Saskatchewan Rattlers forward Jelane Pryce throws down a dunk against the Edmonton Stingers in the semifinal match up Saturday at the SaskTel Centre. Jeff D'Andrea/paNOW Staff

By Jeff D'Andrea

On the edge of glory

Rattlers ride the crowd to move into the first CEBL finals, to face Honey Badgers

Aug 24, 2019 | 6:04 PM

The first ever Canadian Elite Basketball League champion in history will be crowned on Sunday, and the Saskatchewan Rattlers could win it on their home court.

The Rattlers earned their spot in the finals with an 85-83 victory over the Edmonton Stingers in the first of two Saturday semifinals games at the SaskTel Centre.

The CEBL Championship Weekend itself brings a unique energy and intensity. That’s something that Saskatchewan Rattlers’ player of the game Marlon Johnson highlighted in his postgame comments after his Rattlers rode the energy of their rowdy hometown crowd to beat the second-ranked Stingers.

“It was a great atmosphere, especially with the fans. We really enjoy our fans, that’s why we’re so engaged with them,” Johnson said, after scoring a game-high 17 points, 11 in the fourth quarter. “We hype them up, we talk to them, and we give them high fives. They play a big part in it.”

It looked like the Stingers were going to walk away with the game. They held the lead for almost three complete quarters until Shaquille Keith restored the Rattlers’ lead at 69-68 with 7:21 left in the fourth quarter with a crazy, reverse layup for the and-one.

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The crowd erupted and Keith went into the corner, posed with the crowd and high-fived them on the way back to the free throw line. The Rattlers had all the energy in the building, and that’s when Marlon Johnson did his thing. He scored nine consecutive points for the Rattlers in the final 2:51 of the game, including the eventual game-winning three pointer with 52 seconds remaining.

“He’s really grown as a player, which is well skill-wise, but the big growth is your maturity, your emotion and your focus,” Rattlers head coach Greg Jockims said of Johnson. “When you’re younger, you tend to let emotions rule the day. But as you get smarter and older as he is, you start to let your decisions carry the day over the emotions. He had a great game in that regard, and has down the stretch.”

Honey Badgers never give up

The Niagra River Lions entered the Championship Weekend with a league-best record and only five losses all year in 20 games.

But they were upset 104-103 by the Hamilton Honey Badgers (10-10), who lived up to their monniker and kept coming until the final second.

Guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes had a standout game for the Honey Badgers, as he flirted with a triple-double, scoring 28 points, adding 11 assists and eight rebounds.

That will set up a 4 p.m. finals at the SaskTel Centre between the Rattlers and the Honey Badgers to decide the first ever CEBL champion.

“It would mean a lot, especially because we’re in Saskatchewan. I’d like to bring a championship here, and I’d like to get one for myself,” Johnson said. “I’ve never won one, ever. It’d be great, man.”

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Jeff.dandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW