Stingers desperate for wins in makeshift Calgary home at Basketball Champions League Americas

The 2021 CEBL champion Edmonton Stingers are returning to a home — of sorts — for the third and final window of group play at the FIBA Basketball Champions League Americas (BCLA) competition.

The Stingers will play the group-leading Cangrejeros on Monday at 9:30 p.m. ET before facing Real Estelí, the runner-up of the 2021 tournament, on Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. ET. Both games will be streamed live on CBC Gem, the CBC Sports app and CBC Sports' website.

Sandwiched in between those two games will be Cangrejeros against Estelí on Tuesday, a contest that has implications on the Stingers' seeding.

Edmonton currently sits in third in their three-team group with a 1-3 record, trailing the 3-1 Cangrejeros and 2-2 Estelí, but a quarter-final berth is still within reach. The Stingers need just a top-two finish in Group A to qualify for the Final 8, set for early April.

The top two teams in each of the four groups will play a single-elimination tournament to crown a champion, with a spot at the 2023 FIBA Intercontinental Cup on the line.

WATCH | Stingers' mainstay Baker sees tournament as big opportunity:

Edmonton Stingers' Jordan Baker sees BCLA tournament as big opportunity ahead of new CEBL season

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Duration 2:56

Anastasia Bucsis catches up with Edmonton Stingers' Jordan Baker ahead of the Calgary leg of the Basketball Champions League Americas

What the Stingers need to do to advance

Playing from behind in the group, stacking losses on Monday and Wednesday would eliminate the Stingers from the BCLA competition.

Should the Stingers beat Estelí but lose their Monday game against Cangrejeros, they would need Cangrejeros to return the favour by topping Estelí on Tuesday. This result would see the Stingers take second in the group via tiebreak over Estelí.

If Edmonton wins both games, they would only be guaranteed a top two finish if Cangrejeros beats Estelí.

Should the Stingers win both games and Estelí also beats Cangrejeros, the most convoluted scenario will play out with a three-way tie for first. Given Edmonton's current point differential of -72 in four games so far, compared to +58 for Cangrejeros and +14 for Estelí, the situation would likely not favour the Stingers.

WATCH | Get to know the BCLA:

North Courts: What is the Basketball Champions League Americas?

3 years ago

Duration 7:14

Vivek Jacob and Jevohn Shepherd give an overview of the BCLA and the Edmonton Stingers - Canada’s lone representative in the tournament.

More of a sense of cohesion with Edmonton roster

A theme that played out over the first two windows was a lack of cohesion on the Edmonton roster.

Posthumus, who will be back playing for the CEBL's Ottawa Blackjacks in late May, has stood out as a star for the Stingers, averaging 12.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game, the third highest rate across the BCLA.

Four others on the roster have experience in the tournament including Alex Campbell of Scarborough, Ont., who led Edmonton in points with 21 in their latest game against Estelí. Another four will be participating in their first leg starting Monday.

The newcomers to the squad, however, will bring their own sense of familiarity to the team, none more important than forward Jordan Baker.

The Edmonton native led the CEBL in rebounds per game in 2019 and 2020. A versatile player, Baker owns career averages of 14 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.

Baker will also be joined by former teammate Jordan Davis, a forward who played with the Stingers in 2019 and 2020.