Vancouver Bandits remain unbeatable at home in the Langley Events Centre after a 104-67 win over the Ottawa BlackJacks on Saturday, June 22, that kept their home record perfect.
Vancouver is now 6-0 in front of their own fans this season.
“There’s a lot that’s special about this building,” Bandits’ head coach Kyle Julius said following the win. “The fans, organization … it’s really good. We’re going to be a tough team to beat in this building.”
Koby McEwen led the way with a game-high 28 points, six rebounds and five assists – including a game-winning three. He had plenty of help from Nick Ward and Zach Copeland, chipping in 18 and 15 points each while Duane Notice and Kur Jongkuch (5-for-5 from the field) finished with 13 and 11 points off the bench, respectively.
Tazé Moore finished with just four points, below his usual 20.1 points per game, but racked up eight rebounds and 13 assists.
“Just a straight killer,” Julius said of McEwen’s growth this season while reflecting on the scoring outburst. “Competitive fire through the roof and incredible work ethic … he’s just tough as nails.”
Vancouver took a 94-64 lead into Target Score Time and never let up from there. The Bandits missed just one shot from that point while limiting the BlackJacks to one made basket before McEwen ended things courtesy of a left-wing triple.
The 37-point margin was the second-largest point differential in a game this season, just shy of the 43-point mark set by the Niagara River Lions on May 30. Everything went right for the Bandits as they made 19 more shots, grabbed eight more rebounds, dished 12 more assists and forced 19 turnovers (+8).
Next, Bandits will host the Edmonton Stingers Saturday, June 29, for a rematch between the Western Conference’s top two squads as part of the club’s Filipino Heritage Game.
