Comebacks Are Impressive, But Consistency Is Key.

August 8, 2019, will go down as one of the most memorable yet emotional moments in my life. The Edmonton Stingers face off the Saskatchewan Rattlers for the last time at the Expo Center. Going into this game, the arena felt different as the whole city of Edmonton realized that this would be the last time they will have the privilege to see Stingers at their home court. Coach Jermaine Small and the rest of the roster also had the realization that this game would be the last game that can put a show for the dedicated fans of Edmonton. Even though this game was quite emotional for everyone at the arena, the Stingers still had a job to do which was, to secure their nine-game winning streak. However, when looking at the seeding, the Stingers are the best team in the CEBL record-wise, and the Rattlers are currently the fourth seed. This determines that if the Stingers win this game, they will play against the Rattlers in the first round of the playoffs. If the Rattlers win this game, the Stingers would be in a dangerous position as they would be more liable to lose their throne of being the first seed. Both teams knew what was at stake for them as this could very well be a match-up in the first round of the playoffs. As a result, both sides entered the arena, locked in and ready to take down anything that came in their way. This was a scary sight to see, considering that both teams had something to prove.

Moments before tip-off, both teams showed no emotion towards each other. The intensity at the Expo Center was heavily rising with the crowd shaking with feelings of joy and sadness. The Stingers absorbed that energy and wanted to show the city Edmonton what they truly bring to the table.

Once tip-off was initiated, the Rattlers jumped into the game with a different attitude. The Rattlers were aggressive throughout this game as they bullied the Stingers inside the paint. The Stingers looked helpless as they were unable to match the height the Rattlers possess, which was utilized in this game. Whether it was Chad Posthumus posting up for an easy lay-up or Marlon Johnson dunking with aggression, the Stingers showed weakness in defending the ball in the painted area. The same thing can be said on the offensive end for the Stingers as they were unable to score the ball inside. Fortunately for the Stingers, their roster consists of overly talented three-point shooters which is what they heavily relied on throughout this game. Players such as Akeem Ellis, Mamadou Gueye, Xavier Moon, and even Travis Daniels have all proved themselves to be reliable, efficient shooters on this roster. However, the Stingers as a whole struggled to make anything in this quarter. The Stingers managed to miss more attempts than actually making them except for free-throws. The Rattlers were a different story. They managed to make more of their efforts from inside the three-point line, however, struggled in making any three-point shots in this quarter. Both teams expressed strengths and weaknesses, yet, the Rattlers seemed to be more effective with their shot-making. The Stingers lost at times, which led to them losing a bit of their composure. Even though the Rattlers were leading the charge in this quarter, Edmonton was slowly catching up. Despite Edmonton going on a decent scoring run, the quarter ended with the score of, 25-20.

The second quarter was a quarter of disaster for the Edmonton Stingers. At the start, Edmonton was playing decent basketball. For the first few minutes of the quarter, the Rattlers and the Stingers were going back and forth as neither team could make an impact. However, Shaquille Keith of the Saskatchewan Rattlers made a problematic lay-up that provided his teammate’s momentum to take this game to the next step. The Stingers in this quarter lost their composure as they were missing shot after shot, which made the fans worried. The more the Rattlers scored the ball, the worse the communication was for the Stingers considering the number of turnovers they were committing. The Stingers also only managed to score 13 points compared to the Rattlers 22 in this quarter, which goes to show how much they were struggling. Saskatchewan was bullying the Stingers at every aspect of the game. Both Chad Posthumus and Ryan Ejim were expressing dominance at both ends of the floor. Whether it was contested lay-ups or flashy dunks, the Stingers were unable to match anything that the Rattlers were doing which led to an extreme level of frustration. This game was looking like a blow-out as the Rattlers managed to have a score of 48 points compared to the disappointing 33 points the Stingers produced. For Edmonton to spark a chance of success in this game, they would need their efficient scorers to bounce back.

At the end of the first half, coach Jermaine Small looked very disappointed. As a team to have won nine games in a row, the Stingers should not be struggling this bad. Their playstyle in the first half reminded me a lot of how they used to playback in June, which was looking problematic. The main reason as to why the Stingers struggled the way they did was, the lack of assists. The Stingers ended the half with only four assists, which makes no sense. The primary offensive tool the Stingers use is, ball movement; however, in this game, that aspect of their offence disappeared. Coach Small realized that as he managed to switch up the offensive play in the third quarter.

