Stingrays sink Mariners for top spot

SMBA, with home court advantage, took a commanding 28-11 lead after one quarter and extended it to 55-22 at the half.

The Mariners were able to execute good perimeter passing but with a strong Stingray presence under the boards, they experienced difficulty following through with the basket in the first half.

Corey Saulnier was held to nine points in the first half as the Stingrays effectively shut down the Mariners’ top scorer in 20 minutes of play.

The Mariners played the third quarter with intensity they lacked in the first half and kept the action close. The Digby squad worked more as a team with seven players putting up numbers on the board.

Although the Stingrays came out flat, they managed to outscore the Mariners 24-20 in the third quarter. The Mariners kept pace with the Stingrays in the final frame playing their closest quarter but falling short 18-16.

Mariner coach Tyler Colwell expressed disappointment with the team’s loss. “Even though this is the first game for the second half of the season, I’m disappointed the whole way round,” said Colwell. “There’s no excuse for the way we played tonight.”

Colwell talked with the team after the game about their level of commitment to attending practices. “If team members miss too many practices, they experience difficulty following the plays we’ve worked on.” he said.

On a positive note, Colwell said there were still a lot of games left to play.

Stingrays coach Craig Glavin said his team played strong defense especially, shutting down the Mariners top scorer with the double team effort. “The team moved the ball well on offence,” said Glavin. “We shared the ball well and looked to the open man for the bucket. Their transition was good and even though they came out flat second half, they dominated the boards at both ends of the court. “Everyone played in the game and the win was a team effort,” Glavin added.

Six Stingrays were in double digits with Tyler Langford scoring a game high 19 points. Chad Lombard netted 18 and Robbie Peters and Jordan Cromwell each added 16 for the win.

Corey Saulnier scored 15 points and Matt Hewitt added 13, including four three-pointers for the Mariners.

The Mariners next game is in Bridgetown at 7 p.m. Wednesday night.

The Stingrays travel to Shelburne on Friday for a league at 6 p.m.

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