Stingers Continue Crucial Road Trip in Battle With Bandits

The Vancouver Bandits (-105) will look to snap a five-game losing streak and find championship form in a matchup with the Edmonton Stingers (-133) at Langley Events Centre at 7:30 p.m. PT on Friday.

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

Vancouver enters the game in fifth place in the West at 5-11 on the season, five games back of first place. However, the Bandits have a spot in the Western Conference Final secured by hosting CEBL Championship Weekend from August 11-13.

On the other side, the Stingers find themselves in a tight race to land one of two remaining playoff spots available in the conference. Edmonton enters the game in third place at 8-9, 2.5 games back of first-place Winnipeg, one game behind second-place Calgary and a half-game ahead of fourth-place Saskatchewan.

The Stingers close the regular season on a four-game road trip against their fellow Western teams. They won their first game of the trip 89-70 over Saskatchewan and face the Surge and Sea Bears following Friday’s clash with Vancouver.

It’s the third and final meeting of the regular season between the Stingers and Bandits. The teams split their previous meetings during a home-and-home on the Canada Day long weekend. Vancouver won the first meeting at Langley Events Centre 90-80 before Edmonton responded with a 92-78 home win of their own just two days later.

The Bandits were led to victory by a 21-point performance from Jahenns Manigat. Vancouver assisted on 21 of their 30 field goals in the win, with 44 points off the bench as well.

In the rematch, the Stingers shut down the Bandits’ offence and held them to 36 per cent shooting from the field and 21 per cent from three. Aher Uguak led the way offensively for Edmonton with 19 points while Shane Gibson came off the bench to score 10 points against his former team just days after being released by them.

In both games, Edmonton was able to contain the Bandits’ star frontcourt duo of Nick Ward and Giorgi Bezhanishvili. Both big men have been factors both offensively and on the glass this season, but the Stingers were able to limit their effectiveness.

Neither player reached 20 points in the win and Edmonton held Bezhanishvili to 10 points and Ward to eight in the loss. Ward grabbed a combined nine rebounds in the two games while “Giorgi B” snagged just five.

Edmonton’s defence has been one of the most impactful in the CEBL this season. The Stingers boast the best points-against average in the league at 82.7 and the second-most steals per game at 8.4.

The Stingers also feature a top-five offence in the CEBL. They’re fourth in points per game, third in field goal percentage and second in assists. Head coach Jordan Baker’s team plays a team-oriented style with several angles of attack.

Brody Clarke leads the team in points per game at 14.4, but the leading scorer and most-impactful player often change from night to night. Isiah Osborne paced the offence with 26 points against Saskatchewan on Saturday while Nick Hornsby was an assist away from a triple-double.

Uguak and Gibson are always a threat for Edmonton, while players like Carlton Bragg Jr., Geoffrey James, Munis Tutu and Meshack Lufile provide added depth.

On the other side, Vancouver averages the fifth-most points per game in the CEBL, but allow the most points-against at 91.3.

The Bandits have relied on the consistent presence of Ward and Bezhanishvili to power their offence. They’ve also helped the squad to a league-best 43 rebounds per game, thanks to averages of 9.2 for Bezhanishvili and 7.2 for Ward.

Ward leads the team in scoring at 17.1 points per game on a league-best 61.7 per cent shooting from the floor and “Giorgi B” is not far behind at 16.7 points per game. However, Bezhanishvili missed the last game against Saskatchewan.

Recent acquisition Marlon Johnson Jr. and veteran Bandit Malcolm Duvivier also provide contributions for Vancouver, but the squad is still looking for a consistent third option.

The Bandits will hope to find championship form in the final meeting of the regular season with the Stingers, while Edmonton wishes it won’t be the last meeting of the summer.

All games are available for streaming on TSN+, CEBL+ powered by BetVictor and on the CEBL Mobile app available on iOS and Android devices.

A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 71 per cent of its 2022 rosters being Canadian. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. Nine players have moved from the CEBL into the NBA following a CEBL season, and 28 CEBL players attended NBA G League training camps during October. The CEBL season runs from May through August. More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.