Calgary's CEBL ballers Surge into top spot with home win over Bandits
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The Calgary Surge might well be remembering Surge2TheTopOfTheCEBL as their most pivotal showcase of the 2025 Canadian Elite Basketball League campaign.
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That's because that game Sunday afternoon at WinSport Event Centre — a convincing 100-83 win over the visiting Vancouver Bandits — could well have a long-lasting effect on their season.
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In a battle between the Western Conference's top two teams, the Surge victory vaults the team atop the CEBL standings at 8-3, winning both meetings with their rivals from the West Coast so far this season.
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The second loss to the Calgary crew marks the first time the Bandits have lost consecutive games this year and snaps a four-game winning streak on the road.
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Both squads were coming off losses to Western Conference rivals heading into Sunday's clash at WinSport, but a massive 33-13 second quarter propelled the Surge to a comfortable win.
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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,' Canales told CEBL.ca. '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 gameplan.'
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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.
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Brown felt the Surge were already the best team in the league before Sunday's win.
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'We already beat Vancouver the first time by 15,' Brown said. 'Now we beat them by 20. We showed we're the best team in the league.'
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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 home-side attack with 11 points apiece.
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As a team, the Calgary squad 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.
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