Following a 91-87 loss at the hands of the Edmonton Stingers on Thursday night at SaskTel Centre, Saskatchewan Rattlers head coach Larry Abney did not mince words calling the evening ‘frustrating’ as part of a string of losses over the back half of the 2024 CEBL season.
“Somehow we’re still in it,” said Abney post-game. “Somebody is looking out for us. I don’t know how we’re still in it, but somehow we’re still in it. If I can get the message across in the next three days and the next three games that we can do this for 40 minutes at a time, then we’re in a good place.”
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Saskatchewan’s flickering playoff odds took a major hit with the loss to Edmonton, their ninth defeat in their last 10 games to see them fall to the bottom of the Western Conference’s standings at 6-11.
The Rattlers find themselves a game and a half out of the West’s playoff picture, trailing the Winnipeg Sea Bears for fourth place. However, Winnipeg holds a game in hand on Saskatchewan.
“The feeling of desperation is at its highest,” said Rattlers guard Emmanuel Bandoumel. “It needs to be at its highest for us to actually get a chance to win and get to the playoffs.”
Hitting the road for their final three games of the regular season, the Rattlers will need to sweep their remaining dates on the schedule including a pivotal test Saturday night in Winnipeg.