Mitch Creek’s 27-point performance helped the Vancouver Bandits stave off a late Calgary Surge rally on Friday for an 89-87 win at Verdun Auditorium. The import forward set a franchise single-game playoff scoring record with the game-high performance as he helped the Bandits advance to their second-ever Championship Final appearance. Helping the Aussie on the night was league MVP Tazé Moore who finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, and Nick Ward who put up 17 points, eight rebounds and five blocks off the bench. Zach Copeland had arguably his quietest game of the season, finishing with just nine points on 3-for-11 shooting, but that didn’t stop Bandits’ head coach Kyle Julius from having the import guard on the floor for Target Score Time. “There’s no way we can play (Target Score Time) without Zach,” Bandits head coach Kyle Julius said post-game reflecting on the victory. Julius’ gamble paid off as Copeland received a pass off a Koby McEwen offensive rebound and drilled his lone three of the contest to send Vancouver to the Championship Final. On the other side, the Surge fell just short of a second consecutive Final appearance despite erasing what was once an 11-point second half deficit. Leading the charge was Corey Davis Jr. who finished with 23 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals. “We knew it was going to be a very hard-nosed basketball game,” Davis Jr. said following the loss. “The ball didn’t land the way we wanted to, we had multiple chances to win the game … the basketballs didn’t let the ball bounce our way.” Behind Davis. Jr was Malcolm Duvivier who scored 16 points off the bench with on four-for-eight shooting from distance and Sean Miller-Moore who put up 17 points, seven rebounds and two blocks. It came as no surprise that two of the league’s top defensive squads opened Friday’s contest by mucking things up inside. Neither team found any early success in the paint as Vancouver and Calgary both shot below 40 per cent inside the arc through the first 10 minutes of play. What ended up splitting the difference was a quarter-ending 9-2 run by the Surge courtesy of timely shooting from distance. Calgary knocked down back-to-back-to-back triples -- capped off by Justin Jackson hitting one from the right corner at the buzzer – to lead 23-20 after the first frame. It was short lived, however, as the Bandits went on a 9-2 run of their own in the second quarter. Creek spearheaded the charge as he scored all nine of those points as part of a game-high 18 in the first half. Vancouver made sure not to waste the import’s effort as Copeland drilled a step back jumper from the left elbow in the dying seconds of the frame to put the Bandits up 47-41, the largest lead of either team at the break. “It’s about taking what comes,” Creek said on his record-setting performance after the win. “It’s a reflection of the team and culture we have … it’s not about points or steals … it’s about winning.” After struggling to score against the Surge’s interior defence in the opening quarter, Vancouver found success in the second. By halftime, the Bandits had shot 52 per cent from inside the arc for 20 points in the paint (plus-12). Vancouver kept that trend going as action resumed in the second half, going on a 10-0 run in third quarter, scoring all but two of those points at the rim. The most emphatic basket of that run came courtesy of a fastbreak alley-oop dunk from Moore off a slick feed from Copeland. And despite trailing by as many as 11 points in the third, the Surge responded with an 11-4 run that once again came courtesy of knocking down shots from distance. Calgary hit three triples in the final three minutes of the frame to cut the deficit to 70-67 ahead of the fourth. The Surge hit 12 threes (plus-seven) through the first 30 minutes of play on a 44 per cent clip, once again proving how three-point shooting can be the great equalizer. Calgary hit four more threes in the fourth quarter -- a Davis Jr. triple in Target Score Time even briefly giving the Surge an 83-82 lead – but ultimately it wasn’t enough. Ward threw down a dunk and split a pair of free throws and Creek drilled a three before Copeland supplanted himself as the game’s hero by knocking down the game winner. “It was a dog fight,” Surge head coach Tyrell Vernon said reflecting on the loss. “I’m proud of my group, it’s not the way we wanted it to end but definitely proud … sometimes (shots) don’t fall.” Vancouver’s efficiency inside the arc (50 per cent) proved too much for Calgary to overcome who simply couldn’t keep up, shooting 25 per cent on two-point shots. The Bandits ended up a plus-28 (42-14) on points in the paint. “For us it’s always about one more thing, and right now it’s about one more win and we’ll be champions,” said Creek. Up next With the win, the Bandits await the winner of Friday’s Eastern Conference Final between the Niagara River Lions and host Montréal Alliance. The Surge head home. – CEBL – About the CEBL A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 75% of its rosters being Canadian and a record 10 players with NBA experience in 2024. Players also bring experience from the NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, NCAA programs, as well as U SPORTS and CCAA. Fourteen players have signed NBA contracts following a CEBL season, and numerous CEBL players attend NBA G League training camps every year. The CEBL season runs from May through August with games broadcast live on CEBL+ powered by BetVictor, TSN , TSN+ , RDS , Game+ , Next Level Sports & Entertainment and Courtside1891 . More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram , Twitter , TikTok , LinkedIn , Facebook & YouTube .

