Few rivalries in the CEBL carry the cultural weight of Ottawa versus Montréal — two bilingual cities, two proud franchises, one scoreboard. On a May evening in Montréal, the Alliance welcomed the BlackJacks in front of their home crowd, but it was the visitors who imposed their blueprint from the very first possession.
Alex Fudge won the opening tip and Justin Jackson immediately set the tone, draining a three-pointer to put Ottawa ahead 3-0 inside the first two minutes. The BlackJacks were disciplined and relentless. Justin Harmon attacked the rim repeatedly, Cleveland found his range from distance, and Ottawa's defensive rotations were crisp throughout. By the end of the first quarter the visitors led 26-16. The second period amplified the advantage further — Cleveland buried a three-pointer to push the BlackJacks ahead by 21 (39-19) at one stage, and Ottawa carried a comfortable 54-43 advantage into halftime.
The third quarter was where the game turned from competitive to clinical. Ottawa pushed the margin to 21 points again, at 70-49, with Fudge delivering back-to-back alley-oop dunks that silenced the Montréal faithful. Shakur Daniel was a menace in the backcourt, racking up multiple steals that derailed Montréal's rhythm every time the Alliance threatened to mount a challenge. The visitors managed just 13 points in the period — their lowest-scoring quarter of the night — while Ottawa added 19, entering the fourth up 73-56.
Trailing by 17, Montréal finally found its best basketball in the fourth quarter. Freeman-Liberty — the Alliance's most persistent weapon all evening — attacked relentlessly, drawing fouls and converting from the line, then hit consecutive three-pointers to drag his side back into contention. Jalin Anderson and Quincy Guerrier chipped in timely baskets, and Montréal outscored Ottawa 23-17 in the final frame. But every time the Alliance looked to close the gap decisively, Ottawa had an answer.
With the lead standing at 11 points in the game's closing minutes, Freeman-Liberty went to the free-throw line for three shots and converted all of them, cutting the deficit momentarily to nine. Justin Harmon's fadeaway jumper restored the cushion immediately, and Ottawa managed the remaining possessions with poise and composure. The final buzzer confirmed a 90-79 victory that, while the scoreline suggests late drama, was never genuinely in doubt.
For Ottawa, this was a statement road performance — offensive firepower, defensive energy, and roster depth displayed in a hostile environment. For Montréal, the fourth-quarter output offers real encouragement: Freeman-Liberty was virtually unstoppable when given space, and the Alliance's refusal to fold on home court shows character. But three dominant quarters exposed a troubling defensive frailty that Montréal's coaching staff must address before these two sides meet again.
STATS - Final Score: Ottawa BlackJacks 90 — Montréal Alliance 79
- Q1: Ottawa 26 — Montréal 16
- Q2: Ottawa 28 — Montréal 27
- Q3: Ottawa 19 — Montréal 13
- Q4: Ottawa 17 — Montréal 23
- Largest Lead: Ottawa +21 (Q3, 70-49)
- Ottawa Q4 Scoring: 17 pts — Montréal Q4 Scoring: 23 pts
- Ottawa Tip-Off: Won (Alex Fudge)
- Ottawa Lead Changes / Deficits: Ottawa led wire-to-wire — Montréal never led
- Key Performer (Ottawa): Matthew Cleveland — team-high scorer, multiple 3-pointers across all four quarters
- Key Performer (Montréal): Javon Freeman-Liberty — Alliance leading scorer, multiple 3PT, FTs, and driving layups; dominant in Q4
- FG% / 3P% / FT%: N/A (raw play-by-play; official box score not provided)
HIGHLIGHTS - Matthew Cleveland was Ottawa's offensive engine, delivering multiple three-pointers and mid-range jumpers across all four quarters — his ability to score off the catch and off the dribble made him impossible to key on consistently.
- Javon Freeman-Liberty led all scorers and was the Alliance's only sustained offensive threat, finishing with three-pointers, driving layups, a reverse layup, and multiple trips to the free-throw line — his Q4 burst (23 team points) gave Montréal its only competitive stretch of the night.
- Alex Fudge provided the most electric moments of the contest with multiple alley-oop dunks in connection with Justin Harmon — an aerial combination that Montréal's defense had no coherent answer for across 40 minutes.
- Shakur Daniel was the game's most disruptive defensive presence, recording multiple steals and forced turnovers in the second and third quarters that consistently converted Montréal possessions into Ottawa transition opportunities.
Ottawa's third-quarter shutdown — holding the Alliance to 13 points — was the decisive passage of this game: suffocating pressure defense, instant transition offense off turnovers, and a bench that gave nothing back. Montréal's 23-point Q4 is meaningful, but it arrived with the result already sealed. Until the Alliance finds two or three contributors capable of sustaining offensive pressure from the opening tip alongside Freeman-Liberty, the BlackJacks will remain the standard in this rivalry.
