Matthew Winick
The no-longer undefeated Edmonton Stingers (7-1) will look to bounce back against the Guelph Nighthawks (2-5) at the Sleeman Centre on Monday night at 7:00 p.m. ET.
After a scorching start to the 2021 CEBL season, the Stingers finally dropped a contest, losing 79-74 on the road to the Ottawa BlackJacks on Saturday afternoon. While the pressure of a perfect season is now gone, Edmonton will now have to rebound in short order to be able to keep a firm grasp on the top spot in the league’s standings.
On the other side, the Nighthawks are coming off their best performance of the season, a 90-74 victory over the winless Saskatchewan Rattlers away from home on Friday. With Guelph set to play with almost 1,000 fans in the stands for the first time this season, the squad will look to use the crowd’s momentum to will itself to a win.
Big Man on the Boards
After starting off the season 0-3, the Nighthawks inserted import big man Chad Brown into the lineup, and the UCF product has made a significant difference for his squad.
On a personal level, Brown has vaulted all the way to second in the CEBL in both rebounds per game (10.5) and blocks per game (3.0) while ranking second on his team in points. His energy and physicality bring a different dimension that Guelph lacked before Brown came aboard.
Team-wise, Brown’s impact has been just as noticeable. The Nighthawks have gone a solid 2-2 since he entered the starting five and have went from allowing 99.7 points per game prior to his arrival, all the way down to 84.5 since. With Brown manning the middle, his team’s ceiling is raised each time they take the floor.
Doing the Little Things
Stingers’ big man Brady Skeens doesn’t have a stat line that will blow you away. The import from Lenexa, Kansas is only averaging six points and seven rebounds per game and has reached the double-digit point plateau just once this season. Yet, Skeens has been one of the most valuable players on Edmonton’s roster.
For one, Skeens simply doesn’t need to score much. With Player of the Year candidate Xavier Moon, plus four other players on the roster averaging over 10 points per game, the need to score for the 25-year-old is minimal.
On top of that, Skeens makes his mark on the defensive end with timely deflections, physical play, and offensively by crashing the boards and grabbing second possessions for his team.
With a matchup against Chad Brown on Monday night, look for a physical battle down low between two of the most athletic post players in the CEBL.
Point Guard Duel
Another key matchup set for Monday night is the point guard duel between Moon and Guelph’s Cat Barber. The pair rank first and third respectively in points per game in the CEBL.
Both guards rely on elite quickness to get to the basket with ease and use that blow-by ability to kick out passes for teammates. A key differentiator between the two would be three-point shooting, as Moon is scorching the nets at 49% from deep while Barber is down at 33%.
Each player is the engine of their teams respective offense, and if Moon or Barber struggle in Monday’s tilt, the other team will have a major leg up in coming out victorious.
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