Baker has 18 points, 17 rebounds to lead Edmonton Stingers over Cangrejeros

Jordan Baker of the Edmonton Stingers watches as teammate Chad Posthumus dunks during pregame warmups at WinSport in Calgary ahead of the team's 93-87 win over Cangrejeros in the third window of the BCLA.(Twitter/CEBL)

The Edmonton Stingers' dream of berth in the Basketball Champions League Americas Final 8 remains alive. 

Jordan Baker had 18 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Stingers to a 93-87 victory over Cangrejeros on Monday, to tip off the third window of the BCLA.

Jahmal Jones added 17 points, while Cuyler Mosley finished with 15, Malcom Duvivier had 11, and Jean-Victor Mukama chipped in with 10. 

The Stingers had lost their previous two games to Cangrejeros by a combined 58 points, but Monday's roster saw some key additions, plus the return of Baker, a two-time Canadian Elite Basketball League champion and CEBL Canadian player of the year. 

"Our roster's a little bit deeper, obviously we're playing at home . . . and we're just more familiar with the opponent – we were a little bit embarrassed by how we lost to them before," said head coach Jermaine Small. "We had a lot of motivation going and I think that transferred onto the floor tonight andonce we started playing desperate and together, I think that's why we won."

Davon Jefferson scored 29 points to top Puerto Rico's Cangrejeros (3-2). 

The Stingers, who are representing the CEBL in the Champions League as last season's champion, improved to 2-3 through the three windows. 

They face Real Esteli (2-2) of Nicaragua, the runner-up of last year's tournament, on Wednesday at WinSport Arena.

Cangrejeros and Real Esteli play on Tuesday.

The top two teams from the group play in the Final 8 next month. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 14, 2022.