Stingers 83, Rouge Et Or 47: Concordia Clinches a Playoff Spot in Blowout Win

Stingers Win in Dominating Fashion on Senior Night

SportsBlake Saraga — Published February 27, 2023 3 minutes

With a win in their last game against McGill, the Stingers were looking to build off of their newfound momentum and they successfully stepped up to the plate.

Saturday night was a must-win game for the Stingers. A loss would have significantly lowered their chances of a postseason berth.

Prior to tipoff, Oge Nwoko, the fifth-year veteran for the Stinger’s, was honoured alongside his younger brother Olu– who is a first-year guard on the team– and the rest of his family.

“Tonight meant a lot. I’m very appreciative to share this with my brother. On top of that, we were fighting for a playoff spot so that was all the motivation I needed,” said Nwoko.

As the only remaining member of the 2019 RSEQ Championship team, the senior’s leadership and presence in the locker room has been a crucial part of the Stinger’s success.

Sami Jahan, who finished the game as the leading scorer for Concordia with 20 points, commented on the positive impact that playing with Nwoko had on him and his teammates.

“Everyone loves Oge, he’s a great personality. Playing hard for him when his family is here so he could have a nice goodbye at Concordia was very important to us,” said the star guard.

Knowing what was at stake, the Stingers took an 18-14 lead to end the first quarter and they never looked back.

By the end of the first half, it was clear which team wanted it more. The Stingers went into the locker room at halftime with a 25-point lead over the Rouge Et Or as they led 48-23.

The Stinger’s showed no sign of slowing down in the third quarter, while they managed to maintain their large lead thanks to their hot shooting and tenacious defence to start the second half.

Going into the final frame, Concordia led 67-33 while preventing Laval from gaining any momentum.

With almost no chance of a comeback, the Rouge et Or looked defeated after giving up countless possessions due to the Stingers defensive efforts.

It was clear that missing out on a chance at playing in the postseason was not an option for the Stingers, as they continued to dominate both sides of the ball in the fourth quarter, beating Laval 83-47.

Although the Stinger’s have been through their fair share of trials and tribulations, their impressive victory against a strong Laval team on Saturday night proved that they have what it takes to compete for a championship.

The Stingers started off the season with a 5-0 record, proving their ability to compete with every team in their division. 

Unfortunately, as the second half of the season began, they seemed to have lost their footing, conceding nine consecutive games to bring their record to 5-9.

“I want to give our guys credit. The last two games with our backs against the wall we started to play more of the Concordia basketball we know we’re capable of,” said Coach Rastco Popovic.

Popovic added, “it’s important to understand when you face adversity, how do you respond? And I think our guys really responded in our last two games.”

With the regular season coming to a close, the Stingers will play on the road throughout the RSEQ playoffs and will compete to obtain their first championship since 2019.