A win for the Saskatchewan Rattlers (10-8) tonight against the Edmonton Stingers (13-5) would do a lot for a team hosting the CEBL Championship Weekend at SaskTel Centre in two weeks.
Tipoff is 7 p.m. Local. (Tickets available at TicketMaster. Watch via CEBL TV or the CBC Gem App ).
After snapping the Stingers’ league-record nine-game win streak last night in Edmonton, 85-81 , the Rattlers are looking to lock into third place in the CEBL standings and capture its fifth consecutive victory. The streak would match the Niagara River Lions run in late May / early June for the second-longest of its kind this season. If Saskatchewan can knock off the Stingers tonight, it would also accomplish something that no other team in the league has been able to do – win a season series against Edmonton.
The Stingers remain a half-game behind Niagara (14-5) for top spot in the standings with both teams having just one game left in the regular season to be played next week. Since Edmonton owns the tiebreak against the Rivers Lions after taking three-of-four games in the season series, all the Stingers need to do is keep pace with Niagara. The reward for finishing first in the standings is likely avoiding the hottest team in the league – Saskatchewan – in the championship semifinal.
The three games between the Rattlers and Stingers during this inaugural CEBL season has defied traditional FIBA basketball. The game is known for its fact-paced, high scoring offence with less attention to defensive schemes. Edmonton (78.7) and Saskatchewan (79.3) are both averaging less than 80 points in three games against each other. The Rattlers have a 2-1 series lead despite shooting just .389 (86-211) from the field and a dismal .200 (16-80) from beyond the arc. Saskatchewan is also being outrebounded by an average of seven boards per game. So what gives?
The Stingers have turned the ball over more times (57) than assists made (54). While the league’s leading scorer, Xavier Moon is still getting his points, including 24 on Thursday night in Edmonton, he is not getting much help. The Stingers bench were outscored, 34-15, last night by its Rattlers counterparts. CEBL top rebounder, Jordan Baker still grabbed nine rebounds in the team’s loss and his Stingers won the battle of the glass 49-48, but they couldn’t convert the boards, scoring 20 less points in the paint (50-30) than Saskatchewan.
This has been a tough, grind-it-out series between these two teams all season. It is fitting that so much can be determined during their final forty minutes together on Friday night. For CEBL fans, here’s hoping there is one more game later this month in Saskatoon.
Tip-Off is 7PM CT/ 9PM ET.
May 31, 2019 at Edmonton: Edmonton 93, Saskatchewan 84
Leading scorers: Edmonton (T. Daniels, 19), Saskatchewan (B. Massey, 35)
Leading rebounders: Edmonton (J. Baker, 16), Edmonton (M. Johnson, 10)
June 6, 2019 at Saskatoon: Saskatchewan 69, Edmonton 62
Leading scorers: Edmonton (T. Daniels, 20), Saskatchewan (N. Webster-Chan, 17)
Leading rebounders: Edmonton (G. Glaze, 10), Edmonton (T. Dawson, 8)
August 8, 2019 at Edmonton: Saskatchewan 85, Edmonton 81
Leading scorers: Edmonton (X. Moon, 24), Saskatchewan (A. Campbell, 15)
Leading rebounders: Edmonton (J. Baker / T. Daniels, 9), Edmonton (M. Jones, 12)