Edmonton Stingers Defeat Ottawa BlackJacks 92-84 After Elam Ending Run

The Edmonton Stingers End Losing Streak By Defeating Ottawa



The Edmonton Stingers closed out the Ottawa BlackJacks with a 9-2 run in Elam time to stop their losing streak and defeat their counterparts from the nation’’s capital 96-88.  The win at Edmonton Expo Centre on Tuesday night avenges a 92-84 loss to Ottawa at TD Place last month. 

The BlackJacks—who have a spot in the Canadian Elite Basketball League semi-final clinched due to hosting—drop to 5-9 on the season and have their two-game winning streak snapped. The Stingers also put an end to their two-game losing streak and get back above .500 at 8-7. 

Demarco Dickerson was spectacular for Edmonton in the win, showing off his handle and ability to shoot off the dribble. The Detroit native scored a game-high 29 points and 6 assists on 11-21 shooting from the field and 3-4 shooting from three to go along with 7 rebounds. 

“[Demarco]’s creative,” Edmonton head coach Jermaine Small said. “He’s a shotmaker and some of those pull-ups reminded me of somebody—I’m not gonna say their name. He’s got a nice ability to go one-on-one and he wants to take the big shots. That’s the reason why we brought him here.”

Mathieu Kamba also had a monster two-way performance for Edmonton. Kamba finished with 20 points on 7-9 shooting, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 4 blocks. 

“So far this season, [Mathieu] has had more of a secondary or Robin role,” Small said. “Some games I want him to be Batman. I thought his offence matched his defence tonight and this is what makes him great—he has that two-way ability.”

Brody Clarke bounced back with 14 points on 5-7 shooting in the win after going a combined 1-7 from the field over the Stingers’ two-game losing streak. Marlon Johnson also contributed for the Stingers with an 11 point, 10 rebound double-double. 

In his third game with the team this season after starting 2022 in Fraser Valley, Kadre Gray came off the bench to put up a team-high 22 points for Ottawa on 7-10 shooting from the field and a perfect 7-7 from the line. 

“I’ve seen it so many times at the university level—[Kadre] kept us in it,” Ottawa head coach James Derouin said. “We needed someone to pick up the slack and our bench really stepped up.”

Walt Lemon Jr. remained central to the BlackJacks’ offence with 18 points and 4 assists on 50 per cent shooting in the loss. Bernard Thompson added 12 points and 4 steals for Ottawa while Deng Adel had a tough night, finishing with 4 points on 1-3 shooting.

Edmonton outrebounded Ottawa 41-29 and finished the game with 18 assists. The Stingers shot 54 per cent from the field in the win and exorcised their three-point demons with a 47 per cent performance.  The BlackJacks also shot well from the field at 47 per cent but shot just 28 per cent for three in a losing effort. 

The first quarter saw both teams executing offensively. Bernard Thompson had 6 points in the opening quarter for Ottawa while Mathieu Kamba balled out in the opening frame with 11 points for Edmonton. Walt Lemon Jr. was able to slice through the defence throughout the quarter, finishing on the inside and making plays for teammates. He closed the quarter with a crafty mid-air pass to Tyrell Green for a corner three to give the BlackJacks a 27-22 lead heading into the second. 

Lemon Jr. continued to lead the BlackJacks in the second quarter with slithery finishes and pinpoint passes. Meanwhile, Demarco Dickerson showed off his elite handle, creating space for a pair of mid-range jumpers and a pull-up three. Adika Peter-McNeilly had a 7-point second quarter for Edmonton and led them on a run to end the frame. Edmonton took a tight 47-45 lead into the locker room. 

Both teams shot well from the field in the opening 20 minutes, with Edmonton shooting 53 per cent from the field and Ottawa shooting 50 per cent. Kamba led all scorers at half with 14 points with Dickerson close behind at 13 points. Kadre Gray led the BlackJacks off the bench with 11 points, while Lemon Jr. put up 10 points and 4 assists.

Kamba continued his strong game in the third quarter with a pair of transition slams and the Stingers forced an Ottawa timeout after opening the quarter with a 12-6 run.  Lemon Jr. scored 8 points coming out of the timeout and tied the game at 62 for Ottawa. The rest of the third saw an abundance of free throws before an explosion of scoring in the last minute of the quarter. It led to a narrow 75-73 lead for Ottawa heading into the final frame. 

The teams continued to exchange blows to start the fourth quarter with five lead changes and two ties before Elam time. A Demarco Dickerson double-clutch layup gave Edmonton a four point lead but Tyrell Green hit a clutch three from way beyond the arc to cut the lead to one. Mathieu Kamba blocked Lemon Jr. for the second time of the quarter to force a whistle and enter the Elam ending with Edmonton leading 87-86 with a target score of 96.

Edmonton locked down defensively in Elam time, with Kamba blocking Lemon for the third time of the quarter and picking up a pair of steals. Dickerson scored 5 of Edmonton’s points in Elam time with pull-up jumpers from mid-range and three, while Jordan Baker scored on a putback and Kamba finished the game with a contact layup off a steal. 

The Stingers travel to Hamilton for a rematch with the Hamilton Honey Badgers on Sunday at 5:00 p.m. ET while the BlackJacks will continue their west coast road trip against the Saskatchewan Rattlers on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. CT. 

The games will stream on CEBL+ live internationally and in Canada at cbcsports.ca, the CBC Sports app for iOS

and Android devices and the free CBC Gem streaming service. Games are also available on the CEBL’s official app, CEBL Mobile, available on iOS and Android devices.

Edmonton Stingers tickets are available at https://www.thestingers.ca/tickets while Ottawa BlackJacks tickets are available at https://www.theblackjacks.ca/tickets.   

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