Edmonton Stingers’ dream of competing in Basketball America’s Champions League Final 8 lives on.
Jordan Baker had 18 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Stingers to a 93-87 win over Cangrejeros on Monday, to kick off the BCLA third window.
Jahmal Jones added 17 points, while Cuyler Mosley had 15, Malcom Duvivier 11 and Jean-Victor Mukama had 10.
Stingers had lost their previous two games to Cangrejeros by a combined 58 points, but Monday’s roster saw some notable additions, plus the return of Baker, the two-time Canadian Elite Basketball League champion and Canadian CEBL player of the year.
“Our roster is a little deeper, obviously we are playing at home… and we are more familiar with the opponents – we are a little embarrassed by how we lost to them before,” said head coach Jermaine Small. “We had a lot of motivation and I think it moved to the floor tonight and once we started playing desperate and together I think that’s why we won.”
Davon Jefferson scores 29 points ahead of Cangrejeros of Puerto Rico (3-2).
Stingers, who represented CEBL in the Champions League as champions last season, improved to 2-3 through three windows.
They face Real Esteli (2-2) of Nicaragua, last year’s tournament runners-up, on Wednesday at the WinSport Arena.
Cangrejeros and Real Esteli play on Tuesday.
The top two teams from the group play in the Final 8 next month.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on March 14, 2022.
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