Stingers top Sea Bears in back-and-forth battle
Lindsey and Bourcier come back to sting ex-teammates
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Monthly Digital Subscription
$1 per week for 24 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Billed as $4.00 plus GST every four weeks. After 24 weeks, price increases to the regular rate of $19.00 plus GST every four weeks. Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
Monthly Digital Subscription
$4.75/week*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Billed as $19 plus GST every four weeks. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Winnipeg Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*$1 will be added to your next bill. After your 4 weeks access is complete your rate will increase by $0.00 a X percent off the regular rate.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
It’s heartbreaking being one point away from a win with possession and still losing, and it’s even worse when the winning basket comes at the hands of a former player at home.
The Winnipeg Sea Bears fell 95-92 to the Edmonton Stingers Friday night at Canada Life Centre, as former Sea Bear Scottie Lindsey stunned the crowd of 7,104 in a close target time with the winning basket.
Going into target time up 84-83, the Sea Bears looked like they would be the first to reach 93 points, leading the entire time until the Stingers tied things up 92-92.
BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS
Sea Bears forward Trevon Scott drives to the hoop against the Stingers Scottie Lindsey on Friday night in Winnipeg.
In next-point-wins territory, some fans were on their feet as Jalen Harris drove the net for the victory for the Sea Bears, but a defensive play by another former player, Mason Bourcier, turned the ball the other way and the rest was history.
“I felt the team gave great effort,” said Sea Bears head coach Mike Taylor. “I love the effort of the players, but we’ve got to do a better job. Today we had some breakdowns and they cost us the game.”
Lindsey’s winning three-pointer added to his team-leading 26 points in a strong performance for the guard.
“We’ll bounce back because we’re resilient,” said Taylor. “But that was, you know, team was mad. Team was upset. There’s no doubt about the fact that we put ourselves in a position to win, and again, we have to respect our hard work. We have to respect the effort that we’re putting in. And in those opportunities to win the game, we have to execute and do a better job with detail.”
The first quarter was relatively close between the two teams, with the Sea Bears finding themselves up 26-25.
Lindsey and Bourcier were immediately the ones to pay attention to on the Stingers, with Lindsey putting up double-digits by the first quarter and Bourcier looking all over the ball.
Bourcier asked the Sea Bears for his release at the beginning of the season after being relegated to third-string point guard, but has since been taking on a bigger role with the Stingers.
The back-and-forth affair continued in the second quarter, with neither team holding more than a four-point lead, but this time it was the Stingers who ended up with a one-point advantage heading into the break, up 49-48 — although it could have gone either way with the lead changing 15 times in just the first half.
Despite the tough loss, the Winnipeg crowd still had a winner to celebrate during halftime, as none other than Lily, the reigning Sea Bears wiener dog race champion, brought her nine-inch tall frame to another victory.
Although the Sea Bears pulled away with their biggest lead of the game in the third quarter, up 73-65, the final frame just didn’t go their way.
However, for a team that has had no shortage of roster changes before the CEBL’s transaction deadline today, chemistry looks to be building.
Trevon Scott, a new addition who was brought in with the departure of Jaylin Williams to the NBA Summer League, led the team in points with 23, Williams recently made his return to the Sea Bears in Sunday’s game against Montreal.
However, not every Sea Bear returned from the Summer League.
It looks like starting point guard Terry Roberts, who was at the summer league with the Brooklyn Nets, won’t rejoin his former Winnipeg squad.
Luckily for the Sea Bears, his replacement, Will Richardson, has proven to be just as valuable, averaging 17 points in his first three games and putting up 18 against the Stingers.
Newly signed forward Jordy Tshimanga made his debut as a Sea Bear on Friday, with the 6-11 ex-Nebraska Cornhusker putting up five points off the bench.
“We love the guys in the locker room,” said Taylor. “And we believe in them, so the chemistry is in a great place, and maybe this is one of those tough growing experiences of a group that has some new faces together.”
The Sea Bears will go back on the road Sunday, where they will face the Calgary Surge at 3 p.m. The Sea Bears have lost five in a row against their Western Conference rival and hope to break the trend.
“We know that Calgary is a physical team,” said Taylor. “I think the last time we played them here, the turnovers were a big factor. We’ve got to take care of the basketball.”
The signing of American guard Jarron Cumberland, announced earlier today, could help.
Cumberland is expected to make his debut in the game and brings NBA experience from his time with the Portland Trail Blazers. He has also played for Raptors 905 and the Delaware Blue Coats in the NBA G League.
zoe.pierce@freepress.mb.ca