REGINA -- The moment Brendon Labatte waited his entire life for did not disappoint. Born and raised in Weyburn, Sask., Labatte played his university football with the Regina Rams before beginning a four-year stint with the CFLs Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Friday, for the first time, the new Saskatchewan Roughriders guard ran onto the Mosaic Stadium field for a game in the home teams colours. "Its been a long time coming," Labatte said, grinning widely, after the game. "The fans are unbelievable. It gives you goosebumps and youre so fired up before the start of the game. "It was unlike anything else Ive felt anywhere Ive played football." Dampening the mood somewhat was the final result: A 33-31 win for the visiting Calgary Stampeders (2-0) to conclude the CFLs exhibition schedule -- a pre-season the Roughriders finished at 0-2. But there were plenty of bright spots for Labatte and his fellow offensive linemen to carry into the regular season too. They gave Saskatchewans quarterbacking trio of Darian Durant, Drew Willy and J.T. OSullivan plenty of time to throw through most of the game. And the 81 yards amassed by the Riders leading rusher -- rookie slotback Kory Sheets -- nearly eclipsed the 84 posted by all five Calgary running backs. "It was kind of the benchmark for the season," said Labatte. "Were going to go nowhere but up, but when you have guys that havent been playing together that long and you can come out and move the ball early, especially on the ground, I think thats where it all starts. "When you can run the ball efficiently its going to open up the pass." The biggest beneficiary of a wide-open passing game -- on both sides -- was Calgarys Nik Lewis, who caught for a game-high 121 yards. Lewis shook off a late hit from the Roughriders Lance Frazier late in the second quarter to catch a 14-yard touchdown pass from Drew Tate and put Calgary up 17-13 at the half. Stampeders kicker Rene Paredes was flawless on all six field goal attempts, including the game-winner from 42 yards out with no time remaining. Paredes decisive kick was forced after OSullivan, Saskatchewans third-string quarterback, connected with Ismael Bamba on a desperation third-down throw late in the fourth to take a 31-30 lead. But an illegal ensuing kickoff gave Calgary the field position it needed to capitalize. "There were some good things out there tonight," said Roughriders head coach Corey Chamblin. "There were some guys that, when the lights came on, they really turned it on and Im proud to see that there were some players that helped contribute Game 1. "The biggest thing was penalties. Whether it was young guys or veteran guys making those we have to cut down on those to give ourselves a chance to win every game." The final exhibition game for both teams was a kickers showcase through most of the first half, with the first 16 points scored by field goal or single, before Sheets ran 13 yards for the games first touchdown. One of Chris Getzlafs six catches, from four yards out, opened the second-half scoring on a TD toss from Riders backup QB Willy. But Calgarys Matt Walter scored on a four-yard run less than two minutes later. Saskatchewans Chris Milo was 3-for-3 placekicking, and he and the Stamps Rob Maver each punted for singles to round out the scoring. "Tonight let us know that were on the right track," said Chamblin. "Defensively well still look at some cover guys ... but offensively and special teams I think we did some good things so were close to where we want to be." Both teams used three quarterbacks in the game. Tate was 13-for-21 for 174 yards for Calgary with a touchdown and an interception. Kevin Glenn went 7-for-9 and Bo Levi Mitchell was 3-for-5 in relief. The Riders started Durant, who completed nine of 12 throws for 92 yards and a touchdown. Willy entered the game in the second half and went 9-for-12 for 96 yards, while OSullivan was 5-for-10 for 70 yards. "I was pretty happy with the quarterback play," said Chamblin. "I think theyre still learning, but I think theyre doing a good job learning everything that Khari (Jones, Saskatchewans quarterback coach) is teaching them. "And they did make some big plays. I was impressed with Drew Willy. Like I said he throws a good deep ball and he showed up." Saskatchewan opens its 2012 regular season June 29 in Hamilton against the Tiger-Cats while Calgary opens at home July 1 against the Montreal Alouettes. Coach Outlet . However, the 25-year-old burner is an intriguing sleeper candidate for fantasy football as he joins a team needing an upgrade at wideout. Behind five-time Pro Bowler Steve Smith, Brandon LaFell (74 catches over two seasons) is the most proven receiver on the Carolina roster, so Murphy has an opportunity to not only earn playing time but, because of his deep speed, has a