Not Warren Moon, Grey Cup Champion and Football Hall of Famer , but The Canadian Elite Basketball League's only MVP, Xavier Moon. Moon led the Stingers with 30 points hitting from all points in the field. Xavier was 68% from the field, 66% from inside the circle and 71% from 3 point land.. but the league's MVP showed why from the line hitting 100% in free throws. It was fitting that Moon had 2 free throws with 2 points left in the ELAM ending, not one to miss an opportunity, he dropped both to give Edmonton the win to go 2 and O.
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| Xavier Moon sinks the free throw to win the game. |
Not to be out done, Mathieu Kamba, hit for 14 points, and pulled in 3 rebounds defensively.
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| Mathieu Kamba with sweet layup with 0:25 left in the 1st. |
The Stingers opened with 2 on a jumper from The CEBL 2020 MVP, Xavier Moon and never looked back. The bench was a little light on Friday night bringing only 15 points to game.
But the play of the game had to be an open run SLAM dunk by one of the newest Stingers, Marlon Johnson Jr. It was like everything slowed as Johnson hit the air for a straight on Slam for 2. All I can say is the man's got jump and he doesn't need propulsion rockets to get air.
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| Marlon Johnson sets airborne for a SLAM |
The play was fast and there was a lot of movement back and forth by both teams. The River Lions played a lot better than their record shows. Not one River Lions player broke 20 points and team percentages from the line were dismal at 31%, and not breaking 50% in any category. All Active players for the River Lions hit for points with 19 from the man who caused the most trouble for the Stingers, Xavier Steen. Steen was in the face of Xavier Moon at every change.
Stinger's captain Jordan Baker who had 9 points, was dropped on a stationary block when he was run into by shooter, number 6 Guillaume Payen-Boucard.
The 2020 Champions are now 2 - 0 in league play, with another game Monday night at 7pm at the Expo Centre.
The CEBL will be holding a news conference on Monday Night, to provide information about the Champions Weekend in Edmonton, August 18 – 22, 2021, with Edmonton guaranteed a spot in the weekend games, and they will be defending their 2020 Championship.
The Edmonton Stingers are based at the Edmonton Expo Centre. Tickets are available on the Stingers Website click HERE, you can also order your championship weekend tickets as well.
For more information on the CEBL (Canadian Elite Basketball League) Click HERE
Basketball Canada Click Here
More about the ELAM Ending in CEBL play. The Elam ending is designed to remove all those free throws in the last 30 seconds of the game. Making the game much more exciting and entertaining right to the last drop.
HOW it works?
In the CEBL the first whistle after the clock hits the 4 minute mark in the 4th quarter, stops the clock. Yes you heard it right it stops the game clock, not the shot clock. Then game target is then set by adding 9 points to the leading score at that time. (IE. if the team leading at ELAM Ending time has 90 then the target score becomes 99.) This is where things become interesting. The FIRST team to reach the target score wins the game. If the team that was behind at the time had a score of 85 and goes on 14 -5 run they win. There is very little reason to foul because your opponent can gain 2 or 3 points on you with out really having to work for it.
So come on down to the EXPO Centre Monday night and catch the latest game with your CHAMPIONSHIP Edmonton Stingers. Catch Canada's Game invented by a Canadian James Naismith at a YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts and picked up by Canadian YMCA's, High schools and universities before it became what it is now in the US.
#ItsOurGame
Ron Palmer
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