Ottawa BlackJacks Dominate Vancouver Behind Harmon and Cleveland’s 71-Point Explosion

Some nights, two players just take over a game and dare the other team to stop them. Monday night in Ottawa was one of those nights.

Matthew Cleveland matched him stride for stride with 35 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists. Justin Harmon dropped 36 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists in under 38 minutes. Together, they accounted for more than 62% of Ottawa’s output and did it on both ends of the floor — scoring, rebounding, and facilitating. That is not a coincidence. That is a system working exactly as designed.

A Two-Man Engine Built to Stress Defenses

What made this duo so effective wasn’t just the volume — it was the variety. Harmon, the 6’4″ Illinois product who recently bolstered Ottawa’s backcourt, wasn’t simply hunting his shot. His 6 assists show he was reading the floor and making the right decisions under pressure. Cleveland, signed to a Standard Player Contract back on April 13, 2026, was arguably even more versatile: double-digit rebounds alongside 35 points suggests he was operating in multiple areas of the floor, not just spotting up from the perimeter.

When two players can score, rebound, and pass at this level simultaneously, it creates a cascading effect. Defenses have to account for both threats at all times, which opens space for role players. Justin Jackson took full advantage with 16 efficient points in 27 minutes. Wilson Dubinsky and Drew Cisse combined for 16 points and 14 rebounds. Ottawa’s supporting cast didn’t have to carry anything — they just had to show up and convert the opportunities that Harmon and Cleveland generated.

Caught ’em lacking.#BlackJacksEverywhere pic.twitter.com/wERYTDpeo9

— Ottawa BlackJacks (@ott_blackjacks) June 3, 2026

Vancouver’s Backcourt Wasn’t the Problem

To Vancouver’s credit, Jarkel Joiner and Jaelen House were outstanding. Their combined 49 points and 15 assists — House alone dishing 12 — represented a genuine counter-punch. In most games, that kind of backcourt production wins. The problem was the drop-off behind them. Tyrese Samuel, Mychal Mulder, and Miller Kopp each contributed 12 or 13 points, which looks fine on paper, but Ottawa’s depth simply outmatched Vancouver’s role players across 40 minutes of road basketball.

Closing out a three-game road stretch in Ontario is physically and mentally demanding. Vancouver came in at 3-1 and sitting atop the Western Conference — a strong early-season position — but road fatigue is real, and Ottawa exploited it relentlessly.

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The bigger question for Vancouver is whether this loss reveals anything structural. Joiner and House are a legitimate backcourt tandem, but if their supporting cast can’t consistently contribute 50-plus points on the road, opponents with a dominant duo like Ottawa’s will expose that gap every time.

For the BlackJacks, the more pressing question is sustainability. Harmon and Cleveland combining for 71 points is electric, but doing it night after night against tightening CEBL competition — especially with the new single-elimination playoff format raising the stakes of every game — will require exactly this kind of balanced contribution from Jackson and the bench. Monday night suggested Ottawa has the depth to make it work.