Stingers Win Fifth Straight and Conquer the Surge 113-90 in the Battle of Alberta

The Stingers capped off a four-game homestand 4-0 as they defeated the Calgary Surge 113-90 at the Edmonton EXPO Centre in the final Battle of Alberta in 2025. 

The win was Edmonton's fifth straight and their seventh in their last eight, as a plethora of Stingers stepped up on offence to take down Calgary.

Five Stingers recorded 10 or more points in the win, and it was a key factor in tilting the scales in Edmonton's favour tonight. However, while the offence was done once again by committee, Scottie Lindsey's team-leading 29-point performance cannot be understated. 

The guard was on fire from three, connecting on seven of eleven from downtown and played a massive role in Edmonton's resurgence in the second half.

The Stingers and Surge were both looking to win the season series and secure a win in a tightly contested Western Conference playoff picture. And it set the stage for a tightly contested battle between the two rivals. 

Starting in the first quarter, both teams experienced a slow start, setting the stage for another tight finish between the two rivals. Edmonton came out with a 4-1 lead in the opening minute, but it was not long before the game was tied at 4-4. The Stingers' offence was quick to come alive, though. Edmonton created a 9-2 run late in the quarter to establish a sizeable 19-11 lead and ended the first 10 minutes up 24-17. 

The slow start continued into the second. Only three buckets were scored in the first three minutes of the quarter. With Edmonton still up 26-21, Calgary challenged the Stingers for the lead, cutting the lead to two points before a 9-3 run from Edmonton erased the comeback. However, the Stingers' three-point shooting went ice cold in the quarter, connecting on only 1 of 12 from beyond the arc, which allowed the Surge to get back into the game. 

And Calgary did not waste the moment. The Surge pounced on the Stingers' three-point troubles and knocked down three after three to capture their first lead of the game and end the half up 43-40.

Edmonton was going to need a huge second-half performance to pull off the win and secure their fifth victory in a row--and that was exactly what happened.

The script flipped as the third quarter began. Calgary's electric three-point shooting in the first half went ice cold, while Edmonton nailed four consecutive threes in two minutes to take a 62-46 lead. The Stingers' run was up to 30-5 halfway through the quarter, and everything began going Edmonton's way at this point. The CEBL's hottest team took firm control of the game and left no room for Calgary to get back in it. Edmonton cruised through the quarter up 82-64 as the Stingers outscored the Surge 42-21 in the third. 

The dominance continued for Edmonton as they overcame their first-half shooting struggles and knocked down shot after shot in the fourth. Calgary tried to get things rolling again, but never found enough consistency to turn the tide in their favour. With the lead too big for the Surge to overcome, the Stingers hit target time in complete control with a 103-79 lead. Edmonton would sail to the finish line and close out their southern rivals 113-90 to win the season series and collect their fifth consecutive win. 

The turning point for the Stingers' offence was their comeback in the third. After starting the game shooting 1/13 from three, Head Coach Jordan Baker credited his group for staying composed and battling back in the second half. 

"You look at the shooting percentages at halftime ... we're a better shooting team than that," Baker said post-game. "It was just a matter of getting guys to believe a bit." 

"They were killing us on the offensive glass, so cleaning up with rebounds ... we just managed to snag and then that got our transition going." 

Of the five Stingers who recorded 10+ points, Sean East II recorded a double-double, while two others--Nick Hornsby and Keon Amrbose-Hylton--came within one rebound of recording a double-double. Tonight's leading scorer, Scottie Lindsey, mentioned how important the team's depth scoring has been to the team's win streak. 

"I think as a collective, we are just really locked in and got on the same page," Lindsey said post-game. "It just shows how deep we are. We got like I said, a lot of guys that can really play ... that makes things easier for guys like me and Sean to do our things."

Edmonton now moves to within a game of Calgary for second in the West and puts the Stingers in an excellent position as the season eclipses the halfway point.

The Stingers will now head out on a four-game road trip before returning to the EXPO Centre to face the Vancouver Bandits on August 1 @ 7:00 p.m MT.