Matthew Winick
The Edmonton Stingers are playing on a level that the CEBL has never seen before. Over Edmonton’s last four contests, their average margin of victory has been 32 points, including a recent 36-point win over the second-place Hamilton Honey Badgers.
Behind the stellar play of Xavier Moon, the two-time CEBL Player of the Year, and a tight seven-man rotation that is always in sync, the Stingers will be a tremendously difficult team to take down this season. With seven games down and seven to go, all eyes now turn to the possibility of an undefeated campaign.
The next team waiting in line to try and knock off the Stingers are the Ottawa BlackJacks. Sitting in fifth at 2-5, the BlackJacks have struggled to gain consistency throughout the season. Playing at home at TD Place should give Ottawa a boost, but they’ll need to play a near perfect game to take down Edmonton.
An offensive affair
Ranked first and third in points per game, Edmonton and Ottawa both know how to put the ball in the basket at a high rate. If you needed any more proof, the first matchup between these teams on July 5 th could make a strong argument.
The Stingers came out victorious by a score of 104-87 – the second-highest scoring game in the CEBL this season. The BlackJacks actually outshot Edmonton from the field, shooting a red-hot 50% from the floor. The biggest different was from the three-point line, where the Stingers made 19 threes compared to only nine from Ottawa.
Each team’s biggest star also showed out in the contest. Xavier Moon’s 25 points and nine assists might be run-of-the-mill for him, but to the average player, it’s a fine day at the office. Ottawa’s Nick Ward played his best game of the season, dropping 24 points and 13 rebounds on 9-12 shooting.
While the offensive numbers may not be quite as high in the rematch, the pathway for both teams scoring points remains abundantly clear. With Edmonton stroking it from deep and Ottawa pounding the ball down low, whichever team can stop the other one first should come out victorious.
Defense wins championships
While Edmonton and Ottawa can both put up impressive scoring numbers, the Stingers have been able to lock down on the defensive end while the BlackJacks have not.
Ottawa is allowing 93 points per game this season, while ranking last in steals per game and second-last in blocks per game.
The rim protection is especially an issue. Outside of Ward, no BlackJack has racked up more than two blocks on the season. With opponents getting to the rim at ease, it’s markedly harder for Ottawa to stay within reach. If the squad wants a shot at taking down the Stingers, its defense will need to be on point.
Baker’s Cooking
Lost amongst the win streak and the sheer dominance of the Stingers has been the exceptional play of late from Jordan Baker. Over the team’s last four games, Baker has been averaging 18.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists on over 60% from the field along with six three-pointers for good measure.
Baker is a known commodity at this point in his career, a hard worker who plays within himself, compliments his teammates and makes the smart play on the floor. Because of this, it’s often easy to overlook his individual performance.
While Moon may put up the gaudiest stats and teammates Mathieu Kamba and Marlon Johnson excite the crowd with show-stopping dunks, Baker’s elite all-around game is equally important to Edmonton’s success.
All CEBL games will be available for live streaming on the CEBL’s new OTT streaming service CEBL+, cbcsports.ca , the free CBC Gem streaming service, the CBC Sports App for iOS and android devices, and on Twitch.
A league created by Canadians for Canadians, the CEBL has the highest percentage of Canadian players of any professional league in the country, with 75 percent of its current rosters being Canadians. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. The only First Division Professional League Partner of Canada Basketball, the CEBL season typically runs from May through August. Head to CEBL.ca for more information or follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube