Edmonton Stingers Stave off Saskatchewan Rattlers 79-74 in Second Straight Win

The Edmonton Stingers (3-3) held off a late rally from the Saskatchewan Rattlers (2-4) to earn their second consecutive win and jump to third in the CEBL Western Conference.

The Stingers closed out a tight game in target time at Edmonton Expo Centre on Wednesday night to secure a 79-74 victory over the Rattlers in a playoff rematch from last season.

“The biggest thing from tonight was we go into target score up one, they hit a three to go up two, [but] we don't cave,” Edmonton head coach Jordan Baker said. “We don't fold, we play Stingers basketball and we managed to string together a run to finish things off.”

Nick Hornsby’s late heroics and another stellar performance from Brody Clarke led Edmonton to victory. Clarke emerged as the go-to scorer for the Stingers with 22 points on 8-9 shooting to go along with nine rebounds.

Outside of the former Alberta Golden Bear, Edmonton offered up a balanced offensive attack. Hornsby, Isiah Osborne, Adika Peter-McNeilly and Aher Uguak all contributed 10 points while Geoffrey James added nine. Hornsby tallied eight rebounds, six assists and scored five points in target time.

In the continued absence of league-leading scorer Justin Wright-Foreman due to a workout with the New York Knicks, Malik Benlevi emerged as the go-to option on offence for the Rattlers. He had his fadeaway falling all night on his way to 20 points, while shooting 9-18 from the field and 1-7 from three. Both Drake Jeffries and new acquisition Anthony Mathis chipped in 12 points for Saskatchewan, while Michael Nuga netted 10.

Jeffries struggled from long range in the loss at 2-13 and the team struggled from beyond the arc as a whole. Saskatchewan shoots the most threes in the CEBL and they continued to let loose on Wednesday, going 6-32 from three at a 19 per cent rate. The Stingers were able to win despite an even poorer effort from deep, going 4-24 at 17 per cent.

Both teams shot well from two-point range and finished the game at 42 per cent from the field. However, the Rattlers were unable to connect on some crucial free throws and went 8-19 at the line.

“We put out a lot of energy against this group and they're a very good basketball team,” Saskatchewan head coach Dean Demopoulos said. “I'm happy that guys gave great effort. We just came up short.”

Clarke started the game on fire for Edmonton and scored their first six points. After trailing by two early, Saskatchewan went on a 14-2 run, capped off by a Nuga three that forced a timeout for the Stingers.

“I don't know if guys weren't listening or what but we came out very flat, didn't take away any of their actions, didn't communicate the right way defensively and when you're pulling the ball out of the rim, it makes it hard to score,” Baker said.

Baker’s message was effective and Edmonton answered with a 14-2 run of their own to close out the quarter. Clarke finished the frame with a pair of putbacks – including a buzzer-beater – to put the Stingers ahead 24-22 heading into the second.

Benlevi started cooking in the second quarter for Saskatchewan, hitting tough shots on his way to eight points in the frame. However, the Stingers were able to hold on to the lead for the entirety quarter and contributions off the bench from James and Peter-McNeilly gave them a 46-41 lead at halftime.

In the third quarter, Clarke continued to assert himself offensively with the Stingers’ first four points. Uguak involved himself on both ends as well and helped Edmonton to an 11-0 run to start the second half. The Stingers led by as much as 16 points but a pair of Benlevi buckets cut the deficit back to single digits heading into the fourth at 64-55.

The Rattlers locked down defensively to start the final quarter and fought their way back into the game. They held the Stingers to just two field goals in the first six minutes and went on a 6-0 run into target score time. Edmonton held a narrow 70-69 lead with a target score of 79.

Mathis drilled a wing three to kick off target time to give the Rattlers their first lead since the first quarter. However, Clarke tied the game at the free throw line before Hornsby took over for Edmonton. The American forward completed an and-one before hitting a pair of free throws after an offensive rebound. To win the game, he provided a no-look dish to a cutting Peter-McNeilly.

Following Wednesday’s game, the Rattlers will head to Langley Events Centre for a matchup with the Vancouver Bandits at 7 p.m. PT while the Stingers host the Alliance on Saturday (June 17) at 7 p.m. MT.

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.