The miraculous run by the Scarborough Shooting Stars falls just short losing in the CEBL championship game to the Hamilton Honey Badgers

The fairytale season ends for the Scarborough Shooting Stars as they fall short of CEBL immorality losing 90-88 to the Hamilton Honey Badgers for the 2022 CEBL championship. Despite the victory considered guaranteed for the Honey Badgers, the Shooting Stars showed great resilience nearly stealing the championship.

In the first 20 minutes, both sides were very sloppy and stiff despite shooting over 50 percent from the field respectively. Hamilton played arguably their best defensive game of the season and made things extremely difficult for Scarborough. Whenever Jalen Harris was the ball handler in any pick and roll situation, he was instantly blitzed forcing turnovers and poor offensive choices on the part of the Shooting Stars. Harris alone finished with eight of the 19 turnovers committed by Scarborough.

Christian Vital was exceptional with timely shots finishing with 17 points, however, it was rookie Koby Mcewen that was the x-factor for the Honey Badgers with 16 points. The team that played the better game was Hamilton but it almost was the biggest collapse in CEBL history.

With a convincing lead heading into Elam ending, Hamilton needed to reach 90 points and comfortably led 87-71. With all the odds against the Shooting Stars, they didn't give in but instead played with an intensity that they lacked for the early stages of the game.

Jalen Harris was sensational on the defensive end, getting crucial stops and allowing for easy opportunities despite struggling mightily with just 12 points on 28 percent shooting from the field. Kassius Robertson was key with a momentum-shifting three as he led the Shooting Stars with 23 points. 

Garnering stop after stop, Scarborough found themselves doing the impossible. An 87-71 lead for Hamilton turned into just an 89-88 lead for the Honey Badgers after a huge three-pointer from Kameron Chatman. However, the magic from the Shooting Stars ran out as Caleb Agada drew a foul driving to the basket and sealed the deal with a free throw to give the Honey Badgers the 2022 CEBL championship.

Any critiques of Elam ending won't surface after this game as it proved just how entertaining it can allow games to be. Scarborough wouldn't have even come close to coming back if the format was a standard basketball game. An outcome that is only possible in the CEBL.

The 2022 CEBL season comes to an end in electric fashion only setting the tone for years to come. Despite the heartbreaking loss in the finals, Scarborough has established a winning culture out the gates, a culture that will be cemented in the coming seasons.