By Matthew Winick

Reigning two-time CEBL Player Of The Year Xavier Moon began his third campaign with a bang as his 25 points and 11 assists led the Edmonton Stingers to a tight 91-87 win over the Hamilton Honey Badgers on Saturday afternoon.

Moon got his work done early and often, finding teammates in the half court and finishing at the rim in transition. For Stingers fans, it’s what they’ve come to expect from the only Player Of The Year award-winner that the CEBL has ever known. Moon’s presence leading the team was also a major reason that Edmonton head coach Jermaine Small opted to limit training camp to just a few days.

“He’s grown tremendously (as a leader). When he first got here, he was kind of quiet and just led by example,” said Small after the game, “Now he’s talking more, he’s helping with the new guys and putting them in places to succeed.”

“I tried to get my teammates involved early on in the game to get their confidence going,” said Moon, “I know once the game gets going and we get into a flow, then I’ll get my shots eventually.”

Forward Marlon Johnson was also a major factor offensively for the Stingers, finishing with a team-high 27 points. After a year away from the CEBL due to COVID-19 travel issues, Johnson’s touch and athletic prowess is sure to play a major role for Edmonton all season long.

“He’s actually really unselfish, and very unique. You don’t see 6-10 guys move the way he does, he’s very fluid and very coordinated,” said Small, “Someone who moves so well at 6-10 is almost like a unicorn in a way.”

Despite a rough start to the game which had Hamilton down by as much as 21 points, the team rallied in the second half and tied the game at 85 before ultimately falling down the stretch.

Turnovers were a large part of the equation for the Honey Badgers – after 17 first-half turnovers, they only had five in the second half. Once one of the CEBL’s youngest teams gained confidence and composure, they started seeing results.

“I think game one’s are always tough. So, for us it was about coming out and competing at a high level. In the first half we did not do that, I think it was pretty clear. But in the second half we showed it,” said Honey Badgers head coach Ryan Schmidt, “It’s just guys figuring out how they fit in together and learning how to play together.”



Canadian guard Lindell Wigginton led the way for the Honey Badgers with a game-high 30 points in his first-ever CEBL contest. The Dartmouth, Nova Scotia native got to the basket at will, getting to the free throw line 19 times. He also led the team with nine assists.

“He’s an aggressive scorer, I think he’s a guy who we obviously know what he’s capable of doing,” said Schmidt, “I think the next step for him as a player is can he facilitate and get people involved without the turnovers. And he’s committed to it.”

Hamilton will look to rebound from the tough loss on Monday night as the team travels to Saskatoon to face the Saskatchewan Rattlers at 9:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. local time.

Meanwhile, Edmonton moves on to host the Niagara River Lions on Friday at 9:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. local time. The River Lions are also coming off a season opening win, handling the Ottawa BlackJacks 103-78.

All CEBL games will be available for live streaming on the CEBL’s new OTT streaming service CEBL+, cbcsports.ca, the free CBC Gem streaming service, the CBC Sports App for iOS and android devices, and on Twitch.

A league created by Canadians for Canadians, the CEBL has the highest percentage of Canadian players of any professional league in the country, with 75 percent of its current rosters being Canadians. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. The only First Division Professional League Partner of Canada Basketball, the CEBL season typically runs from May through August. Head to CEBL.ca for more information or follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube