Streaking Sea Bears, Stingers Set to Collide in Winnipeg
July 3, 2024 - Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL)
Winnipeg Sea Bears News Release
Two of the hottest teams in the CEBL are set to square off in Winnipeg.
The Sea Bears, winners of three straight to improve to 6-5, will host the Edmonton Stingers, who have won five of their last six games, on Wednesday at Canada Life Centre at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT / 6 p.m. MT. Live broadcast coverage is available on Game+, while you can stream the game on CEBL+ and TSN+.
Every game in the loaded Western Conference comes with a sense of urgency and stakes - and Wednesday's contest is no different as the Sea Bears put their 5-1 home record to the test against the Stingers' 6-0 road mark.
Winnipeg has surged since its major mid-season move, when it signed Justin Wright-Foreman and days later released reigning MVP Teddy Allen.
In five games, Wright-Foreman has transformed the Sea Bears by nearly matching Allen's point production (Wright-Foreman is at 27 points per game, while Allen was at 28.1) and adding 7.2 assists per game to boot.
The American set a CEBL record with 16 dimes in the team's most recent game and is also averaging a league-leading 36.4 minutes per game.
Despite its recent success, though, Winnipeg is still tied for third in its conference - and the fifth-place Saskatchewan Rattlers just signed Allen on Tuesday.
It means every contest is critical for the Sea Bears, who will face their ex-teammate twice over their final nine games.
Edmonton, meanwhile, is tied atop the West with Vancouver at 9-3 after both teams earned victories on Canada Day.
With a bye to the West final available to the regular-season conference champion, the battle atop the table is nearly as important as the one for the final playoff spot.
Unlike Winnipeg, which is largely reliant on one star, the Stingers take more of a committee approach to winning basketball.
On Monday, it was Elijah Miller going off for 30 points to beat a short-handed Rattlers team, but Miller isn't even among the team's top five scorers. No one on the team averages so much as 30 minutes per game, either.
Winnipeg and Edmonton are ranked third and fourth, respectively, in points per game - but the Stingers are the third-stingiest team in the league, surrendering 86 points per contest while the Sea Bears allow a full 10 points more per game, the worst mark in the league.
Styles make fights - and Wednesday's Western Conference showdown should be a fascinating one.
Player spotlight
Stingers guard Elijah Miller had made 14 three-pointers in 11 games before Monday.
He nearly doubled that total in a win over the Rattlers, connecting on a CEBL-record 10 triples on just 12 attempts.
Miller, of Rexdale, Ont., is now shooting 49 per cent from beyond the arc for the season. Don't be surprised if he comes out shooting in his first contest since setting the mark.
Milestone watch
Winnipeg's Alex Campbell is 16 points away from 1,000 for his career, regular season only
Campbell is also three three-pointers away from 200 for his career, including playoffs
Winnipeg's Chad Posthumus is 11 points away from 500 for his career, including playoffs
Edmonton's Miller is 11 assists away from 100 for his career, regular season only
Edmonton's Brody Clarke is five assists away from 100 for his career, including playoffs
Edmonton's Nick Hornsby is two steals away from 50 for his career, regular season only
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Canadian Elite Basketball League Stories from July 3, 2024
- Sea Bears Fend Off Stingers' Comeback Attempt For 4th Straight Win - Winnipeg Sea Bears
- Mitrou-Long's Heroics Lift Honey Badgers Past Surge in High-Scoring Thriller - CEBL
- Streaking Sea Bears, Stingers Set to Collide in Winnipeg - Winnipeg Sea Bears
- Honey Badgers, Surge Look to Continue Win Streaks in Cross-Conference Tilt - Brampton Honey Badgers
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