The Vancouver Bandits put an end to the Edmonton Stingers’ perfect record on Tuesday, outscoring the hosts 26-19 in the final quarter to post a 93-90 Canadian Elite Basketball League victory.
Nick Ward and Koby McEwen each scored 21 points for the Bandits, who moved into a first-place tie with the Stingers in the five-team Western Conference, both sporting 4-1 records. Ward also had 10 rebounds.
James Kamik had 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Bandits, who trailed 51-48 at halftime and 71-67 heading into the final quarter.
Davion Warren led the Stingers with 23 points, while Ben Krikke had 15 and Elijah Miller netted 13.
“Anybody can get beat anybody on a given day,” Ward said when asked about facing undefeated Edmonton.
“Tonight we fought back.”
Vancouver got plenty of solid contributions on the night, however, as Tazé Moore chipped in with 14 points and eight assists.
The Stingers, winners of the 2020 and 2021 CEBL championship, lost two of three regular-season matchups to the Bandits last year.
“We stay even keel in a win or a loss,” said Stingers head coach Jordan Baker. “We’re still the same group of guys … we’re sticking together and making sure we play the right way next time.”
The Bandits, who play their home games at Langley Events Centre — located 50 kilometres east of Vancouver — are 3-0 at home and 1-1 on the road this season.
Throw-ins
- There are three games CEBL games scheduled for Wednesday. The Brampton Honey Badgers (2-2) host the Winnipeg Sea Bears (2-1), the Ottawa BlackJacks (0-3) visit the Montreal Alliance (1-3), and the Calgary Surge (0-3) host the Saskatchewan Rattlers (3-1).
- The Stingers started the 2021 season with a 7-0 record. Heading into Tuesday night’s game they had the league’s fourth-best offence (91.3 points per game) and second-best defence (79.3 points against).
- Announced attendance at the EXPO Centre in Edmonton on Tuesday was 2,147.