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A troublesome start proved to be the only obstacle for the Saskatchewan Rattlers during a 113-95 win over the Hamilton Honey Badgers at SaskTel Centre on Thursday.
After a few Rattlers miscues on both sides of the ball put the team down 25-21 after first quarter, de facto leader Bruce Massey teamed up with early Canadian Elite Basketball (CEBL) star Tavrion Dawson to punish the Honey Badgers as the game wore on.
“We talked about it after the first quarter, running the pick-and-pop with me and (Dawson), they had trouble guarding it,” Massey said. “We just kept exploiting the mismatch.
“I was able to get out on the open floor, my teammates kept finding me and they kept telling me to be aggressive.”
Rattlers head coach Greg Jockims is glad to see the 28-year-old import taking charge after labeling Massey his captain and core leader of the new team.
“(Massey) is a very emotional player, and when he gets emotional in the right way, he can lead our team,” Jockims said of the Chicago product.
“Sometimes emotion is a strength and a weakness at the same time, but we know that he’s going to be one of the leaders of the team and the team will go as he goes, in terms of the emotion and the commitment to compete.”
Massey — who registered a double-double in the win with 29 points and 10 rebounds to go along with a two assists — acted as floor general again for the Rattlers as he controlled the team’s offence en route to 55 per cent field-goal shooting.
“Offensively, we’re starting to get a feel for how we need to play to be successful, “Jockims said of the team’s progress after three games.
“We got lots of athletes out there. We need to spread the floor, push the ball up hard so that we can create those long close-outs, and that space and movement that will let our athletes play.”
The win was the Rattlers’ first at home, and officially starts the team’s first win streak as a franchise following last week’s 130-110 win over the Guelph Night Hawks.
“The progression feels good. You can definitely see the chemistry on the court,” Massey said of the team that is still coming together. “We’re starting to learn what each other can do on the court … It looks good right now.”
After the 25-21 deficit to start the game, Alex Campbell scored five straight Rattlers points to start the second quarter after a three and quick layup in transition.
It was a sign of things to come for the Rattlers as they were able to pull away from Hamilton with 53 per cent three-point shooting in the first half, highlighted by a 13-0 run to end the second quarter that earned the Rattlers a 51-38 lead going into the break.
The second half is when Massey and Dawson went to work, working off the dribble and creating space for one another.
After the lead fell to seven with a 75-68 score, the Rattlers continued to exploit the Honey Badgers, this time counteracting the full court press for open looks.
Massey highlighted his big fourth quarter with a layup and quick steal before sinking a three-point dagger to give his team a 98-79 lead while putting the finishing touches on the team’s first win streak.
Ricky Tarrant Jr. led the Honey Badgers with 36 points.
Dawson had 30 points and seven rebounds for the Rattlers. Negus Webster-Chan was the other impressive Rattler, scoring 22 points and adding five rebounds.
These two teams will meet in Hamilton on Saturday for a rematch, where Jockims is expecting a feisty Hamilton squad.
“The team that loses always has an advantage, in terms of trying to bounce back,” Jockims said. “It will be a good test for us early in the season.”