SURGE SEEK TO FLIP SCRIPT ON STINGERS IN 3RD BATTLE OF ALBERTA INSTALMENT
The third instalment of the CEBL’s Battle of Alberta promises to be a doozy.
Having seemingly found a winning formula, the Calgary Surge head to Edmonton to face the Stingers, who’ve already won both games between the Western Conference teams this season and are currently riding a three-game winning streak themselves.
The Surge and Stingers clash on Sunday at 4 p.m. MT / 6 p.m. ET at Edmonton EXPO Centre. Broadcast coverage is available on Game+ and Next Level Sports & Entertainment, while streaming coverage can be found on CEBL+, TSN+, Courtside 1891 and Game+.
The teams present a fascinating stylistic battle on the court.
Where Calgary and Edmonton are ranked 1-2 in shooting percentage leaguewide, they come about their scoring in different ways.
The Surge tend to rely on three-pointers, of which they’ve made a league-high 40.2 per cent compared to the Stingers’ middling 34.2 per cent.
Oddly, though, Calgary sits ninth in free-throw percentage, making just 66.9 per cent from the charity stripe. Edmonton, on the other hand, converts on a league-leading 81.1 per cent of free throws.
And while it would seem the Surge have the advantage given their proficiency on three-point shots vs. the Stingers’ singles, Calgary also coughs up the ball nearly 16 times per game and Edmonton, with a league-leading 9.6 steals per game, is primed to take advantage.
The dynamic played out in the first game of the season between the teams, where the Stingers grabbed 10 steals and attempted nine more field goals and five more free throws than the Surge in a 97-79 victory.
Calgary tightened things up in the rematch, losing the field-goal attempt battle by just four and taking one more free throw than Edmonton, but was ultimately doomed by its 50 per cent mark from the line in a 91-84 loss.
Now, the Surge are coming off a confidence-boosting 105-77 rout of the Saskatchewan Rattlers to open their six-game road trip.
“We owe Edmonton one,” Calgary’s Mathieu Kamba said after that game. “They kind of have our number, but finally our whole team is here, we can put everything together, and I think if we just play hard and just rebound, we have an excellent chance to win that game.”
The Stingers, meanwhile, narrowly avoided collapse with a 92-91 win over the basement-dwelling Ottawa BlackJacks on Thursday.
“It was ugly, but we’ll take it,” forward Adika Peter-McNeilly said. “That’s basketball sometimes.”
Key matchup
Can Calgary improve its bench production this time around?
Through two matchups this season, the Stingers’ bench has outscored the Surge’s bench 85-46.
Equalizing that statistic could go a long way toward the Surge’s chances of finally beating the Stingers this season.
Player spotlight
Centre Jordy Tshimanga, who re-signed with Calgary just two weeks ago, was not available for either of the first two games against Edmonton.
The Montreal native is a veteran of 29 CEBL games, in which he’s averaged seven points and 6.7 rebounds in nearly 20 minutes per game.
His defensive impact at the rim should prove a deterrent against the Stingers’ plethora of guards looking to finish around the net.
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About the CEBL
A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 73% of its 2023 rosters being Canadian. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. Fourteen players have signed NBA contracts following a CEBL season, and numerous CEBL players attend NBA G League training camps every year. The CEBL season runs from May through August. More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.