The Western Conference was a battle all season. Soon, someone will emerge as the last team standing. The Vancouver Bandits (14-6) meet the Calgary Surge in the West final on Friday at 5:30 p.m. ET / 2:30 p.m. PT / 3:30 p.m. MT at Montreal’s Verdun Auditorium. Broadcast coverage of the game is available on TSN and Next Level Sports & Entertainment, while you can live stream the contest on CEBL+, TSN+ and Courtside 1891. The winner will play for the CEBL championship trophy on Sunday against either the Niagara River Lions or host Montreal Alliance. Despite the tough nature of the conference, Vancouver held down the top spot for most of the season thanks to an 8-2 start. And while the second half wasn’t as smooth for the Bandits, they still finished the campaign with wins in six of their last 10. On Wednesday, the Bandits dominated the league’s awards gala as point guard Tazé Moore was named MVP, Kyle Julius took top coaching honours and Koby McEwen was crowned the top Canadian. “I couldn’t have done it without my teammates, for me to play well, for me to play free,” McEwen said moments after winning the award. “I don’t wanna say I’m not happy, but definitely not satisfied. There’s a lot of things we gotta do this weekend, just trying to stay even keel about things. But I’m definitely grateful for the league recognizing me and stuff like that.” While Moore and McEwen buoyed the Bandits for most of the season, the team also received some late reinforcements in Canadian brothers Duane Notice and Marcus Carr as well as Australian big man Mitch Creek. Over six contests, Creek averaged 25.8 points per game to go with eight rebounds and 2.7 assists. Meanwhile, the season wasn’t as smooth-sailing for Calgary, which lost two of its first seven games to dig an early hole. But the Surge seemed to discover their identity as a fast, physical and never-say-die squad in a 97-94 win over the Bandits last month, the second of a four-game winning streak that launched them firmly into playoff contention. Despite missing some key players in NBA Summer League, a next-man-up mentality led by Mathieu Kamba, Corey Davis Jr., and mid-season addition Kyler Edwards helped propel the Surge forward. Davis Jr., led the team with 22.5 points and seven assists per game while Sean Miller-Moore hauled in 10 rebounds per game. The Bandits won the season series 2-1 over the Surge.  - CEBL - About the CEBL A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 75% of its rosters being Canadian and a record 10 players with NBA experience in 2024. Players also bring experience from the NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, NCAA programs, as well as U SPORTS and CCAA. Fourteen players have signed NBA contracts following a CEBL season, and numerous CEBL players attend NBA G League training camps every year. The CEBL season runs from May through August with games broadcast live on CEBL+ powered by BetVictor, TSN , TSN+ , RDS , Game+ , Next Level Sports & Entertainment and Courtside1891 . More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram , Twitter , TikTok , LinkedIn , Facebook & YouTube .

