Stingers hold off Surge in Battle of Alberta thriller

Despite a new location, the Battle of Alberta maintained the same intensity on Thursday (June 19).

Edmonton weathered a late comeback from Calgary at Westerner Park Centrium in Red Deer to secure a 98-95 victory in the second matchup between the provincial rivals this season.

The Stingers led by 13 heading into Target Score Time, 16 in the fourth and as much as 17 in the game, but the Surge climbed back to tie the game at 95 with a target of 97.

Both teams had game-winning looks in a wild finish that featured turnovers, jump balls and back-and-forth basketball.

A transition slam from Edmonton’s Chris Smith ended the contest and made up for a missed free throw to win the game earlier in Target Time.

Edmonton head coach Jordan Baker said the win showed resilience.

“Obviously, credit to Calgary – they came out of the gates hot and they finished the game on a run,” Baker said. “For us to be able to hold them off at the end there is a testament to the guys we got in our locker room.”

The Stingers evened the season series with Calgary and did so without star player Sean East II for the majority of the contest.

East II was ejected early in the second quarter with 11 points after picking up his second unsportsmanlike foul. However, Scottie Lindsey and the Edmonton offence stepped up in his absence.

“I think guys played the rest of the way with a little chip on their shoulder,” Baker said. “They wanted to prove that we're more than just Sean East and his supporting cast.”

Lindsey dropped a game-high 28 points to go along with seven rebounds and three blocks to pace the Edmonton attack.

“The team needs me to be aggressive all the time. Obviously with Sean going out, that's over 20 points a game that we're missing. But I think the team needs me to be aggressive either way,” Lindsey said.

The Stingers’ unselfishness was a good match for the stellar Surge defence, with 25 assists on the team’s 37 field goals.

Nick Hornsby contributed an all-around effort and flirted with a triple-double for Edmonton, tallying 17 points, 14 rebounds, nine assists and three steals. Smith and Keon Ambrose-Hylton reached double figures as well, chipping in 11 points apiece.

Meanwhile, Jameer Nelson Jr. netted a team-high 23 points for Calgary, including some clutch shooting in Target Score Time. He was effective defensively as well with four steals and seven rebounds.

Nelson Jr. said the presence of new acquisition, the NBA-experienced Jamorko Pickett, helped spur the Target Score Time run.

Sean Miller-Moore added 21 points, six rebounds and six assists for Calgary, while Greg Brown III scored 19 before he fouled out. Overall, the Surge struggled offensively for much of the game. Calgary finished at 37 per cent from the field and 25 per cent from three.

Surge head coach Kaleb Canales said the team didn’t make enough plays down the stretch.

“We had an opportunity – about five to seven opportunities – to finish the game, and we just came up short tonight,” Canales said.

To open the game, Nelson Jr. scored seven of Calgary’s first nine points before Brown III got in on the action with seven straight points as well. The Surge went on an 11-0 run but East II led the Stingers on a run of their own to reclaim a lead.

The provincial rivals exchanged blows for the remainder of the quarter and were knotted at 24 to start the second. After a scorching 11-point first quarter, East II picked up his second unsportsmanlike foul of the game to end his day.

The game remained close for the bulk of the second quarter, with the Surge and Stingers trading leads. Back-to-back inside finishes from Kevin Bercy towards the end of the frame extended Edmonton’s lead to 50-46 at halftime.

The Stingers built on their advantage in the early stages of the third by getting to the rim, free throw line, and connecting from long range. Catch-and-shoot threes from Lindsey and Hornsby helped Edmonton to lead by as much as 17.

Brown III got the shooter’s bounce on the three in the closing seconds of the quarter to cut the deficit to 12, but Hornsby beat the buzzer with a floater to take a 77-63 lead into the fourth.

Miller-Moore helped trim the Stingers’ lead to 10, but Ambrose-Hylton went to work inside for Edmonton. The big man from Toronto had three consecutive finishes in the paint, including two and-ones and a poster dunk. After an Olumide Adelodun three for Calgary, Edmonton led 88-75 entering the final stretch.

Calgary scored the opening five points of Target Score Time and continued on a 20-7 run to tie the game, highlighted by back-to-back mid-range jumpers from Nelson Jr.

With both teams one bucket away from victory, chaos ensued. A wild scramble saw turnovers and game-winning looks for both squads before Smith was fouled in transition.

He made one of two at the free throw line before another sequence with a combined six attempts at victory, two turnovers and two jump balls.

Smith finally iced the game with a transition dunk coming on an assist from former Calgary Surge guard Mason Bourcier.

Up next for both teams

Calgary and Edmonton are both back in action on Sunday (June 22) with the Surge hosting the Bandits and the Stingers hosting the Sea Bears.