Stingers Catch Fire from Deep to Down BlackJacks
It rained triples in Edmonton on Tuesday.
The Stingers used a flurry of three-pointers to snap a two-game skid and beat the Ottawa BlackJacks 93-74 on Tuesday at the Edmonton EXPO Centre.
Edmonton improved to 3-5 with the win, while Ottawa fell to 2-5.
Scottie Lindsey led the way for the Stingers with a breakout 23-point performance, including 18 by halftime. He added nine rebounds and five steals.
In all, the Stingers shot 50 per cent from beyond the arc after entering the game fourth leaguewide at 34 per cent.
“You put yourself in a great position to win basketball games, but I think it was the quality of our shots. We’d struggled a little bit with too much isolation in the last couple, so it was great to see us get to the paint, share the basketball and get open looks for each other,” Stingers head coach Jordan Baker said.
Edmonton entered Target Score Time up 83-69 after a 13-3 run, and its strong shooting continued with the clock stopped.
Mason Bourcier scored his first points as a Stinger with a three-pointer to get things going, Lindsey knocked one down to put Edmonton within three, and the Stingers salted away the win after layups from Sean East II and Keon Ambrose-Hylton.
“Guys executed, guys played hard, we had lots of contributions top to bottom. So we’re certainly happy but we’re not satisfied,” Baker said.
East II finished the game with 20 points and six assists, while Ambrose-Hylton added 13 points and eight rebounds and Elijah Miller contributed 12 points off the bench.
Miller, of Rexdale, Ont., said it was a “great win.”
“It’s gonna take time during the season, but as the games go on we’re definitely starting to click,” he said.
Lindsey, the 29-year-old Illinois native, came to Edmonton after a year with Winnipeg last season in which he shot 42.1 per cent from the field en route to 13.5 points per game.
But while he was still at 13 per game as a Stinger to start this season, his field-goal percentage had slumped to 30.4.
Lindsey busted out of that slump in a big way on Tuesday.
“When he lets the game come to him, he’s pretty damn good offensively. We try to put him in some spots, but he did a good job moving away from the ball and we found him early and often. And when he gets going, he really gets going,” Baker said.
For Ottawa, meanwhile, the loss marked its third straight as it remains fourth in the Eastern Conference.
Justin Jackson came off the bench to lead the BlackJacks with a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double, while Meshack Lufile (11 points) and Christian Rohlehr (10 points) were the only other scorers in double digits.
Head coach Dave DeAveiro said his team kept things close through three quarters but struggled to close — an emerging trend during the losing streak.
He added that the BlackJacks need “mental toughness” to snap out of it.
“I find when things are not going our way, that’s when we’re not at our best,” DeAveiro said.
Ottawa captain Tyrrel Tate notched nine points and five rebounds. He said the team is still learning each other’s tendencies while awaiting some players who have yet to debut.
“We’re just trying to build some chemistry within the guys we have now. I think we’ve grown in a lot of areas but we still have a lot of growing room to go so just learn from this, watch the film, get ready to take care of business when we get back home,” Tate said.
The BlackJacks’ Miyrne Thomas appeared to injure his shoulder during the third quarter and did not return.
The Stingers led 25-23 after the first quarter on the strength of five-for-eight shooting from three-point range. Edmonton’s lead ballooned to 50-44 by halftime as the threes kept falling.
In the third quarter, the Stingers finally gained some separation, but a late run by the BlackJacks cut Edmonton’s lead to just four points entering the final frame.
Yet the Stingers responded, built a double-digit lead and cruised through Target Score Time.
Now, Edmonton sports fans will turn their focus to the Stanley Cup Final, where the hope is that the Oilers make like the Stingers and earn a bounce-back victory of their own.
Box Score
https://www.cebl.ca/game?id=2600598
Up Next
Both teams face the Niagara River Lions in their next game — the Stingers visit Niagara on Friday, while the BlackJacks host the reigning champions on Sunday.
Next CEBL Action
The 500th game in league history, including playoffs, takes place Wednesday when the Winnipeg Sea Bears host the Montreal Alliance. For the full 2025 CEBL schedule and up-to-date results, please visit cebl.ca/games.
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