The Rattlers entered the third quarter with confidence and lack of focus. Even though they were knocking down shots at the beginning of this quarter, they forgot about the dedication the Stingers have. With the Edmonton fans cheering, the Stingers channelled that energy and used it towards making this game closer than it is. The Stingers roster more specifically, Xavier Moon was the story of the third quarter. Moon was locked ion and focused as nothing was able to faze him. He managed to score 12 out of his 24 points in just this quarter as most of his shots were from the three-point line. Even though Moon was lights out from anywhere on the court, Akeem Ellis was also brought havoc on the court. Ellis is the vocal leader of the Stingers; however, in this game, he just focused on himself. The frustration that he had was emitted out of his eyes, considering how locked in he was. Despite Ellis only scoring five points in this quarter, he was locked in and was ready to do whatever it takes to get the job done. That alone was enough to elevate the rest of The Stingers as they all looked dedicated and prepared to take down the Rattlers. Even though the Stingers were the story of this quarter, the Rattlers were not so far behind. Everyone on the Rattlers was contributing in some way that would allow them to carry the lead throughout the entirety of the quarter still. If the Stingers hit a deep three, the Rattlers would answer back with a lay-up or free-throws. The Stingers did look scary at one point on this quarter; however, the Rattlers managed to stay focused and did not allow their success to get into their heads. Despite everything that was happening in the quarter, Saskatchewan managed to be on top with the final score at the end of third being, 69-63.

This game went from looking like a blow-out to potentially an overtime game. In this quarter, both teams were fighting with aggression and competition. The Stingers were the more impressive team in this quarter; however, the Rattlers managed to stay poised and calm throughout the entirety of the game. When the Stingers would find a weakness in the Rattlers defence, the Rattlers would strike harder on offence, which made them very dangerous to compete against. Even though there was no star of this quarter, every player on the court knew their role and played it well. Whether it was Shane Osayande making a tough lay-up or Akeem Ellis making a three-pointer, both teams were locked in and ready to take down each other. Unfortunately, only one side can be granted as the champions; hence, why this game was starting to look closer than ever. The intensity that surrounded the entire arena grew larger and larger with both teams firing back angrily towards each other. This game felt like a boxing match, considering how close the fight was. However, as hard as the Stingers tried to win this game, they had no match against the consistency of the Rattlers performance. Every single instance, the Rattlers would always find a way to answer back to whatever the Stingers would do, which is what costed the chance of Edmonton winning this game. The Rattlers managed to score a phenomenal 52 points in the paint compared to the Stingers 30, which was the main focal point of the Stingers defeat. Despite the impressive comeback the Stingers displayed, the Rattlers ended the fight victories as the final score of the game was 85-81.

Overall, this game was a severe defeat for the Stingers to swallow. Considering that this game was the final home game of the season, the Stingers would have hoped to leave Edmonton on a brighter note. This game should not have been this bad due to the amount of success this team has displayed throughout the summer. With this loss, the Stingers become more fragile when it comes to the standings. If they still manage to end the season as the number one seed, they would have to face the Saskatchewan Rattlers which looks to be more a scarier fight than before. The Stingers had a rough game and seemed to be out of the zone, which is what cost them this victory. Whether it was missing wide-open jump shots or turning over the ball, Edmonton was not focused and was blind about what the actual goal is. For the Rattlers, however, they shocked the entire CEBL with their performance. Even though they may have disappeared when it came to shooting three-pointers, the Rattlers did everything else. Whether it was bullying the Stingers in the paint or playing good defence, the Rattlers managed to match everything that Edmonton was trying to do. The critical aspect that led to this victory was consistency. Saskatchewan never allowed the fans of Edmonton or Xavier’s hot streak in the third quarter to get to them which is why they won this game. They came into this game with the mentality of dominance rather than weakness; hence, why they were able to match anything, the Stingers would throw at them.

Even though the Stingers suffered an unfortunate defeat, they need to look at this loss as a lesson. In my opinion, I believe the reason why the Stingers lost the way they did was due to how cocky they were. Winning nine games is distinctive; however, the Stingers seemed to have slipped what these games mean. The real victory is to win the championship, which is why this loss is essential. If the Stingers won this game, they would have developed an even bigger ego which could be problematic. For instance, when the Raptors were in the Finals, they never celebrated until they won the actual prize. They were never cocky until they won the real prize. They were persistent and focused hence why they managed to win the NBA championship with such remorse. The Raptors, as a result, we’re finally given the pass to celebrate as there silence throughout series paid off. The Stingers need to take that into a lesson as they need to focus to see what the bigger prize is. Edmonton has all the tools to win the CEBL championship this year; they need to stay focused on what they need to do.