The Badgers Steal The Honey From The Stingers Hive.

The Edmonton Stingers faced off against the Hamilton Honey Badgers in hopes for attaining revenge considering their last meeting. However, that was not the case for the Stingers as they suffered their first home loss in a game that was very close throughout the quarters. Hamilton wanted to be crowned as the first team to destroy the Stingers at home considering their tenacity. Out of all the games, the Stingers have played this season, this was by far the toughest game they have played. Both teams were equally matched whether it was scoring the ball or defending the ball except for one statistic. The Stingers should have won this game considering that they were always leading in points until the last quarter. Although the Stingers played well and were on pace to win this game, what managed to disrupt their flow?

The first quarter automatically started at a very high pace. Both teams were concentrated and locked in for winning this battle. Both the Stingers and the Honey Badgers played equally well on both sides of the court. Players such as Demetrius Denzel-Dyson and Ricky Tarrant Jr. were pivotal offensive contributors for the Honey Badgers. Both players scored 22 points in the entirety of the game and really managed to carry the Badgers to this victory. Without Denzel-Dyson and Tarrant Jr., the Badgers would have lost this game by a significant amount. However, both players showed glimpses of the splash brothers in Golden State considering that most of their shots were going in. Whether it was three-pointers or lay-ups, both Tarrant Jr. and Denzel-Dyson were both reliable scorers for the entirety of the game. Defensively, both players affected the game significantly as they combined for 5 steals out of the 10 in the game. Overall, the Honey Badgers performed better than expected on both sides of the court. However, the main statistical category that allowed the Badgers to take home this victory was free-throw shooting. Unlike the Stingers, the Badgers made almost every single free-throw with 28/31 shooting, which is 90%. The Stingers, however, managed to shoot 10/21 attempts, which is just 47% from the line. Now although the Badgers shot at the free-throw line 10 more times, this still does not justify the poor shooting the Stingers committed from the line. The horrible free-throw shooting from the Stingers cost them this victory as they only lost by 3 points. If the Stingers made 4 more free-throw shots, the outcome of this game would have been different. Despite the loss, the Stingers played amazing basketball on both ends of the floor hence why this was a close game.

Unlike the Badgers, the Stingers relied more on ball movement rather than one or two primary scorers. Edmonton managed to have 25 assists in this game compared to the Badgers 15. This reveals that the Stingers are not a selfish team and instead share the ball a lot more than most teams in the CEBLeague. A big part of Edmonton's offence was assists and three-pointers. Although the Stingers did not have an impressive percentage from the three-point line by averaging 30% as a team, they would still attempt to shoot most of their shots from behind the arc. If they focused more inside the free-throw rather than past the arc, the Stingers would have been able to accomplish another home victory. One thing that is noticeable about the Stingers is, Both Travis Daniels, who is 6'8 and, Grandy Glaze, who is 6'7 play the game as if they are 7-footers. Rather than focusing on three-pointers, the Stingers should have tried to attempt more shots with their centers as they combined for 28 points. Brody Clarke was also a significant contributor for the Stingers as he managed to score 12 points in just 17 minutes. Not only did Clarke score an astonishing full-court three-pointer which is arguably the highlight of the year for the CEBLeague, but he also managed to be the energy player for this game. Mamadou Gueye was also a significant contributor for the Stingers offence as he managed to lead the Stingers in scoring with 17 points with efficient scoring from inside the three-point line.

Overall, this game seemed equal from the moment the Badgers stepped into the arena. This was crucial for both teams as they had the exact same record going into this match-up. This game was by far the most intense and unexpected match-up so far for the Stingers. The aggressive mindset from both teams made it seem as if the fans were watching a playoff game. Both the fans as well as the respected players on either team were fully engaged in this match-up whether it was cheering or getting involved with the referees. Although the Saskatchewan Rattlers would make the most sense to be the number one rival for the Stingers, this game capitalized a new rival for Edmonton. This was a severe loss for the Stingers to swallow; however, a necessary defeat for this franchise. With the next 2 weeks of Stingers basketball being only away games, this is a perfect opportunity for this franchise to change their mentality going into the second half of the CEBL season. Considering that the only win's that the Stingers managed to attain was from their home games really displays how much they need the city of Edmonton to cheer them on. Coach Craddock and the Stingers roster need to approach the second half of the season as if it just started considering their disappointing road losses. With that being said, what do you think the Stingers need to change to attain their first road victory?