Sea Bears Look to Spoil Shooting Stars Home Opener
In the second game of a GTA back-to-back, the Winnipeg Sea Bears take on the Scarborough Shooting Stars at 7 p.m. CT from the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre on Friday night.
The game will be available for streaming live on TSN+, CEBL+ powered by BetVictor, and on the CEBL Mobile app available on iOS and Android devices.
Winnipeg is coming off a 75-71 loss against the defending champion Brampton Honey Badgers. The Sea Bears led for a majority of the game, leading by as many as 10 points midway through the third quarter. It was a costly 13-5 run in Target Score Time that propelled Brampton to a narrow victory.
Guard Teddy Allen, who suited up for seven games with the Shooting Stars last season, will look for revenge against his former team. He led the Sea Bears in scoring with 18 points against Brampton, but did so on an inefficient 7-24 shooting. His struggles putting the ball through the hoop were emblematic of his team as Winnipeg ended the game with a lowly 30 per cent mark from the field and 24 per cent from distance.
Those offensive woes have been glaring for the Sea Bears through their first two games. The team has yet to hit double-digit makes from distance or shoot better than 36 per cent from the field. They’ve been relying on their ability to outrebound opponents and generate additional possessions. In their win versus the Vancouver Bandits, they were +6 on the offensive glass, which generated 11 more second chance points.
In their loss to Brampton the team once again had the edge on the glass (+10) but couldn’t take advantage of the extra possessions. Winnipeg had eight more shot attempts but converted two less, ultimately costing them the game.
The Shooting Stars enter the matchup looking to bounce back from a 93-82 loss to the Ottawa BlackJacks and ignite the Scarborough crowd in their home opener.
Against Ottawa, the team started strong with an 11-2 run. However, that lead quickly dissipated on the heels of a 17-3 run down the other end to close the first quarter. Scarborough never led again in that game, giving up 18 three-pointers while only knocking down nine themselves.
The team was missing the production of Jalen Harris, who was in Salt Lake City working out for the NBA’s Utah Jazz. His status remains unclear heading into tonight’s matchup. The lead guard notched 18 points, five rebounds and three steals in the team’s lone win thus far.
With or without the contributions of Harris, the Shooting Stars have posted middling league rankings shooting the ball. Through two games this season, the team has shot 40.5 per cent from the field and 33.5 per cent from distance.
Despite that, there has been a bright spot for the club in the play of Cat Barber. So far, the guard has averaged a league-best 26.5 points per game to go along with 5.5 assists and seven rebounds per contest. Excluding Barber’s contributions, the team sits at 36 per cent from the field and 20.7 per cent from three.
For the Shooting Stars to get back in the win column, they’ll need the likes of captain Kalif Young and reigning U SPORTS Player of the Year Thomas Kennedy to step up offensively. The duo of starting forwards have scored a combined average of nine points on 33 per cent shooting through the team’s first two games.
All games will also be streamed live internationally on the CEBL’s OTT platform, CEBL+ powered by BetVictor, and on the CEBL Mobile app for iOS and Android devices. Full list of betting props available on BetVictor.
About the CEBL
A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 71 percent of its 2022 rosters being Canadian. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. Nine players have moved from the CEBL into the NBA following a CEBL season, and 28 CEBL players attended NBA G League training camps during October. The CEBL season runs from May through August. Head to CEBL.ca for more information or follow @CEBLeague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.
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