Stingers outlast Rattlers with strong target score time finish

A 10-3 run in Target Score Time propelled the Edmonton Stingers to a bounceback victory over the Saskatchewan Rattlers at SaskTel Centre on Wednesday (Aug. 6).

After trailing for the majority of the second half, Edmonton rallied in the fourth to defeat Saskatchewan 100-94 to keep hopes of a home playoff game alive.

Edmonton head coach Jordan Baker said defence made the difference down the stretch.

“When we execute defensively and get stops, we're a pretty efficient team. We held them in the second half to 18- and 19-point quarters. As we look towards the playoffs, you're not going to outscore teams, you need to play defence,” Baker said.

The Stingers also avenged a tight 90-88 loss to the Rattlers on Sunday (Aug. 3) at Edmonton Expo Centre in the first half of a home-and-home.

Sean East II was clinical in the win, pacing the Stingers’ offence with 24 points on 9-16 shooting. He followed up a quiet first half with 18 points in the second, including the game-winner.

The American guard became the third player in CEBL history to score 500 points in a single season and now sits 29 points away from the scoring record with two games remaining.

“[It’s] just a great coaching staff, great players, and they allow me to be myself and put me in great positions to be successful,” East II said.

Nick Hornsby’s well-rounded skillset also helped the Stingers to the victory with 20 points, seven assists, six rebounds and four steals. Former Rattler Scottie Lindsey added a double-double for Edmonton with 18 points and 11 rebounds while Keon Ambrose-Hylton chipped in 16 points and seven rebounds.

On the other side, the Rattlers continued to compete after elimination from playoff contention almost three weeks ago.

The duo of Jordan Bowden and Tevian Jones were a handful for the opposing defence yet again, scoring a combined 51 points on Wednesday.

“Edmonton put a lot of bodies their way and they handled it well,” Saskatchewan head coach Eric Magdanz said. “They found spaces in order to get their shot up. They attacked the rim, they got some open threes, and they did a good job moving the ball to other people as well.”

Jones netted a game-high 27 points on 10-for-20 shooting, while Bowden added 24 on 8-for-13 shooting.

Down the stretch, Jones said it was a lack of composure that led to the loss.

“We kind of let the emotions of the game get the best of us. I think really, that was it. I think if we were able to just kind of keep our heads down the stretch that we would have been able to pull out that win,” Jones said.

Both teams started hot offensively in the first quarter. The Stingers and Rattlers exchanged blows throughout the frame as Jones came out of the gates with a 13-point flurry in the opening 10 minutes. A pair of timely Saskatchewan threes from Devonté Bandoo and Isaac Simon put the home team ahead 30-26 after one quarter of action.

The Rattlers kept firing from long range in the second quarter, extending their lead to nine and forcing back-to-back timeouts from Baker. Bowden took control offensively in the second for Saskatchewan while Chris Smith helped the Stingers fight back to within one possession. However, the Rattlers headed into the locker room with a bit of breathing room, ahead 57-51.

Edmonton fought back to tie the game twice in the third quarter, but the duo of Bowden and Jones kept Saskatchewan in front. Powered by a pair of floaters from East II, the Stingers went on a 6-0 run to claw back within one heading into the fourth.

A back-and-forth final quarter saw four ties and two lead changes ahead of Target Score Time. East II showcased his deadly floater while Ambrose-Hylton and Horsby helped Edmonton seize its first lead since the opening quarter.

Trailing by three, Jaden Bediako scored back-to-back buckets to provide the Rattlers with a one-point lead heading into Target Score Time.

From there, the Stingers dominated. Lindsey regained the lead with a putback finish and scored another acrobatic layup several possessions later to cap an 8-0 run. Bandoo buried a shot from long range to get the Rattlers back to within four but East II put the finishing touches on a stellar second half with a mid-range jumper to win it.

Edmonton claimed the season series against Saskatchewan with the victory after splitting the first two games earlier in the campaign.

Up next for both teams

All 10 CEBL teams are in action on Friday (Aug. 8) with Saskatchewan hosting Calgary and Edmonton facing the Niagara River Lions.