Edmonton Stingers Look For Immediate Revenge in Rematch with Calgary Surge

After a 74-70 loss to the Calgary Surge (+135) to open the season, the Edmonton Stingers (-188) will look to bounce back at home in a rematch with their new Alberta rivals on Sunday (May 28) at Edmonton Expo Centre. 

The game will be available for streaming on TSN+, CEBL+ powered by BetVictor and on the CEBL Mobile app available on iOS and Android devices.

It’s the second of four meetings between Edmonton and Calgary this season, with another pair of games scheduled for July. 

Former CEBL Canadian Player of the Year and new Stingers’ head coach Jordan Baker said he’s looking forward to a potential intra-province rivalry. 

“[There were] already some chippy plays and some physical occurrences tonight,” Baker said. “We're looking forward to it tomorrow and guys are gonna come battle. They’ll be ready to be physical and control the glass.”

The Surge led wire-to-wire in the first meeting of a home-and-home with the Stingers on Saturday (May 27) at WinSport Event Centre.  Simi Shittu scored Calgary’s first bucket in franchise history after relocating from Guelph in the offseason. The Surge didn’t relinquish that lead.

Slowing down Shittu will likely be a priority for Edmonton in Sunday’s rematch. The former G-League big man scored a game-high 17 points and 14 rebounds in his CEBL debut. 

Calgary shot 47 per cent as a team, with four players reaching double figures.  Stefan Smith notched 16 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals and the game-winner, while Admon Gilder and Sean Miller-Moore added 15 and 14 points respectively. 

However, the Surge struggled from the free throw line and beyond the arc in the season opener. They also totalled 31 turnovers, including three with a chance to win the game. Head coach Nelson Terroba believes the team will settle in going forward. 

“I think our team was making mistakes of omission—trying too hard to win a game for the home crowd and trying so hard to do it for this city,” Terroba said. “You’ve got to give Edmonton a lot of credit. They did a great job—they defended, they were physical, and you gotta tip your hat to them.” 

Terroba praised Edmonton’s defensive gameplan and credited it for creating the turnovers. The forced turnovers and offensive rebounding helped compensate for a poor shooting night for the Stingers. They shot 32 per cent from the field and 10 per cent from three. 

Baker was satisfied with the shot selection and is confident the Stingers will bounce back on Sunday. 

“We got what we wanted offensively when we didn't turn the ball over,” Baker said. “I don't think we shot any [threes] where I would say that's not a good shot for our team. We have the right guy shooting the ball in the right spots” 

Adika Peter-McNeilly and Martynas Varnas led the way for the Stingers in the opener with 14 points, while Brody Clarke added 9.  Clarke was the Stingers’ leading scorer last season in points per game (for eligible players) but shot just 3-17 from the field on Saturday. On Sunday, the Edmonton offence will look to get on track. 

Following Sunday’s game, Calgary and Edmonton will each play host to the Niagara River Lions on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively. 

All CEBL games can also be streamed live on the league’s OTT platform, CEBL+ Powered by BetVictor and on the CEBL’s official app, CEBL Mobile, available on iOS and Android devices.

A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 71 percent of its 2022 rosters being Canadian. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. Nine players have moved from the CEBL into the NBA following a CEBL season, and 28 CEBL players attended NBA G League training camps during October. The CEBL season runs from May through August.  More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.