Edmonton Stingers out for revenge rematch with Saskatchewan Rattlers

The Edmonton Stingers (7-9) (-125) will look to snag the second half of a home-and-home series against the Saskatchewan Rattlers (6-9) (-110) tonight at the SaskTel Centre at 9:30 p.m. ET/7:30 local.

The game will also be available for streaming on TSN+, CEBL+ powered by BetVictor, and on the CEBL Mobile app available on iOS and Android devices.

As the regular season winds down, tonight’s matchup has massive implications for the western conference playoff race. 

Both Edmonton and Saskatchewan are battling for the final playoff position in the west. After edging the Stingers in the first half of the home-and-home series on Thursday in Edmonton, buoyed by a franchise record-tying 37 points by Justin Wright-Foreman, the Rattlers moved to within one half game of Edmonton in the standings. 

The Vancouver Bandits, who have already clinched a spot in Championship Weekend by virtue of hosting the event, currently sit in last place in the west—meaning, whoever comes fourth in the conference is eliminated from playoff contention. 

The Rattlers have won two out of three since interim head coach Tanner Massey took over earlier this month. 

Turnovers were a major area of concern for Edmonton and Saskatchewan in their last contest. The Stingers committed 16 turnovers while the Rattles gave the ball away 19 times. 

“When you turn the ball over 19 times that’s never good,” Massey said. “But when you win, that means you shot the ball well. I thought we did a good job of that, kept attacking and getting to the basket. It worked in our favour, especially in the fourth quarter.” 

Nick Hornsby led the way for Edmonton—who have now lost two straight games—on Thursday night against the Rattlers. The Irvine, California native had a 21-point, 12 rebound double-double and shot 58 per cent from the field. Brody Clarke, making his return after a one-game absence due to injury, collected 14 points and 5 rebounds. 

Clarke will have to manage his foul trouble if he hopes to help Edmonton snap their two-game skid. 

Clarke, who leads the team with 14.4 points per game, recorded his fifth foul in target score time and missed the final few minutes as Michael Nuga drained a pair of free throws to give Saskatchewan the win. Clarke is averaging over four fouls per game through 15 contests this season. 

Edmonton is averaging three more points per game than Saskatchewan and collect more rebounds than the Rattlers. However, the Rattlers come into today’s game with the edge in offensive boards—averaging 11.8 per game to Edmonton’s 9.9.

On Thursday, though, the Stingers were effecting in neutralizing the Rattlers bigs—specifically Adong Makoui, who had six offensive rebounds in a 99-96 win over Winnipeg on Tuesday. 

Makoui was held off the offensive glass on Thursday and Edmonton hauled in seven offensive rebounds, matching Saskatchewan’s total on the night. 

If Saskatchewan wants to extend their win streak to three, they will need more steady contributions from players outside of Wright-Foreman. Nuga, who has been a sparkplug off the bench all season, shot 63 per cent and scored 20 points off the bench the other night. No other Rattler scored in double figures. 

Ahead of tonight’s game the Rattlers also announced that they have re-signed Devontè Bandoo, a Mississauga, Ont. native who was the 2020 Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year with the Baylor Bears. He previously played with Saskatchewan in 2021 and 2022. Bandoo averaged over 16 points and 4 rebounds with the Rattlers last season. 

Today’s game marks the first of four consecutive road games to end the regular season for Edmonton. After tonight, the Stingers will travel to Vancouver for a date with the Bandits on July 21. Saskatchewan, meanwhile, will welcome the Brampton Honey Badgers to the SaskTel Centre on Monday night. 

Full broadcast schedule of CEBL Games of the Week on TSN can be found here. All games will also be streamed live internationally on the CEBL’s OTT platform, CEBL+, and on the CEBL Mobile app for iOS and Android devices. 

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