The Calgary Surge waltzed into Edmonton and ended the Stingers season for the second year in a row, securing a 78-69 victory at EXPO Centre on Sunday night to book their ticket to Championship Weekend. Sean Miller-Moore, who flirted with a triple-double in a Play-In game victory over Winnipeg two days ago, scored six of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, including the game-winning layup through contact in Target Score Time. “I was thinking about going to the left but I just ducked my head, tried to get it up, and the ball bounced in my favour,” said Miller Moore after the game. The victory comes roughly one year after Calgary defeated Edmonton at home in the Western Conference Semifinal to seal the fourth and final spot in Championship Weekend 2023, where they ultimately fell to the Scarborough Shooting Stars in the Championship Final. Jordy Tshimanga who scored only three points in Calgary’s Play-In game, was a force on the glass, hauling in eight rebounds — three offensive — and adding 14 points. Gabe Osabuohien and Trhae Mitchell, who combined for 15 rebounds, also led the Surge to a 48-37 edge over Edmonton in rebounds. It was a factor that helped Calgary overcome 22 team turnovers that resulted in 24 Edmonton points. “It was amazing to watch, we stayed together and made it work,” Tshimanga said. “I’m proud of the guys, proud of the coaching staff, and happy to move on.” The game went back and forth right from the opening tip, as neither team created any separation on the floor or scoreboard. After the Surge won the jump and missed a quick layup, Nick Hornsby found Brody Clarke running the floor for the Stinger’s opening basket. Four of Edmonton’s first six points were scored in layups in transition. And roughly one quarter of the total points in the game were scored on the fast break (19). However, the Surge — not showing any signs of fatigue from their victory on Friday night — used the three-point ball to take an early one-point lead after one, converting four triples in the first quarter. Reserve Mike Nuga did his best to counteract the Surge’s sharp shooting in the opening frame. Nuga, who knocked down both of his three-point attempts in the first quarter, converted his third three of the game on a dish from Trey McGowens in the second quarter. Nuga finished with 11 points, while Jacob Evans III scored a team-high 13 points on 45 per cent shooting from the field and added eight boards. Nuga’s efficiency came as the long balls stopped dropping for the Surge. Calgary didn’t score another three pointer until the third quarter — a Corey Davis Jr. triple in the corner, which marked his third three pointer of the game. Davis Jr. led all scorers with 22 points and four triples. But Calgary shot 25 per cent from beyond the arch as a team. The Surge, instead, relied on midrange jumpers and buckets inside after the first. Miller-Moore had a couple of those midrange jumpshots. And Tshimanga started flexing his muscles after being subbed in halfway through the first, chipping in with six points off the bench in the first two quarters. Mindaugas Kačinas a 37 per cent three-point shooter during the regular season, found space moving without the basketball to knock down a three and tie the game at 39 heading into halftime. Following the intermission, the Surge once again started feeding Tshimanga. The 6-foot-11 big man from Montréal, who dealt with a nosebleed in the second quarter, found success in a one-on-one matchup against Ben Krikke, drawing a foul and scoring a tip-in off the glass in the paint on back-to-back possessions in the third. “He did a phenomenal job rebounding the ball, scoring the ball down low, putting pressure on the rim… His energy and attention to detail was phenomenal today,” Calgary head coach Tyrell Vernon said of Tshimanga, who nearly registered a double-double (13 points and 8 rebounds) through three quarters. The Surge also used seven third quarter points from Davis Jr. to take a 63-54 lead heading into the fourth. Although Edmonton started the fourth on a 5-0 run to cut into the lead, Brody Clarke, who notched 11 points and 8 rebounds, fouled out right before Target Score Time with Calgary clinging to a seven-point lead. Without Clarke, Calgary went on a 7-0 run with the game clock shut off. Davis Jr. then knocked down a three pointer on a bounce-pass from Osabuohien that forced Edmonton head coach Jordan Baker to call a timeout. “It’s professional basketball, you gotta put the ball in the basket. When you don’t score 70 points it becomes hard to win basketball games,” Baker said. “Guys battled, to their credit, we had some really good possessions that resulted in some easy ones that we missed.” The Stingers shot under 40 per cent from the field as a team. And despite coming into tonight as the best free throw shooting team in the CEBL, Edmonton converted only 6-11 shots from the line. Edmonton crawled within eight points in Target Score Time, but following a Surge timeout, Miller-Moore fought through a pair of Stingers to get a layup to fall, silencing the crowd. The Surge will face the Vancouver Bandits in the Western Conference Final on Friday night, which is a rematch from Championship Weekend 2023. Calgary defeated the host Bandits last summer to advance to the Championship Final. Vernon says another victory over the Bandits won’t come easy, but preparation for that matchup is already underway. “For us, it’s just attention to detail, go back to the film, rest up and keep everybody healthy,” he said. “We’ll be motivated come the weekend.” - CEBL - About the CEBL A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 75% of its rosters being Canadian and a record 10 players with NBA experience in 2024. Players also bring experience from the NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, NCAA programs, as well as U SPORTS and CCAA. Fourteen players have signed NBA contracts following a CEBL season, and numerous CEBL players attend NBA G League training camps every year. The CEBL season runs from May through August with games broadcast live on CEBL+ powered by BetVictor, TSN , TSN+ , RDS , Game+ , Next Level Sports & Entertainment and Courtside1891 . More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram , Twitter , TikTok , LinkedIn , Facebook & YouTube .

