Stingers overwhelm Sea Bears to close out regular season with a third straight win

The Edmonton Stingers blow out the Winnipeg Sea Bears 97-77 on Fan Appreciation Day at the Edmonton EXPO Centre to end the regular season with a win. 

It was a historic evening for Sean East II, who set a new single-season scoring record after a 17-point night against the Sea Bears. East II scored his 546th point of the season late in the fourth quarter by knocking down two free throws and officially entering his name into the record books after a MVP-worthy campaign. 

Edmonton's playoff date and opponent were already decided before tonight's match got underway. However, the Stingers were looking for their third consecutive win and to end the season on a high note before the playoffs. 

And Edmonton did just that. 

The Stingers started on fire in the opening quarter. Nick Hornsby kickstarted the dominant evening with two consecutive threes, and before the halfway point of the quarter, all of Edmonton's 12 points in their 12-6 lead came from three-pointers. Winnipeg would begin to close in as the quarter went on, though, and cut the Stingers' lead to 18-17 at one point. But, Edmonton responded with a 9-1 run to end the frame up 27-18 with all the momentum in their favour — a trend that would continue throughout the game.

Edmonton continued to hit shots and apply pressure to the Winnipeg defence in the second quarter. Sean East II added to his six points in the first quarter with another seven in the second as Edmonton's lead increased from 27-18 to 41-30 in the back half of the frame. The game was firmly in the Stingers' control at this point. Edmonton was dominating the three-point battle, shooting 7/14 from beyond the arc compared to Winnipeg's 2/15. The Stingers did not hesitate to use that to their advantage, as Edmonton outscored the Sea Bears 25-14 in the quarter and went up 52-34 at halftime. 

The Sea Bears were in desperate need of a momentum flip to get back into the game. However, that would not come to fruition. The Stingers ran away with the game in the second half and were cruising to the finish. Edmonton opened the half with a 16-10 run and ended the quarter up 81-50 after outscoring Winnipeg 29-19 in the third. 

By the time the fourth quarter came around, it was all Edmonton. The Stingers were scoring at will and continued to overwhelm the Sea Bears. Edmonton hit target time up 88-66, and not long after paved the way for Sean East II to knock down two free throws to claim the CEBL's single-season scoring record. The Stingers continued to add to their lead and ended the regular season in style by hitting a three-pointer to win the game.

The Stingers gave it their all for Fan Appreciation Day and ended the regular season with their third consecutive win. Now, with the playoffs looming, the team prepares to shift their focus to Calgary later this week. 

"Every win matters," head coach Jordan Baker said post-game. "We see it as an opportunity to get better ... We're trying to get ourselves back to championship weekend. I think that's always been our goal." 

But with tonight being a special night for one of the team's most important pieces on offence, Baker was also quick to point out how much East II means to this team.

"He's a guy who, sometimes, we are stagnant offensively, and he can create his own shot," Baker said. "I thought tonight, he was very unselfish, he didn't force anything ... his ability to sort of mature into that point guard that we've been looking for, has been tremendous."

His teammate Taye Donald was also quick to congratulate East II on his accomplishment. 

"It's insane. The way out that guy's able to facilitate, score the ball. 
He's a great guy that I look up to," Taye Donald said post-game. "So happy to see Sean beat that scoring record. It's amazing."

Sean East II also spoke about what the moment meant to him in his rookie season, but mentioned the team's focus on starting the playoffs off with a win in Calgary.

"It means a lot, especially, you know, just being my first year," East II said post-game. "It's just a stepping stone in the right direction, you know, but we got some playoff games to win."

The Stingers will now head down to Calgary to start the playoffs against the Surge in the West Play-In on August 14 @ 7:30 p.m. MT.