StingRays Expect Big Crowd at Pond

The Long Beach StingRays are expecting their largest home crowd for Saturday’s game with the New England Blizzard at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, but this isn’t a prelude to a move, said Bill McGillis, the StingRays’ general manager.

The women’s professional basketball team has struggled to attract fans in its inaugural season in the American Basketball League, averaging a league-low 1,800 in the 4,200-seat Pyramid at Long Beach State. Their biggest home crowd was 3,108 for the season opener in October.

StingRay and Pond officials say they expect between 5,000 and 6,000 for Saturday’s game.

The 6 p.m. women’s game will be preceded by two girls’ high school games, included in the price of admission. Esperanza, ranked third in Orange County, will play Bellflower at 1 p.m. Mater Dei, ranked fifth in the county, will play Riverside J.W. North at 3.