BlackJacks End Stingers’ Bid for Perfect Season
Matthew Winick
The Ottawa BlackJacks (3-5) stunned the undefeated Edmonton Stingers (7-1) by a score of 79-74 at TD Place in Ottawa on Saturday afternoon.
The contest marked Ottawa’s first home game with fans in the seats, and the crowd made all the difference. The 1,000 people cheering on their BlackJacks provided the squad with energy, and the players fed off the noise. When guard Junior Cadougan hit a mid-range floater to seal the victory, both the players and fans joined in celebration.
After being relegated to near the bottom of the standings for most of the season, the massive victory could be a sparkplug for Ottawa. The momentum from knocking off the defending champions can go a long way towards turning the season around.
“It’s a matter of getting this group to play together, and I think we’ve done that,” said BlackJacks’ head coach Charles Dubé-Brais after the game, “In the second half it felt like they wanted to pull away with the game, and we never quit. We just stayed with it and couple of players made big plays down the stretch which led us to the victory.”
Import big man Nick Ward led the way for the BlackJacks, dominating down low to the tune of a game-high 26 points on a hyper-efficient 8-11 from the field. After starting the season off with some hiccups, Ward has been excellent as of late for Ottawa, becoming a force near the rim and becoming the team’s go-to scorer.
“I just play as hard as I can, and my teammates really help me out,” said Ward, “We all shared the ball and I felt like we made the right plays.”
Veteran guard Junior Cadougan was also crucial in the victory for the BlackJacks. He came off the bench to produce 16 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals. Most importantly, his energy and aggressiveness were invaluable assets that were key in Ottawa’s victory.
“I bring my veteran presence and my leadership,” said Cadougan, “I’ve played in a lot of clutch moments in high levels, so I just try to bring that to my team.”
On the other side, the disappointing loss for the Stingers comes as just the team’s first in its last 15 games. After winning last season’s championship and being the lone undefeated squad remaining this season, the defeat comes as a shock to many around the CEBL.
“Our philosophy is you win, or you learn. We have to tip our hats off to them, they were the better team,” said Stingers’ head coach Jermaine Small,” We have to not get complacent… we’re just trying to get better and take it one game at a time.”
Mathieu Kamba led the way for Edmonton with 18 points. Xavier Moon was also his usual effective self with 17 points until fouling out early in the Elam Ending. Without their star on the floor, the Stingers only mustered one basket the rest of the way.
Edmonton also struggled mightily from deep, one of the team’s strengths coming into the game. The Stingers shot just 9-32 (28%) from the three-point line, and only 36% from the field overall. While the loud Ottawa fans may have had an impact, Edmonton will have to shoot better from beyond the arc in order to win consistently moving forward.
Edmonton is next in action on Monday as the team continues its Ontario road trip in Guelph against the Nighthawks at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Meanwhile, the BlackJacks will look to continue their positive momentum in their next game on the road against the Hamilton Honey Badgers on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. ET.
