Bandits Advance to CEBL Final after Dramatic Win over Edmonton

“Enjoy this win and be proud of what we’ve accomplished up until now, but the hunt isn’t over.”  That was the message from Bandits interim head coach Rans Brempong after Vancouver locked up first place in the Canadian Elite Basketball League's Western Conference with a dominant 114-90 victory over the Winnipeg Sea Bears on Sunday before a sold-out Fan Appreciation Day crowd on Envision Financial Court at Langley Events Centre. The one-sided victory — Vancouver never trailed and led by as many as 33 points — clinched top spot in the Canadian Elite Basketball League's Western Conference. The Bandits finished atop the West with a 15-9 record while Winnipeg settled for second at 14-10. As a result, the road to the CEBL Championship will go through Langley. Vancouver will host the Edmonton Stingers on Thursday (Aug. 6) at 7:00pm in the Western Conference semi-final, and with a win would also host the conference final on Aug. 8 with a berth in the CEBL Finals on the line. The game was delayed by 90 minutes following travel disruptions which prevented the Sea Bears from arriving until game-day morning. “We had something to play for today. We wanted first place, we wanted home-court advantage,” said Bandits guard Mychal Mulder. “It’s games like this we get out of bed for, so we were excited and took advantage of the opportunity.” Vancouver was all over the Sea Bears from the opening whistle, leading 17-4 midway through the first quarter and by 21 at halftime. Mulder and Mitch Creek led the team with 29 and 28 points, respectively, while Shamar Givance added 16 points with John Knight III chipping in a dozen. Givance set a new CEBL single-game record with 18 assists. As a team, the Bandits had 36 assists on their 46 field goals. “We knew it was important to play with pace. I think we also shared the ball really well. Shamar had 18 assists and pushed the ball up and down the floor all night. I think everybody did a great job sharing the ball,” Mulder said. “And having (reigning league MVP Mitch Creek) back was super helpful. I think he puts a lot of guys in the right position to succeed, and it's been super helpful for the whole group.” Emmanuel Akot led the Sea Bears with 20 points while Teddy Allen – the league’s leading scorer at 27.8 points per game – was held to half that, finishing with 14. “There was a lot to like tonight. I liked the energy right from the beginning and our attention to detail,” Brempong said. “We were sharp. The mindset we have has been we are on a hunt, and you have to be sharp to hunt something.” General manager (and former head coach) Kyle Julius was in attendance for Sunday's game after stepping down from coaching to pursue an opportunity in the Chinese Basketball Association. “Obviously, everything that we're doing is his blueprint,” Brempong said. “He's the one who developed sort of the blueprint and got the players here. To have him sitting beside me, giving me advice that he saw, was a comforting feeling.” The focus now shifts to Thursday's single-elimination playoff game against an Edmonton team that split the season series 2-2 with Vancouver. The Bandits enter with wins in three of their past four games. “I think momentum is important. I always say it's a game of runs; that applies to the season as well,” Mulder said. “The whole year, the whole summer, we've been trying to peak at the right time,” Mulder said. “I think we're playing the style of basketball we've been working toward for months, and we're finally peaking at the right time.” -