Stingers run all over Surge in 97-79 season-opening win

The Edmonton Stingers claimed the first win of the CEBL season as they beat the Calgary Surge 97-79 in wire-to-wire fashion on Tuesday night.

It was a “do it by committee” victory for the Stingers who had five double-digit scorers. Starting guard Davion Warren led the way with a game-high 17 points in his CEBL debut, but it was Edmonton’s bench that ended up doing most of the damage. Adika Peter-McNeily and Ben Krikke scored 15 a piece while Michael Nuga added 14 as the Stingers second unit finished a plus-17. 

“Up and down the roster we’re counting on everyone to contribute,” said Edmonton head coach Jordan Baker on his team’s collective effort in the win. “Whether it’s in game one or game 20, it’s not a one man or two men show, everyone needs to come engaged.

Meanwhile, the defending Western Conference champions lose their first game to Edmonton since last July. Import addition Justin Lewis led the team with a near double-double of 16 points and eight assists, while last season’s team scoring leader Sean Miller-Moore finished with 15 points and seven rebounds. The Brampton, Ont. native saw an uptick in ball-handling duties in the absence of Stefan Smith and it wasn’t a comfortable position for him, finishing with a game-high eight turnovers.

For the record-setting 12,327 fans in attendance at the Scotiabank Saddledome this game was a track meet right from opening tip and that was courtesy of Edmonton setting the tone. The Stingers won the opening tip and immediately threw the ball ahead to a running Warren for an easy layup, and his first CEBL points. Both teams then traded 8-3 runs in the early minutes, which kept things tied early, but as the first quarter progressed Edmonton’s high-pace style earned them a narrow 21-18 lead.

The Stingers run-and-gun play allowed them to take advantage of a Surge defence that had trouble keeping up and getting set, leading to multiple easy looks at the rim. And for an Edmonton team that was third in the CEBL for two-point efficiency (51.3 per cent) last season, getting little resistance at the basket was a welcomed sight. The Stingers shot 63 per cent from two-point range in this one, with all but one of their attempts from inside arc coming in the painted area. 

And according to coach Baker, playing fast was by design, and something they plan on doing as much as possible this season.

“For us to be able to get out in transition and get some easy baskets, it plays to our advantage versus having to slow things down where they can get set,” said Baker on their aggressive approach on offence. “It opened things up for us and allowed us to build a lead. Momentum is everything in this game, turn stops into scores … that’s always what you’re aiming for.”

Calgary didn’t do themselves any favours either, especially in the second quarter, as they couldn’t keep hold of the ball. The Surge committed 10 turnovers in the frame, most of which were of the live-ball variety, giving the Stingers ample opportunities to run and get easy looks at the rim. The two players who took most advantage of all the freebies were Nuga and Warren. The due of offseason additions led all scorers at half with 12 points, both doing it with efficiency as they shot over 50 per cent from the field.

“We love (playing defence),” said Warren on the team’s emphasis on turning stops into transition baskets. “Coach Jordan wants guys who can play both sides and our whole team has the same mindset.”

The result on Calgary’s unsure hands (and Edmonton’s quality offence) was a 49-36 halftime lead for the Stingers as they outscored the Surge by 10 in the frame.

It was more of the same coming out of the break as Calgary committed another six turnovers and allowed Edmonton to continue their rim-running assault. By the end of the third quarter the Stingers had built a 19-point lead that was capped off by a Warren triple at the buzzer.

Overcoming a near-20-point deficit was Calgary’s task in the final frame, and for most teams that would’ve meant waving the white flag early. But if there’s any team with precedent to erase such a seemingly unsurmountable deficit, it’s a Surge team that set the record for largest target-score time comeback last year after being down by 16 points.

That wasn’t in the cards for Calgary on this night as they simply couldn’t get the necessary stops they needed in order to mount a comeback. Krikke made back-to-back layups before sixth-year Stinger Peter-McNeily iced the game by hitting two threes in a row. 

By the end of the game Edmonton’s dominance at the rim had ballooned into a 60-34 edge for points in the paint (plus-26) as Calgary just couldn’t keep up after all their unforced errors (23 total turnovers). That didn’t deter Surge head coach Tyrell Vernon’s optimism however as he’s confident his team can bounce back.

“Next steps are getting back to work and finding solutions,” said Vernon. “Them being able to get down to the paint, straight line drives … that’s understandable it’s because it’s a bunch of new guys together, so we’ll make the adjustments.

Up Next:

The Surge will stay at home for their next game and things won’t be any easier as they host the defending champion Scarborough Shooting Stars in a rematch of last year’s CEBL Finals on May 29.

Meanwhile, the Stingers will head to the nation’s capital to take on the Ottawa BlackJacks on May 29 for a cross-conference matchup.

- 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 75% of its rosters being Canadian and a record 10 players with NBA experience in 2024. Players also bring experience from the NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, NCAA programs, as well as U SPORTS and CCAA. 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 with games broadcast live on CEBL+ powered by BetVictor, TSN, TSN+, RDS, Game+, Next Level Sports & Entertainment and Courtside1891. More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.