We’re only about one quarter of the way through the season, but the stakes already feel high.

The Scarborough Shooting Stars (2-2) have a chance to put meaningful distance between themselves and their in-province rival Brampton Honey Badgers (2-4) when the teams meet for the first time this season on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET at Brampton’s CAA Centre. Live streaming coverage is available on CEBL+ and TSN+.

While the reigning champion Shooting Stars are winners of two straight after dropping their first pair of contests of the season, the Honey Badgers have lost their last four.

Especially on home court, then, expect Brampton to come out fully energized.

In the Honey Badgers’ last game against the Rattlers, top scorer Zane Waterman and fellow starter LJ Thorpe were ejected midway through the second quarter following a scuffle with Saskatchewan’s Elijah Harkless.

But while Brampton could not close out the victory, it did respond with a clear fieriness after the melee. 

“We were just trying to stay together, use it as motivation rather than look at the negative side of things. We tried to just keep fighting. Came up short, but I’m happy that we at least tried to keep fighting, didn’t give up,” said Honey Badgers swingman Shamiel Stevenson, who led the team in scoring in Waterman’s absence.

Meanwhile, the Shooting Stars haven’t played since last Saturday, when they narrowly beat the Niagara River Lions.

In that time, some championship reinforcements have come closer to making their season debut after finishing out their pro campaigns overseas.

While franchise-leading scorer Cat Barber is likely still unavailable, title-game captain Kalif Young may draw back in for Scarborough.

Young, of Toronto, played over 24 minutes per game for the Shooting Stars last season, averaging 7.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per contest.

His return should help a Shooting Stars squad which currently only has one player snagging more than five rebounds per game.

Through four games, Scarborough has leaned on a pair of ex-BlackJacks in Jackson Rowe, the team’s leading scorer, and Kade Gray, who is dishing 9.5 assists per game to lead the league.

Key matchup

Not only does Rowe lead the Shooting Stars in scoring at 16.8 points per game — the Toronto native also paces his team in minutes (34.3), rebounds (9.8) and steals (1.8).

A 6-foot-7 forward, Rowe has been central to Scarborough’s success on both ends of the floor.

It may be up to the Honey Badgers’ Stevenson, then, to slow him down.

Stevenson, 6-foot-6, will likely draw the first assignment on Rowe. He’ll need to use the athleticism he flashed while posterizing Rattlers forward Grant Basile on Friday to contain Rowe on the defensive end while also continuing to contribute on offence.

The American is Brampton’s second-leading scorer at 14.6 points per game, only behind Waterman’s 17.5.

Milestone watch

• 
  Scarborough’s Young needs four points to reach 500 for his career, including playoffs
• Young is also four assists away from 100 in his regular-season career
• Scarborough’s Gray is 11 assists away from 300 for his career, including playoffs
• When Brampton’s Waterman enters the court, he will match the Honey Badgers record for games played

2023 season series

Scarborough won three of four regular-season matchups last season, then eliminated Brampton with a blowout victory in the play-in round en route to winning the championship.

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About the Brampton Honey Badgers

One of the original franchises of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), the 2022 CEBL Champion Brampton Honey Badgers proudly call the CAA Centre home. The Brampton front office and basketball operations department bring NBA, NBA G League, national team, NCAA and major international pro league experience to the franchise. With a vision of promoting Brampton grassroots basketball and local businesses through community and corporate engagement, the Honey Badgers will leverage the explosion of basketball as a vehicle for innovation and change. For more information visit www.honeybadgers.ca.

About the Canadian Elite Basketball League (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 75% of its rosters being Canadian and a record 10 players with NBA experience in 2024. Players also bring experience from the NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, NCAA programs, as well as U SPORTS and CCAA. Fourteen players have signed NBA contracts following a CEBL season, and numerous CEBL players attend NBA G League training camps every year. The CEBL season runs from May through August with games broadcast live on CEBL+ powered by BetVictor, TSN, TSN+, RDS, Game+, Next Level Sports & Entertainment and Courtside1891. More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.