Fraser Valley Bandits Defeat Edmonton Stingers by a Close Margin
June 15, 2022 - Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL)
Edmonton Stingers News Release
EDMONTON, AB- The Fraser Valley Bandits picked up a narrow 84-81 victory on the road against their rivals out of Edmonton on Wednesday night at the Expo Centre. It's Fraser Valley's first win over the Stingers since July of 2020 and just their second all-time, with Edmonton winning 9 of 11 meetings.
The Bandits rode a 22 point, 9 rebound performance from U SPORTS big man Thomas Kennedy to victory over the back-to-back champs.
"What most impressed me with Thomas today was how he played through physical contact," Bandits' head coach Mike Taylor said. "Edmonton played a strong, physical game. In his pick and rolls, in his post moves and crashing the boards I think he did well. He played very strong and it was an important performance for us down in the paint."
Shane Gibson led Fraser Valley down the stretch, scoring 14 of his 19 points in the second half while also collecting 5 rebounds and delivering 4 assists. He also scored the game-winning layup in transition.
"Shane is a talented scorer- he got baskets for himself but he also made some beautiful plays for his teammates," Taylor said. "It was fitting he got the game-winning basket because we relied on him so much."
Two-time U SPORTS MVP Kadre Gray also had a bounce back game for the Bandits, dropping 16 points off the bench on 4-8 shooting from the field and a perfect 7-7 from the free throw line.
After relying heavily on their bench in a loss to Scarborough, the Stingers' starters provided the bulk of the team's offence on Wednesday. Four starters reached double figures for Edmonton with Brody Clarke leading the way with 19 points on 7-11 shooting while Mathieu Kamba dropped 16 on 7-10 shooting along with 7 rebounds. Jordan Baker added 14 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in a losing effort while Jahmal Jones scored 10 in a starting role. Aher Uguak had 9 points off the bench for the Stingers to round out their offence.
The teams were fairly even on the stat sheet in what was an even, tightly contested game that featured 10 lead changes. However, 14 offensive rebounds for Fraser Valley made a difference for the Bandits in the victory.
The first quarter saw the Bandits assert themselves with the Stingers struggling offensively out of the gate. Kennedy scored 8 points in the opening frame, with a soft touch floater, a putback, a hook shot and two free throws. The Bandits carried a 19-15 lead into the second quarter with both teams shooting 37 per cent from the floor and struggling from beyond the arc.
Edmonton was 1-8 from three in the opening 10 minutes while Fraser Valley was 2-7. The game opened up offensively in the second quarter, with both teams exchanging blows and changing leads. After a Kadre Gray three gave the Bandits a 29-27 lead, Edmonton went on a 14-2 run to go up by 10. From there, the Bandits closed the gap to cut the lead to 45-42 heading into halftime.
The games will stream on CEBL+ live internationally and in Canada at cbcsports.ca, the CBC Sports app for iOS and Android devices and the free CBC Gem streaming service. Games are also available on the CEBL's official app, CEBL Mobile, available on iOS and Android devices.
Edmonton Stingers season tickets are available at https://www.thestingers.ca/season-tickets17e760ad while Fraser Valley Bandits season tickets are available athttps://www.thebandits.ca/season-tickets.
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