Stingers looking for three-straight wins as they welcome in BlackJacks

The Edmonton Stingers (6-2) will be looking to expand upon their mini two-game win streak as they welcome in the Ottawa BlackJacks (2-5) Thursday night.

The game tips off at 7 p.m. MT / 9 p.m. ET from Edmonton EXPO Centre, with live coverage available on CEBL+ powered by BetVictor, TSN+, and on the CEBL mobile app available for iOS and Android devices. The game will also be televised on Game+ in Canada.

Utilizing a balanced offensive attack, Edmonton has jumped out to the second-best record in the CEBL this season with five players averaging double-digit scoring.

Davion Warren leads all Stingers scorers, averaging 14.3 points per game, but this is an Edmonton team that’s proven itself capable of picking up wins regardless who ends up as the high man at the end of the night.

The Stingers sport the third-best point differential in the CEBL this season (plus-39), and have managed to accomplish this feat mostly on the strength of their play on the defensive end, only allowing teams to average 85.1 points per game against them.

Last time out, Edmonton managed to hold the high-powered offence of the Winnipeg Sea Bears to under 90 points, beating them 97-87.

“We came out, executed the game plan and tried to make life difficult for their main guys,” said Edmonton head coach Jordan Baker after Sunday’s game. “That was the key to our success as we got out to an early lead and held on.”

Unlike Edmonton, defence has not been a strength of the BlackJacks.

Ottawa is allowing teams to average 95 points per game against them this season, but last Thursday against the Niagara River Lions, it looks like they may have found something to stop the bleeding on the end as they held Niagara down to pick up their first home win of the season, 90-86.

It’s been a rollercoaster ride of a season so far for Ottawa, who have been shorthanded for much of the season.

Key forward Zena Edosomwan finally made his 2024 BlackJacks debut against Niagara after completing his season with Krka Novo Mesto of the Slovenian First League and the Adriatic Basketball Association.

He finished with 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the floor as he was immediately re-inserted back into the starting lineup.

The combination of forwards Edosomwan and Isaih Moore, and guards Brandon Sampson and Javon Masters could make for a potent four-man lineup for Ottawa, and Deng Adel is also expected back soon.

Despite the differences in their respective records, the talent that the BlackJacks boast could give the Stingers a real headache.

Key matchup

The battle between the two CEBL veteran forwards Edosomwan of Ottawa and Edmonton’s Brody Clarke, could be an interesting one. Edosomwan is going to want to rim run and bang inside, while Toronto native Clarke will mostly be looking to pick-and-pop and get his game off from the perimeter.

The stylistic differences between the two four-men could make for advantages and disadvantages being created by each other on both ends of the floor.

Milestone watch

• Ottawa’s Zena Edosomwan needs 12 rebounds to reach 250 for his career, regular season and playoffs.
• Edmonton’s Adika Peter-McNeilly, of Toronto, Ont., needs 13 rebounds to reach 250 for his career, regular season and playoffs.
• Edmonton’s Nick Hornsby needs 18 rebounds to reach 250 for his career, regular season only.
• Edmonton’s Adika Peter-McNeilly, of Toronto, Ont., needs three assists to reach 200 for his career, regular season and playoffs.
• Ottawa’s Lloyd Pandi, of Ottawa, Ont., needs six assists to reach 100 for his career, regular season only.
• Edmonton’s Brody Clarke, of Toronto, Ont., needs seven assists to reach 200 for his career, regular season and playoffs.
• Edmonton’s Nick Hornsby needs four steals to reach 50 for his career, regular season and playoffs.

2024 season series

The last time these two sides met, the Stingers ended up putting the clamps down on the BlackJacks in the fourth quarter to cruise to a 92-84 win on May 29.

This is a much different Ottawa team than the one Edmonton saw nearly a full month before, however, so last game isn’t necessarily a good indication of what may lie in store this go around.

- CEBL -

About the CEBL

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 73% of its 2023 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. Fourteen players have signed NBA contracts following a CEBL season, and numerous CEBL players attend NBA G League training camps every year. 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.