The fourth and final spot in Championship Weekend will once again be decided by the CEBL’s Battle of Alberta. The Edmonton Stingers (13-7) are hosting the Calgary Surge (11-9) tonight at 6 p.m. MT / 8 p.m. ET at the Edmonton EXPO Centre on TSN. The game will also be shown live on NLSE in the United States, and available for streaming on CEBL+ powered by BetVictor, TSN+, Courtside 1891 and on the CEBL mobile app for iOS and Android devices. It marks the second year in a row that Edmonton and Calgary have met in the playoffs. In their first season in Calgary, the Surge eliminated the Stingers by 16-points at home in last year’s Western Conference Semifinal — booking their spot in 2023 Championship Weekend, where they ultimately lost to the Scarborough Shooting Stars in the CEBL Final. This season, however, Calgary needed to hold off a furious rally by the Winnipeg Sea Bears on Friday night to earn a place in the West Semifinal. The Surge, despite blowing an 18-point lead, rallied in Target Score Time to squeak out an 84-82 victory. “We didn’t give up, we took a punch… they kept jabbing at us and we never bailed out,” said Surge head coach Tyrell Vernon after the game. Mathieu Kamba, who averaged a little more than 13 points per game in 19 regular season games, went off for a game-high 27 points on 55 per cent shooting from the field. Sean Miller-Moore, a returnee from last season’s runner-up squad, also chipped in with a 13-point, 14-rebound double-double. The Surge held MVP candidate Justin Wright-Foreman to 20 points and two three pointers on 12 attempts. The Brooklyn, New York native led the league in points per game during the regular season, and shot better than 45 per cent from deep in his second year in the CEBL. Calgary may be fresh off a thrilling victory in front of their home fans. But the Stingers are well rested, having played only two games since July 18 — victories over Saskatchewan and Winnipeg — and are seeking their first home playoff victory since winning Championship Weekend in Edmonton three years ago. “Being able to host a playoff game with an opportunity to get to Championship Weekend is very exciting for our team,” said head coach Jordan Baker, who was a member of Edmonton’s CEBL championship-winning squads in 2020 and 2021. Calgary and Edmonton split four meetings in the regular season. And home court advantage did not play a factor in the final score, as the road team won every matchup. Edmonton took the first two meetings of the year in Calgary — including the season-opener at the Scotiabank Saddledome — while Calgary responded by swiping the last two in the Alberta capital. The last time these two teams met, almost one month ago, the Surge handed Edmonton their worst defeat of the season, a 29-point loss where only two Stingers (Nick Hornsby and Ben Krikke) registered double figures. But that game did not feature Trey McGowens, who joined Edmonton halfway through the season and ended up leading the team in points per game (15.7). Offensively, though, expect the Stingers to rely on multiple contributors. Including McGowens, Edmonton had six players average more than double figures. Brody Clarke and Hornsby, who combined for 28 points and 18 rebounds in last season’s Western Conference Semifinal loss to the Surge, are once again expected to play key roles on both sides of the court. They will be tasked with slowing down the duo of Kamba and Corey Davis Jr., who set a CEBL record with 124 assists in the regular season and finished fourth in steals (1.6). The two combined for 50 points in Friday’s victory over the Sea Bears. Statistically, Calgary and Edmonton rank neck-and-neck in many major categories including points per game (91.6 and 91.0, respectively), assists (21.4 and 20.7) and rebounds (36.9 and 37.2). But the Surge hold a distinct edge beyond the arch. In the regular season, as a team, Calgary led the CEBL in three-point shooting percentage (37.9), nearly four points better than Edmonton (34.4). The Surge shot 36 per cent from deep on Friday night, with Davis Jr. leading the game with five triples. Kamba also knocked down three threes. The winner of tonight’s game will move on to play the Vancouver Bandits in the Western Conference Final at Championship Weekend in Montréal on August 9. - CEBL - About the CEBL A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 75% of its rosters being Canadian and a record 10 players with NBA experience in 2024. Players also bring experience from the NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, NCAA programs, as well as U SPORTS and CCAA. Fourteen players have signed NBA contracts following a CEBL season, and numerous CEBL players attend NBA G League training camps every year. The CEBL season runs from May through August with games broadcast live on CEBL+ powered by BetVictor, TSN , TSN+ , RDS , Game+ , Next Level Sports & Entertainment and Courtside1891 . More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram , Twitter , TikTok , LinkedIn , Facebook & YouTube .

