent of its 2022 rosters being Canadian. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. Nine players have moved from the CEBL into the NBA following a CEBL season, and 28 CEBL players attended NBA G League training camps during October. The CEBL season runs from May through August. Head to CEBL.ca for more information or follow @CEBLeague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.

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