Vancouver Bandits beat Scarborough Shooting Stars in a dazzling comeback

JEN FIELD/ GATG

It came right down to the line, but the Vancouver Bandits pulled off the win over the Scarborough Shooting Stars on Tuesday July 1st, thanks to Zach Copeland starting and ending the game with buckets. 

The Bandits are now 10-3 in the season, an incredible feat considering the continual shake up of personnel throughout the season.

The roster did indeed change as expected, as Zach Copeland and Curtis Hollis both drew back into the lineup for Tuesday night’s game. Nick Ward was ruled out for rest, while Tristan Jass was moved off of the injured list and onto the Suspended list.

Kyle Mangas was also placed on the Suspended list, as earlier in the day it was announced that he has signed with the San Antonio Spurs for the NBA Summer League that runs from July 5-17.

The first quarter saw solid efforts from our home team, with Copeland making his presence known 4 seconds into the game with a layup. 

Tyrese Samuel and Mitch Creek also came in clutch as usual in the first frame. Samuel made 100% of his field goal attempts, while Creek made 80% of his.

The Bandits swiftly pulled ahead of their opponents thanks to 9 fast break points and 9 turnovers in the first frame, but as the second quarter went on, Scarborough started to wake up and shrink the gap.

By this point, the game started to get a bit messy, as both teams showed a less disciplined game. The Bandits in particular saw 8 more fouls called versus the 3 they were called on in the first quarter.

Quarter 3 continued the less disciplined trend, as the Shooting Stars caught up within the first couple of minutes alone before pulling ahead by 9 points. 

The Shooting Stars forced 14 turnovers, a massive increase from the 5 they had forced in the first 2 quarters combined.

The third frame also saw the Shooting Stars biggest scoring run, of which Terquavion Smith played a big part of, as well as an increase of 22 points from the paint.

On the flip side, the Bandits still dominated the game on fast break points. Corey Davis Jr’s game exploded, as he racked up 10 points while displaying a swagger that showed how much he’s started to fit into the team’s system since signing with Vancouver just shy of 3 weeks ago.

After the games, Coach Julius praised Davis Jr’s game and skills.

“Easily one of the best point guards I’ve ever coached. Both sides of the ball, it’s incredible…No one scores on him one on one, he picked up our offence in like, two days. He plays with passion, he plays with toughness. The guys respect him.”

Quarter 4 was where things started to get really interesting.

Zach Copeland tied the game again roughly 1 minute into the fourth, with a three point bucket that left him falling onto the court. Corey Davis Jr replicated that not long after.

Both teams traded points and fouls, and while Vancouver managed to maintain the lead again for most of the quarter, Scarborough made it close, thanks to a layup from Jaden Campbell just before Target Score Time.

The Shooting Stars got the initial three points in Target Score time, after Cat Barber got the rebound from a Corey Davis Jr attempt and passed it to Jaden Campbell.

Mitch Creek managed to draw a foul and was awarded 2 free throws, both of which he made, but Kalif Young for Scarborough followed that with a layup and a free throw.

For a brief period of time, the Shooting Stars looked poised to take the win after another layup brought them within 3 points of the Target Score, while the Bandits still needed 7. 

Mitch Creek drew yet another foul and again, made both free throws, both involving a great turnover that was forced by Duane Notice. The ball eventually made its way back into Zach Copeland’s hands for a three point basket that brought the Bandits to 97.

Creek went from drawing fouls to being called on them though. Donovan Williams was awarded 2 free throw attempts, 1 of which he made.

Both teams were tied and within 2 points of claiming the win.

Once play resumed, Williams tried to finish things off with a three point attempt that ultimately bounced off the rim and into the crowd.

Vancouver and Scarborough each traded another unsuccessful three point attempt, which sent the crowd into a frenzy.

Creek got the ball once again and passed it over to Corey Davis Jr, who started to trot back down the court while draining the shot clock. He finally passed it over to Copeland, who sank the game winner, bookending the game with three-point buckets.

After the game, Coach Julius felt that there was a lot to take away from the team’s efforts tonight going into practice for Sunday night’s game.

“I learned a lot about our group. I’m gonna take that with me. Some personnel things. And then the fact, yeah I mean you’re not gonna win every night by twenty points, right? So you gotta be able to…stay poised and execute, and I thought we did a good job there.”

Personnel has been a big theme for the Bandits lately given the regular roster shake ups that come this time of year, and while it’s not ideal, Coach Julius does appreciate the leadership group’s ability to guide the team through constant changes.

“There’s so much change. But I do think we have really good leadership. Corey, Duane [Notice], Mitch. Like, excellent leaders. And they’re able to kinda mold the group on a day-to-day basis, so we just kinda have to work through it…We’ve won now a few games with some completely different lineups. I’m really proud of that because that’s not easy to do.”

The Bandits look to continue this win streak when they host the Brampton Honey Badgers on Sunday July 6 at 5pm.