Latest news with #EvanGilyardII
CTV News
12 hours ago
- Sport
- CTV News
Surge survive in sensational finish against Bandits to advance to CEBL conference finals
Evan Gilyard II celebrates after sinking three free throws in Target Score Time to give the Calgary Surge a thrilling 105-103 win in their CEBL playoff game against the Vancouver Bandits Saturday afternoon. Jameer Nelson Jr. scored a playoff record 39 points to lead the visiting Calgary Surge to a thrilling 105-103 victory over the Vancouver Bandits in Canadian Elite Basketball League action today in Langley, B.C. Evan Gilyard II who finished with 29 points, scored the winning points in Target Time as the Surge won the Western Conference semifinal and advance to championship weekend in Winnipeg. With the Surge on the precipice of elimination, trailing 103-102 with a target score of 105, the Bandits were called for a foul on Gilyard II who was shooting beyond the three-point arc. That sent Gilyard II to the foul line for the three most pressure-packed free throws of his career and he made them all, sending the Surge to Winnipeg next weekend. 'I love our team,' Canales said. 'I absolutely loved our championship poise … that's our standard, that's our culture. The coaches are already preparing for Winnipeg. We need two more (wins).' The Bandits got a huge shooting game from Zach Copeland, who had 30 points and three steals. Mitch Creek and Tyrese Samuel chipped in with 25 and 22 points respectively. Calgary swept the Bandits three straight during the season, largely due to the dynamic duo of Nelson Jr. and Gilyard II, and early Saturday, it was more of the same. Nelson had seven and Gilyard II 12 points in the second quarter. The Surge were firing on all cylinders, building a 10-point lead at the half that felt as if it could have been more. The Bandits fought back in the third, and after an 8-2 run early in the fourth, found themselves in possession of a 96-95 lead. Just before Gilyard II's winning free throws, the Bandits appeared poised to snatch the victory but a referee review ruled no foul on what would have been two free throws to reach the target score of 105. Nelson Jr. and Gilyard II combined for 68 points Saturday after combining for 54 to propel the Calgary club past the Edmonton Stingers earlier this week. Next up for the Surge is a Friday night matchup with the Winnipeg Sea Bears. The winner advances to the CEBL final against the winner of the eastern final showdown between the Scarborough Shooting Stars and defending CEBL champions the Niagara River Lions. With files from The Canadian Press
CTV News
2 days ago
- Sport
- CTV News
Surge get huge night from dynamic duo to defeat Stingers at WinSport
The Calgary Surge in action Thursday against the Edmonton Stingers. The Surge got big nights from the dynamic duo of Jameer Nelson Jr. and Evan Gilyard II Thursday to help propel them past the Edmonton Stingers in CEBL playoff action. Evan Gilyard II led the way for the Surge, finishing with 28 points, five assists and a huge triple in Target Score Time that put the Surge to within a bucket of the target score of 103. That set the stage for Jameer Nelson Jr., who redirected an inbounds pass up into the bucket to advance the Surge into a western conference final showdown against the Vancouver Bandits on Saturday by a 103-95 margin. Nelson Jr. finished with 26 points, six rebounds, seven assists and two steals. Surge coach Caleb Canales said the club is lucky to have two go-to guards, in addition to a third who consistently come up big in crunch time. 'It's super special and we're super spoiled having both of them,' Canales said of the Surge's guard duo. 'Both are knocking on the door of an NBA contract. They play both ends at a high level, so we've been very spoiled by both of them.' Nelson Jr. and Gilyard II accounted for more than half of the Surge's total scoring. The club also got big performances from Sean Miller-Moore, who delivered 19 points, and Greg Brown III, who added 17 points, eight rebounds and three assists. 'I loved the fight from our group,' Canales said. 'We stuck to our identity, especially in the second half. We did a good job taking Edmonton's punch in the first half and we made plays down the stretch … it was a great way to end our games at home.' It was the third straight year the Surge have knocked out the Stingers in the playoffs. After Edmonton built a slender 50-48 lead at the half, the Surge took over the game in the third quarter, using 12-4 and 13-0 runs to propel the club to a nine-point lead after three. Gilyard was the catalyst in the third quarter, racking up 14 points. The Stingers weren't done however, going on a 12-2 run in the fourth that brought them all the way back to an 87-87 tie game with five minutes left. That was as close as Edmonton got, however, as Gilyard and Nelson took over from there, lifting Calgary to the win. Calgary goes to Vancouver to take on the Bandits, with the winner advancing to a conference final showdown in Winnipeg against the Sea Bears.
