The Saskatchewan Rattlers fell to the Edmonton Stingers by a score of 93-84 in front of a modest crowd at the unpretentious Expo Centre in the City of Champions. After three weeks of match-ups against Ontario teams, this was the Rattlers' first tilt that didn't require a connecting flight. Unfortunately, the Rattlers just couldn't connect when it counted.
Both teams took to the sky early and often, though not necessarily in a productive way. The highlight of the night came with the score 0-0, when the Rattlers and the Stingers collaborated on a sequence of three consecutive failed alley-oop attempts. The Rattlers hazarded the first, the dunk portion of the performance turning into an awkward layup that missed. Then the Stingers charged back down court, trying to get the alley-oop right, only to have it end in an abortive layup of their own. The Rattlers rejoined with a fast break leading to yet another alley-oop pass, the corresponding dunk attempt bounding off the rim. If the fans in attendance needed a reminder they were at a minor-league basketball game, this ostentatious hat trick of futility served it up in style.
The bright spot for the Rattlers was, as usual, Bruce Massey. The Headband Hotshot logged an inordinate amount of minutes yet remained tireless in his scoring efforts, putting down 35 points. But for Massey, as with the rest of the Rattlers, the shots just weren't falling frequently enough in the final minutes. To the Stingers' credit, they kept their proverbial foot on the pedal, maintaining a comfortable lead throughout the final three quarters. With the loss, the Rattlers, the CEBL's darlings (and championship weekend hosts), have fallen to .500.
