Edmonton Stingers Host Montreal Alliance in First Matchup
First Matchup Against Montreal Alliance Hosted at Home by Edmonton Stingers
The two-time defending champion Edmonton Stingers will try to extend their three game win streak at home on Wednesday in their first ever meeting with the Montreal Alliance. The Alliance will make their first appearance at Edmonton Expo Centre at 7 p.m. MT.
The Stingers are fresh off of a narrow comeback victory over the Niagara River Lions, avenging their loss to Niagara in the home opener. A drive-and-kick corner three from Aher Uguak on an assist from Adika Peter-McNeilly gave Edmonton the 79-77 win in a thriller at the Meridian Centre.
After wins over Newfoundland and Saskatchewan, the Stingers improve to 3-1 on the season. In their three game win streak, the Stingers have been elite defensively. Head coach Jermaine Small’s squad has held their opponents to 36 per cent shooting from the field and less than 78 points in each of their wins.
So far this season, the Stingers are the best in the league at sharing the ball. They lead the league in assists at 23 per game with 77 per cent of their field goals coming from an assist. Edmonton are also near the top of the league on the glass. They average 40.5 rebounds per game, which sits them second in the CEBL.
A pair of former Alberta Golden Bears are leading the way for Edmonton this season. Jordan Baker is showing off his championship experience and gravity on the floor, contributing in several ways for the Stingers. He’s averaging 11.3 points per game, 11.5 rebounds per game, 5 assists per game and 1.5 steals per game. Meanwhile, big man Brody Clarke is leading the Stingers in scoring at 14 points per game on an efficient 50 per cent shooting. Czech Republic native David Pekarek is the only other player averaging double figures for the Stingers at 10.3 points per game.
The Montreal Alliance enter Wednesday’s contest at 3-2, fresh off of a 20 point win over the Guelph Nighthawks. The Alliance also have losses to Niagara and Hamilton and wins over Ottawa and Scarborough.
Montreal is struggling offensively to start the season and sit last in the league in points per game at 78.8. They also struggle in the areas where Edmonton succeeds. They currently sit ninth in the CEBL in both rebounds per game and assists per game.
The Alliance will rely heavily on Washington alumni Dominic Green and Carleton/Windsor alumni Isiah Osborne. Green and Osborne are the only Montreal players averaging double figures, with Green scoring 17.6 points per game and Osborne scoring 11.6 points per game.
The game 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 season tickets are available at https://www.thestingers.ca/season-tickets17e760ad while Montreal Alliance season tickets are available at https://www.alliancemontreal.ca/en-ca/tickets.
A league created by Canadians for Canadians, the CEBL has the highest percentage of Canadian players of any professional league in the country, with 71 percent of its current rosters being Canadians. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. The only First Division Professional League Partner of Canada Basketball, the CEBL season runs from May through August. Head to CEBL.ca for more information or follow us (@cebleague) on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.