Bandits Drop Sunday Matinee to Surge in Calgary
In a battle between the Western Conference’s top two teams, the Calgary Surge pushed the pace on their way to a convincing win over the Vancouver Bandits on Sunday (June 20).
Calgary’s 100-83 victory vaults the team atop the CEBL standings at 8-3, winning both meetings with their rivals from Vancouver so far this season.
The second loss to Calgary marks the first time Vancouver has lost consecutive games this year and snaps a four-game winning streak on the road.
Both squads were coming off losses to Western Conference rivals heading into Sunday’s clash at WinSport Event Centre, but a massive 33-13 second quarter propelled the Surge to a comfortable win.
After allowing 31 points in the first quarter, Calgary head coach Kaleb Canales said the team got back to its bread and butter.
“In the team huddle, we just kept talking about [how] our brand of basketball is defence to offence. We had to get more activity on the ball and our weak side tighter. And I thought the guys did a great job of executing the game plan,” Canales said.
Six Surge players scored in double figures, with Greg Brown III’s 24 points leading the way. The NBA-experienced forward scored the Target Score Winner at the line and added eight rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks.
Brown III felt the Surge were already the best team in the league before Sunday’s win.
“We already beat Vancouver the first time by 15 – now we beat them by 20. We showed we’re the best team in the league,” Brown III said.
Sean Miller-Moore tallied 20 points, five rebounds and five assists for the Surge while Olumide Adelodun netted 17 off the bench. Jameer Nelson Jr., Khyri Thomas, and Javonté Brown rounded out the Calgary attack with 11 points apiece.
As a team, Calgary dished 29 assists while winning the battles on the fastbreak and in the paint. The Surge were a menace on defence as well, forcing 29 turnovers – including 14 steals – and blocking six shots.
Vancouver head coach Kyle Julius said it was noticeable the squad was shorthanded, including the absence of Mitch Creek due to injury late in Friday’s loss to Winnipeg. He said the team didn’t stick with what was working after a strong first quarter.
“The game plan worked great in the first quarter and then it ended. Then it stopped,” Julius said.
Duane Notice and Curtis Hollis each scored 15 to pace the Bandits’ offence in Creek’s absence, while recent acquisition Zach Copeland netted 12 off the bench in his second game of the season.
Copeland played with Vancouver last year and is confident they’ll figure things out.
“We had some rough patches last year too and we made it to the final. So [we have to] keep a level head and just keep going,” he said.
To open the game, defence was difficult to find. The Surge and Bandits both started hot offensively and hung tight with eight lead changes. Calgary showcased its athletic pedigree with high-flying finishes from Brown III and Miller-Moore. However, the Bandits showed off their long-range accuracy and carried a 31-25 lead after 10 minutes.
In the second quarter, the Surge continued to excel offensively while locking in on defence. After a back-and-forth start to the frame, Calgary finished the half on a 25-6 run.
While the usual suspects of Brown III, Miller-Moore, and Nelson Jr. all contributed, the supporting cast stole the show in the second quarter. Big man Javonté Brown made plays on both ends, while Adelodun caught fire from beyond the arc and Thomas carried the offence early.
Adelodun led all scorers with 14 points and Calgary carried a 58-44 advantage heading into the locker room.
“It's good to see the work show and that’s actually all that matters at the end of the day,” Adelodun said.
The third quarter proved why basketball is known as a game of runs. The Surge looked poised to run away with the win after an 11-2 run to open the half, taking a 23-point lead. The stretch was highlighted by Miller-Moore buckets at all three levels, including an off-backboard transition alley-oop from Nelson Jr.
Out of a timeout, the Bandits stormed back with a 13-2 run of their own with long-range shooting from Hollis, Copeland and Corey Davis Jr. But the Surge closed the quarter on yet another run to lead 81-64 ahead of the fourth.
Vancouver climbed back to cut the deficit to 10, but four straight points from Brown III gave Calgary a 14-point lead before Target Score Time.
Brown III continued to assert himself in the final stretch with help from his running mates, Miller-Moore and Nelson Jr. A putback from Brown III put the Surge one point away before he ended the game at the free throw line.
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