Edmonton (Matthew Winick) – Much like the matchup between these two teams on Wednesday, the Stingers struggled to score out of the gate, putting up just 10 first quarter points on 4-21 shooting from the field, and trailing 16-10 after the period. However, Edmonton backed that up with a 35-point second quarter for the second straight game and led almost the rest of the way.
It certainly wasn’t an easy win for the Stingers but provided the team with a playoff-like atmosphere as it begins its quest to repeat as CEBL champions.
“(I’ve learned that) we have more depth… it was good seeing some young guys step up and give us good minutes,” said Stingers’ head coach Jermaine Small after the game, “It was a heck of a game, but we bend and don’t break.”
Leading the way as usual for Edmonton was Xavier Moon with a game-high 26 points. Forward Marlon Johnson was also highly impactful, finishing with 23 points, nine rebounds, six assists, four steals and two blocks for an outstanding all-around stat line.
“I was effective and versatile on the defensive end, and got my teammates going with my energy,” said Johnson, “That’s what I do, so I have to bring it.”
The loss for Fraser Valley marks its fifth straight, with its last four defeats all coming at the hands of the Stingers. After a tough 41-point loss just two nights prior, the Bandits came out with energy and effort on Friday. Even when the team was faced with a 10-point deficit entering the Elam Ending, Fraser Valley refused to quit.
“We’re going through a little skid right now, and it’s easy to blame, it’s easy to doubt and give up and give in, but we’ve been challenging these guys to stick with it and continue to believe,” said Bandits’ head coach David Singleton. “Tonight I thought was a game we deserved to win. I thought they did everything in their power to win the game… I’m surely proud of this team.”
Import forward Kenny Manigault was massive down the stretch for the Bandits, scoring 10 of his team-high 24 points in the Elam Ending. Manigault used his speed and aggression to will himself towards the rim and scored high difficulty finishes around the hoop. Brandon Gilbeck was also a force on the interior, finishing with a monster 18-point, 15-rebound double-double.
While the loss is surely frustrating for Fraser Valley, the team can take comfort in knowing its playoff fate was decided earlier in the night. By virtue of the Ottawa BlackJacks losing to the Guelph Nighthawks on Friday, the Bandits secured the four seed in the CEBL standings. Thanks to that, Fraser Valley will now be hosting Ottawa next weekend in the quarterfinal round.
Before the playoffs come though, the Bandits still have two more regular season games against the 1-11 Saskatchewan Rattlers, the first of which coming on Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. PT.
Meanwhile, Friday’s win was the final game of Edmonton’s regular season. The Stingers will now have to wait all the way until August 20th for their next game, a semi-final matchup on their own home court.
Fraser Valley’s quarterfinal tilt will be nationally televised on CBC. In addition to live stream touchpoints on the free CBC Gem streaming service and cbcsports.ca, as well as CEBL+, all Bandits regular season games are available to watch on TELUS Optik TV® on Channel 1901 Lower Mainland Live Sports. Fans can learn more and subscribe to CEBL+ via this link.
