Ottawa BlackJacks Beat Montreal Alliance Behind Harmon and Cleveland’s Dominant Display
Ottawa BlackJacks secured a convincing 11-point road win over the Montreal Alliance, powered by a balanced offensive effort from Justin Harmon and Matthew Cleveland. Photo Credit: Ottawa BlackJacks
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The CEBL standings on May 31, 2026, defeating the Montreal Alliance 90-79 in a game that was never truly in doubt in its final stages. The winning formula was straightforward: Justin Harmon ran the show, and Matthew Cleveland finished plays.
Harmon and Cleveland Combine for 45 Points
Harmon finished with 22 points and 7 assists in 33.3 minutes, dictating the tempo from start to finish. His ability to both score and distribute gave Ottawa’s offense multiple dimensions that Montreal struggled to contain consistently. Alongside him, Cleveland added 23 points and 7 rebounds in the same amount of time, giving the BlackJacks a physical and scoring presence that proved decisive.
Justin Harmon (Ottawa BlackJacks) - Matthew Cleveland (Ottawa BlackJacks)Justin Harmon Matthew Cleveland PTS 22 23 REB 1 7 AST 7 2 STL 1 1 BLK 0 1
The pairing was particularly effective because it forced Montreal’s defense to make difficult choices. Harmon’s playmaking opened lanes for Cleveland, while Cleveland’s rebounding extended possessions and kept Ottawa’s offense alive. The two combined for 45 of Ottawa’s 90 points, a clear indicator of where the game was won.
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— Ottawa BlackJacks (@ott_blackjacks) June 1, 2026
Freeman-Liberty Leads Montreal but Alliance Fall Short
Montreal’s best answer came from Javon Freeman-Liberty, who led all scorers with 25 points and 4 rebounds in 32.1 minutes. The Alliance guard was aggressive and productive, but his individual effort could not compensate for Ottawa’s collective efficiency on the night.
Quincy Guerrier added 17 points and 4 rebounds in 26.7 minutes, giving Montreal a secondary scoring option. However, the Alliance’s supporting cast failed to generate enough consistent offense to seriously threaten Ottawa’s lead in the second half.
The 11-point final margin tells a clear story. Ottawa controlled the game’s key stretches and never allowed Montreal to string together the runs needed to close the gap. The BlackJacks’ ability to limit Montreal to 79 points while scoring 90 themselves reflected a disciplined defensive approach to complement their offensive firepower.
Montreal Alliance 79 - 90 Ottawa BlackJacks · CEBL · 31/05/2026Game PTS REB AST Montreal Alliance Guillaume Payen-Boucard 4 4 2 Anthony Maxwell 2 0 0 Nate Tshimanga 2 0 0 Javon Freeman-Liberty 25 4 2 Trent Johnson 8 1 3 Kevin Osawe 4 4 2 Jalin Anderson 10 2 4 Michael Hughes 4 3 1 Quincy Guerrier 17 4 2 Ben Stevens 3 6 0 Ottawa BlackJacks Alex Fudge 11 6 5 Justin Harmon 22 1 7 Justin Jackson 12 3 1 Matthew Cleveland 23 7 2 Wilson Dubinsky 3 1 1 Justin Ndjock-Tadjore 6 5 0 Shakur Daniel 2 2 7 Christian Rohlehr 0 0 0 Marko Maletic 5 2 0 Drew Cisse 6 9 1
This result underlines Ottawa’s potential as a genuine contender in the 2025-2026 CEBL season. When Harmon and Cleveland are both operating at this level simultaneously, the BlackJacks are a difficult team to beat. For Montreal, the loss highlights the need to build more consistent offensive support around Freeman-Liberty if the Alliance want to compete with the league’s stronger rosters.
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