chance to make big significant plays in the offence. Coach Factory Outlet . Richard Hamilton added 15 points, Luol Deng scored 14 and Taj Gibson had 12 points and 11 rebounds off the bench for the Bulls (3-2), who never trailed in the game. [url=http://www.official-coach-shop.com/]http://www.official-coach-shop.com/[/ur... . Lopez will miss the next two games because of a mild sprain of his right foot, and the Nets said he will be considered day to day after that. But after getting the results of an X-ray Thursday, general manager Billy King is confident his centre will be back on the floor shortly.BOSTON -- The Boston Celtics turned consecutive games against teams theyre jockeying with for playoff positioning into a notice for the rest of the Eastern Conference: They have every intention of breaking off a post-season run. Kevin Garnett scored 20 points and Rajon Rondo dished out double-digit assists for his 17th consecutive game, finishing with 15 to help lead Boston to a 103-79 win over the struggling Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday night. One night earlier, the Celtics posted a double-digit win at Indiana, a team one spot ahead of them in the Easts playoff chase. "We know whats at stake," said forward Paul Pierce, who had 17 points. "A fourth seed, maybe a third." Brandon Bass and Avery Bradley each added 18 points as the Celtics won for the seventh time in nine games, improving their Atlantic Division lead to three games over both the 76ers and New York Knicks. Last week, Boston coach Doc Rivers blasted his team after a tough loss in Chicago. "I think that was just Doc blowing off steam," Pierce said. "Weve got a room full of veterans. I dont think we need any more motivation." Two seasons ago, Boston was in a similar place in the standings late in the season and made a run to the NBA Finals before falling to the Lakers in seven games. "This team is taking it to another level. They make you look bad. Did it to Miami last Sunday, did it to Indiana and now they did it to us," Philadelphia coach Doug Collins said. "They are going to be a handful and I wouldnt want to play them in the playoffs. When Boston locks in they are really tough to play against. Its going to be very interesting. I wouldnt blink on Boston. Everybody wants to talk about Miami and Chicago." Nikola Vucevic led Philadelphia with 14 points and Andre Iguodala had 13. The 76ers have dropped 10 of 14, falling out of first in the Atlantic and forced to compete for the final playoff spot in the East. They are tied with the Knicks for seventh place, one game ahead of Milwaukee. Coming off their 86-72 win over the Pacers, the Celtics broke this one open early in the second quarter. Boston leed 25-22 after one and outscored the 76ers 20-4 to start the second, pulling to a 45-26 lead on Bradleys runner in the lane.dddddddddddd Ray Allen, coming off the bench for the third straight game, ignited the spree with eight points. His 3-pointer from the right wing gave Boston its first double-digit advantage (34-24) 3:04 into the quarter. The Celtics held Philadelphia to 27.3 per cent shooting in the second quarter (6 of 22). The 76ers missed 12 of their first 13 shots. Rivers is most impressed by his teams play on the defensive end during the current run. "The defence is real good, guys are locked in," he said. "I dont care how well you play, your offence is going to fail you sometimes. But if you come with the right mind-set, your defence never should, and itll always give you a chance to win a game." Philadelphia entered the game with the leagues best scoring defence, but the Celtics had things pretty easy in the opening half, getting open looks and numerous drives into the lane. The 76ers may feel like things are slipping away after an impressive 20-9 start. "We are tied with the Knicks and they have the tiebreaker," 76ers forward Elton Brand said. "Definitely bad right now and we need to get out of this slump." Boston led 50-36 at halftime, shooting 57.6 per cent (19 of 33) in the opening 24 minutes. The Celtics then turned it into a rout with an 18-4 run coming out of the break, pushing the lead to 68-40 on Bradleys 3 from the right wing. Garnett scored eight of Bostons first 13 points, driving for a few easy buckets off Rondos feeds. The Celtics led 84-63 after three quarters. Philadelphia made a run early in the final quarter, closing to 86-70 on Lou Williams breakaway layup, but Sasha Pavlovic hit a 3-pointer to give the Celtics a 91-72 lead and they were never tested the rest of the way. NOTES: The 76ers, who fell to 10-15 on the road, play eight of their final 10 games away from home. ... Boston travels to Miami for a Tuesday night matchup against the Heat, a little over a week after blowing them out, 91-72, at home. ... The Celtics improved to 20-9 at TD Garden. ' ' '