Sea Bears slumping

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This article was published 16/06/2024 (793 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Sea Bears lost their fourth consecutive game — a humbling 97-87 decision to the Edmonton Stingers in Canadian Elite Basketball League action at Canada Life Centre Sunday afternoon.

And they did not look very good doing it.

While spotty defence and poor inside scoring had also been the hallmarks of three previous road losses, it was Sunday’s on-court bickering that had GM and head coach Mike Taylor quietly fuming.

”We talk about playing positive and using our energy in a positive way on the court and fans probably saw there were several disagreements in our huddle,” said Taylor. “There was lots of chatter and talk between players.

“(It was) a tremendous amount of wasted energy. A tremendous amount of energy that needs to be directed into the game together, into our system together, rather than distracting each other and making problems for each other.”

The Sea Bears, who recently added first team CEBL all-star Justin Wright-Foreman to a roster that already featured reigning league MVP Teddy Allen, seemed to be out of sync from the opening tip.

Allen would finish with a game-high 39 points and Wright-Foreman would chip in with 22 more but the dazzling duo also combined for 10 turnovers.

Another newcomer, Emmanuel Akot, had seven points and two assists while playing in his hometown for the first time as a professional.

“We’ve added some significant players (and) it changes the dynamics of the team,” said Taylor, whose club fell to 3-5. “But at the end of the day, we’ve got to focus and use our energy in the right way on the court and that is playing positively playing within the system and playing for each other.”

While Winnipeg’s offence was dominated by its two stars, Edmonton, which improved to 6-2, showed excellent balance with six players reaching double figures.

Brody Clark led the way with 17 points while Nick Hornsby, struck for 16 including the winning basket in Target Score Time, and a game-high 12 rebounds.

The Stingers’ dominance effectively neutralized Winnipeg’s home court advantage, subduing a large Fathers’ Day crowd of 9,038.

Edmonton dominated the glass, outrebounding Winnipeg 47-34. Edmonton led by as much as 21 points early in the third quarter and the Sea Bears closed to within nine points with 6:03 left in the fourth quarter but could get no closer.

“I liked our start,” said Stingers GM and head coach Jordan Baker. “We came out and executed a game plan, played fast and tried to make life difficult for their main guys. That was the key to success. We got out to an early lead and were able to hold on.”

The Sea Bears are billed as having a deep roster but on Sunday they were playing without forward Shane Osayande (knee) and guard Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson (back).

“The potential is there,” said reserve guard Mason Bourcier, who had five points and four rebounds in 17:36 of court time. “Obviously you don’t want to keep throwing that word around but you see it in spurts where we just look like such an electric team.

“And on those defensive spurts, where we’re really grinding and hustling, it shows how quickly we can turn that into a huge run… It all just comes down to defence and it comes down to staying together.”

Taylor was asked if a solution for what ails his squad rests with an attitude adjustment or further roster changes.

“I think we have to take a look and see what is the best interest of the team moving forward,” said Taylor. “We obviously have depth. We obviously have talent, but I think that there are certain things that may be getting in the way of the cooperation and the teamwork. And I think that our Sea Bears fans deserve better than that.”

Taylor had high praise for the 25-year-old Akot, who joined the team after completing his pro season in the Netherlands.

“We’ve still got a long way to go this season,” said Akot, when asked if he felt additional pressure. “We have a lot of new additions obviously with me, Justin and David (Muenkat), so it’s gonna take time and I think just every day we continue to get better.”

Taylor hopes to have Osayande (knee) and Ogungbemi-Jackson (back) available for Wednesday’s game against the visiting Vancouver Bandits. Game time is 7 p.m.

On Saturday, the Sea Bears continue their five-game homestand against the Saskatchewan Rattlers at 7:30 p.m.

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca