Stingers rout Honey Badgers in decisive 99-79 win

The Edmonton Stingers (11-4) snapped the Brampton Honey Badgers (6-9) three-game winning streak with a 99-79 victory on Sunday night.

With a hot Honey Badgers team coming in to take on a first-place Stingers squad, all signs pointed to a neck-and-neck contest, especially after a closely contested first quarter. However, the Stingers quickly blew the game wide open in the second quarter and never looked back.

Davion Warren led the way for the Stingers with 18 points, four rebounds, and two steals, while his teammate Brody Clarke posted a near triple-double with 14 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists, three steals and four blocks.

“Just another day in the office,” Warren said about his performance tonight. “Just keep being humble, keep getting better every day.” 

Brampton’s Zane Waterman had an incredible game despite the loss with 30 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks. Waterman also knocked down seven threes on 58 per cent shooting, tying a Brampton franchise record.

“He's been huge. He's been here through our championship season, and through our slightly down year last year,” said Brampton’s head coach Sheldon Cassimy. “So, he's able to bring the experience, he knows the league really well. I trust him, he trusts me and we are able to bounce ideas off of each other and help keep the younger group grounded.”

While neither team was able to pull away in the first, Edmonton would find their footing in the second quarter and take a 52-42 lead into the half.

Stingers head coach Jordan Baker commented after the game on how the team was able to extend the lead in the second quarter.

“We went to our bench, they went to their bench,” Baker said. “We were able to play a little bit faster, we were able to get some consecutive stops and turn it into points. That’s always been important for us, to pull the ball out of your own basket, and make it a little bit tougher to score.”

The Stingers kept their foot on the gas throughout the second half and built an insurmountable lead. They were flowing offensively and kept it going to take the victory 99-79. 

After the game, Warren talked about what his mindset was going into the fourth to end any thoughts of a Honey Badgers’ comeback.

“Staying consistent,” Warren said. “Stay with the game plan, and just keep going.”

The Stingers dominated the Honey Badgers in the paint, outrebounding them 53-36, and outscoring them inside 52-36.

“Rebounding is always a telling number,” Baker said. “Tonight, we took care of it, we held them to one shot, more in the second half than the first. Once you do that, we’ll be able to get some things going the other way.”

What’s next for both teams?

The Stingers will look to clinch a playoff berth when they take on the Calgary Surge this Tuesday. As for the Honey Badgers, they look to get back in the win column when they face off against the Ottawa BlackJacks this Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. in an afternoon ‘Camp Day’ game.

- CEBL -

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