The Fraser Valley Bandits kept their second-place standing intact with a 92-83 win over the Edmonton Stingers on Friday night at the CEBL arena. It was a tight contest throughout, though the home side found a way back into it after a shaky start. To be fair, the visitors made them work for every point.
Fraser Valley shot 31 from distance compared to Edmonton's 28 attempts, and that extra efficiency from deep made the difference. The hosts collected 42 rebounds to the visitors' 37, winning the battle on the boards. They also dished 25 assists against Edmonton's 14, moving the ball with more purpose when it mattered.
Edmonton had more field goal attempts overall — 73 to 71 — but converted the same number of shots, 31 apiece. Where the visitors struggled was from the free-throw line, hitting just 13 of 17 compared to Fraser Valley's 16 of 26. And here's the thing, those extra points from the stripe were worth a little margin.
The Stingers were sloppy with the ball, committing 12 turnovers to Fraser Valley's 15, but they also picked up 20 personal fouls — six more than their opponents. That kind of discipline gap tends to cost you in close games. By then the hosts had already built enough of a cushion.
Fraser Valley came into this having won three of their last five, including a dominant 114-90 victory over Winnipeg on August 2nd. Edmonton, meanwhile, had lost four of their last five matches, dropping 89-96 to Ottawa and 97-107 to Saskatchewan in their two most recent outings. The momentum was shifting, and the table reflected that.
The result leaves the Bandits two points clear at second place after 20 games, while the Stingers remain in fourth with eight wins and twelve losses. Neither side has a draw to speak of this season, so every game carries weight. The draw brought them together early in the standings, but now the gap is opening.