Despite seeing a first half 18-point lead evaporate down the stretch, the Calgary Surge held on for an 84-82 win over the Winnipeg Sea Bears in the Western Conference Play-In game on Friday. With the game tied at 82-82 and both teams needing just one more basket in order to advance to the West Semifinal, it was fitting that Calgary, a team that hangs its hat on getting stops, found offence through its defence as Mathieu Kamba got a steal that put a packed WinSport Event Centre crowd on its feet before Corey Davis Jr. drove down the left side of the floor and hit a baseline fadeaway to seal the deal. “For Corey to take that on his when we really needed it,” Surge head coach Tyrell Vernon said following the win. “It was a huge shot, and it was a testament to who he is.” Kamba finished the game with a game-high 27 points, which tied his season-high, on 55 per cent shooting from the field to go with seven rebounds. Davis Jr. added 23 points, making five-of-nine triples to go along with eight assists and two steals. Meanwhile, Sean Miller-Moore chipped in with 13 points, 14 rebounds, six assists and two steals. On the other side, the loss marked a third consecutive defeat for the Sea Bears going back to the regular season, despite a valiant comeback. Leading Winnipeg in its final game of the year was Emmanuel Akot who scored 23 points to go with six rebounds and three steals. Justin Wright-Foreman, the league’s top-scorer for the second year in a row, added 20 points, seven rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block. “Really proud of our team,” Sea Bears head coach Mike Taylor said after the loss. “We showed fight and heart, gave ourselves several chances to win, today the ball bounced Calgary’s way … tough to lose like this.” Calgary had surged (pardon the pun) its way to a double-digit lead as early as mid-way through the first quarter -- with the game tied at 11-11 at the 4:16 mark, the Surge went on a 17-1 quarter-ending run that put them up 28-12. Leading the charge was Kamba who had 13 points on six-of-seven shooting and arguably the highlight of the season when he blocked an above-the-break three from Mason Bourcier and collected the loose ball himself to throw down a dunk in transition. “I was trying to go out there and lead,” said Kamba reflecting on his impressive opening quarter. “If they see that I’m playing 100 per cent, people will follow. We have the guys and talent, it’s just about someone taking the lead … playing as hard as I can and bringing people along.” Another reason why the Sea Bears trailed was because their offence had managed to make just one field goal through the first 10 minutes of play while losing the rebounding battle 16-6. Had it not been for Winnipeg’s early physicality being rewarded with 11 free throws, 10 of which it made, the deficit would’ve been even greater than 16 points. Thankfully for Sea Bears fans, the taps finally opened towards the end of the second quarter, as they hit four threes in the final two minutes. A Hildebrandt triple at the 0:20 mark of the first half capped off an 11-2 run that had cut the deficit down to single digits, but Miller-Moore immediately responded with a jumper at the buzzer that made it 46-36 for the Surge at halftime. And come the end of the third quarter, Winnipeg had cut the lead down even further. Like it had been through the second quarter, three-point shooting was the great equalizer for the Sea Bears who hit four in the frame. The lead would’ve been cut to just five points had it not been for Malcolm Duvivier who knocked down a three of his own at the buzzer, keeping the Surge up 66-58. The Sea Bears even got it to within one-point in the fourth quarter on an Akot layup at the 6:41 mark before trailing 75-71 headed into Target Score Time. And once Akot made back-to-back baskets in the stoppage period to tie the ball game, effectively silencing the Calgary crowd, the comeback seemed all but inevitable. But the Surge, when they needed it most, made the type of hustle plays that have defined them all season. Calgary forced two turnovers – Kamba first dove after poking the ball loose in transition and deflected it out of bounds off Wright-Foreman, before getting a steal on Stephane Ingo that led to the game-winning basket. “In winning time possessions we had too many turnovers,” Taylor said on what ultimately cost Winnipeg down the stretch. “We worked so hard defensively to get stops and then to not capitalize was tough.” Even before those moments, the Surge had initially built its lead by dominating the rebounding battle. By the end of the contest, Calgary had collected 54 rebounds (plus-39), 26 of which came on the offensive end, for 26 second chance points on 17 extra field goal attempts. “Resiliency,” said Vernon when asked what he liked most in the win. “We didn’t give up, we took a punch … they kept jabbing at us and we never bailed out.” Up next With the win, the Surge will now make the short trip from Calgary to Edmonton where they’ll take on the Stingers in the Western Conference Semifinal on Sunday. – CEBL – About the CEBL A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 75% of its rosters being Canadian and a record 10 players with NBA experience in 2024. Players also bring experience from the NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, NCAA programs, as well as U SPORTS and CCAA. Fourteen players have signed NBA contracts following a CEBL season, and numerous CEBL players attend NBA G League training camps every year. The CEBL season runs from May through August with games broadcast live on CEBL+ powered by BetVictor, TSN , TSN+ , RDS , Game+ , Next Level Sports & Entertainment and Courtside1891 . More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram , Twitter , TikTok , LinkedIn , Facebook & YouTube .