Stingers Rematch Alliance This Afternoon

Edmonton is off to a 2-0 start on its four-game homestand after defeating the Scarborough Shooting Stars 98-81 on Sunday and the Winnipeg Sea Bears 98-85 on June 22. The Stingers will attempt to win their third straight game at home and their fourth consecutive victory overall tonight with a win against the Alliance. 

The leading player behind that recent run of dominance for Edmonton is Sean East II. The guard scored a team-leading 27 points in both games on the homestand and was just one assist shy of a double-double against Scarborough. In his last five games, East II is shooting 57.9 per cent from the field and averaging three three-pointers per game. The Stingers' workhorse on offence has been on fire and a big reason Edmonton has topped all but one of their opponents in their last six games. 

But as the guard mentioned in his post-game interview on the CEBL broadcast after the win against Scarborough, his teammates have also played a significant role in the win streak. 

The offensive production has been done by committee these past two games--None of Edmonton's top three scorers outside of Sean East II in the win over Scarborough also finished top three in the win against Winnipeg. While it is likely that Scottie Lindsey and Keon-Ambrose Hylton, who are second and third in team scoring over the last five games, will have big nights, don't overlook the team's bench. 

Forward Chris Smith and guard Isiah Osborne dropped 14 apiece on Sunday, with Osborne firing home four three-pointers in the win. If the trend of depth scoring persists, watch for Chris Smith or Isiah Osborne to have another great game. 

Flipping to the visiting team, it's a much different situation for the Montreal Alliance.

After defeating the Stingers in Montreal on Friday, June 6, the Alliance have struggled to find sustained success. With a 90-77 loss to Ottawa in the opener of a three-game road trip, the Alliance find themselves 2-5 since that win over the Stingers.

As they arrive in Edmonton for their only game of the season at the EXPO Centre, it's an opportunity for the Stingers to get revenge for the loss in Montreal.

The Edmonton Stingers host the Montreal Alliance (5-5) for a thrilling Canada Day matchup at the Edmonton EXPO Centre with tip-off at 4 p.m MT.

To do so will mean shutting down their leading scorers, Tavian Dunn-Martin and Quincy Guerrier. The guard and forward each are averaging 15.2 points in their past five games, and in Montreal's latest win, they combined for 35 points. The duo has only scored more than 35 points in two of Montreal's five losses since June 6, so holding them below that number will be a key stat to track if Edmonton is to come out on top tonight.

When diving into Montreal's team stats on the road this season, that task appears daunting. The Alliance are second in the league for three-pointers made per game with 10.6 and average a league-best 22.2 assists per game when playing away from Verdun Auditorium. However, Montreal's stats over their last five games tell a different story. The Alliance are tied for the fewest points per game in the league and ranks second-worst in points against per game and field goal percentage. 

Meanwhile, in comparison, the Stingers lead the league in points per game with 98.2, field goal percentage with 48.8, assists per game with 23.4, and are second-best in three-point percentage with 39.1. Looking back to when these two teams met in Montreal — the Alliance sank 14 threes and shot 63 percent from the field, compared to Edmonton's 10 threes and 44 percent from the field — it seems likely that the Stingers will improve on those statistics this time around. 

It's a perfect chance for Edmonton's offence to pounce on a Montreal team that is struggling to find its groove and get their third consecutive win of the homestand.

Keys to the game

Win the three-point shooting battle

Outscore Montreal's bench

Limit Montreal's top scorer's production