The 10-8 Edmonton Stingers host the 6-12 Ottawa BlackJacks in a battle for playoff seeding at 7 p.m. MT. The Stingers sit tied with Scarborough and Saskatchewan.
This is the third time these two teams are meeting up, having split their previous matchups. Ottawa won the first one, 92-84 at home over the Stingers. Now going to Edmonton they are coming off a win and want to gain some momentum going into playoffs. In their win at home, Walt Lemon Jr led the scoring with 23 points and their big man in Chad Posthumus recorded 10 rebounds to lead that column.
Lemon Jr is the BlackJacks leader. He averages 17 points per game and alongside Johnny Berhanemeskel, pace the BlackJacks offence that ranks third in points per game with 86.6. In the BlackJacks 104-95 win over the Hamilton Honey Badgers on July 24, Berhanemeskel scored 22 points, one behind forward Deng Adel.
Adel and Zena Edosomwan combined for 22 rebounds in the win over Hamilton, and around the paint their physicality makes a tough matchup for any defence. Their opponents, the Edmonton Stingers, have two forwards that match that physicality and impact on both ends of the floor, Brody Clarke and Jordan Baker.
Edmonton’s 96-88 win over Ottawa in their second meeting showed Clarke recording 14 points on 71 per cent shooting and Baker adding five rebounds and a block. Clarke and Baker inside the paint give the Stingers a constant presence to facilitate their offence through, and a duo on defence that won’t back down to a physical contest. In Edmonton’s 101-100 win over Guelph at home, Baker showed his prowess on both ends of the floor with 10 points and 10 rebounds while Clarke added 13 points.
The attack of Adel against Clarke while Baker and Edosomwan battle on the boards and with second chance opportunities, will be rounded out by the shooting of Trahson Burrell and Kadre Gray. Burrell is coming off a 37-point performance against the Guelph Nighthawks on 60 per cent shooting, and his ability to be a threat from all over the floor is matched by Gray for the BlackJacks. Gray scored 16 points against the Honey Badgers and with Berhanemeskel, they can let it fly or take it to the hoop, combining for 11 three-point attempts and 10 attempts inside the arch.
Both teams have forces inside the paint that constantly make themselves known on the glass, and both have shooters that have the confidence to efficiently make long distance shots. The difference maker lying in second chances and how the battle goes inside, this is an important game for both sides. Edmonton wants to separate themselves in the cluster of 10-8 teams and Ottawa wants to get momentum going as playoffs draw closer.
See League Standings here : https://www.cebl.ca/standings
Fans will be able to live stream all games including the playoffs on the CEBL’s OTT streaming service CEBL+, the CEBL’s official app, CEBL Mobile for iOS and Android devices, cbcsports.ca , the free CBC Gem streaming service, the CBC Sports App for iOS and Android devices and on NXT Level Sports in the U.S. As part of its playoff coverage, CBC Sports will broadcast the quarterfinal games Sunday, August 7, semifinal games Friday, August 12, and the Championship game on Sunday, August 14. For the complete broadcast and streaming schedule, click here . All times are subject to change.
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